# How often do you go out to eat?



## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Violadude posted something in the classical section about affording an album if you skip out on two nights of eating out. This made me wonder how often people actually tend to eat out. I only go out and eat at a restaurant a few times of year, so it seems. I tend to stay in and cook myself something. It is something I enjoy greatly, it is cheaper, and the food is better to my taste!


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## Dodecaplex (Oct 14, 2011)

Once a week.

more importantly, why am I not banned yet?


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Not very often, though sometimes more often than others. I'll sometimes treat myself by going to the local burger joint on or shortly after payday. On average for the past year, though, I still only go out about once per month.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Four or five times per month. Since I don't live with my parents anymore, we go out more often then.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I know going out to eat is not cheaper in the long run, but it sure as hell _feels_ cheaper when I go to a restaurant and pay 10 dollars for a meal in contrast to the 40 dollars I pay for groceries.


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

At a restaurant, only when I visit family or they visit me. However, I do go out to places like Subways/Quiznos really often, probably 3x a week on average. I find it costs me just as much to eat out as it does to cook also, unless I cook completely bland and basic meals (which I do more often than I'd like to admit lol)


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Yeah, I suppose cooking can get expensive. Although, I make use of a lot of vegetables and those come pretty cheap. You can reduce other ingredients with a higher content of vegetables because it'll fill you up faster. It is also good to stockpile spices, because you can make your own sauces which end up being cheaper than buying the sauces I tend to like the most, which get ridiculous in price. Making everything on your own can make things much cheaper, but you're trading what you don't spend for more preparation time, so it is up to you what you prefer to lose out on.


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

I quite often to "back-to-back" theatre productions (matinee and evening performance) in the same vicinity and then I always eat at a restaurant between the two shows. 

Cooking at home from scratch is very much cheaper than eating out. I just need to get myself organised to actually do the cooking. Ah,what the hell, I don't really enjoy cooking.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

I enjoy home made food best, I'm not a great cook but I can make a neapolitano pizza that will knock your socks off!

I despise "fine dining" people who think cylinders of rice, little dribbles of sauce and bone marrow are in any way appetising, or that these pathetic offerings of autopsy scrapings dressed up to look like a Jackson Pollock are worth the extortionate prices they put on them.


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## Iforgotmypassword (May 16, 2011)

Once a month... Probably a bit less than that. 

I prefer homecooked food. Cheaper, better(since I can cook it how I like it) and MUCH healthier.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I eat out as little as possible. A meal out costs at the very least three times more than what it would cost to cook it at home & I resent that.


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

Maybe 3 or 4 times a year. It's too expensive for a retired living on a pension. But I go every day to have breakfast and to read a book or the newspaper.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Breakfast sounds rather good right now.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I eat out a lot more than that >.< The problem is that I have no self control and eat tons of food. So buying 40 dollars worth of groceries that only last me about 3 days ends up being more expensive than eating out for me.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

:lol: Makes sense now. I grew up in a home that bought 40 dollars of groceries for a month and got most of our food from donations, so the idea of being frugal and spreading out the meals isn't too big of an issue for me. On top of that, I prefer to do my shopping in small bunches, and not bulk. I'll go to the store just to pick up ingredients for the day and that is it. So half the time all I have to eat is what I picked up for the day. This is also a safeguard against gorging out on everything you just bought. Go to the store, buy a box of noodles, pesto, and some tomatoes and voila! That is 5 dollars that will last me awhile, as I can have that dinner at least 4 times, plus the pesto and tomatoes on other thing such as bread (who needs meat?!), and it helps to have a load of spices and olive oil that I can store and keep for months so I'm not constantly buying more.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Rarely, if ever. I'm largely and eater out of necessity rather than joy, so find no appeal in the extra expense of eating out.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Oh Poley, Poley, Poley... we really are an ocean apart on this one. The act of eating is surely one of the most joyous ones for myself.


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

I eat out twice a week (for lunch on Saturday and Sunday). As often as not, though, on Sunday it's my local Burger King. (I am blessed with inexpensive taste in food). The Easter weekend is always a bit of a fast food orgy. Kebab Kid, in Oxford's Cowley Road, will be open tomorrow (Easter Sunday), when everything else is closed, so I'll be going there.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

I'm a food snob. And it's funny because I'm not very rich. My expenditures look like this:

Utilities and other various bills.
Food!!!
Do I want to buy something else this month? Well, there was that birthday present I had to get.

