I huge advocate for eating at home.  And if for no other reasons than your bottom line and your waistline.  Eating at home saves money and worry.  Never once do I have to worry if I unknowingly pissed off the waiter asking him to take back my food.  And dinner can easily be served as lunch for the following day.

Trust me, I’m a leftovers lover.   Mmmm, mmmm mmmm!

But cooking all the time can get boring, especially if you only know how to make a handful of dishes.  There’s only so many times you can make spaghetti or make a chicken salad before you’re over it for the month. I get it.  I allow myself one meal a week where I can get to eat out.  Whether it’s out with friends for a night or something I order in on a Friday night.  But that’s the catch.  I don’t order food that whole day.  Just for one meal.  So, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, I pick one day of that week and one meal I’m willing to spend a little dough (did you like to food pun I did there? No? Really? Well, stand up comedian is not one of my side hustles, so have no fear).  And then I set a budget for what I I’m willing to spend on food for that meal.  Say, $15.  And no roll-overs.  So, if I pick up one of those $4.99 12-inch sandwiches Subway has going on right now (comes to $5.45 with tax), that doesn’t mean I get spend the difference I didn’t spend on my food plus that week’s budget on food I eat out.  I’m trying break the monotony without breaking the bank.

I do allow myself to spend $20.00 on one meal, giving myself a $80-a-month budget to eat out.  This is to factor in dinner and tip.  Hell, I’m spending $200 on food month, how much more money do I need to spend for just one person?  And I hold myself to the same principles, no rollover unused money to the next week.  So, if I only spend $40 on food that I ate out on, I saved my self $40 on my own budget.  I like that.