To ask do you deem takeaways or meal outs as a waste of money

[Canwe666]

Ditto coffees out etc

No. Most of my social life revolves around those things.

No it provides an alternative to home options. No just different foods and drinks but the setting and social aspect. It’s getting a different experience and enjoyment bar the financial connotations if you really splash out! It can be memorable for special occasions and worth the price!

It depends for me, too. If I've gone out and spent £10 on a disappointing/bad meal then it's £10 wasted. If I've gone out and spent £30 on a fab meal it's £30 well spent.

No, tasty food is lovely!

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

I don't drink really coffee, so if I go to a coffee shop once in blue moon its a treat, ditto on takeaways, we don't eat many so its a treat when we do!

My inlaws have coffees out several times a day. To me, that often is a waste. But its their money I guess!

No. We only get takeaways as a treat and they’re worked into the budget, so I don’t see it as a waste. It’s nice not to have to cook/wash pots and pans and have something a bit different.

I don’t really drink coffee though so don’t buy takeaway hot drinks. I drink tea but wouldn’t really buy one out and about. Occasionally I’ll get a fancy mocha with cream or something but only on occasion.

Eating in a restaurant with my kids is always a mistake.
It is unenjoyable and a race to finish before they kick off.

I don't know why we keep going.

I love picking a coffee up on the way to work, yes it's a big waste of money but it picks me up always treat myself on a Monday.

As so many others have said "it depends"

When you don't have much money, then you are far more conscious about "what else you could have bought" with that same amount of money, so, when we were skint then I'd say 'yes, I could have used that for heating, or some replacement shoes' or something.

When you are more comfortable, then I think - if you have the money, and it's something you enjoy, then it is worth it if it gives you pleasure.

I do think buying a takeaway coffee on the way into work every day seems a waste when you can just brew up when you are at work

As others say, though, 'meetings friend for a coffee' or 'going out for lunch' you are paying for more than the actual coffee. You pay for the 'experience'. The opportunity to sit and natter with friends. (Or for those that prefer, sit and read a book in peace for 1/2 an hour). I don't do it often, but when I do meet a friend for lunch, or even a coffee, it is worth FAR more than the money I pay, as it is almost like doing a therapy session.

Meal out, no, it’s an experience aswell as nice food.
Takeaway yes, costs the same but is just a bit boring eating at home.
Coffee, sometimes, I’m pretty fussy and make great coffee at home so it’s rarely worth it

I often find takeaways a real disappointment, especially Chinese and Indian in the area I live in, so yes, that is a waste of money for me. Coffees and meals out are such a nice treat that they are definitely worth it.

No

Especially not having been stuck at home for 18 months

At work I look forward to lunch a lot. Meeting a friend and going somewhere nice. The whole choosing where to go. The options and variety.
I usually buy lunch and again browsing around seeing what I fancy, breaks up the day.
Eating with friends and family is a birthday human social thing everywhere, and going to different surroundings with none of the distractions of home is a real treat. Very relaxing.
I love choosing what to eat from a selection or menu.
Getting a takeaway or going out as a family is more exciting somehow than home cooking.

However.
I also enjoy cooking and so does DH. We turn out pretty good food even if I say so myself!
When we do BBQs or have people found they always seem very cheerful and I always do lots and their eyes boggle. I hate when there's not enough of a thing for everyone to have as much as they want and I like leftovers.

When I was in Singapore for a bit it's the norm there to buy your food out. There's cheap plentiful freshly cooked food everywhere. The living spaces are very small and my friend from India said she was a bit taken aback that loads of people have minimal cooking stuff at home. Doesn't make sense there though. So bought food doesn't necessarily mean bad. The UK is obsessed with home cooking being virtuous somehow. And also the cheaper take away options are not great and are expensive.

Does that help OP.

Meals out are always shit for me. But I enjoy takeaways and coffee. I have coffee out most days but it's still such a treat.

Probably depends what's on offer where you live as well.

I find a lot of take aways over priced and not nice.

We are lucky to have a local Chinese where the food is lush and fresh veg not all greasy etc.

I also think that with restaurants you don't always get what you pay for at all. I try to find the good ones and stick to them. I'm a creature of habit as well!

I think I'm a bit fussy as we often get places recommended and they're nothing special at all.

I deem them as payment for my time.

It depends, for example:

Coffee - I own a proper coffee machine, if I have coffee out it has to be something special from an independent, won't go to Starbucks or Costa as for me their coffee is awful

Pizza/pasta type food - depends, if it is an independent Italien then normally absolutely worth it however now the children are older we don't set foot in Pizza Express etc they are overpriced and the quality is poor

Normal food/pub food - can be depends on the pub. I do find however that most pub food is pretty grim and overpriced

Curry - mostly worth it, for special dishes. We tend to order specific ones and buy ready made e.g. Waitrose for others.

Fine dining - definitely worth it.

Basically I will do it to be sociable but not often, especially since I can 99.9% of the time produce better food at home. I love going to a nice restaurant though, independents all the way for us.

Absolutely not! Surely if you did, you'd never buy them?

SIL always says why get a Chinese takeaway as you can buy nice Chinese food from M&S and just heat everythung up in the oven. Totally missing the point...

We have a takeaway as after a couple of bottles of wine it's 11pm and who wants to get up to put the oven on and hang around to cook the food when you can order and be eating in 20 mins.

We do Indian takeaway or a meal out to celebrate birthdays, Mothers Day and so on. We have a tradition to go out for lunch on Winter solstice in the lead up to Christmas. We might walk and get a takeaway coffee with friends or family. I don't just get random takeaways or buy a coffee alone though. So I get these things when it's worth it.

My ex husband hated eating out on principle because he always thought he could cook everything he ate better than the food served in restaurants.

Technically he was correct: he was a very good cook, but I thought this was such a mean-minded attitude: at best, a good meal out with a friend or loved one or even a new acquaintance can be a magical experience. It's not just the food, its the setting, the ambiance, the conversation, everything.

I hate people who go out to eat and endlessly mither about the food and service as well and treat it like an exercise in trying to win concessions. If a meal is really bad or you're mischarged by all means complain. But you get this mindset where people will compete to be as unforgiving as they can about it: "I had a steak tartare last month which was £2 cheaper than here", or "I'm going to try to knock some money off the bill because they forgot to bring me a glass of water. I despise that attitude. If you can't deal with the fact that every restaurant has a different approach then leave it to the grown-ups.

For me, yes, takeaways are a waste of time. But I have an Instant Pot and know how to cook from scratch and so can usually rustle up a meal in 30mins which is less than the time it takes for the delivery person to come. I do love my coffees, bars, and restaurant meals though.

Yes but they are little treats within the month that make it bearable

Everything non essential is a waste of money I guess. We all just differ in terms of what we prioritise wasting our money on.

No, food gives me great pleasure and I can't make a curry as good as my local Indian takeaway

I wouldn't buy a cup of tea unless there was some cake to go with and some good company

Actually tea fucks me off a bit. Especially when they ask you if you want the teabag leaving in. No I fucking don't. For two pounds fucking fifty you've got to do something other than put a bag in bloody water.

But if you go to a nice place with loose leaf and separate hot water and proper blends it's good.

No takeaway tastes as good as proper home cooking. We have takeaway maybe twice a year. Exception for proper fish & chips at the seaside.
Meals out in a decent restaurant are worth every penny.
Coffee from a quality independent is worth the money whereas I’d rather go without than go to starbucks