Food is basically my no 1 priority with my free money, which is why I've got a piece of crap phone, a piece of crap laptop, and just about everything else is either a few years old or something I got for free. Friends come to my house to eat, maybe bring an xbox over to lose to me at Halo.

Basically, a few hours out of my day revolve around what I want to do for food, how I'm going to cook it, and then the labor intensive art of making gourmet food. It's like a little adventure every day, rolling out dough, picking spices from my garden...zzzzzzzzzzz

Now, where was I? Oh yes, expenditures:

Utilities and other various bills.
Food!!!
Do I want to buy something else this month? Well, there was that birthday present I had to get.

Food is basically my no 1 priority with my free money, which is why I've got a piece of crap phone, a piece of crap laptop, and just about everything else is either a few years old or something I got for free. Friends come to my house to eat, maybe bring an xbox over to lose to me at Halo.

Basically, a few hours out of my day revolve around what I want to do for food, how I'm going to cook it, and then the labor intensive art of making gourmet food. It's like a little adventure every day, rolling out dough, picking spices from my garden...zzzzzzzzzzz

Now, where was I?


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

:lol: I enjoyed your post greatly, but it made me sad as well. I forget just how much I miss my garden


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

On a monthly basis my family will go out for Sunday dinner to a local Working Man's Club which has a restaurant. Washing up all those Sunday dinner dishes can get too much. Also there is a real Italian restaurant across the road ( Literally!) from my Bungalow, when temptation strikes we have our main meal there probably once a fortnight.


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## Camilla (Apr 7, 2010)

At least once a week. Sometimes more than this though, depending on whether I am working, or who I am with.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Sometimes its the most fun thing to do with other people. But I have developed some restraint on doing this on my own.


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## EricABQ (Jul 10, 2012)

I go out for dinner maybe once every other week but will get take out pizza about once per week. 

I go out for lunch about three times per week.


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## Mesa (Mar 2, 2012)

I spend about 15-20 quid (under 30 dollars) a week on food. Does Gregg's constitute going out to eat? If so, 2 or 3 times a week.


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## OboeKnight (Jan 25, 2013)

...probably more often than I should. I'm always on the road for some reason or another so that calls for quick meals. If I gave an estimate I'd probably say 4 days out of the week I eat out.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Only when I'm hungry!


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

I'm cooking my own food. Eating out in Norway is extremely expensive


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2013)

Once or twice a week.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I have developed connections that for the past years in college I've been able to get free meal off campus at least once a week (by going to other people's houses for dinner). Just last night I went to a party-type thing at someone's house, we all had breakfast food, pancakes, bacon, etc.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

On the first page of this thread I said I despised "fine dining", which is still true, although I think it's fair to say that I hate eating with other people entirely. I enjoy meals best in a room on my own with the door closed.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Crudblud said:


> On the first page of this thread I said I despised "fine dining", which is still true, although I think it's fair to say that I hate eating with other people entirely. I enjoy meals best in a room on my own with the door closed.


I agree partly. I like going to restaurants with other people. But at home I like eating alone way better because I HATE chewing sounds. I don't know what it is but chewing sounds are like nails on a chalkboard to me. In a restaurant this isn't an issue much due to the noise in a restaurant.


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

I eat in college most of the time... I'm not sure if that counts.

Otherwise I very rarely go out to eat. Sometimes I cook for myself, and other times I get take-out pizza or something.


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2013)

It must be over 30 years since I have eaten out most of it is over priced rubbish.....


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## lorelei (Jan 14, 2013)

Rarely, but I do sometimes. Last time was some weeks ago... and for breakfast with family.


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

Andante said:


> It must be over 30 years since I have eaten out most of it is over priced rubbish.....


Specially fine dining, but there is nothing wrong with a good Steak/Bbq or pizza/hamburger


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

I enjoy sitting at a fine resturant with beautiful company, drinking good wine and eating excellent food. No shame in that. But as said, can rarely afford it


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Ravndal said:


> I enjoy sitting at a fine resturant with beautiful company, drinking good wine and eating excellent food. No shame in that. But as said, can rarely afford it


Hear hear!


