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Starting a 60 Day No Eating Out Challenge Monday

September 21st, 2014 at 09:32 pm

If any of you read the YNAB blog, you may have seen Jesse's latest post about obliterating debt. He'd been heavily criticized for his previous post with people saying that since he was young, college educated and white that he had no clue what he was talking about.

So among a variety of things, in his last post he said that he and his family are going to do two things - move into an apartment for 3 months and do no eating out for 60 days. Here is a link to his post:

Text is http://www.youneedabudget.com/blog/2014/good-debt-and-bad-debt-a-clarification-for-my-anti-debt-post/ and Link is
http://www.youneedabudget.com/blog/2014/good-debt-and-bad-de...

I have been lamenting the fact that I have been eating so horribly and spending so much money on takeout and fast food. Being here so near temptation has had a very bad effect on my spending and on my waistline.

While I don't have any debt to vanquish, I do have savings goals! So I decided to take up the guantlet of the 60 day no eating out challenge. Here are two links to Bubblews posts about it if you're interested:
Text is http://www.bubblews.com/news/7723462-60-day-no-eating-out-challenge and Link is
http://www.bubblews.com/news/7723462-60-day-no-eating-out-ch...
Text is http://www.bubblews.com/news/7762711-planning-my-menu-for-week-1-of-the-60-day-challenge and Link is
http://www.bubblews.com/news/7762711-planning-my-menu-for-we...

I am also planning on *really* doing the ten items only shopping list. (I'm only going to count food items on my list.)

So far on my list:
frozen veggies
bananas
Peanut Butter
Jelly
eggs
shredded cheese
whole cantaloupes

That leaves me with 3 things I could pick up if needed later during the week.

Tonight though I am doing one last meal out before starting this challenge - heading to IHOP! NE is going to meet me there ... we're testing the waters at trying for a friendship *only.* One of the things we'll probably discuss tonight is exactly what that means ...

In other news, I finally completed my profile last night by finding a full figure shot. Now it's just a waiting game I guess.

Posted in General, Frugal Single Life, Financial, Grocery Tracking | 8 Comments »

8 Responses to “Starting a 60 Day No Eating Out Challenge Monday”

  1. MonkeyMama Says:
    September 21st, 2014 at 11:29 pm 1411342169
    1411342169

    Good Luck!

  2. creditcardfree Says:
    September 21st, 2014 at 11:42 pm 1411342949
    1411342949

    You can do it! And while you are waiting for the 60 days you can make note of places you do want to eat out when you can. Later after the challenge you may realize that you don't want to go out...maybe!

  3. snafu Says:
    September 22nd, 2014 at 04:36 am 1411360580
    1411360580

    WIsh you well on your challenge. If it helps YouTube offers demos of restaurant style foods like IHOP pancakes
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFsJ-Kt-D0Q If you have favourites there are several recipe books specializing in restaurant favourites available at the library if you can't find what you want on-line.

    With fall approaching you might try experimenting with crockpot combinations so that a meal awaits you walking through the door to eliminate the urge to stop for take-out. Rice Krispie squares are convenient 'travel' food and one common addition is a dollop of PB. Do you make PB 'toasties?'

  4. LuckyRobin Says:
    September 22nd, 2014 at 10:23 pm 1411424588
    1411424588

    Laura, I'm going to try to do at least the first 30 days with you. Then I'll see about doing the last 30 days. I know I can manage at least a month. I'd like to be able to manage two months, though.

  5. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    September 22nd, 2014 at 10:53 pm 1411426411
    1411426411

    Thanks everyone Smile
    Good idea CCF Big Grin

    Snafu -It isn't pancakes that I crave from IHOP, it's their French Toast and their apple compote crepes and their garden stuffed crepe ...yum! I do plan on utilizing my crockpot in this adventure. Big Grin Never had rice krispies with PB - sounds good!

    LR - Awesome! I don't know if *I'll* be able to do 60 days or not. Especially since ...


    I may not be putting my profile up after all. NE and I had a LONG talk last night. He agreed that maybe we could make things work if we saw a third person to help us figure out how to NOT get into these silent tiffs that were killing our relationship. Maybe we just needed some time away from each other for perspective.

    No matter what though, I WILL not be doing any eating out on my own for the next 60 days.

  6. rob62521 Says:
    September 23rd, 2014 at 12:11 am 1411431076
    1411431076

    Good luck! I'm sure you can do this. Elizabeth Gilbert wrote a book a number of years back called, "The Art of Eating In--How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove." You might see if your library has it. It may encourage you along the way.

    Although we still eat out, we don't eat out as much as we did years ago. DH was amazed at how much money we saved by eating in and has learned to like reworked leftovers.

  7. snafu Says:
    September 23rd, 2014 at 03:09 pm 1411484989
    1411484989

    I'd join you in your restaurant challenge but I don't like to eat in restaurants, I much prefer to eat at home for several reasons. Since you like crepes, I wonder if you realize how incredibly easy and inexpensive it is to make French style crepes. The catch is to prepare the filling, sweet or savoury before you make the batter. If you have leftovers suitable for sandwiches, I suggest experimenting with crepes.

    The first few tend to be mis-shaped but they taste fine. I make the batter [flour, milk, egg,vanilla] in a mason jar using a stick blender. It's good for two days. The finished, baked crepes, covered with a damp cloth are better used the same day but will work day 2 either rolled like cigar or four fold. There are many demos on You Tube.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeuN9CcmMyw

    Sweet crepes are spread with whatever jam, cooked fruit, pie filling, lemon curd, chocolate sauce etc at hand but need a sprinkle of icing sugar atop for the 'look.' Crepes are such fun to make, will you invite NE in for Sunday AM crepes or evening snack? He can smear the filling of choice.

    ...just a thought

  8. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    September 23rd, 2014 at 11:03 pm 1411513424
    1411513424

    Rob - Thanks, I'll check to see if the local library has that. Sounds interesting.

    Snafu - I know how to make crepes, at least what we call Danish Pancakes. Big Grin It's just the recipe I have you really need 3 or more people to justify making them ... or have LOTS of leftover ones. I never have tried freezing them though, that might work. Growing up we'd have them at least 2x a month - fill them with all sorts of different things. Pb and j, cottage cheese/honey/whipcream, fruit compote, etc., etc., etc.

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