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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think no one eats out everyday?

119 replies

1AngelicFruitCake · 14/08/2025 12:54

Lighthearted pondering about meals over summer holidays.

Yesterday talking to my friend about making lunch and tea everyday during school holidays. I love my children but it does feel relentless! Shop at Aldi or Lidl and buy varied food to keep it interesting. My friend knows someone who goes out everyday and eats out so the evening meal is simple. I’m like ‘how?!’ How does anyone afford that?!

OP posts:
childofthe607080s · 14/08/2025 12:55

Some people have lots of money

and if it’s just one person with no family and a decent job it’s probably easy

I couldn’t do that though - my digestion likes real food and far more veg than anything else

arethereanyleftatall · 14/08/2025 12:56

Some people are richer than other people.

ItsOnlyHobnobs · 14/08/2025 12:56

They have more disposable income than you / cheaper taste in meal options / fewer outgoings / prioritise this over other things / lots of debt.

RimTimTagiDim · 14/08/2025 12:56

My neighbours over the road get a takeaway for dinner every single day. I'm not exaggerating. I've actually seen them get two in one day, lunch and dinner, but I'm not often there at lunchtime so I don't know if that's every day.

I have no idea how they afford it.

Jitterbuggs · 14/08/2025 12:58

Plenty of people do. I wouldn't mind that level of disposable income (even though I wouldn't want to eat out daily).

ComtesseDeSpair · 14/08/2025 12:59

I suspect it’s fairly rare, but if you have the disposable income I can absolutely see the appeal, after a day of marshalling pandemonium and refereeing squabbles, of not making dinnertime another battle of wills and sorting it out by having everyone just pick their preferred meal off a menu.

Comedycook · 14/08/2025 13:00

The idea of actually having to go out to eat every day sounds like more effort than just making a simple meal at home

VickyEadieofThigh · 14/08/2025 13:00

childofthe607080s · 14/08/2025 12:55

Some people have lots of money

and if it’s just one person with no family and a decent job it’s probably easy

I couldn’t do that though - my digestion likes real food and far more veg than anything else

I'm with you! We eat out very rarely and get a takeaway even more rarely. This is mostly because we prefer home-cooked food with very little (usually no) salt and a LOT of vegetables.

Comedycook · 14/08/2025 13:01

I watch a lot of American social media influencers and they seem to eat out a lot....I've heard Americans in general eat out a lot more than British or European people do.

PestoHoliday · 14/08/2025 13:02

Bill Night doesn't have a kitchen because he prefers to eat out every day!

BadActingParsley · 14/08/2025 13:04

Americans seem to eat out a lot!

I think this about people who buy lunch everyday for work, I’m not short of cash but I baulk at that!

Theres a couple of nice, treat, restaurants near us where I know older retired couple eat once or twice a week, or more, they can afford it.

Needspaceforlego · 14/08/2025 13:05

Ok the money is one thing, but who could be bothered to eat out and wait for food every night. At least cooking at home you can watch telly etc while waiting

AlastheDaffodils · 14/08/2025 13:07

A friend of mine once went to stay with her new boyfriend, who lived in a studio in Manhattan. On the second day when he was at work she decided to cook a nice dinner for them. She bought food, switched on the oven to warm, prepared the ingredients, and when she opened the oven door to put the food in was greeted by a foul smell of burning rubber.

He was using the oven to store his shoes. He ate out or got takeaway three time a day. He had never cooked as much as a bowl of Cheerios.

Pootles34 · 14/08/2025 13:09

Gilbert and George (the artists) also don't have a kitchen because they always eat out. I did wonder what they did during lock down..

Goldeh · 14/08/2025 13:09

I suppose it depends where you go. Some places are cheaper than others, some have loyalty cards or discounts, lots of places do offers in the school holidays.

