Kind of a Poll About How Often You Eat Out/get Take Out

Updated on February 04, 2012
L.M. asks from Hicksville, NY
28 answers

I was answering another woman's question and it got me thinking. How often do most families eat out or get takeout?

We eat out usually once or twice a month and get takeout usually another two times a month. Hubby packs lunches every day for work (I pack them) and I eat at home. Kids eat in school, packed lunches. Sometimes we may eat out more in a given month, sometimes less, but I think this is average for us.

Amongst my friends, I know many get takeout usually at least once a week, and go out another time also at least once a week, and then have a date night every 2 weeks. We have date nights sporadically, sometimes not for months, sometimes three in a row. Depends on if we have family babysitting, finances etc.
Takeout usually feels like a waste of calories and since I know I'm a good cook, why bother? I'll get tempted to get takeout Chinese and then just make my own Chinese food, or tempted to get takeout pizza then just make my own because it saves money. Anyways just curious.

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So What Happened?

Thanks for sharing moms! It's always good to get a perspective on what is the "norm" and how you compare...I guess my answer is there is no "norm"! LOL!

Featured Answers

M..

answers from Detroit on

I usually go on strike from cooking dinner once a week and we get take out. We probably go "out" to eat once a month.

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A.F.

answers from Norfolk on

We eat out maybe once or twice a month. And those are usually the nights that I don't feel like cooking (I do ALL the cooking). Hubby also takes his lunch to work, however I know he eats out sometimes, but he gets a certain amount of cash each month to use to either get an extra drink or snack, something along those lines. I have broken down and gotten the boys fast food if they have been really good and they ask for, but thats a very rare moment.

1 mom found this helpful

T.K.

answers from Dallas on

once a week or so I will give myself a break. And the deals I have found, I couldn't make at home as cheap.

Rotisserie Chicken from Kroger $3.99
Little Caesars Hot and Ready $5
Popeyes Tuesday special 2 piece for 99c
Tuesday Family night at Chickfila - free kids meal with a combo plus they do a craft.
Rio Bravo - $3.99 steak fajitas

1 mom found this helpful

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S.L.

answers from Green Bay on

We get takeout just about daily for one person or the other if not the entire family. We are busy with different schedules and activities so takeout is easy. We eat out at a restaurant as a family twice a week, usually on Friday and Saturday nights. Eating out is something we enjoy.

3 moms found this helpful

Y.C.

answers from Orlando on

We eat out around 8 times at month. Take out, depends, but not as much as eating out.

2 moms found this helpful
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✩.!.

answers from Denver on

Did you hear about McDonalds removing their "Pink Slime" that is FDA approved from their ingredient list for burgers..... Enough Said

But we do LOVE pizza and are guilty of ordering this once a week.

2 moms found this helpful

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Sadly, we eat take out about 3 x per week. Tues, Wed, and Thursday nights. We eat lunches and breakfast at home (and husband takes his to work). We have 2 kids in martial arts classes. They both take Tang Soo Do and recently added a couple of JiuJitsu classes (same school offers them at no additional charge). All the class times are set up in the evening, and tend to cross just before/during the dinner hour. My kids are not the same rank, and so are not in the same class. One starts at 4:45 and runs until 5:40, the other starts at 5:45 and runs until 6:40 or so on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays, they have confirmation class at church at 4:15 until 5:00-5:15, and jiujitsu starts at 5:30 until 6:30. At 6:30, my black belt student takes a third Tang Soo Do class until 7:30 (he has to have 3 classes per week right now as he is getting ready to test for his 2nd Degree). Sometimes the classes run a bit over. They cannot eat a full meal before taking these very physical classes, or they will get cramps, etc. besides, it is just too early to eat dinner at 4:00pm.
We don't get home until 7:30 or later most of the time, and that doesn't leave enough time to cook anything decent (anything not pasta--just carb loading) for them to eat sooner than 8:00 pm... and much after 8:00 is just too late to eat dinner when they are going to bed by 10:00 pm. Besides, I am exhausted and ready for the day to be done when we get home and am in no state of mind to want to stand in the kitchen and cook, then CLEAN it up afterwards at 9:30 at night!
So, we end up with take-out or fast food Tues, Wed and Thursday almost every week.
Yuck. I am so sick of it.
Hubby and I eat out together about every other week these days. Like a Date night. Our kids are finally old enough that we don't need to pay a sitter just to go out and have dinner without them. :)

2 moms found this helpful

✤.J.

answers from Dover on

We eat some derivative or another of take-out usually once a week & probably go out as a family twice a month or so. We have a really great pizza place near our house that Sunday-Thursday has a pick-up special of any large 1-topping pizza for $6.99 which is pretty hard to pass up (or make any cheaper myself) so I'll usually do that if my husband has unexpected overtime & it's just the kids & I.

