Eating out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a leftover night , is there still an organized meal ? Or do you mean everyone just grabs whatever is in the fridge so maybe by Friday there are just 2 dried out pieces of chicken cooked last Sunday? Are there other options for them to cook something else solid?

Generally once they were working I only paid if the whole family was orderingbor if I could not provide a solid meal (rare)

It’s every man for himself usually.

The w/th could be leftovers but not after that.

My kids get home late after school/practice. I eat early since I have Gerd. We don’t eat together at 7-9 when they get home though we will sit down a few nights a week while they eat and I’ll have tea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only pay for takeout if the family is having takeout and/or I am not providing some other form of dinner, and leftovers count as dinner.

So technically, I do not provide food Thursday or Friday , and then Saturday I don’t provide any of the meals.

So what would you count that as 4?

I mean, I don’t count breakfast

Is there food provided by you available to them on Thursday, Friday and Saturday?

I'm not the PP you replied to, but in my mind if I have, for example the ingredients for an omelet, toast, and fruit in the fridge, and maybe another similar choice. I consider that "providing food".

If the fridge is empty, or there is nothing that adds up to a meal or that is within the kids' capablilities, I would consider that not providing a meal.

On those days I usually eat a pb&j or cottage cheese and fruit. I go to the gym on Wed/Fri/Sat. I don’t eat after and don’t cook.

There is usually leftover food for W/Th.

We have frozen pizza, soup, sandwich, quesadilla ingredients. They make their own food or eat leftovers often but once during the week after school they usually grab something with friends, on Saturday afternoon the same.

Seems like you prioritize your own schedule and eating preferences over those of your kids. Usually leftover food for W/TH implies that sometimes there isn’t. Who wants their kids to eat frozen convenience foods or sandwiches multiple nights a week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s a lot of takeout. I cook most nights of the week (and yes I work full time). We go out or get takeout only once every other week. It’s just so expensive. They go out with their friends sometimes and they’re allowed, but I’m not funding that, they worked over the summer and save their birthday/holiday money from grandma for that sort of thing.

FWIW dh and the teens do cook dinner if I can’t, they all know how to cook, but it just works better for my schedule and I’m better at it often my son helps me cook on the weekends.

I think living a life of majority takeout/restaurant food is setting these teens up for being terrible at budgeting before they have enough salary to cover this on their own.

Why not have them help one night a week. Teach them how to cook. It’s a good life skill.

What do you mean majority take out I said 2x per week out of 21 meals.

They do cook because there are 7 nights for dinner and we cook 3 of them.

I generally don’t cook on Wednesdays and Thursdays because there’s so many leftovers.

Friday I go to the gym after work and the kids are usually with their friends at a football game or something.

They’d have to pack lunch and dinner. They don’t always come home since our school is about 30 minutes away.

I’m talking about teenagers not little kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s odd that dinner is only provided three times a week. Leftovers 50% of each week and every man for himself once seems a bit much for a family.

Agree.

Really? I don’t find it odd. If there are enough leftovers from last nights meal for everyone, why would you cook an entirely new dinner? That seems wasteful. If there is only a small amount of leftovers, someone will eat for lunch and I’ll cook a new meal for dinner. But I try to minimize food waste.

[Anonymous]

Some of these posters don’t have older teens with busy schedules. We have food here always, if that’s what you mean by “dinner is provided.” But it’s not realistic to think we will all be sitting down eating together these days.

No, I am not cooking a fresh meal 5+ days per week because I’m also working or driving but there are leftover.

Yes, sometimes a drive thru or them getting food before practice or a work shift is more convenient and I will pay. It can be once per month or 3x per week depending on the kid and the season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s odd that dinner is only provided three times a week. Leftovers 50% of each week and every man for himself once seems a bit much for a family.

This is gross. No wonder your kid wants to go out.

It’s gross to eat food made the night before?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s odd that dinner is only provided three times a week. Leftovers 50% of each week and every man for himself once seems a bit much for a family.

This is gross. No wonder your kid wants to go out.

It’s gross to eat food made the night before?

Are they eating Monday leftovers on Wednesday? Then Thursday and Friday eating soup and quesadillas? Seems like lazy parenting.

