I stopped eating out and I don't think I'm going back

[Anonymous]

I would be ok eating out more because I’m lazy. But everything is so low quality and greasy and soooo salty. I looked up a somewhat upscale chain near us and some of the dinners had 2000+ mg of sodium!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Me too. I have barely eaten out in three years. My cooking is great plus I use a meal kit. Less expensive restaurant food just doesn’t compare. And I’m not about to spend $100 on dinner, let alone $300. Except for special reasons

Meal kits are expensive. We go to lower cost restaurants, mainly asian. I'd never spend $100 on dinner out. We cut out a lot of restaurants we used to love due to prices or/and quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Same. I'm so disappointed by restaurant food. And the service is really sub par now even though the tips are increasing.

Key for us has been having a few things that we can cook in less than 15 min. Like I make a big batch of something and freeze a portion that I can pull out.

Even most cocktails now are disappointing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For January, I wanted to eat exclusively at home, which I mostly accomplished save a couple of small things while traveling and a very lavish dinner for a friend. Otherwise, all meals for the family have been prepared and eaten at home, and my wallet is fatter, I'm slimmer and SO much happier. I don't see myself going back to takeout/eating out multiple times a week anytime soon. Anyone else?

Translation: I can’t afford to dine out.

This thread is a cope. Sure, some meals out are clunkers. Who cares. I doubt every meal you prepare is amazing.

Most restaurant meals are very meh too, so
I don’t know what point you’re trying to make.

Point is when you can afford it or you can expense most/all of your meals out, you don't care or obsess over the costs or make threads declaring how happy you are to be a pennywise shut-in. Meal costs are totally insignificant. It's carefree to eat out, it's nice to be served, it's social, it's being a part of your broader community, it's supporting a small business and its employees. It's making the retail area of where you reside thrive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be ok eating out more because I’m lazy. But everything is so low quality and greasy and soooo salty. I looked up a somewhat upscale chain near us and some of the dinners had 2000+ mg of sodium!

Obviously. Chains just heat up frozen over-preserved slop so they are consistent at all locations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For January, I wanted to eat exclusively at home, which I mostly accomplished save a couple of small things while traveling and a very lavish dinner for a friend. Otherwise, all meals for the family have been prepared and eaten at home, and my wallet is fatter, I'm slimmer and SO much happier. I don't see myself going back to takeout/eating out multiple times a week anytime soon. Anyone else?

Translation: I can’t afford to dine out.

This thread is a cope. Sure, some meals out are clunkers. Who cares. I doubt every meal you prepare is amazing.

Most restaurant meals are very meh too, so
I don’t know what point you’re trying to make.

Point is when you can afford it or you can expense most/all of your meals out, you don't care or obsess over the costs or make threads declaring how happy you are to be a pennywise shut-in. Meal costs are totally insignificant. It's carefree to eat out, it's nice to be served, it's social, it's being a part of your broader community, it's supporting a small business and its employees. It's making the retail area of where you reside thrive.

I couldn't disagree with you more. We host meals for family and friends more now. We're very social and not shut-ins. Meal costs are significant!

You sound like either a server or a restaurant owner.

[Anonymous]

I’d like to eat at home more but get sick of staying in the house. At least going out to eat gets me out. Anyone else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d like to eat at home more but get sick of staying in the house. At least going out to eat gets me out. Anyone else?

For sure. Also, eating out is more conducive to certain types of special events. Date night is more date-like when you don't have to clean up afterward.

[Anonymous]

I’ve always eaten mostly at home, but now even more so with the costs. I’m a great cook and get way more veggies at home than I would at most restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For January, I wanted to eat exclusively at home, which I mostly accomplished save a couple of small things while traveling and a very lavish dinner for a friend. Otherwise, all meals for the family have been prepared and eaten at home, and my wallet is fatter, I'm slimmer and SO much happier. I don't see myself going back to takeout/eating out multiple times a week anytime soon. Anyone else?

Translation: I can’t afford to dine out.

This thread is a cope. Sure, some meals out are clunkers. Who cares. I doubt every meal you prepare is amazing.

Most restaurant meals are very meh too, so
I don’t know what point you’re trying to make.

Point is when you can afford it or you can expense most/all of your meals out, you don't care or obsess over the costs or make threads declaring how happy you are to be a pennywise shut-in. Meal costs are totally insignificant. It's carefree to eat out, it's nice to be served, it's social, it's being a part of your broader community, it's supporting a small business and its employees. It's making the retail area of where you reside thrive.

LOL! Restaurant owner found this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For January, I wanted to eat exclusively at home, which I mostly accomplished save a couple of small things while traveling and a very lavish dinner for a friend. Otherwise, all meals for the family have been prepared and eaten at home, and my wallet is fatter, I'm slimmer and SO much happier. I don't see myself going back to takeout/eating out multiple times a week anytime soon. Anyone else?

Translation: I can’t afford to dine out.

This thread is a cope. Sure, some meals out are clunkers. Who cares. I doubt every meal you prepare is amazing.

NP. Print this out and show it to a therapist. Your bizarrely unwarranted nastiness and aggression is likely pathological in origin.

[Anonymous]

Same! We tried a no-spend January in large part because we were constantly eating out and it was costing us a small fortune. We made it through well. Part of what is hard for us is that DH isn't going to cook (he's more than happy with frozen burritos and stouffer's tv dinners -- yuck) and I never really learned. I've been learning and it's ok, but I don't think I'm ever going to love cooking so it's a challenge (I have ADD, it makes it hard). But it beats going out as much as we were and we are eating so much healthier.

We are definitely not going back to eating out as much as we were. And the cost to order in is insane.

[Anonymous]

Awesome. What are your tips for making this work, particularly on days you are so tired?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For January, I wanted to eat exclusively at home, which I mostly accomplished save a couple of small things while traveling and a very lavish dinner for a friend. Otherwise, all meals for the family have been prepared and eaten at home, and my wallet is fatter, I'm slimmer and SO much happier. I don't see myself going back to takeout/eating out multiple times a week anytime soon. Anyone else?

Translation: I can’t afford to dine out.

This thread is a cope. Sure, some meals out are clunkers. Who cares. I doubt every meal you prepare is amazing.

Most restaurant meals are very meh too, so
I don’t know what point you’re trying to make.

Point is when you can afford it or you can expense most/all of your meals out, you don't care or obsess over the costs or make threads declaring how happy you are to be a pennywise shut-in. Meal costs are totally insignificant. It's carefree to eat out, it's nice to be served, it's social, it's being a part of your broader community, it's supporting a small business and its employees. It's making the retail area of where you reside thrive.

Ah, I thought so. Your employer and/or clients pick up the tab for your overpriced and endless meals out of the house. Congrats, I guess?

*please be sure to post in the Cars forum chiding everyone for not leasing a Range Rover just like your biz does on your behalf

[Anonymous]

I'm actually enjoying dining out again. Service is getting better (it was horrible immediately after the pandemic and started improving last year). I don't like to dine out more than 2-4x a month as a rule, and I never get fast food. We only do table service.