How often do you eat out?

[QueenMabs]

I'd say we eat out (dh and I no kids) almost never as a couple unless on holiday or a mini break. Either for lunch or dinner.

We cook a lot of nice food at home.

We go with friends or family on average once per month or once per two months. I go out the same amount of time again with friends We have a take away once a month.

We went out Saturday to a local village pub (several villages away v. Nice and new to me) and it was rammed. Lovely food and good value and nice atmosphere.

Then tonight I went out with work colleagues (postponed from Xmas) and again it was very nice and fancier country pub than Saturday more gastropub and it was quite busy with several tables full. Dreary Monday in January? It's in tiny village.

We live in a semi rural area and there aren't any chains (well there's a spoons and a Pizza Hut) so we don't go to those places (ask/ Nando's/ prezzo etc ) unless we visit the city.

I was really surprised how busy these places were. Or am I just in the dark ages and never go out! Also out again on Saturday.

How often do you go out?

Never due to money. We scrimped to to out for DSs 18th and it was 150 quid and not even that nice.

Before 2020, maybe every couple months.

On average once a week. Far more often recently though, but it evens out.

Once every 6 weeks or so.. nightmare with a 4 year old and we don't have family close by to babysit. Take away twice a week do

Maybe four or five times a year. It's not worth it unless a special occasion at a really nice place.

Pre kids my husband and I went out at least once a week or dinner, often would have a lunch or breakfast out on a Saturday and usually a takeaway too. Unheard of now with a toddler and baby and even we are able to go out easily without toys and tears I doubt we will be able to as often as we'd like as finances are obviously far more strained than the cost.

If money and small children wasn't a barrier, would would like to go out as often as before as we really enjoyed the lifestyle. Perhaps when we are retired!

It averages out about once month. Usually brunches with local friends to take the heat out of being hospitable at one's home, but otherwise in the CBD (Melbourne)/Brunswick/Carlton with my daughter and visiting friends. Always a meal to mark birthdays and anniversaries, something we did when DH was alive and continue.

We have 2 young children but are very similar to you OP. I love cooking and spent a lot of time and money getting our amazing kitchen to be exactly what I want. So my preference for the majority of meals is to make exactly what I want and how I want it.

Eating out is mainly for socialising and if we meet up with other families, we will usually order take away.

I feel there is little value for money in most restaurant meals, we are happy to pay when we socialise because of the company

Apart from McDonald’s and coffee shops, very rarely. Everything has got so expensive now and is rarely worth it for the food and portions you get.

We eat out every weekend at least once. We enjoy having a dinner, but do eat about 6p due to dc. Sometimes we will also have a lunchtime other weekend day. We usually either have a takeaway or a dine in type thing the other weekend night. I only actually cook a Sunday dinner.

If we can manage a lunch during school hours, we will.

This is EXACTLY what I was about to write!!

I thought we ate out quite often, at about once a month. We're 67, DH is still working, and I am a decent cook and I do buy nice ingredients for our meals. DS is a chef and hence works long shifts, but I am completely aghast at the idea of paying for food four or five days a week.

Not as much as we used to, perhaps a little lunch at an independent cafe a couple of times a month. We can afford it, but for main meals the quality of the food doesn’t seem good enough for the cost.

I am prediabetic and gluten free and we are both more careful of what we eat in regard to ultra processed food these days, so much of the standard menu in restaurants is not really suitable or appealing.

My son is very generous with vouchers for places like Hawksmoor for birthdays and Christmas so we enjoy something like that once or twice a year as a real treat with the sort of quality ingredients we would use at home for a special meal.

At least twice a week. I’m on maternity so meet DH usually once a week and then we go out at the weekend. If he’s off during the week we’ll usually go another day during the week too.

Never. Just too expensive.

I want to say never but it's really more like once every 6 weeks.
Work meals, occasional meals with a friend or family, meals while travelling when cooking for selves not practical.
That is not counting a blitz period (3-6 nights) I will experience once a year with some family members who literally eat out at restaurants daily. They throw most of it out uneaten. They grew up poor, hate cooking, & I have no idea why they live like that.

I like simpler high in veg low in richness unwasted meals at home a lot better. Restaurant food is too salty.

I don't live in the uk so it's much much cheaper but we eat out most days (home perhaps twice a week)

You tight person

Yiou should pay for your poor mothers meal occasionally.

That's sad. Life is too short not to treat yourself occasionally.