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you've already mentioned that you don't work so you are a full time stay at home.
When you do work full time you learn to make the best use of your free time.
I shop every 2 weeks and prepare more than enough for dinner so that we can have a "national leftover night" once a week.
I don't make fancy dishes except on the weekends and i don't cook meat every night.
Eating out once every 2-3 weeks is a treat.
And i did that for over 30 years while working full time.
Most of the young ones eat out a lot because they don't know how to cook.
Assuming the average meal is in 6-10 dollars range, that could easily be 50 dollars a week on lunch alone. This isn't taking into account dinner or breakfast
What's with all the proud "I don't cook" people out there nowadays? And the Foodies? If you are a Foodie who's focus is on eating healthy food, that's great but we seem to have a ton of Foodies who need to eat tasty stuff every meal, and usually that will be a very high calorie diet.
Most self-proclaimed foodies are just people who eat a lot but don't east fast food very often. I know people who call themselves foodies but can't fry an egg. And yeah, a lot of Gen-X'ers and Millennials are proud of eating out every meal and not knowing how to cook. I think it's some kind of status symbol for idiots who can't afford sports cars or Rolex watches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Back to NE
I know too many people making good salaries who live paycheck to paycheck (hope they're at least putting away alot of 401K money); most of whom eat out constantly.
Same here. And I have no sympathy for them when they complain about money problems.
Assuming the average meal is in 6-10 dollars range, that could easily be 50 dollars a week on lunch alone. This isn't taking into account dinner or breakfast
I used to stop for coffee all the time when I was driving, then decided to keep track of what I spent. I was shocked to discover I spent almost $50 in a month on coffee! Now I bring it from home, along an extra thermos for later.
Assuming the average meal is in 6-10 dollars range, that could easily be 50 dollars a week on lunch alone. This isn't taking into account dinner or breakfast
I saw that a lot at my job. I only ate out on Friday as a treat. Brought lunch from home and just bought a soda at the cafeteria.
A friend and I used to do Pizza Hut lunch buffet.
And many even skipped the cafeteria (on site) and opted to go to a sit down restaurant instead.
If money is tight, that's certainly a budget category that should be cut.
Well from the OP link it's not making any impact on these people as they are still eating out.
From the link:
"Nearly a third of these households admit they aren't reaching their savings goals, and 44 percent say spending big on lifestyle expenses like dining out and entertainment does a number on their bank account."
A crock pot, pressure cooker and a wok, along with some planning, can eliminate the need to eat out as much even in a busy household.
Add a food processor to that. Unless you are an Iron Chief, it takes time cutting and slicing raw veggies (stir fries). While they do sell frozen presliced veggies, they are not good for many dishes. Soggy.
Both crock pots (70's?) and pressure cookers (even older) are nothing new. There is a reason why they are still around today. It was my MIL (born 1924) who introduced me to a pressure cooker back in the 70's.
My daughters played travel sports including out of state. That really was the only times we ever ate out. No choice. Got so SICK of all that fast food on the road that the rest of the time, they WANTED home cooked meals.
Besides which, I actually like cooking from scratch. My great-grandfather was a chief at a big Manhattan hotel. Growing up, it was my DAD who did most of the cooking. Maybe it is in the genes???
It's one of the downsides of a two-income household; nobody's home to cook. It's time-consuming to prepare meals at home, and the typical suburban family is already squeezed between long commutes and after-school activities. Who can blame them for grabbing Subway?
Why not scrap the after-school activities and make their after-school activity teaching the kids how to cook, at least when they are at an age they can be trusted around an oven? They will be only grateful afterwards.
If money is tight, that's certainly a budget category that should be cut.
If I wasn't as frugal as I was for years then I'd have to work til I was 65.
As is, I was able to live beneath my means, save more and retire early.
And I keep the same habits in retirement. I still food shop every 2 weeks and treat myself to a nice breakfast at a sit down restaurant on food shopping days.
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