But in the meantime, I need to feed the family that lives here with me, and it's getting to be a challenge. Last week, I determined that were falling into the habit of eating out two to three times each weekend. Dirty secret - I LOVE to eat out. I love not thinking about a meal, ordering exactly what I'm in the mood for, having it brought to me, and cleaned up when I'm finished. Life doesn't get much better than that - does it?
But if you have eaten in a restaurant lately, even a not-fancy chain, you know it can get expensive. I realized we ere spending $150 to $200 a weekend without batting an eye, and that money really adds up. So we are trying to break that habit. It's not easy. And my family doesn't help, when I ask them what they want form the store and what they are in the mood for . . .it's going to be a long season.
What are your eating out habits? And when you try to cut back, what are some tips or tricks that have worked for you? While we work on this, here's what we have planned for this week:
Monday - Muffin Tin Meatloaves and Broccoli
Tuesday - Chicken and Rice Soup in the Instant Pot
Wednesday - Roasted Sausage, Brussel Sprouts and Butternut Squash (probably not a kid favorite)
Thursday - Beef and Broccoli over Rice
Friday - Homemade Chicken Fingers and Oven Fries
Saturday -Leftover Buffet/YOYO (You're On Your Own)
Sunday -Our first official College Open House, so we may stop to celebrate on the way home!
What do you have planned for dinner this week? Share your ideas here in the comments, or join us over on Facebook, to talk all things meal planning!
For more weekly meal plan ideas check out:
Meal Planning 2017 - Week 45
Meal Planning 2017 - Week 44
Meal Planning 2017 - Week 43
catch you soon -
This post is linked up to I'm An Organizing Junkie - be sure to check it out for even more meal planning ideas and inspiration.
Eating out is one of my favorite things, too, for the same reasons. We don't eat out often but when we do, some strategies we use are:
ReplyDelete- order water to drink (usually me and The Boy)
- have dessert at home, unless it's a special occasion or an extraordinary dessert
- try and go on off-hours (sometimes there's an appetizer special earlier)
- since portions are so big, think ahead to the next meal and save some for leftovers the next day. Or, if there isn't enough for a whole meal, how can you incorporate the leftover restaurant meal into a new meal? (wraps, salads, pasta dishes ....)
- check out the local coupon pages in the mailers for deals.