Thrifty Thursday: Eating Out
We all know that if we eat out less we save more...right? In general, definitely. Especially when we are going to several vendors a day-a coke or coffee in the morning, lunch with coworkers, dinner with friends. But is eating out all bad? NO.
The Key? MAKE. IT. COUNT.
Set a portion in your budget just for eating out. Ours is "fast food" even if it's a nice restaurant-just keeps it cleaner. When you're actually tracking it, you tend to spend less, AND what you DO spend, is actually more "meaningful".
What makes a meaningful meal? That is totally up to you. Running behind and desperately need a pick-me-up, splurge on the occasional coke or coffee. Friends coming into town you haven't seen for a while...like years?!...go out! Have a good time and don't feel guilty.
It all comes down to being mindful with your money. And simply plan on it. We all eat out, just be realistic when setting your budget. Do you enjoy that $5 coffee every morning? Plan on $100 just for that. When you start to plan the budget out, it can be eye opening just how much you spend on food. I used to think-oh, we can survive on $200/month for a family of 4...and REALLY we CAN if we keep it super tight and pretty much eat pasta every day, but let's be real. So now we know we need to budget at least $125-$150 a week for food, and that is ok!
Thrifty Tip: Smith's/Fred Meyer/Kroger periodically has their gift cards for 4x the fuel points, so if you're getting a $50 gc for Olive Garden, that's 20¢ off fuel that month! Win-Win.
Happy Eating!
Madeline Wyatt
