Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eating out a lot is not an option - we simply cannot afford it.

Also, I was raised in a culture where women cook everyday - and nothing from a box or pre-prepared. All homemade except maybe bread. My guess is that for some Americans, cooking every day seems strange because you were not raised that way.

OP here - what culture? I am genuinely interested.

Arab

Note to self: the lower women are on the totem pole, the more they cook.

My mother and aunt are Middle-eastern and live together, two stubborn old single ladies. Believe me, they can definitely afford to eat out, and women in our family are at the top of the totem pole, but they never, ever, ever eat out. They've even stopped buying bread- they make their own. The last time I took my mother to a restaurant she complained the entire time- the food was greasy, she could taste the oil, what is this made of, it's disgusting. They're extreme but I didn't even know what to do at a restaurant until I was in high school. We just did not eat out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eating out a lot is not an option - we simply cannot afford it.

Also, I was raised in a culture where women cook everyday - and nothing from a box or pre-prepared. All homemade except maybe bread. My guess is that for some Americans, cooking every day seems strange because you were not raised that way.

OP here - what culture? I am genuinely interested.

Arab

Note to self: the lower women are on the totem pole, the more they cook.

I think a lot of people that don't eat out are the same ones who spend $500/month on groceries instead of $1200/month. I think I know their secret: they don't have the money!

If all you have is $500 per month for food, then that's all you can spend. And you're probably not going to eat out. It's not fun and it's not easy but it is being done all the time by millions of American families.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eating out a lot is not an option - we simply cannot afford it.

Also, I was raised in a culture where women cook everyday - and nothing from a box or pre-prepared. All homemade except maybe bread. My guess is that for some Americans, cooking every day seems strange because you were not raised that way.

OP here - what culture? I am genuinely interested.

Arab

Anonymous wrote:Usually eat out for cuisines I can't replicate easily at home--e.g., Ethiopian, Indian, etc. If it's American-ish, I can make it in my kitchen, and don't bother to eat out.

us too. I also find restaurant food to be pretty gross, I feel that what we cook at home is so much better than what we usually get at restaurants. Even the so called "good" ones that charge over $30 for an entree create food that isn't that great. It is also expensive to eat out with five of us so when we do, I want something I cannot easily make at home-for us that is sushi and indian.

Anonymous wrote:I love to cook, and often do. I get tired of just trying to come up with a menu for night after night. We do eat out at least once a week.

This week the kids are on spring break and so far we have eaten out 4x, yikes! I don't particularlylike eating out that much because it's hard to control the calorie intake.

It's Passover this week. Unless we are going to Friends house there is no discussion of eating out. What's nice is that the kids know this and I don't have to hear can we go to xxx.

I love to cook, and often do. I get tired of just trying to come up with a menu for night after night. We do eat out at least once a week.

This week the kids are on spring break and so far we have eaten out 4x, yikes! I don't particularlylike eating out that much because it's hard to control the calorie intake.

Anonymous wrote:What do you do on weekends? For example. We have a lesson on Saturday morning until 10:30 and then another activity at noon. If I want to go home and have lunch we have to drive home and eat and then race off to the next activity. Do you all pack lunch to take with you and eat in the car?

Yep I pack lunches when we're going to be out all day.

Anonymous wrote:What do you do on weekends? For example. We have a lesson on Saturday morning until 10:30 and then another activity at noon. If I want to go home and have lunch we have to drive home and eat and then race off to the next activity. Do you all pack lunch to take with you and eat in the car?

Yup, but I'm the pp with a child who has food allergies. If I even think that we might be out near lunch time, I pack a lunch. I'm fine with a protein bar and DH might bring along something for himself. We didn't eat out that often when I was growing up so its not a big deal to me to pack a lunch or a snack. I love to cook/bake and, with the exception of some ethnic foods, I think homemade often tastes better and I know exactly what's in it. Plus, eating out all the time (even 2-3 times every week) really starts to add up.

Anonymous wrote:Eating out a lot is not an option - we simply cannot afford it.

Also, I was raised in a culture where women cook everyday - and nothing from a box or pre-prepared. All homemade except maybe bread. My guess is that for some Americans, cooking every day seems strange because you were not raised that way.

OP here - what culture? I am genuinely interested.

What do you do on weekends? For example. We have a lesson on Saturday morning until 10:30 and then another activity at noon. If I want to go home and have lunch we have to drive home and eat and then race off to the next activity. Do you all pack lunch to take with you and eat in the car?

Not in the budget. Case closed.

Eating out does not have to be high fat/cals/salt if you choose "wisely."

We don't have the money to eat out. And its so high in salt and calories. We do eat out once in a great while (once a month at the most, usually less then that).

We cook. On days we're feeling motivated, its a full meal. On days we're not feeling so motivated, it might be pasta, jarred sauce, and parmesan cheese. Lunches are leftovers or sandwiches (tuna, etc).

Anonymous wrote:We just can't afford it. I definitely get bored and am getting really sick of cooking and can't believe how much longer I have to go on doing this and packing lunches, etc. But when you don't have the money, you don't.

I hate packing lunches! When I'm done making dinner and doing the dishes, the last thing I feel like doing to making lunch. But it must be done. Someday I will be able to afford to go out to eat.