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

My son's a chef in a rather fine restaurant, owners on the tv, writes cook books and such.
We try and go at least once a year, just for the experience. 
Great food, good service, great experience = empty wallet


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

We usually have breakfast out on Saturday morning ... a nice way to start the weekend. 

There are other occasions, like before an ushering gig at Centennial Hall, when I pick my wife up at work and we have dinner out before the show, since there isn't sufficient time to make the trek home and back again before our 'call' time before the shows. 

I love to cook ... being semi-retired and my wife still working full time, most of the cooking responsibilities are mine these days. 

Kh ♫


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Man,...Almaviva must be rolling around in his TC grave! Where are you when I need you, buddy?!

I don't know where a lot of ya'll are eating out or if you're only choosing the restaurants featured in the Kitchen Nightmares or Health Inspectors but where I live there are thousands of places to choose from that are outstanding. I came on here fully expecting to lean toward the home cook's side and push for that but after reading some of this sillyness,...I can't wait to be in front of another waiter having them bring me a good meal!! In fact, I just may go out to lunch today because of this!

My ultimate answer is that I do it rarely and when I have a hankering for something in particular that I either don't know how to make or don't make it as good. I love cooking and know that just about everything can be better at home but that is not always golden. I travel a lot and have made many stops and great food is not exclusive to Miami. There are great places to eat all over this country...I guess some of ya'll just may not be going to them. 

Now I really can't wait for my maiden voyage upon the Norwegian Breakaway where I'll have this crappy fine dining three times a day and will love every second of it!


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Yeah... now that I'm living in Philadelphia, I eat out much more than I used to. Amazing selection here, but the only thing I can get from the restaurants that I can't cook myself is Peking Duck. I could cook it, but it would have to be a different technique, of course. Either way, the restaurants here are amazing.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Special occasions, birthdays, anniversary. etc. Not many restaurants have the total package (food, service, ambience, wine list) that my wife and I enjoy. We don't venture for average.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

I often do, more than I'd like to. Lunch comprises the majority of my take-out. It's often quicker than packing a lunch, though I should make the effort more.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Ravndal said:


> I enjoy sitting at a fine resturant with beautiful company, drinking good wine and eating excellent food. No shame in that. But as said, can rarely afford it


Hmmm... For me I just wouldn't be satisfied with paying that kind of a price to enjoy that, when I can sit down to dinner with my mother and eat her cooking. She had been a souz chef at one point, and learned to cook at first from my grandma Posey, who was quite the southern cook. Because I grew up on my mother's food, of course her food is simply the definition of good food to me. Were I to pay dividends for something that didn't satisfy me as much, I just be thinking of her food.

First, I just wouldn't order stuff like steaks when I was out, because they would either get the order wrong or just not compare to steak made at my house. But then it has just progressed over the years to me going to the market or my yard and cooking at home. Cooking at home has really turned into a daily ritual. So, I used to think "well I wish I could" like you guys, but somewhere along the line I said to myself "why would I rather do that"? When I go to a restaraunt, they just take half the fun out of it, because all I do is eat, instead of thinking about what I'm going to make all day, or anticipating watching my mother cook.

Although I probably could appreciate some higher end restaraunts. Usually I'll be eating at a place and order, say, chicken fried steak, and I'll wish I had cooked it because it hadn't been marinated in buttermilk and tobasco, or beer battered. They'll give me the generic brand of chicken fried steak and I'll want the Cash family brand.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Ravndal said:


> Eating out in Norway is extremely expensive


no kidding! I live in London and I was horrified by the prices when I visited Oslo a few months ago. Nice city, though 

I love good food (including bone marrow! hehe), any food. I'll try pretty much anything you put in front of me. I can enjoy Michelin star restaurants as much as a good local Turkish or tapas place. However, I've had to cut down recently because I want to also do other things with my money beside eating out


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

I'm just going out for a Chiko Roll...


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Um. We don't go out that much, but had supper tonight at a strip-mall Afghan restaurant only a few hundred yards from my house. Fantastic! The owner is an Afghani lady who can REALLY cook! That makes all the difference. Hope the restaurant survives in this quite unadventurous neighborhood.


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