luvnwdwgal
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2002
We very rarely eat out so I’d say less than $20 a month.
I agree -- the huge disadvantage to eating out a lot is that calorie consumption can be very difficult to manage. I do not like cooking -- I find zero joy in it. My DH knows this and appreciates that for 30+ years I was cooking meals for 5-7 people 5 or 6 nights a week. Now that we're nearly empty nesters (and have a *lot* more disposable income), he can make my life a little easier by going out to eat a lot. But managing the calories has definitely been a challenge. I usually only eat about 1/3-1/2 of the food I'm served. Sometimes I will bring home leftovers but many times I don't because I know I won't eat them (some things just don't reheat well). Thankfully I do strength training with a personal trainer 3 times a week, so that helps offset some of the eating, but I still need to be smart about how much and what I'm eating. If we ever win the lottery, I'm hiring a personal chef.Putting cost aside (because that's not why I don't eat out)--I have found especially as I've gotten older that if I dine out and the pace I used to, it's impossible to keep control of my calories over time. I'm always trying to stay within a decent range so I don't turn into a blob. This gets more and more difficult each year. I find that just about everything out is a calorie bomb. I mean, that's why it tastes so good. But I could never manage my weight with routine dining out.
Do you have a laundry room with some extra space? You could easily set up a fry pan, mini fridge, small microwave and small air fryer. Even for breakfast and lunch. I can't imagine eating all meals out for 6 weeks.Edited to add: Just as ronandannette posted earlier, we are getting ready to do a complete kitchen renovation and they're telling us it will likely take 6-8 weeks. The idea of not having a fridge or oven is a bit scary. I usually love restaurants but I'm sure I will be sick of all of it after the reno is complete.
Yeah we had a microwave, two burner hot plate, grill and lots of small appliances, george foreman, crock pot, pressure cooker, waffle maker etc ... plus garage fridge/freezer. The cost of renovation and all new appliances was enough for me to not want to go out to eat.Do you have a laundry room with some extra space? You could easily set up a fry pan, mini fridge, small microwave and small air fryer. Even for breakfast and lunch. I can't imagine eating all meals out for 6 weeks.
Do you have a laundry room with some extra space? You could easily set up a fry pan, mini fridge, small microwave and small air fryer. Even for breakfast and lunch. I can't imagine eating all meals out for 6 weeks.
This. we did a to-the-studs kitchen remodel a few years back, and had the microwave, fridge, and a small convection oven (counter-top size) in my craft room (which is actually a dining room, we're just not formal dining room people). Our one concession was using disposable plates--DH is the dishwasher, and he was having to wash them in the bathtub, so we tried to minimize his pain! We may have bought more convenience-type foods, but we didn't eat out much more. It helped that the weather here allows year-round grill use.Do you have a laundry room with some extra space? You could easily set up a fry pan, mini fridge, small microwave and small air fryer. Even for breakfast and lunch. I can't imagine eating all meals out for 6 weeks.