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K.B.

answers from Detroit on

We get cheap pizza once a week, and we do eat out once a week at a particular restaurant on the same day each week because of their cheap dinner specials. It actually ends up being cheaper to eat there on that night then to buy anything from the grocery store and fix it at home. The pizza is on special for $4.00 for a large pepperoni. I don't mind cooking dinner the other 5 nights of the week or having something prepared from scratch, but I figure those other 2 nights give me a break from cooking and clean-up. Once in a while we'll get other take-out (Chinese, etc.) if we are in the mood for it but it's not that often (maybe once a month, if that). Hubby and I have not been out on a date night to dinner by ourselves in quite a while - so we are due. :)

1 mom found this helpful

R.B.

answers from La Crosse on

Once a month we take the kids to Mc Donalds and get the little ones a happy meal and the older ones enjoy the "treat" also of the fast food. ( Got to love the $1 menu!)

We never go to a sit down restaurant or get take out from an actual restaurant. Maybe once a year my husband and I will.

I would love to, as sometimes I don't want to cook and would rather... but its not in our finances to do so. With 7 of us, it costs half of what it it would cost us on our weekly food cost. Sometimes even a take out pizza would be nice, but the kids prefer home made pizza so that's what we do.

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M.T.

answers from New York on

We used to get takeout pizza or Chinese once every other month or so, but my husband has been out of work for almost a year and we've only done it maybe 3 times since then. We normally have two fancy dinner out date nights a year (Valentines and anniversary). As a family, we go out for birthdays and if we're out and about for the day or skiing, we may eat lunch out but otherwise, we don't do the "Hey, I don't feel like cooking tonight, let's get takeout" or do dinners out as part of our usual routine.

1 mom found this helpful

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

My husband and I eat out every other weekend that the kids are at our ex's. We rarely eat out with the kids anymore, its just too expensive for 5 of us and they are too old for the fast food places since they don't play in the playyards anymore. We do take them to the movies every weekend we have them. We don't eat out at all during the week but the kids buy lunch at school and hubby is in sales and runs around all day so he stops somewhere and has lunch. He's gotten all crazy about coupons lately so he finds all the fast food ones and uses them when he can so that helps. =)

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C.D.

answers from New York on

Go out to dinner once a week otherwise cook unless someone really feels like pizza or chinese never make my own chinese so cheap to just order it
sonetimes make pizza

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K.L.

answers from Sacramento on

We get fast food/pizza every other Friday on hubbys pay day. Other than that, we eat at home. I make hubbys lunch daily, so he doesn't waste money on lunches. The last time we went to a restaurant was probably three months ago...

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B.B.

answers from San Antonio on

Eat out, about once every two months or so. It's just too hard with a 2 and 3 year old. We get take out about once every two weeks. Either burgers or pizza.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from St. Louis on

We go out for lunch every Sunday after church as a family. :)

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C.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

Probably once a week on the weekends. We're usually running around doing errands so we'll get some lunch. Or we get Chinese food from this great Chinese restaurant that is not very close to our house. Or this great sit down Mexican restaurant. Otherwise I cook and we eat leftovers. We all take lunch to school/work.

1 mom found this helpful

A.G.

answers from Dallas on

We eat out on Wednesday nights, usually something relatively healthy. We also eat out once or twice on the weekends. I don't like most fast-food places, so we don't eat much fast-food except for Zaxby's and Taco Casa occassionally. We take our lunch to work.

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L.L.

answers from Orlando on

we usually eat out about 2-3 times per week. mostly on the weekends. we don't really do fast food though (well we do subway, chipolte but i mean like burger joints). fast food MAYBE once a month. i hate mcdonalds! lol - but my daughter loves it, so maybe once a month. and she's always so happy and excited because she knows i hate it. ha-ha

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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

We used to do that a whole lot. But now the children have grown up and we're both trying to be healthy eaters, so we indulge very rarely. It's more of a treat when you do it only once in a while. We'll go to a restaurant where my husband can have the steak he likes - and I can have my salmon.

We like Souper Salad, too, but don't go often because there is TOO much good food there! About the only take-out we do is Subway and an occasional Chick-fil-A.

I don't know if homemade pizza would be cheaper, but it would surely be tastier! The thought of it is making my mouth water. You could gain a marvelous reputation among your children's friends as the lady who makes pizza better than any of the take-out places.

