is going out for lunch/brunch once a week as a family too much?

[7999ghkk]

Guess same as everyone else trying to manage the coming cost of living rise o trying to budget ahead. We have two little kids and we regularly - once a week go out for lunch/brunch on a sunday. We dont get any other takeaways and although I do go out for dinner or drinks with friend once or twice a month - DH and I havent been out together on an evening since sept 2019 and he very rarely goes out. But going out for food with family has become our regular. Would you cut it out? Or keep it? It seems like an unnecessary extra but kids dont like ice cream or sweets so cant fob them off with that. How often do you go out to eat as a family.

@balalake
Sorry to be the bearer of what I imagine will be mortifying news for you, but brunch is a meal and term which originated in England during late Victorian times and became popular in the US in the early to mid twentieth century.

Move on, brunch has been in British vernacular for years now. Or would you rather we were still all speaking Old English.

Even better! Haha

You might want to Google the history of the word "brunch"

We have far, far more than this a week. If you can afford it why not. We are mostly out both days of the weekend and go out for lunch or dinner on both day. During the week we have take out at least once, dh wfh 2 days a week and we order a nice lunch on one of those days, we also get coffees most days. Honestly do what you want!

We used to do this (but covid got us out of habit and now it's much less) and our house income at time was quite a bit less than yours. I don't see the harm providing you don't feel it's adding financial stress (and take home salary can only be a small part of a picture- we are lucky as we never had two children in nursery at same time for example and our mortgage is much lower than yours).

However if you can afford it and enjoy it why not? Restaurants need customers esp at moment. Or as pp suggested you could switch to picnics while the weather is good, my two love that.

The only question here is whether you can afford it. If you can, crack on. We love eating out and like to support local businesses

Our household income is £130k and no we don’t spend £200 a month on brunch out.

we do other things with the money - mortgage overpayments and savings, and children activities and FT nursery for the second but no - not £20 on brunch, no.

Yes of course , it's a weekly treat and if you can afford it why not

So you take home what, around £6k pcm? And spend £4k on mortgage and childcare?

Even if you're putting the max into pensions you've clearly got enough, I don't know why you're coming on here essentially saying you have a really decent amount of disposable income, are we unreasonable to spend it how we want?

...OK?

What is it with these threads.

Four of you eat out for £50? Where's that Toby Carvery or Hungry Horse?

Our household income is £170k gross and mortgage and childcare £1700 a month combined. £50 a week on brunch seems frivolous to me.

When the kids were little, we'd go out a lot, 3 or 4 times a week - a bit more like American lifestyle than British. It meant we spent more time together cos one of us wasn't in the kitchen cooking or clearing up after meals, so it was nice. We had loads of cinema nights together at home!

If you can afford it, keep doing it. If you can't or everyone finds it a chore, stop.

I think it feels a bit weird our household budget is just over 120k
I'm sure you'll be fine, brunch or no brunch.

Yup.
Even with childcare at 1.5 and mortgage at 2.5 that still leaves you about £2 k every month does it ?
So it depends what other costs you have - some annual train passes in the SE are huge. Some people have long drives and the cost of fuel is huge.

I think we should all live a little and treat ourselves if we can afford it, but, if you are worried about your budget then why not plot out where your money goes every month, and then put aside £X a week or month for 'treats' and decide what you want to do with it each week. I think going out for a meal as routine makes it less of a treat.

In answer to some PPs I think it's the uncertainty that's getting to me. I know our current costs but got really worried about energy costs come autumn, how much our mortgage will be with the rising rates. I no longer have a sense of what costs we'll end up having over the course of the year. In that context, I just find it hard to plan and therefore decide whether this is worth it today because of what things might cost in the future. So was interested in knowing what others do in such uncertain times

@HarlanPepper well my household income is £500k net per annum and I still buy from the discounted aisle!

Wow, so what do you spend all that money on?!

Family of 6 - we don't eat out often for a lunch or dinner unless away from home on holiday as it's easily £100 a go. Generally we'll eat out for dinner perhaps 4 times a year properly and a couple of those times I use my tesco clubcard points. Quite often weekly we get a costa or ice cream etc which is about £20-30 or a meal deal from the supermaket/ fish and chips if we do a day trip. we also eat takeaways prob twice a month although trying to just do that once a month on payday weekend now. I eat out with my other half every couple of months and family meals for special occasions/ birthdays perhaps 5/6 times a year sometimes with kids sometimes without so I guess we do eat out quite a lot. I grew up eating out with my family often and i enjoyed it. We earn slightly less than you at £100k but no childcare costs and mortgage is £1800.

Have you seen the cost of living matches happening in London today OP? Just saying…

We earn nowhere near £120k and still eat lunch or breakfast out most weeks. It's something we all enjoy, means less cooking and cleaning at home, and we're not getting into debt to do it.

If it gets to the point that we can no longer do it financially then I'll stop then. But why worry about it now when you can afford it now? Life is for living!

And frankly, saving an extra £40 a week isn't going to make a massive difference to you on those salaries and with that mortgage anyway.

We do this, but I really prioritize it. I loved socializing before children so going out as a family is important to me. I could spend the money on clothes, for example, but rarely buy anything over 100, which I understand many others do without thinking. The beauty budget is however more generous! I do feel a bit like you, life is expensive with nursery fees etc and I wonder if it is a bit frivolous but I do really value that time.

I'd alternate brunch with the kids and dinner with my dh. And maybe reduce each to once a month instead of going out every week.
I just couldn't see the point in going out every week - doesn't it get a bit boring?

The question is bollocks, you earn plenty, as you well know.

I've got the ick about so many posts on this thread. I'm hoping some of them are taking the piss.