How much money do you spend a month on take-out food or restaurants?
How often do you go? Include if you go alone, as a couple or date, or as a family.

Inspired by the Grocery Bills thread.

$0
RARELY. (So I guess there are months I do spend money, but nothing regular)

seriously? not even the occasional pizza?

money reasons? health reasons?

1. On average, twice a month -- once with family, once with friends.
2. Depends where we go. If we go for pizza, it can be $5 a pop. If we go to a nice restaurant, it can be $25 per.

I can remember the last time I went out for 'pizza'. It was two weeks ago when mh and I had a 'date'. The time before that probably over 9 months ago (before my baby was born) and no exact recollection of when or where.

OH NO!!! Scratch that. A few months ago, I went to a restaurant (fleshig) because I needed a 'girls night attend' and it was instead of paying over $100 to go with my husband to an official dinner and this was about $90 cheaper and more enjoyable.

Before that was ch"m sukkos when mh and I went out on a 'date' since we had people home to stay with sleeping kids.

Ok. Before that was erev pesach when we went out to eat with my in-laws because they don't allow chometz in their home that close to pesach. (and we didn't pay for it)

I think that's all. since pesach - is that far enough back?

$$. Time. Definitely, not health. If I could I would eat out more, I love to eat out. But, the problems are 1) I work so can't really go during the day myself 2) Dinner is late and kids are tired and they wouldn't cooperate 3) IF I would go on Sunday for lunch, usually at least 1 child napping so bad timing 4) paying for me PLUS kids would be quite pricey.

Now, this doesn't seem like a regular expense to me, but maybe I'm wrong.

I would like to at some point in near future, take my kids out for a special treat/pizza but not sure when/why so I'm holding off for now.

Up to $300 or so. Yes, I know...real bad. I usually stop by the coffee shop before heading off to work and pick up a coffee for breakfast and a salad or wrap for lunch and it comes out to (average) $10 a day. I usually go every day, but to make up for the days I don't go, I sometimes go out at lunch and buy something a bit more expensive. Starting next week though I plan on stopping this terrible habit and at the end of the week I will take out the money I didn't spend on food and put it towards my college fund. Wish me luck!

Excpt for erev Pesach and challos for Shabbos, i never get take out food or eat out. Not in years and years.

More than it should. We tried budgeting for $40 each of us but even with being careful it ended up being more like $75 each of us. I know, too much, but less then it used to be, if you can believe that!

I spend waaaay too much on take-out; it tends to be my emotional release when I'm very stressed out or hurt. Some weeks I spend nothing, and some weeks it's $100 depending on what my personal circumstances. Though considering both the baby and I just had a bout of food poisoning from take-out, it might be awhile before we order again...

Good luck. You can do it.

From mid-November to mid-December, I probably spent $300. ($208.29 on my credit card, and the rest in cash.)

Probably $250 of that was as part of the SDM, and $50 by myself.

Food should never be an emotional release.

?

According to quicken about $50 a month. This includes pizza and soda at the movies. But it doesn't include times I get pizza or sushi, or my husband buying lunch at work, with cash.

i can see how some can spend so much $ on take-out without even realizing.

breakfast:
$6 on a starbucks super drink
$5 for bagel with egg and cheese
lunch:
$9.95 lunch special including main dish, drink, and side dish
snacks:
$1.50 donation to the vending machine throughout the day
dinner:
$15 - 45, dep on whether dining alone or with group

Total: ~ $38 - 68 per day

Yes, I know that; unfortunately I have not found another means of release and as of yet have not been able to completely eliminate the source of stress.

I don't drink coffee.
no bagel/egg/cheese
nolunch special
snack- I do once in a while spend $1 to $2 on, but not every day and sometimes when I do it's as cheap as 50 cents.
no vending machine at work.
dinner eaten at home.

Is it common to go out more in NY (Sure sounds like it). Where I live there are take-outs and restaurants but I can't imagine anyone taking out 3 times/day.




does walking in the mall with child help?

Why not? If it's healthy (or at least relatively healthy) food, it's one of the least damaging emotional releases.
More healthy ones would be exercise, talking with a friend, a hobby, etc.
But less healthy ones (which I see daily in my work) are drugs, alcohol, unhealthy/unsafe sexual encounters.
Of all the releases, food is a relatively benign one.

I spend a lot of money on coffee, fruit, cafe mocha at starbucks, natural greek yogurt with honey, salads, and brown rice veggie sushi picked up on my way to work to eat for lunch. But it's all relatively healthy so I don't think it's a real problem.

Shidduch du mois.

I don't really do take out. Once in a blue moon I'll go the bagel place down the block but not too often. I prefer to cook my own food (or get food from family/landlords).

Maybe it shouldn't be, but it's perfectly normal if it is.

I don't even know. Several times a week. When I am too lazy to cook or I have no food in the house, or I am out somewhere and don't have time...

B"H food in Israel is relatively cheap.

Don't even ask about my family. For awhile when I was growing up my momma decided she had more important things to do than cook and we ate takeout EVERY night (90% from the Pizza place 10% Chinese).... I had to learn to cook by sheer necessity

I find hot baths with bath salts work wonders.


Having an unhealthy relationship with food is much more damaging than an occasional drink, blunt or one night stand (assuming you use a condom).

Some months $0.00 and other months it can be upward of $50 or so. It depends on my emotional state and when I don't cook supper. Usually we don't eat out, but order in. And we order in for both of us. I wish you luck. It will be very gratifying to know that this money was not spent on food and is longer lasting. A true fact, but not everyone can keep away from food when they need an emotional release.Ah, but it's hard to keep the emotional release to only healthy food. And what if someone gets stressed enough to use that emotional release to binge, even though for years they only ate healthy food as a release? If you are dependent on it for emotional release, it can backfire.Never found those bath salts to work. Usually one night stands doesn't just happen once. Oh, and if you're Jewish and keep Halacha, I find that much more damaging.

That's probably because they work best when you can soak for a full half hour with no worries of being disturbed.


How exactly would you know that they don't happen just once? And yeah if you're religious that wouldn't be terribly good I guess. Scratch that then.

I have more than a half hour. What do people do from 1-3 am?

Because methinks that most people who do one night stands don't do it just once.

You mean besides going on H.com? Sleep, I suppose.


You're probably right.

I agree that hot baths are wonderful. I also advocate exercise.

I disagree that food is more damaging than "an occasional drink, blunt, or one night stand (assuming you use a condom)."

Alcohol is extremely addictive for some people. Did you know that it is the most abused drug in America and has destroyed the most families? In addition, it is poisonous to almost every cell in the body.

A "blunt" as you so eloquently put it, is definitely not safe. It is, for starters, illegal, which carries its own risks. It also is damaging to the lungs, the brain cells, and can also be psychologicaly addictive.

One night stands, even with condoms, (which are not 100% effective) can spread STDs or cause unwanted pregnancies, plus leave us open to other risks depending on how well we know the person.

Brianna, you're a strange egg. What would we do without your saying things like this?

You're too kind.

Thanks! I hope...especially considering the fact that if I don't buy take out my food is free.


How on earth did I ever get so fat then?! I buy mocha for breakfast and nicoise salad for lunch = approx $11.00 and I sometimes buy a brownie bar or chocolate for snack at work that is up to $1 and then I eat some light stuff around the house at night. No where near that much food or money on a daily basis!