[Anonymous]

We might get carryout or go out to dinner every other week. I pay for that but I don't give my teen money if he chooses to go out with his friends. He pays with his own money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s odd that dinner is only provided three times a week. Leftovers 50% of each week and every man for himself once seems a bit much for a family.

This is gross. No wonder your kid wants to go out.

It’s gross to eat food made the night before?

Are they eating Monday leftovers on Wednesday? Then Thursday and Friday eating soup and quesadillas? Seems like lazy parenting.

OP didn’t say that. She said leftovers on Weds. That could be from Tuesdays dinner. Normalizing teens eating leftovers is a good thing. As is putting together simple meals on their own. This isn’t some hardship that they need to conquer with Chipotle

[Anonymous]

We always have food they can make even if it is frozen food like chicken breasts. My kids can heat that stuff up. No need to order expensive take out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only pay for takeout if the family is having takeout and/or I am not providing some other form of dinner, and leftovers count as dinner.

So technically, I do not provide food Thursday or Friday , and then Saturday I don’t provide any of the meals.

So what would you count that as 4?

I mean, I don’t count breakfast

Is there food provided by you available to them on Thursday, Friday and Saturday?

I'm not the PP you replied to, but in my mind if I have, for example the ingredients for an omelet, toast, and fruit in the fridge, and maybe another similar choice. I consider that "providing food".

If the fridge is empty, or there is nothing that adds up to a meal or that is within the kids' capablilities, I would consider that not providing a meal.

On those days I usually eat a pb&j or cottage cheese and fruit. I go to the gym on Wed/Fri/Sat. I don’t eat after and don’t cook.

There is usually leftover food for W/Th.

We have frozen pizza, soup, sandwich, quesadilla ingredients. They make their own food or eat leftovers often but once during the week after school they usually grab something with friends, on Saturday afternoon the same.

Seems like you prioritize your own schedule and eating preferences over those of your kids. Usually leftover food for W/TH implies that sometimes there isn’t. Who wants their kids to eat frozen convenience foods or sandwiches multiple nights a week?

I just find if I cook more than three nights a week there’s so much food in the fridge that I throw out on Saturday.

Also, this is our winter schedule in the summer my son’s jobs close at dark so sometimes they don’t get home till 10 PM.

I don’t think sandwiches or quesadillas or even frozen pizza is bad for your for you?

My kids are super healthy so that’s not a concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s odd that dinner is only provided three times a week. Leftovers 50% of each week and every man for himself once seems a bit much for a family.

This is gross. No wonder your kid wants to go out.

It’s gross to eat food made the night before?

Are they eating Monday leftovers on Wednesday? Then Thursday and Friday eating soup and quesadillas? Seems like lazy parenting.

OP didn’t say that. She said leftovers on Weds. That could be from Tuesdays dinner. Normalizing teens eating leftovers is a good thing. As is putting together simple meals on their own. This isn’t some hardship that they need to conquer with Chipotle

Yeah, the leftovers are usually them cutting up some of the meat from the night, previous taking some leftover rice, throwing it in a tortilla with cheese and making a burrito or quesadilla.

I don’t know how people don’t eat leftovers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:on the weekends if she hangs out with friends.
On Friday night, we order out-
but 1-2 a week. She babysits now, so if she wants to spend her money on door dash is okay with us, we just go to the supermarket and buy a door dash gift card with the money she has. The other day she got pupusas is her money.

I discourage Door Dash. Waste of money.

This. I door dashed last night and the fees and excess charges before tip were over $100.

Uber eats has 50% off after 8 PM and if you pick it up, there’s no fees.

[Anonymous]

We get takeout for the family about once a week. I don't pay for the kids to get takeout on their own. If I'm not cooking a meal that night for whatever reason, there's always something they can cook/warm up -- eggs, stuff to make quesadillas or burritos, frozen pizza, pasta and jarred sauce, individual servings of homemade soup or chili in the freezer.

[Anonymous]

I see nothing wrong with teens managing meals for themselves a few times a week. As long as there is food to heat up or to make something from.

Really not that odd to eat leftovers from a meal.