As an example, a place local to me does two kids eat for £1 with every adult meal purchased and it's a nice place, all fresh cooked and lots of healthier options on the menu. Adult meals start at £8.95 so £10.95 for an adult and two kids to eat over seven days would be £76 and some pence, that's not much different to doing a weekly shop. Even the local pizza/chippy place does two pizzas, a bag of chips and a bottle of pop for £13 which would be plenty to share.

lazyarse123 · 14/08/2025 13:12

We live on a retirement park and two single men behind us have takeaway at least once every day sometimes twice. One of them gets two or three bags of stuff each time and his rubbish is becoming a bit of an issue.
I dread to think how much they're spending. Must have bloody good pensions.

Netcurtainnelly · 14/08/2025 13:13

arethereanyleftatall · 14/08/2025 12:56

Some people are richer than other people.

Some are lazier too.

Thewalrusandthecarpenter · 14/08/2025 13:13

I came on to say that when my best friend lived in Manhattan, every meal she ate was outside her apartment. She had milk and wine in her fridge, nothing else. As far as I was aware, no shoes in her oven though! Brilliant.

Boredlass · 14/08/2025 13:14

we eat out and get takeaways a lot. We can afford it and enjoy it. Not everyone is struggling

Hoardasauruskaren · 14/08/2025 13:15

Goldeh · 14/08/2025 13:09

I suppose it depends where you go. Some places are cheaper than others, some have loyalty cards or discounts, lots of places do offers in the school holidays.

As an example, a place local to me does two kids eat for £1 with every adult meal purchased and it's a nice place, all fresh cooked and lots of healthier options on the menu. Adult meals start at £8.95 so £10.95 for an adult and two kids to eat over seven days would be £76 and some pence, that's not much different to doing a weekly shop. Even the local pizza/chippy place does two pizzas, a bag of chips and a bottle of pop for £13 which would be plenty to share.

But that’s only one meal a day for your £76? You would still have to provide other meals, snacks, drinks!

Primrose86 · 14/08/2025 13:16

1AngelicFruitCake · 14/08/2025 12:54

Lighthearted pondering about meals over summer holidays.

Yesterday talking to my friend about making lunch and tea everyday during school holidays. I love my children but it does feel relentless! Shop at Aldi or Lidl and buy varied food to keep it interesting. My friend knows someone who goes out everyday and eats out so the evening meal is simple. I’m like ‘how?!’ How does anyone afford that?!

I grew up in singapore and we ate out for every single meal. I did a lot of that when I was in uni lol, I had an unlimited budget in university (parents just topped up bank account). Met my husband who is a good cook and married him fresh out of uni so no longer do that but we do eat out an awful lot cos of my upbringing. We live in London..

When we were on graduate salaries we were lucky enough to live with dh's family and dh's mum was vegetarian/orthodox jewish so was very strict on what was allowed in the kitchen. This meant eating out a lot was possible while still saving 70% of salary for our deposit. Then after we bought our flat pandemic happened so we mainly cooked then too.

GarlicLitre · 14/08/2025 13:19

I used to; I was earning ridiculously well. These days, I eat out about four times a year and get one or two takeaways a year.

I love eating out, just love it! I was living in big cities, where there's endless choice and variety. It's not the same here, in Left-Behind Town so, even if I had the money, I reckon I'd quickly get bored with the options.

Fearfulsaints · 14/08/2025 13:21

My neighbour gets deliveroo several times a day. Like they all order all three meals separately from each other.

Although we do have suspicions they are distributing drugs about

steff13 · 14/08/2025 13:22

My grandparents ate dinner out every day once my mother and her siblings grew up.

Hoardasauruskaren · 14/08/2025 13:22

DD currently has a summer job in McDonald’s & has noticed the same people returning day after day! I’m not a McDonalds fan, only eat it occasionally, usually for convienence but even if I loved it I couldn't eat there several times a week.
From what I see locally there are people who get takeaway food every day, some more than once too! Getting breakfast delivered from local cafes seems to be the latest trend. Must get expensive!