Eating out

[NYCgrrl]

We are empty nesters with very low household expenses, so we enjoy going out.

Thank you for reminding of a giggle moment.
When the man and I first became empty nesters we ate takeout like it was going out of style. We had a folder of takeout menus with any and everything you could imagine.
One weekend my then 7 y/o nephew stayed with us and upon leaving, reported back to his parents that we had a nice house but there was no kitchen…

 

[Skippy918]

We like eating out but it’s gotten $$$$. We use coupons or look for deals. The local taco place has a bogo burrito deal right now which is good.

 

[AnnaS]

Out to the diner for breakfast Monday. With tip $45 for two. We don't mind here and there but my DH said it three times, you know how many eggs we could have bought
No "specials" either since it was MLK's birthday......They took that page out for the day.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Out to the diner for breakfast Monday. With tip $45 for two. We don't mind here and there but my DH said it three times, you know how many eggs we could have bought
No "specials" either since it was MLK's birthday......They took that page out for the day.

I tip a lot higher percentage for breakfast than I do for lunch/dinner -- sometimes as much as 50%. The constant refilling of coffee alone is worth it for me, and I just feel like the breakfast servers work so much harder for less $.

 

[snowwite]

But you can even order a carafe of wine or a long Island iced tea from our hibachi place.

Quite a few places don't mark up and we are members so essentially no fees. Convenience wins for us!

Our fave Hibachi place closed. I wish they would put in a new one.

 

[snowwite]

I tip a lot higher percentage for breakfast than I do for lunch/dinner -- sometimes as much as 50%. The constant refilling of coffee alone is worth it for me, and I just feel like the breakfast servers work so much harder for less $.

I do too. I’ve never understood why it’s based on the price f the meal. Like it’s harder to bring a steak than a burger.

 

[AnnaS]

I tip a lot higher percentage for breakfast than I do for lunch/dinner -- sometimes as much as 50%. The constant refilling of coffee alone is worth it for me, and I just feel like the breakfast servers work so much harder for less $.

True, as soon as you drink some, they come around if you want refill. We usually tell them we are good after the first one. Why? We have juice and a glass of water BUT the main reason is we are early risers and have already had a huge cup at home before we meet our friends for breakfast .

 

[snowwite]

And pizzas around here have gotten expensive too. We get pizza & wings for 2of us. Used to be maybe $28. Now, it’s over 40. So even for pizza some of those numbers wouldn’t work here.

We invested in an Ooni pizza oven and my DH has perfected a dough and Galbani low moisture mozzarella is fabulous but we can’t get the sauce right!

 

[NYCgrrl]

We invested in an Ooni pizza oven and my DH has perfected a dough and Galbani low moisture mozzarella is fabulous but we can’t get the sauce right!

I don’t know what kind of sauce you are looking for: spicy, more herbs, more aromatics, looser/thicker but here is a good simple to make basic that is easily tailored to your own needs. Works exceptionally well with pasta too.

Marcella Hazan‘s Sauce


Yield:4 servings

• 2cups tomatoes, in addition to their juices (for example, a 28-ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes)
• 5tablespoons butter
• 1onion, peeled and cut in half
• Salt

1. Step 1
   Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.
2. Step 2
   Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.
3. 
   Step 3 Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta. ( we part ways here; I never throw the onion away. Mince it and back into the sauce; smear on a piece of bread and eat-whatever you want to do)
   
   Should you prefer store bought Rao’s marinara might be the ticket for you.
   
   HTH
   

 

[GreatLakes]

We have a lot going on with after work/school stuff on the calendar most nights so we eat out more than we would like to. I'm afraid to add up the cost. We eat out less when our son isn't in school.

 

[longboard55]

Pizzas are a different subject, nothing worse than a bad one, nothing better than a good one

 

[AndreaDM]

I'd say maybe $800? It's mostly just DH and I, but occasionally one of the kids is home from college, however I'm more apt to make one of their favorite meals than go out. It really ebbs and flows, some weeks we don't go out at all, then others, like this past week DH has met a few friends several times out to watch a game, which is usually a few beers and a burger or wings for $25-$30. If it's the 2 of us on a weekend night, we can easily spend $200 with wine. I work from home 4 days a week so always eat leftovers or soup, etc., the days I go into the office I either pack or I know we have a lunch meeting with food provided. Maybe I'll do an analysis of 2023 and see the monthly average.

 

[mumto3girls]

I couldn’t even guess without doing a deep dive on the credit card statements. Some months we hardly eat out at all and other times we eat out a lot. When my daughter has tournaments we eat out almost every meal for 2-3 days. At home we probably order pizza about once a month and something like Chinese, Chipotle or Chik Fil A once every month or two. I am more likely to get takeout when DH is traveling. We work together so when he travels I am busier at home and at work so it takes a little off of my plate.

We used to go out to lunch every Friday but stopped that years ago when money was tight for a while. Even though we were more comfortable we didn’t start that back up before COVID hit and now don’t even think about it. We almost always take our lunch, usually leftovers. I think he buys coffee out sometimes, I only do when traveling.

 

[disykat]

I was thinking about our favorite little Thai place that closed a few years ago. I just realized that's probably the main reason we don't eat out as much. We used to go often for our perfect order. Honestly, their Thai Beef Salad, Pad Thai, and deep fried Spring Rolls were just the perfect order and no one else nearby can match it. (We have some good Thai places, but that particular order was a meal we both absolutely craved.) We often joked that they should make it a combo deal and name it after us because we had the exact same order pretty much every week. I finally got over the mourning, but we just don't eat out as much. We do still have a favorite taco place, but I'm getting better at duplicating those flavors at home.

 

[cayennews]

We (family of 3) are probably in the $450-$550 range, not counting all the lunches and coffees my husband buys for himself when he is at work. Scary how much casual dining out costs these days.

 

[AnnaS]

My DH does not cook the sauce for pizza.

 

[AndreaDM]

I'd say maybe $800? It's mostly just DH and I, but occasionally one of the kids is home from college, however I'm more apt to make one of their favorite meals than go out. It really ebbs and flows, some weeks we don't go out at all, then others, like this past week DH has met a few friends several times out to watch a game, which is usually a few beers and a burger or wings for $25-$30. If it's the 2 of us on a weekend night, we can easily spend $200 with wine. I work from home 4 days a week so always eat leftovers or soup, etc., the days I go into the office I either pack or I know we have a lunch meeting with food provided. Maybe I'll do an analysis of 2023 and see the monthly average.

Quoting myself because we both did a year end summary on our credit cards last night for 2023 and I guess we eat out more than I thought! We averaged around $1100 a month! We did travel quite a bit last year so that accounts for a lot of it.

 

[longboard55]

Thank you for reminding of a giggle moment.
When the man and I first became empty nesters we ate takeout like it was going out of style. We had a folder of takeout menus with any and everything you could imagine.
One weekend my then 7 y/o nephew stayed with us and upon leaving, reported back to his parents that we had a nice house but there was no kitchen…

We were first empty nesters during the 2010 massive recession. Everyplace had amazing deals, we would rotate based on specials, like 50 cent wing night , $5 all you can eat spaghetti night, $1 taco tuesday night. . It was fun. Not many specials anymore

 

[gmi3804]

My DH does not cook the sauce for pizza.

I don't either.