Eating out

[aprilgail]

Don't you get sick of restaurant food? Our whole family does when we travel. After a week or so we are so ready for home food.

Not really- there are SO many different types of restaurants to go to that I would not have to repeat the same ones for months and months- Funny thing-I visited a family member in the state of Washington in this small town and there was not one restaurant within like 30 minutes- and that was only ONE restaurant- I would be miserable in a place like that- in NY there are thousands of places to eat. My daughter went to college in Boston and it is sort of like a scaled down NYC there and she is finding all new places to eat there. On our road trip we took we went through Idaho- if we blinked we missed the "town" and it took us hours to find a place to eat there!

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Don't you get sick of restaurant food? Our whole family does when we travel. After a week or so we are so ready for home food.

Not at all, there are lots of restaurants with endless menu options. One night I'll go to Portillos, maybe do a pizza, chic filet, greek, bbq, it's endless.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Not really- there are SO many different types of restaurants to go to that I would not have to repeat the same ones for months and months- Funny thing-I visited a family member in the state of Washington in this small town and there was not one restaurant within like 30 minutes- and that was only ONE restaurant- I would be miserable in a place like that- in NY there are thousands of places to eat. My daughter went to college in Boston and it is sort of like a scaled down NYC there and she is finding all new places to eat there. On our road trip we took we went through Idaho- if we blinked we missed the "town" and it took us hours to find a place to eat there!

My DD lives near Boston. If you're DD is interested, my DD has a map, like the T map, only it lists all the vegetarian restaurants in Boston (this may even be something easy to find online). I thought it was pretty cute. My DD is a pescatarian, but eats vegetarian/vegan fairly frequently.

Back on topic--we don't eat out often, due to cost. We also find it less convenient for the way our family eats. Even when we go on vacation, my gang would rather stay in a house or condo and have me cook (thanks, guys!). I guess it's because they're more grazers, and have certain things that they like. We do get pizza or Chinese take-out, typically once a month or so. And DH gets Fridays off, so we sometimes do a "date lunch", so we can complete a thought without kids interrupting. It's kind of a shame that we don't eat out more often--plenty of interesting choices in our city--but aside from cost, it's tricky logistically with 4 kids in various activities.

 

[mjkacmom]

5 Guys with family of 4 would be at $50 easily. I don't know the other places you mention. Chipotle is like a burrito place?

It is, a chipotle night costs close to $80 for our family of 7 (which is why I cook every night). Most of my kids won’t eat fast food like McDonald’s, they’re just not used to it.

 

[Christine]

5 Guys with family of 4 would be at $50 easily. I don't know the other places you mention. Chipotle is like a burrito place?

Yes, Chipotle is a large national chain that does burritos. We spend about $10 per person there. Same with Five Guys: A typical order for us would be:

Hamburger - $6.70
Soft Drink - $2.40

That runs about $9.00 per person.

We would then split a large fry between the family of four because they are HUGE at $5.39. That sort of gets us to around $11-$12 per person. No tip thank goodness. But yeah, depending on how wild you go at Five Guys, you could break $50 easily. All you need is a double patty burger, another order of fries, or a milkshake and you're there. We're pretty frugal when we go out so I can keep it lower than what I've quote. For instance, my daughter and I always get the little cheeseburger, which is cheaper and we actually don't order the large fry but a smaller order to split between four people.

 

[Klayfish]

We're a family of 5, and are insanely busy. My weekday starts when the alarm goes off just after 4am and it doesn't stop until about 9pm. DW schedule is similar, except she's often home in the evenings while I'm with the kids at practice. Then Saturday is usually spent at the kids' sports games, and then Sunday is spent doing all of the housework we never get done Mon-Fri.

However, as I've mentioned in other threads, we're very into health and nutrition. So we cook almost all of our food. The way we do it is by cooking a massive amount on Sunday. We'll cook 8lbs of chicken breast, 3lbs of lean ground beef, and several tilapia for DW (we can only cook a few as they don't stay fresh long). That is the base for all of our dinners and all of the kids dinners. Then we'll just add in some veggies and a little pasta for the kids, and veggies/salad for DW and I. Lunches...we pre-pack everything on Sunday. I make all my breakfasts and lunches and put it in the fridge, and so does DW. She also makes all the kids lunches...a bunch of pb&j sandwiches, or cold cut turkey/ham, pre package a bunch of baby carrots or grapes or some other fruit/veggie, and make 25-30 small baggies of crackers, Goldfish, etc... So in the morning, the kids just grab one of each for their lunch and off they go. I do the same...grab my breakfast/lunch and head out the door. Yeah, it make Sunday morning pretty hectic, but it is a lifesaver all throughout the week.

We "eat out" once per week. DW and I have our "cheat meal" every Friday night, though her cheat meal is still fairly conservative. We'll order from a local pizza/burger joint or Subway. We also let the kids have a cheat meal on Fridays too. We'll buy a pizza from Little Caesars for them and let them have chips/pretzels or whatever they want with it. Sometimes we take them to McDonalds or Steak and Shake, but that's pretty rare...once every several months. DW and I almost never actually go out to a restaurant to eat for ourselves. With the exception of a date night in WDW, I think it's been at least 5 years since DW and I went to a restaurant to eat.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Okay I think it was Chipotle that we ate at in Minneapolis last year. It was good but huge portions. I guess it depends what you order.

