I was shocked today. Shocked, I tell you! This may make me sound pathetic and like a real loser. Some of you will be shocked that I was shocked about this. Others of you may feel my pain. We went out to eat today and the total came to $38.02! Okay...uhmm...most of you are probably not impressed and wonder what the big deal is. Here is where some of you may feel sorry for us...Except for one time when we took the in-laws out for their anniversary, we have never, ever spent that much at a restaurant before. 1. Because we rarely go out to eat and when we do it is to a fast food restaurant. 2. Because when we go to a fancier restaurant we typically just go out sans children and choose one of the less expensive meals off the menu. 3. We don't eat at expensive restaurants.
Here is the kicker. This was not a fancy restaurant, nor a fancy lunch. We ate at Chili's. We had normal food such as hamburgers, chicken, and a sandwich. And it came to $38.02.
When we eat out we never get soda with our meals (unless it comes with a value meal). Today we all opted for soda. The kid's soda came with their meals but I was even more shocked to learn that a normal sized glass of soda was $2.29 each! $4.58 for two glasses of watered down soda? Totally not worth it!
What I mean to say with this whole speech is that while some of you are wondering why I am shocked at a $38 lunch, I am wondering how it is even worth it to pay $38 for a lunch that I could have made at home for less than $10. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, but I can't fathom paying $38 for such a normal meal. It just seems, well, extravagant to pay $38 for some burgers and fries when people in other countries are trying to live off $1 or less a day. It seems like...well...a waste.
The truth be told, we didn't spend $38.02 on lunch today because I had won a $30 gift card on an online game. We paid $8.02 for our meal. So I'm not upset about our out-of-pocket expense for the meal. I was just shocked at the initial bill...that some burger and fries and chicken and sandwich could come to $38. I guess I really don't get out much - but I do save a lot in eating out costs! :)
We also spent $20 in gas, and stopped at the bread outlet and loaded up on bread to stick in the freezer, where we spent $11.22. We are down to $447. 84 for the month.
What is the most expensive restaurant bill that you remember (and for how many people)?
It's a small fortunate eating out. We rarely do it either because there are six of us, and even at Denny's with the kids getting pancake meals, etc, it's over $40. RIDICULOUS!
ReplyDelete(little background- i'm american and i live in england) the only time we really eat out is when we visit the states. $38 for a family meal is the deal of a lifetime after dealing with english prices. for us something like that would cost 38pounds and that would bring your bill to $64(with the current exchange rate) for the exact same thing. my most expensive meal- i had a $50 fillet once but someone else picked up the tab.
ReplyDeleteI'm finally hitting more of the Frugal Friday posts!! We don't eat out very often, either, because it's crazy expensive! Last night, though, we spent about $75 (including tip) at Katz's for four of us. Ouch! They didn't have a children's menus, and my pre-teens couldn't agree on something to share. That's our whole "dining out" budget for the month, so I guess we won't eat out again until September! If we ever spend that kind of money, it's for our anniversary at Pappadeaux or something! But the past couple of years, we've gone to Benihana, where one of us uses a birthday coupon for $30 off our meal! I can't go out without thinking of how inexpensively I could make the meal at home!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. Our typical bill is $20 for 2 adults and 2 kids at a neighborhood restaurant. While I dont feel this is all that expensive, it is when you think that same $20 could buy groceries for several meals. I would have been flabbergasted at $38.
ReplyDeleteLast week I spent $50 on myself at a restaurant. I traveled for work and was reimbursed for all meals, so I chose to eat a delicious meal at the restaurant on the 95th floor of the Hancock building in Chicago. I was seated next to the window and it.was.awesome. But it wasn't my money I was spending, making it even better :)
As a Canadian living in Japan I have to say that sounds cheap to me. It is easy to spend that here for lunch for the 2 of us. When we go to our favorite restaurant for a nice dinner (which isn't that often) it normally costs us close to $90 or more. Living in Japan opened my eyes to how cheap it is in Canada and the US.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, I wouldn't even flinch at that. And I'm the queen of coupons and sticking to my budget of $75-$100 every two weeks for groceries! Our entertainment is food. We skip gifts in lieu of going out to a great restaurant. I think the most we've spent is close to $200 for the two of us. Birthdays, anniversaries, etc. all call for a night out. We have a running list of places we want to go and scour menus to find the perfect place. Would I spend that much at a chain? Not on your life. We rarely eat at chains unless it's a quick run to a drive-thru. We go local as often as we can and it's almost always something that I wouldn't be able to recreate at home without a huge amount of effort and cost.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this hasn't been our most expensive meal, we were just down at Wildwood New Jersey on vacation with our son, his girlfriend and friends of ours. We went to a nice family restraunt off the boardwalk, and with TAX (almost 10% and a 20% gratuity (we didn't know this at the time but seating 6 at the same table the gratuity is added) We paid $92, and we didn't get anything spectacular the tax and gratuity was $25 itself. So we will be watching who we sit with and how much we spend.
ReplyDeleteLisa
I feel your culture shock. If we eat out it is usually fast food too, and we can usually feed the four of us for under $20.
ReplyDeleteWe once spent $60 for the four of us to eat. It was someone's 50th birthday party, and we went to celebrate, but we've never been back.
It's just hard to spend that kind of money, as you said, when you know you can make it at home.
I can totally understand your thinking. I had a similar post about the cost of restaurant food. Unfortunately I didn't have a gift card for mine, but I think I pulled some frugality out of it nonetheless. LOL You can read all about it here: http://imafrugalgirl.com/fgb/?p=221 if you like.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I am not the only one who thinks the cost for restaurant food is ridiculous.;)
Good thing you had the gift card!
ReplyDeleteI think our most expensive meal was for my last birthday at Long Horn Steakhouse, which is considered a "fancy" restaurant around here. It was close to $50, not including tip, for the three of us. I won't do that again. The food was not *that* good.
My most expensive meal was for 6 people and it almost killed me because it was $306.23 at the Melting Pot. I was glad I knew approx how much it would be up front, but I havent taken anyone to the Meltinig Pot since, even if the food is wonderful. It is giving me chills just thinking about it again.
ReplyDeleteOn our honeymoon my husband and I treated ourselves to the super fancy restaurant in town. It was almost $100 for 2 people. We have never spent that much, or close to it again.
ReplyDeletemy sister took me to a private dining club at a casino. i had a $36 steak and a $6 potato. i took just a few bites, got a doggie bag and ate on it the rest of the week, savoring every bite. for fast food, i normally get the $2 special at taco bell! if we eat out, i have a coupon and always drink water.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that I am not the only one who feel $38 isn't worth it for an everyday meal! I am shocked at some of the meals you all have eaten...but I do think that if it is a special occasion it doesn't feel as bad to spend a little more! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteeating out like most things in life- you get what you pay for. $2 at a fast food joint- what kind of quality are you getting? you're getting low grade ingredients thrown together by a bunch of teens just working a job. chain restaurants are marginally better. your money is going towards slightly better ingredients and a more skilled staff. with the more expensive places you are usually getting some of the best ingredients to be sources and paying for the highly skilled kitchen staff. yeah you can cook cheaply at home and chances are it will be edible but how many of you out there have worked professionally in a kitchen and know how to get the best out of your ingredients? at a good restaurant you're eating a work of art, not just food.
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