Dining Out?

[jdotmi]

From roughly October 20th to today, dining out has cost me $361.37. $483.50 if you count ordering pizza at home. And that's not including three stops dining out while grocery shopping.

So, really, I have no-one but myself to blame.

Comments

[kwsapphire.livejournal.com]

How much do you also spend on groceries?

I eat out a couple of times per week, maybe, for lunch. Then again, I don't buy a lot of food at home. Money's so tight for me that I'm afraid to go to the store, and spend large sums of money all at once. Instead I'd rather get a meal for lunch and possibly take some home for dinner.

This is also not healthy, and I should quit it. Im just asking. :P

[jdotmi.livejournal.com]

A typical Meijer run for us (one per week) is between $50 to $75. My main problem is breakfast. I've gotten used to eating it (I never used to eat breakfast), and I now have to be at work at 7am, which is about two hours before I prefer to be among the living. So, I get breakfast combo, or two sandwiches and a soda. Of course, waking up 40 minutes before I have to be at work means that I don't often wind up making my own lunch either.

If I'm really good, I'll make sandwiches and bring a soda every day in a given work week. Or I will buy soup and bring that with me.

[kwsapphire.livejournal.com]

Sandwiches are such a good idea. I really should get into that habit.

[jdotmi.livejournal.com]

I actually just made my sandwiches for tomorrow. I'll take a bottle of soda with me and stick it in the fridge at work so it'll be nice and cold when I open it up.

Another thing I do when I'm being good with it is I'll buy a large bag of chips (I prefer Baked Lays) and I'll put some in a snack bag and take that with me as well to have with my lunch. Or I'll buy a package of baby carrots that are in snack-bag containers. Or, because I'm crazy, I would buy a couple green peppers, slice them into strips, and bag those up and take them with me.

[kwsapphire.livejournal.com]

All good ideas. I did work up the courage to go to the store tonight, spent $133, but it was all stuff I needed. Also $30 on a gift for Will, and $10 on one for my parents. I bought sammach fixins and made a sammach for dinner tonight. I will try to wake up early enough to make one for lunch tomorrow. Though I also bought frozen dinners that I can take. I usually need snack food throughout the day as well. I like veggies and dip, though I'm out at the moment.

Between working out and an attempt at eating better, maybe I can lose some of the chunk on my thighs, and without hurting my wallet!

[jdotmi.livejournal.com]

A lot of people are terrified that "eating better" always equates with "more expensive" and it so doesn't.

Loaf of Bread: $1.50
1lb of Lunchmeat: $3.00
1 package of Cheese: $3.00
1 container of sandwich topping of choice: $2.50
6 pack of soda: $4.50 (including deposit in Michigan)
Total: $14.50
Number of meals: 6 minimum (number of sodas), closer to 8 sandwiches, though (based on the amount of lunchmeat).

Even adding lettuce or other veggies to the sandwich doesn't throw the price up too much. Heck, even with my alterna-lunch of a can of soup ($1.50ish) and a sleeve of crackers ($.75) with a bottle of soda ($.75) I still come out ahead of eating out. And, yeah, I do put an ENTIRE SLEEVE OF CRACKERS in my soup. :p I'm crazy like that. :p

[(Anonymous)]

Very true. Even with the cost of buying quality lunchmeat and cheese, you're still ahead of a $6-9 meal for lunch. Frozen dinners are the same way. They vary from $1.50 to just under $4, and that's still a better price. Speaking of, I forgot to bring a frozen dinner for lunch, though I did bring a sandwich and a half for snacks. Looks like my snack will be my lunch :P (I get the hungries about three times a day while at work.)

[kwsapphire.livejournal.com]

Sorry, the anony comment was me. It seems I have to always leave one anony comment in the morning to remind me to log in. :P

[jdotmi.livejournal.com]

It's all good. I'm being an email hawk this morning. :p

I work 10 hour days (11 if you count the 1 hour lunch break), so I know what you mean. In an ideal world, I'd have my breakfast, then lunch, then a snack before going home. My lunch is at stupidly early in the morning (11am, I get here at 7am and am here til 6pm), so yeah. That word.

Two turkey sandwiches in the fridge for me. And a 24oz bottle of Coke, which will get a water refill at some point.

[kwsapphire.livejournal.com]

I used to work that schedule- just reversed. 7pm to 6am. I liked working overnights, but I literally had to give myself an hour and a half to get to work, and then it took an hour to get home. So we're talking 13.5 hours away from home.. that's rough. As much as I dislike working days, I love my new job, and it's cool to only be away from home for about 11 hours.