Takeout or dinner out -- how often for elem school families with working parents

[Anonymous]

We are drowning in dishes and cooking after the work day, even with some WFH shortening the commute.

Spouse claims most working parent families with elementary age kids are eating take-out or going out to eat 3-4 times a week for dinner, buying lunch at school, etc.

I say BS and that my spouse is just lazy. What says the DCUM hive-mind?

[Anonymous]

I'd say twice a week the adults get takeout for dinner. Kids usually don't (we eat after them), so they get something simple. Lunch is from home, but simple for kids. I do eat lunch from a place near my office a lot of days. Probably once every other week I'll grab McDonalds for a weekend breakfast.

[Anonymous]

Take out about once a week. Either pizza, sushi or thai food.

Eat out for lunch on the weekends if we are out and about.

[Anonymous]

We get takeout about once a week. For dinner, I always cook enough to have at least one additional dinner from leftovers. Saves my sanity.

[Anonymous]

Once a week. Usually pupusas or Thai. We do it on the day we have 2 kids in two separate activities. The person who cooks doesn't wash dishes. We pack kids hot lunches and clean up from cooked hot breakfast (eggs usually) while they brush teeth after breakfast.
It's not that hard if the cook is efficient and not too messy. Some days it's sheet pan meals, some days it's stew or soup. I cook dinner 80% of the time and do it fast.
Some people are not efficient cooks or want more variety. I have come to terms with the same dozen healthy meals on rotation.

[Anonymous]

Average of 3 nights a week of takeout. My spouse doesn't cook, so it's only a question of how often I want to cook. I work full-time and have kids in activities, so it's 4 or fewer nights a week. My spouse prefers takeout to my cooking, and money isn't tight, so they never complain.

[Anonymous]

Once every other week. I like cooking and we place high importance on family dinner. And the leftovers go into my lunches or, sometimes, the kids’ lunches.

[Anonymous]

No. Single mom with three kids and takeout or eating out is a special occasion. Making meals at home. It is a pain but worth it for me, and kids help prep and clean up.

[Anonymous]

This varies a lot by season (we tend to eat out more in the warm months). We probably eat out/ order in 3 times a week, all clustered Friday night - Sunday. I pack lunch my lunch (leftovers!) and one of my DC's lunches every day. My other DC wants to buy lunch everyday, and my DH buys his lunch 3-4 days a week (usually he makes a salad at the office cafeteria's salad bar).

"Eat out/ order in" might look like dinner out Friday night, lunch out at a fast-casual spot the next day (chipotle or similar) and a pizza on Saturday night or Sunday.

[Anonymous]

2-3 meals a week

[Anonymous]

Maybe once every 2-3 weeks?

I'm not overly puritanical about food or an especially accomplished cook, but I feel kinda gross after eating restaurant food, so prefer not to do it too often.

And I'm a cheapskate. Even fast casual has gotten pretty spendy.

[Anonymous]

We usually eat out once on the weekend. During the week are simple meals. Tortellini and frozen veg, simple quesadillas, pancakes and fruit, chicken and some kind of sauce in crockpot.. Dishes just get popped in the dishwasher. In my mind they are quicker than eating out.

[Anonymous]

No way. We probably get take out or eat out once a week, generally on weekends. It's a waste of money and not healthy. Do some meal prep on weekends or streamline.

[Anonymous]

We do it once a week when we feel like having something where our tastes vary too much to make at home. Indian, Thai, sushi, and pizza are probably the most common.

[Anonymous]

We order once a week or every other week. However, my kids get school lunches every day. We used to pack for them in early elementary, then we told them it was their responsibility or they had to get school lunches. After packing 3 days a week for about a year, they gave up and decided they preferred school lunches.