This past weekend we chose to prepare a nice meal at home instead of dining out. I mentioned that we spent almost a whole week's grocery budget on the foods needed for our tea. While that sounds like a lot, I believe it was less expensive than many of our other choices.
For that same money (and still do something relatively nice), we could have picked up better take-out, like fast food Chinese (Panda Express), we could have had coffee and a pastry each at one daughter's favorite European cafe, or we could have maybe eaten lunch at a small family-run restaurant. But we could not have gone to a nice tearoom for that same dollar amount.
Since I was paying for this celebration meal out of the grocery budget, it made the most sense to buy a few convenience items for putting together a full tea without overworking myself. As it works out, we won't be spending extra on groceries this month, as I paid for all of the food and beverages using the week's budget. We haven't really needed to grocery shop so far this week. Which means that if we can go until Friday or Saturday, I'll have a new week's grocery budget to shop with.
So our tea (or budget-friendly alternative like named above) cost roughly the same as a week's groceries. Do you ever compare the cost of eating out to your regular grocery budget? I think about that when considering doing a nice meal out. For the same amount to eat out, I can buy a lot of nice food for our family.
Our wedding anniversary was last Saturday. It happened to be my daughter's night to cook. She made BBQ beef using leftover pot roast, and added some easy sides. So that's what we had for our anniversary dinner. We watched the second half of a movie that we'd started the night before while eating this "celebratory" meal. Alternatively, we could have eaten brunch out at one of my favorite nice restaurants (which we haven't dined in since early 2018). I admit, this would have been a lovely way to celebrate our anniversary. However, it would have cost the same as two weeks of our grocery budget. When I think of it that way (comparing the cost of dining out to our grocery budget), it doesn't seem worth it to me. Last year on our anniversary, 4 of us went to Starbucks using gift cards. That was a nice and small way to celebrate.
There are times when I am willing to dine out. For example, when each of my kids graduated from university, when we had a milestone birthday in the family, when we've had gift cards that I wanted to use soon, when we wanted to honor someone outside of our family, or while on vacation.
I guess I feel that I've been gifted with the ability and inclination to cook, so I might as well lean in to that and prepare meals at home most of the time. I was not gifted with the ability or inclination to do many home improvement jobs, so I am happy to pay someone else to do those. I understand that many people don't have the desire or ability to cook at home almost exclusively. Dining out for them, when affordable, may be a very good use of their disposable income.
Back to my daughters' birthday celebration at home. The work really wasn't that burdensome. I spent about 4 hours actually preparing the foods and about 1 hour pulling it all together with dishes and serving pieces. I think my daughters are worth spending 4 to 5 hours doing something nice to honor them. And like I said, we had a nicer experience than anything else we could have done for the same amount of money.
For what occasions do you like to dine out? Do you ever think about how much food and supplies you could buy for the same amount of money as a restaurant meal would cost? Or is dining out a priority as one of your splurges?
Happy Anniversary, Lili! Dare I ask how many years?
ReplyDeleteI would much rather make a meal than eat out (just the two of us). The kitchen is my place to calm down from frazzled days or events. It's my place to create. Home improvements get hired out exclusively. My husband can't do a lot of the bigger things either. Small repairs, yes.
We happen to enjoy going out for breakfast and it used to be the cheapest meal to go out for in a celebration but lately even breakfast prices have skyrocketed. When we visit our kids and the mention of going out for a meal is never an immediate NO because we do what they want to do. We often pick up the tab too because it is what we budget for. We want to celebrate our children (who never ask for anything) so doing this when we are together makes sense to us.
Alice
Thank you, Alice. 39 years. Next year is our 40th!
DeleteIt used to be that we had several restaurants in my area where you could go for a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, etc, and not spend too much. The places that do serve a full breakfast or brunch are on the expensive side in my area now. The other choice is going out for a pastry or breakfast sandwich and coffee. I agree, restaurant dining of all kinds has gone up in price a lot in the last few years.
In answer to your question, yes, I do compare the cost of eating out to how many meals I could have made from eating at home. Mostly my husband and I eat at home. We are more likely to eat out when the kids are home (or when we are traveling), and consider it a treat. I don't keep a strict financial budget--we mostly try to make budget-conscious choices, and don't sweat the occasional splurge. When meeting up with friends, I try to steer the event towards going out for coffee or ice cream. It's not as expensive as a meal out, but accomplishes the same thing (an opportunity to connect).
ReplyDeleteYours is a good strategy, Kris, steering the outings towards lesser cost ones. And I'm sure your friends appreciate spending less, too. And like you said, you still get that opportunity to get together.
DeleteHappy Anniversary!
ReplyDeleteWe eat out a fair amount, however we’ve been trying to curtail that recently. Generally, other things get priority over cooking. Luckily, our budget can handle eating out. However, we look for specials. We’re on vacation now and we are eating out. Part of our agenda is to try some specific restaurants that we can’t get at home. But we eat the free breakfast at the hotel and make pbj sandwiches from the condiments at the breakfast bar where we also can get a couple of pieces of fruit. It’s working well for us.
Thank you, Live and Learn.
DeleteHow you're eating out while on vacation is exactly what I would do, find places where the meals are something unlike what's available at home. When we were in California, I specifically wanted to try some different Mexican places, especially for street tacos. I like discovering the different flavor combinations food trucks and taquerias will try with foods like those. I hope those specific restaurants you're searching out on your trip live up to your expectations!
Like others here, I do compare the cost of eating out to our grocery budget. When I go out to eat, I want something that i can’t fix at home.
ReplyDeleteI am stunned by the current price of salads. I looked yesterday at a nearby restaurant menu. They had a plain Caesar salad for $14. Romaine, a bit of parm, croutons and Caesar dressing, for $14!! To add chicken was $6, so $20 for a chicken Caesar salad! Plus tip. No thank you! I think that’s crazy. Even with the rise in Romaine costs, I can make a table full of Caesar salads for $20+ dollars.
We do splurge on the fresh seafood we have locally here, but shop specials and usually have lunch instead of dinner which is cheaper.
When we visit our children, both who live out of town, we treat them to dinner one night. I kind of offset this a bit by taking food with us that can be eaten at lunch and for other dinners while there. They like some “home cooking” and it’s definitely cheaper.
I assure you that your tea would have been quite a bit more expensive had you gone out for tea. I recently treated my 95 year old mother and my sister to “high tea” for a belated Christmas present. We had a lovely afternoon with wonderful food. It was pricey but it was a great memory for the 3 of us.
Hi Lynn,
DeleteI think you've found a good balance between eating cooking from home and eating out.
Oh what a lovely event, tea with your mother and sister. I'm sure they both really enjoyed the afternoon, too. Sometimes eating out can provide experiences that give us wonderful memories, and that can be worth the expense.