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

[Canwe666]

Ditto coffees out etc

We have a take-away most fridays, it's something to look forward to and I love not having to think about what to cook.

We live too rurally for takeaway….though I might occasionally (once or twice a year) grab fish & chips on the way home. We have maybe 5 or 6 meals out as a family per year max - we make the most of those occasions and enjoy them as a special evening/lunch. I cook good meals at home and it’s more fun & relaxed to be in our own space. I take my own tea out in a thermos cup rather than go to a coffee shop the exception being when I meet friends for a latte & cake (maybe once every other month). Gosh - don’t exactly paint the town red do I?!!🤣

I find it hard to appreciate why people would get a McDonald’s meal delivered. It’s bound to be cold and the fries will be floppy.

I know, I worked there as a student and anything more than 30 minutes old got chucked!

I didn’t eat in once last week. Breakfast, lunch and dinner served at work or if no dinner we ate out.

I really missed eating out during lockdown and if anything it helps my mental health which was very dodgy during lockdowns

It is the getting away from your normal environment and just being somewhere else for a couple of hours.
It doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Definitely not a waste of money for us.
Dh loves cooking and happily (and I mean happily) cooks us up a feast every night.
I don’t like cooking (although I can and I will), but we all prefer that if he doesn’t want to cook then we will either go out or order in.
We also go out if anyone requests to do so for birthday etc.
On the one hand, the food is rarely as nice as he makes at home but on the other hand there is absolutely no clearing up. He makes a shocking amount of mess and sometimes I’m the one left clearing up so while he spends 3 hours most nights fart arsing around making his own stock and bread etc as accompaniments to dinner I’m left with a good chunk of clearing up at the end.
When i cook, it’s a half an hour job from start to finish. It’s perfunctory, does the job of filling a hole in an empty tummy. It’s not great, it’s not particularly good but it’ll do.
There’s not much clearing up.
Eating out is more about relaxing for us both.
We like eating out but choose where we go carefully.
There are places I’d go to eat with friends to catch up but not as a family!

They're an extravagance.

I appreciated your post @Zilla1 even if no one else did

We eat out once a week or sometimes more. I love cooking and homemade meals but hate the planning that has to go into it, as well as the clean up afterwards. I find that people's attitudes to eating out are often influenced by their childhood - I grew up with busy working parents who would get takeout or eat out once a week, and I've kept that pattern up myself as have my other siblings. If I was strapped for cash, I'd ditch the meals out first though because they're not a necessity by any means.

@im2sad

No, we have a coffee out most days, takeaway once and eat out at least twice a week. I really enjoy not having to cook anything and having everything cleaned up afterwards.

Have you ever worked out how much that costs you? It sounds as though you can afford it but it would be interesting to total it up.

DeathOnTheNile I grew up with constantly being told that eating out was a waste of money and my mother could make the same dish for less. She couldn’t understand that it was about the atmosphere. Not too sure what was the issue but she just didn’t get it. She would ask what I meant about atmosphere.

I have gone the other way and eating out is a necessity.

Takeaways used to be I think as choice was a bit limited but since lockdown and loads of proper restaurants going on Deliveroo/Just Eat etc I think they've been AMAZING! Top quality food and no hassle of getting ready to go out, none of the expense of drinks out and taxis etc. So a really lovely treat.

Coffees out are always really nice and not too expensive.

However, if I was trying to save and/or budgeting these would be one of the first things to go (and often are on a tight month).

Unfortunately they don’t deliver to our road as I would order a curry now and again. I love really hot curries but no one else likes spicy food

As someone said above,things that bring joy are not a waste of money, no matter what they are.

No. I eat out a lot. I went to a coffee shop on Tuesday and going out for dinner tonight.

Obviously if you are struggling to pay your bills then yes it would be a waste of money.

DH does. I miss meals out. My friends eat out weekly and I do wonder how much money they are burning through.

I always think takeaway is a waste as it tends to be junk.

I won't pay to eat out unless it's something nice, ideally nicer than I can cook. There are so many restaurants where they do burgers, hunters chicken, "and chips" type meals and 9 times out if 10 they are deep fried or reheated. The 2 for 1 or harvester type places I truly hate and begrudge spending money on if people book them for meals.

Nice country pub though with fresh foods I don't routinely make are lovely. Our local country pub does amazing phaesant and venison and they are worth paying for.

I would much rather pay more and it be a memorable meal (I still think about some dishes I've had in nice restaurants but I never reminisce over my harvester chicken and chips )

Used to get a takeaway about once a fortnight, prob less now given up work, just nice not to cook

I used to work in a naice independent french restaurant and most of the food was already prepped, most restaurant food is partially or fully prepped food from the wholesalers. We'd make things like the soup fresh, sauces, meat on the mains, salad and garnishes, creme brulee was the only homemade dessert we offered, the others were bought in. The rest of it was like putting things in ready made pastry bases etc. So that's why I don't really see it as a luxury. Perhaps if you were going to a Michelin star, you'd get food made completely from scratch.

If you had asked me a year or so ago I'd have said yes, it's a treat. Since lock down ive/we have all become good cooks so I'm not going to spend money on something I can do better at home

* Takeaways yes. I don't enjoy the experience or all the rubbish to dispose of and it's often quicker to cook something than it is to collect/have it delivered.*

^I agree. I find it a waste of money too.

It depends I think takeaway coffee is a waste of money as I can make my own and use a travel cup but sitting in with a coffee is good value. Buying kids lunches out is always painful. Fiver for a half cheese sandwich, cheap yoghurt, tired satsuma and a Freddo anyone? Far prefer a picnic (even a carrier bag one) but I’m happy to buy everyone ice creams after, there’s a lovely local ice cream maker that supplies the local cafe.

Takeaway is the same, there’s an amazing Nepalese place which does good food but is an expensive treat. The other takeaways are a bit rubbish so markies fakeaway is better value to me.

Normally, yes and DS and I usually only have one a week (my weigh-in day treat). However, I had a particularly difficult wisdom tooth removal last Wednesday and with the swelling and pain, as well as working 13 hour shifts, parenting a kid with ADHD and keeping the house from looking like a bomb has exploded, I have ordered in 6 times this week. Needless to say, I didn't get on the scales this week.

I don’t look at it as what could be done at home for cheaper.
This is what my mother would say and it misses the point of eating out.

It is about sitting down and being served even if it is just a cheese sandwich in a pub garden with a glass of tap water. It is the chance to chat and take your time over.
It is cheese sandwiches I haven’t had to make, serve and clear up after and the fact that everyone can sit together and not wander off half way through. It is about not having the mental load of preparing food or people jumping up to get drinks and just the atmosphere when you are out.

I think as a family we come together a lot more when we eat out

Not a waste of money but an occassional treat. Any more than occassional I would class as a waste.

We eat out 3 or 4 times per week, sometimes just 2 of us go out. I hate cooking and I hated lockdown for not being able to just go out to eat.
It got me down having to prepare every bit of food.