To love going out for dinner

[Kay286]

I unashamedly love going out for dinner and cocktails and wines …. We live in Canada so get pretty amazing summers spent by the lake or on patios or in the city.
I must spend insane amounts of money of this … don’t add it up … but I really enjoy it.
I can afford it so it’s not an issue but …. I think I’m probably spending too much and should rein it in a bit! Then I get to weekend and really wanna go out ….. anyone else ?
rough guess I’m spending upwards of 500 per month of this … but also can spend 200 ish on one fancy place with cocktails etc but if I enjoy it then maybe I shouldn’t worry ?

I mean, if you enjoy it and can comfortably afford it then go for it.

It’s my favourite thing to do!

If you can afford it then why not? To me, the point of working is to earn money doing the things I enjoy (after the usual house bills etc).

Some people spend shed loads on their hobbies (looking at you cyclists and golfers), others choose to get their hair/nails/lashes etc done.

As long as you're not hurting others and you can afford it, stuff what anyone else thinks. 😊

@Didimum do you ever cringe at how much you spend on it ?

Absolutely fine, once you can afford it and especially as you enjoy it. We all tend to spend spare cash on the things we like. I always loved eating out but the food quality in the last couple of years is appalling and definitely not worth the money so I don't really have meals out now.

It’s a priority for us. It’s a big outgoing but we can afford it so it’s no one else’s business what we spend on it. Dh is a great cook so we eat well at home, but I love going out because there’s no clearing up 😂

Agreed OP! We spend a fair amount of our disposable income on eating out each month and it's 100% worth it.

I agree op. I actually can’t afford it, but life is short… 🤷🏻‍♀️

@PinkGiraffe1 Yes this is my thoughts … I’m actually pretty frugal and sensible in other ways and we have a decent amount of disposable income … we just really enjoy the picking a restaurant, nice views , nice food and wine :) agree life is for enjoying but sometimes I do cringe at how much I spend and think maybe this is crazy to spend so much on this.

Life is short so enjoy while you're here.🍹

YANBU. It's my favourite thing to do too. Now we have kids I rarely get the chance and it's by far the thing I miss most.

@TheChosenTwo phew don’t feel quite as guilty then !! I’m actually a decent cook but I hate it .. 🤣🤣

If I didn't have kids I would love it too. As it stands we manage about once a year if lucky.

Well here's a question back then, if you didn't go out, or even halved the occasions, what would you do with that money instead? Are you financially set up and comfortable? As do you own your home, do you have kids/plan to have them? Do you have life insurance or a decent pension? Do you have some decent savings if you lost your job? If yes, then carry on. It no, then maybe cut back a little and put some aside for a rainy day.

You need to find the balance between planning for the worst and remembering that you can't take it with you.

@Ilinaya ive been there ! Once they’re older and you get a bit more “me” time it’s lovely - me and hubby have lots of date night out (which we never had when young were young and we were broke !) we also go for lots of dinners with the kids too - thankfully they still seem to enjoy our company 🤣

I am so looking forward to that freedom, youngest is only 1 though so feels a looooong way off. Taking them all out for dinner is just torture for us and everyone else 😂 so he stick to cafe fish and chips on the beach or park, which is still lovely but not quite the same!

I love it too, trying new things and having some drinks. Your location sounds lovely make the most of it, we only live once and if you can afford it and enjoy it do it! Don’t forget to invite us too though 😉

OP, next time you go can you post what you ate and drank so we can enjoy it vicariously

My FB is literally full of food pics I've posted, to the point where friends now ask if I ever cook 🤣🤣

IDK I've been to Canada. Food prices were shocking and worse than London and not worth it for what you got, maybe the seafood places were.

Over 6000 a year for eating out, I'd rather have 2-3 holidays for that money but it's your money

@PinkGiraffe1 This is true we are almost mortgage free (on U.K. property) but are selling and all the money needs to be used to buy a house in Canada upwards of $1m so will have a fairly big mortgage again ! So that and a big chunk of our savings will be gone - I’m going try hold some back tho for a cushion and eldest just started uni $$$.
I think that’s why I’m questioning it really … that I need to be more sensible:) but I also love it 🤣🤣

@ShellySarah yes the food prices are high here … plus 20% tips ….. if I have a crap meal where food is not good tho I will say.. usually pretty good about it, but I’ve rarely had a bad meal… it’s not just the food tho it’s the whole experience … last week we’re in the sun , by a lake … sipping wine and cocktails and eating yummy seafood. It’s the whole experience I love.
Its not instead of holidays though :) but yes it’s enough money to pay for one!

@FieldInWhichFucksAreGrownIsBarren here are my people 🙌🏻

It's never a waste of money if you're doing something you enjoy.

I’m the same, OP.

After mortgage, eating out is probably our biggest expenditure.

I’m a sucker for a ridiculously extravagant testing menu with wine pairing.