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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to eat out at least once or twice a week?

28 replies

GetOrfMoiLand · 16/03/2011 22:17

Just talking to MIL today. She asked what I was doing this weekend, I said going to restaurant in Cheltenham on Friday with DP and DD, and going for a curry Saturday with some friends.

She thinks I am extravagant because I usually do not cook Fridays and Saturday as a rule, 9 times out of 10 eat out or get takeaway.

I love my MIL so don't see any real criticism, but she said that eating out should be a treat or a special occasion. I just do it because I can't be arsed to cook.

OP posts:
SeeJaneKick · 16/03/2011 22:19

Yanbu if you can afford it. Why would eating out be unreasonable?

Confused
FabbyChic · 16/03/2011 22:19

Me and my children used to eat out more than twice a week, we don't now, but I never cooked on certain nights because I worked. It's neat to have a night off and why not, cooking/washing up takes time. Eating and throwing the remains in the bin is far easier when you have worked all day.

BecauseImWorthIt · 16/03/2011 22:20

We go out with our boys (19 and 16) for dinner every Sunday. We have done this since DS2 was about 2 or 3. It was an intentional thing to help teach them about food and behaviour - but also gave me an evening off cooking.

We also always have a take-away every Friday.

I suppose it is an extravagance (although we're not talking about Gordon Ramsay-type restaurants!), but we can afford it, so why not?

So YANBU. Unless we are!

sethstarkaddersmackerel · 16/03/2011 22:20

she's just old-fashioned. British people used to not eat out much (unless they were posh) but now they do.
if she was French she would not think it was a big deal.

SlainteBooyFeckingHoo · 16/03/2011 22:20

if you can afford it then YANBU it's none of her beeswax anyway.

i don't cook on weekends either.

twolittlemonkeys · 16/03/2011 22:20

If you can afford it then go for it. Pre-children when DH and I lived in Germany, both earning reasonable salaries but with low rent we only used one income and the other was entirely for going out etc (though we did use it to save for a house deposit) We thought nothing of eating out 2-3 times a week. None of MIL's business, as long as you don't complain about being skint Grin

Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 16/03/2011 22:21

MIL doesn't usually make comments tbh, so was a bit nonplussed. She just said 'don't you think you eat out too much'. Think perhaps it was different in their day or summat.

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winnybella · 16/03/2011 22:23

YANBU

I used to eat out every night (but that was when I lived in NYC where it's a fairly normal thing to do)

If I could, I would be doing the same thing now.

If you can afford it, I'm not sure what the problem is? I guess it's a generational thing.

moondog · 16/03/2011 22:24

How odd.
And rude.

Takeaways are the height of sloth though.
Curried mongrel tail.
Mmmmmmmm

sethstarkaddersmackerel · 16/03/2011 22:25

also maybe people used to not eat out much because it was shit but now it is better Smile

I think you would be unreasonable not to eat out a lot, if you can afford it and there are nice reasonably-priced restaurants near you, actually!

ZZMum · 16/03/2011 22:25

I think this is a generational thing - when we were kids we used to eat out once a year as a birthday treat- there just was not the massive range of places to go that we now have - a takeaway meant going to the chippie..

My parents used to be the same but I have slowly shown them how cheap it can be to eat out and what a great range of food is out there and they now regularly eat out - albeit with vouchers to make it even cheaper!

Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 16/03/2011 22:25

DP said they never ate out when he was a kid, mind you he was one of 6 children so they probably couldn't afford it.

Oh I would love to eat out every night. I actually love cooking, it's the shopping for the food and cleaning up after which makes me sick. Or i am just a lazy git at weekends. Grin

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Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 16/03/2011 22:28

Yes moondog that's what I thought, but she is not normally like that, she is a lovely woman.

And no I never have takeaway Indian (can cook better curry myself) or Chinese (rank fatty stodge) - takeaway is usually pizza express (is cheaper and LOT nicer than dominos, oddly enough)

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Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 16/03/2011 22:29

Yes - use vouchers as well, and Times dinner for a fiver thingy.

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moondog · 16/03/2011 22:47

Hehe.
I'd love to live somewhere near enough nice places to eat out.
When we lived in Turkey, there were hundreds of restaurants, all serving great food. But it was the same menu everywhere and there was no booze in any of them.

PlanetEarth · 16/03/2011 22:58

I'm not sure about the time argument - quicker for me to cook a meal, eat it and wash up than to go out to a restaurant, order, wait, eat it and come home again.

I do like to eat out but I don't think I'd bother to do it if it was everyday food - eating out is a treat for us and I like the experience to reflect that.

backwardpossom · 16/03/2011 23:03

If you can afford it, why the hell not? You're keeping people in jobs. Wink

Kallista · 16/03/2011 23:09

YANBU if i had the money i'd eat out every night! I do eat out at least once a fortnight. Last meal was the local Harvester with friends - 6 quid main course with as much free salad and bread rolls as you like, then free ice cream sundae with vouchers. Socialising, and no housework - eating out is great!

MadameDefarge · 16/03/2011 23:13

Blimey. I remember the 70s.When a trip to Golden Egg was a Gastronomique Experience.

As a restaurant owner, now, you could not cook at home what I do for at my place for the same price.

Good, honest, slightly posh grub, at a great price.

Anyone remember gammon with pineapple rings with a fried egg in it? Ah, Happy Days!

Monty27 · 16/03/2011 23:14

YANBU
Sometimes you can eat out for the same price as eating in. This varies to the extreme obviously. (Taking into account labour intensive shopping etc as well Wink)

TrillianAstra · 16/03/2011 23:14

Just been out for Strada on Tesco vouchers. I like eating out.

I bet she'd sniff if you had a cleaner too. Nothing wrong with paying people to do things you don't want to do, if you can afford it.

backwardpossom · 16/03/2011 23:17

Anyone remember gammon with pineapple rings with a fried egg in it? Ah, Happy Days!

Cheeky mare, I had that last night...

Wink
MadameDefarge · 16/03/2011 23:19

Its delish! But not seen in restaurants since the 70s!

I am a big fan of retro cooking. Do a lot of coaxing with my customers.

what's not to love about pork stroganoff?

chickchickchicken · 16/03/2011 23:29

yanbu but have you remembered races are on? went to chelt tonight and it was very busy

Original poster
GetOrfMoiLand · 16/03/2011 23:43

Oh bollocks I completely forgot about that. Am NOT going to Cheltenham Friday then - bad idea.

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