06.08.2009 9:28 am
Have you been ‘dining down’ due to the recession?
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The worldwide recession isn’t hurting McDonald’s.
The fast-food giant reported a big jump in its same-store sales for last month,
Between its dollar menu and its value meals, you can feed a family for pretty small money. It might not always be the best choice if you’re looking for healthy food, but…
In our family, we have cut back on eating out for a while now — in part because we like to cook at home and in part because we’re trying to cut back on expenses. But sometimes it’s darn convenient to drive through McDonald’s for a quick dinner.
Have you been dining down, or not at all, since the hard times hit?
In our family, we calculated if we dine out or “dine-down” twice a week, it cuts back on our grocery bill by 1/3! You can supplement dining-down with healthy snacks, like fresh produce, which generally won’t hurt you wallet too badly!
I have cut down on my spending on restaurants since the recession has hit and limited my visits to my favorites only and cut out the fast food places all together. Maybe someday I will be able to go back to my terrible ways.
Fast food is convenient and cheap but the money you save initially doesn’t come close to making up for the additional health cost from an unhealty diet and lifestyle. Plus eating right doesn’t have to be expensive. Children learn how to eat from their parents, lead by example.
We do not go out to eat anymore…. even the fast food is too expensive to us. We now cook our own meals.
We try to stick to a planned weekly menu with one night allocated for eating out. Dining out nights are almost always at places that run a special or accept coupons. Been doing this for years.
Sure we “dine out” fast food Fridays we call it. It is actually cheaper to buy your food and make it yourself then go out to eat every night, a lot of people dont realize that. It all adds up. MMMM McDonald sounds good bout now, lol
As a single parent, going out to eat was rarely something I could afford when my kids were young, so my family always practiced what is now called ‘Eating In’ - we called it dinner!
Luckily I love to cook and have a healthy relationship with Costco so we could eat well without breaking the bank or our schedule…and it’s nice to see my two girls following in that same path…they are the culinistas of their peer groups (both in their 20’s).
The biggest difference I’ve seen in the recession regarding dining out? The friends who now want some recipes and want to go to Costco with me!
We both have our jobs still, so we haven’t changed. Since our son was born, a little over two years ago, we simply don’t go out much. We don’t do fast food too often, either. Usually once or twice a weekend, and usually eat out somewhere one night a week. We cook meals at home, mostly. I find it easier and more convenient to cook a meal at home than it is to drag a two year out to a restaurant and keep him entertained for an hour while we eat. I can make a burger at home that’s way better than any fast food burger. Steaks on my grill are every bit as good as any steak house, and I don’t have to pay an extra $5 or more for a salad or baked potato. Crab Legs, Lobster Tails, Shrimp, Scallops… I can make them all at home for a fraction of what any restaurant charges.
This is a silly question. It is not cheaper to eat out. A lb. hamburger makes four sandwiches. Cost under two dollars. Do the math. People eat out who can afford it, or who are too lazy to cook for themselves, or simply just want to. Stop blaming the restuarants.
I eat out maybe once a month, and not usually McD’s. Fast food made me fat; broke the habit when I went on a diet and don’t plan on going back to it. Once you break the habit, you realize it doesn’t even taste that good. I probably save $ 100.00 a month by not eating out for lunch and the occational dinner.