Oh and for sure we share fries at 5 Guys!

 

[Christine]

Okay I think it was Chipotle that we ate at in Minneapolis last year. It was good but huge portions. I guess it depends what you order.

Oh and for sure we share fries at 5 Guys!

Oh, yes, huge portions at Chipotle. If I'm not a glutton, I can make two meals out of a burrito or burrito bowl. It's a lot of food.

 

[soccerdad72]

We generally eat at home much of the week, but eat out much of the weekends. It also varies depending on sports seasons.

These days, a typical weekly schedule for dinner would be:

• Monday - cook something at home. Younger son has soccer practice, but it's a mile from our house, so it's easy. Older son gets home from his soccer practice around 5:30 so I'll eat with him after dropping younger son off at 6pm.
• Tuesday - older son nearly always has a game, so home games, he'll eat something before going over for warmups and road games, the team provides a boxed meal for the bus. The rest of us usually eat something at home before heading out to the game.
• Wednesday - lightest day of the week, so we often will all eat at home around 6pm when everyone is there (my wife often works late those days).
• Thursday - Younger son's practice is 30 minutes away, so that's a day I usually drop him off, grab some fast food while he's practicing and then get him something on his way home after practice. Older son also usually grabs Chipotle or Pizza Fire ('fast food' pizza) on his way home from practice.
• Friday - we usually go out as a family. Something fairly casual, but sit down.
• Saturday / Sunday - depending on games, this is when we will often eat out a lot, as many as 3 or 4 meals for the two days. Morning games we will sometimes get breakfast afterwards. Saturday night we often eat out wherever we land. Sundays we try to eat dinner at home as a family.

I'll be honest, I don't know how much we spend eating out - we're fortunate in that we haven't had to worry too much about budgets in recent years, I guess. We try to eat reasonably healthy when eating out, but that also will vary widely as well.

 

[Minnesota!]

We go out to eat 3 or so times a month. With 2 boys...the bills near $100 anytime we go anywhere non-chain (admittedly, it's because I am all about the beer...).

We lead pretty busy lives...on the run from 5am - 830-9pm most days.

So, I cook/prep for the week on Sundays.

Tonight is Swedish meatballs. I get home at 515 and we have to be back out the door at 6 tonight. So, last night I rolled the meatballs. This morning when I was cooking breakfast and packing lunches I pan fried them. Tonight all I have to do is make the gravy, which I can do while the noodles are boiling, and then throw the meatballs in the gravy to warm. Looking at 15 minutes, tops.

Yesterday, I got home at 515 and we had to be out the door at 6, too. Dinner was brat patties, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy. So, yesterday morning, while cooking breakfast and washing dishes, I microwaved 3 large baking potatoes until done and tossed in the fridge. When I got home, I threw the brats in a skillet, in a pan I threw milk, sour cream, butter and smushed the potatoes into there. Made the gravy from a packet and some frozen green beans. Dinner was on the table in under 15.

And, my grocery bill is $300/month. For 4 people. For 3 meals/day. (That does not include eating out...).

I find that an hour of planning and prep on a weekend saves me so much time and money over the week. Saves my sanity, too.

We have a ton of good restaurants around here, but I could not ever eat out every night. I need home-cooked meals!

 

[Dumbo777]

What is Buca Di Beppo? We don't have Chick-Fil-A. It's like KFC? I've just heard bad things about them being discrimatory against LBGT people so even if we saw one while traveling I don't think I would want to go in. Never seen one but the only thing I know about it is that it sells chicken and its controversial.
Subway is cheap and that is our go to fast food when we get it.
We get busy during baseball season so it's a challenge to eat supper. But we just can't afford to out every time we happen to be busy so we have to be creative. Make supper the night before and reheat, etc.

It's great when kids are younger and can share an entree or qualify for kids eat free promos. But just wait until they are teens especially boys! LOL.

You don't have chick fil? We would die..

 

[Dumbo777]

We go out to eat 3 or so times a month. With 2 boys...the bills near $100 anytime we go anywhere non-chain (admittedly, it's because I am all about the beer...).

We lead pretty busy lives...on the run from 5am - 830-9pm most days.

So, I cook/prep for the week on Sundays.

Tonight is Swedish meatballs. I get home at 515 and we have to be back out the door at 6 tonight. So, last night I rolled the meatballs. This morning when I was cooking breakfast and packing lunches I pan fried them. Tonight all I have to do is make the gravy, which I can do while the noodles are boiling, and then throw the meatballs in the gravy to warm. Looking at 15 minutes, tops.