1 mom found this helpful

C.T.

answers from Santa Fe on

We probably eat out 2 times a month. Usually if we are running errands and we need to grab lunch or we need to grab a quick dinner one night when we are busy with kid activities and decide to treat ourselves. Sometimes less than that though. We like eating at home much more...it is hard with a 2 year old to sit for a long time in a restaurant (at least with our 2 year old). Also, we try to eat only homemade/fresh food otherwise I tend to get migraines. I have gotten very ill after eating in a restaurant and I don't really trust how they make their food. We never do take-out.

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S.K.

answers from Chicago on

We tend to go out as a family once a week, by the end of the week I really need a night off from cooking/dishes, and it is "entertainment" for the kids. We occasionally get drive through when we make our 5 hour drive to visit family (about once every 2-3 months). If hubby and I have a date night we usually order pizza for the kids/sitter and don't go out again that weekend as a family. My husband is provided with a free lunch at work (cafeteria-like) I eat at home and kids eat at home or school. My husband eats out more than any of us due to his work/schedule, but even that averages about once a week, unless he is on a business trip.

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H.M.

answers from Dallas on

WE get take out way too much. It's usually at least three times a week if not more. We go out to eat usually twice a month. But we are very busy and my husband is not home a lot because of work and our two boys activitiys keep me going once I get home from work. We usued to get take out a lot more but I tought my now 13 year old how to cook some stuff so I can call him and tell him hey start this and if he can't finish it I can when I get home and we can have a meal. But there is no way I can make big meals for them unless it's a weekend. My youngest is on a competitive gymnastics team that right now practices two nights a week two hours each night and when I have to take him he has to meet me in the parking lot and jump in the car and go. Next year he will be on a bigger team that will do come compations and will be three nights a week three hours a night. Right now he's 9 1/2. Then my oldest has piano lessons and church gourp and band. So I am constantly going. Plus I work full time. I wish I could cook at home more cause it saves a LOT of money cause with two boys they eat way too much!!!!!!!!!!! :O)

1 mom found this helpful
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N.W.

answers from Eugene on

Eat out in a restaurant: once a month.
Rotisserie Chicken: once a week -Monday is $6.99 deli chicken day at Whole Foods.
Frozen Pizza or other frozen fast food: once a week.

I used to make pizza from scratch but found it costs the same to stock up on frozen pizzas when they are on sale.

A.C.

answers from Salt Lake City on

We order pizza about twice a month for dinner, I will usually meet friends twice a month for dinner out, usually sushi or Indian. I might stop off for fast food for lunch 1-2 times a month if we are out running errands. My husband eats out 2+ times a week at work.
All in all, we eat out/order out a bit more than I think we should. I do not mind spending money on sushi or anything that I cannot make at home. Most of the time, my home cooking is much better, inexpensive and healthier than food from a restaurant. I am always surprised with my neighbors who order out 3 times a week or so, with 3 kids. I just don't know how anyone could afford it!

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

Maybe every other month. There are fast food places my hubby will tolerate, but he doesn't LIKE any of them. We do pizza on our grill, the kids love to help. They actually get disappointed at the idea of ordering pizza. When we do go out or order in it's usually a special circumstance. Special occasion, trying someplace new, or we are out with others. I have to admit though, there are nights when I'd rather cut off a limb than come up with dinner and I envy friends who eat out a lot.

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

This month DH and I will eat out 2x for special occasions. Generally speaking we dine in and don't even do fast food lunches anymore. DH does sometimes buy his lunch at work, but usually he packs it. I guess average might be 2x a month. It's one place where we cut back. If the whole family is with us, that's 4 adults (SD is 17) and 1 kid and that gets expensive.

I do like Chick Fil A, though and might have to check them out on a Tuesday night sometime.

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

We eat lunch out almost daily. We work from our home running our company and we like getting out for a break. Lunch is typically at my favorite grocery store... Market Street where they have a great fresh salad bar, fresh soups and a hot bar. Other places we like are Chipole, Subway, Village Burger Bar, and Brooklyn's pizza.

As for at night, it depends on our schedule. Our daughter is a cheerleader and her school is about 20 minutes from our house so instead of her coming home, we meet her at our country club where she has a locker set up to get ready for games and then we get a bite to eat there then go to the game. That's about once a week.

I do love to cook and I keep some favorites of daughter's especially ready to go in my fridge or freezer which are, homemade sausage balls ready to cook, homemade stuffed shells, homemade marinara sauce, always have fresh salad ingredients, and we usually grill steaks at least once a week.

Sometimes the deals you can get eating out (as long as you are eating healthy) are better value due to the time spent preparing meals at home. You spend more time with each other, socialize, just get out of the house for a while.

We do have date night weekly and have for 20+ years.

We keep it healthy and do not indulge in the McD's, or that type of fast food place.

Every family is different and you just do what fits best for yours.

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