January 12, 2009

Dining Out is a Budget Buster!

Eating out is taking a huge bite (hahaha…) into our budget! I knew we ate out a lot, but oh my goodness! We don’t really spend much in other categories, so I allotted $200 for dining out for two people and guess what?! It’s only the 12th and we spent $75.75 already. That’s $7 5. 7 5!!

Tracking puts everything right in front of your face! Dang the spreadsheet!! Okay, maybe it makes more sense to get something out of this than to curse at the computer…. * sigh *

A lot of that has to do with me buying lunch almost everyday. It’s so much easier than to pack something every morning. This is where those TV dinners and soups come in handy. That’s what I am going to do… bring my lunch! * Throws Smart One in a bag* That was easy…..!!

How much do you set aside for dining out every month?

6 comments:

  1. yeah, this is one department that i just let slide...it's just too much to limit my spending on every single thing out there ya know?

    so i let work lunches slide ;) i don't go overboard, but i just eat as i please and let it be a worry-free time. i will cut out the drink though usually and stick with water, so at least that's good! haha...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey, A+,
    I take my lunch everyday, but I work at a school, so there's not much temptation not to bring my own lunch. I think finding a few things that you enjoy eating for lunch is key, so that you don't feel deprived. My go to lunch is a salad with feta cheese and a yougart. I look forward to it everyday!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You've got that right on the nose. It's a budget buster.

    A few months ago we just stopped eating at restaurants. Except for one Pizza Hut for a child's birthday, and even so, when the bill hit (for only the two adults and two children present that night - we're so cheap we try to go when two of the children are elsewhere) it was sticker shock.

    We have had some carry-out subs, but otherwise, no restaurant dining for 3 or 4 months now. At first it was hard to quit, because it was a reflexive habit. They say habits take about 3 weeks to change and I can attest to that. I don't even think of eating in restaurants anymore. We'll get back to it someday, but we have financial work to do in the meantime and I truly don't miss it at all.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't set aside a certain amount on dining out. Instead I have a certain amount of "spending money" each month and everything I spend has to stay within that amount. This also means I track how much I spend everyday so I know how much I have left for the rest of the month.

    ReplyDelete
  5. J.Money: This is the category I was letting slide too. If I don't need to trim anything at the end of the month, I will prob. continue to let it go!

    RTC: I hear you about the non temptation of school lunches! Having a go to lunch is a great idea though, thanks!

    444: I don't go overboard with the other categories so I am pretty flexible with this one.

    asgreen: That's a good idea, I have been keeping within the budget so far. Let's see what happens!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I absolutely do not spend money on lunch ... okay, maybe I give in once a month. I'd rather keep the funds for a nice dinner every once in a while.

    ReplyDelete