Yesterday, I got home at 515 and we had to be out the door at 6, too. Dinner was brat patties, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy. So, yesterday morning, while cooking breakfast and washing dishes, I microwaved 3 large baking potatoes until done and tossed in the fridge. When I got home, I threw the brats in a skillet, in a pan I threw milk, sour cream, butter and smushed the potatoes into there. Made the gravy from a packet and some frozen green beans. Dinner was on the table in under 15.

And, my grocery bill is $300/month. For 4 people. For 3 meals/day. (That does not include eating out...).

I find that an hour of planning and prep on a weekend saves me so much time and money over the week. Saves my sanity, too.

We have a ton of good restaurants around here, but I could not ever eat out every night. I need home-cooked meals!

Wow, kudos to you on being super organized. We are always on the go. I have an nine yr old, a sixteen years old, a two yr old and a seven month old. I feel like all I do is cook, wash dishes, and laundry. I try to cook at home as much as possible. We tend to eat put when evenings are hectic. I'm vice president of my son's PTA( yes I'm that mom) plus my teenage daughter raises a pig at her school. Between feeding the pig, cleaning the pen, and walking it, then PTA meeting/fundraisers/events, sometimes evenings can get pretty hectic. We usually eat Bill Miller's those nights. I'm a huge fan of their sweet tea (which tends to add pounds if not careful), plus the kids love the chicken strips there.

 

[CdnCarrie]

You don't have chick fil? We would die..

I have survived 50 years without Chick Fil!. I don't think there are any in Canada. Are there any in North Dakota? Never noticed them there or Minnesota on our travels.
Bill Miller's is a new one to me to? Is that a sit down?

I hear t hat PTA is a big this in the USA. Our PTA revived a few years ago and I was on the board one year. It's not as big of a thing here. One meeting a month plus some busy times around a fundraiser or two a month. The President did do some grant writing but she had some background in that. I guess that is time consuming.

 

[Dumbo777]

I have survived 50 years without Chick Fil!. I don't think there are any in Canada. Are there any in North Dakota? Never noticed them there or Minnesota on our travels.
Bill Miller's is a new one to me to? Is that a sit down?

Bills is either sit down or drive through, but it is pretty much fast food. I usually order a baked potato and salad. It's a type of bbq joint. I never ate chick fil a before they built one in our area and now we eat it about three/ four times a month. The kids really like it.

We are a really busy PTA. We just had a fundraiser run on Oct 13 and have another on Oct 28. We try to run events often. The plus side of that is that we give back alot, the down side is it keeps you super busy. We are always doing something. I am in charge of our major school fundraiser in spring, which is one week before our Disney trip. I'm trying very hard to be super organized so that everything falls into place and I won't be too stressed for either one (I say that with tongue in cheek).

I hear t hat PTA is a big this in the USA. Our PTA revived a few years ago and I was on the board one year. It's not as big of a thing here. One meeting a month plus some busy times around a fundraiser or two a month. The President did do some grant writing but she had some background in that. I guess that is time consuming.

 

[AppleDumpling]

We eat out around 2 or 3 times a month. We rarely get fast food, like McD's or Wendy's but will order in Chinese or pizza (not from chains) once in a while. I like to cook, and sometimes intentionally have leftovers that we can have again in a few days, or put in the freezer.

When we go to a full-service restaurant, portions are often too large for me. I bring home a doggie bag at least 60% of the time.

 

[mefordis]

5 Guys with family of 4 would be at $50 easily. I don't know the other places you mention. Chipotle is like a burrito place?

Yes. We do Chipotle once a week. It's about $45 because my dh hates it -- just my two girls and me. Those nights I make dh a simple grilled chicken meal.

 

[Darbie]

I made three meals a day for years and years. Now, I don't have to anymore, so I don't. We eat out frequently (3-5 times a week) and enjoy it.

 

[mefordis]

Good spin off thread and great questions, OP.

Well, this is truly embarrassing but I'm to come clean. This isn't a brag -- it's a confession. I am truly ashamed that we spent 15k last year on eating out. That includes nice restaurants for birthdays, picking up the check for parents and in laws, eating out during vacations, take out, everything restaurants. I track everything we spend so I know.

My girls are 13 and 9 and they do sports and luckily no weight issues with them. DH and I eat twice a day, breakfast and dinner or lunch and dinner. No snacks. That helps with the weight. HOWEVER, we all need to eat healthier, hence my op in the other thread.

I am trying to turn this restaurant thing around and a lot of people on here have given me great suggestions. Thanks!

 

[mefordis]

I made three meals a day for years and years. Now, I don't have to anymore, so I don't. We eat out frequently (3-5 times a week) and enjoy it.

My in laws do that. They are retired, live in a big city with lots of restaurants and have lots of $$ so it works for them.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Oh, yes, huge portions at Chipotle. If I'm not a glutton, I can make two meals out of a burrito or burrito bowl. It's a lot of food.

Chipotle portions are huge and I'd like to say I make two meals but the reality is it's gone, I always get the same thing too. Salad with shredded lettuce, half spoon of rice, barbacoa, double veggies, sour cream, Guac, cheese and corn salsa-there's never anything left haha. I throw down on those.