# Eating Out - more? less?



## Uptosnuff (Dec 2, 2017)

I have been doing some retirement planning worksheets and one of the considerations is entertainment.  That made me wonder how often hubby and I will eat out when we are retired.  Do you eat out more often since you retired?  Less since you retired?  I have no idea how much money we will spend on "entertainment".  We have talked a little about it and we are thinking we will be eating at home more since we will have more time but I'm not sure.  Of course, entertainment means more than just eating out.


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## SeaBreeze (Dec 2, 2017)

We eat out less since we've been retired than we did when we were working.  The food at many of the restaurants over the years was not that great in retrospect.  Now we do eat really good food and for the special dishes my husband is an excellent chef.  We have crab legs, crab cakes, shrimp, oven grilled salmon, lamb chops, St. Louis ribs, gumbo, homemade nachos and guacamole, etc., Today my husband is getting the charcoal bbq grill ready to do some boneless rib eyes, he's oven grilling some Brussels sprouts to go with it.  We'll split a large can of Fosters beer to complete the meal.


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## Uptosnuff (Dec 2, 2017)

MMmmmm,   I'm getting hungry just reading your reply!


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## RadishRose (Dec 2, 2017)

I'll be dining out less, now that I found out about the great food at Sea Breeze's house.


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## moviequeen1 (Dec 2, 2017)

I've never been a person who likes to eat out that much,my routine really hasn't changed since I've been retired. Once or twice/month,I'll stop in at Panera's and buy my dinner.As for 'entertainment',that would be going to the movies for me. I try to go every month.
I'd like to make a suggestion,it may not work for you,but it has for me over 30yrs. Every month,I keep track of everything I spend,it gives me a good idea where the money goes. Sue


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## RadishRose (Dec 2, 2017)

Actually, I eat out less since I retired.


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## SeaBreeze (Dec 2, 2017)

RadishRose said:


> I'll be dining out less, now that I found out about the great food at Sea Breeze's house.



Lol Rose!  Not to give any false impressions, I just mentioned the good stuff.   We have our days of tuna fish sandwiches, sardines and crackers, spaghetti and red sauce, beef franks, pizza, and ready prepared frozen foods we buy from Costco.


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## Aunt Bea (Dec 2, 2017)

I eat out less but I spend more on groceries because I tend to buy single serving packages and prepared foods more often than I did when I was working.  It would not really cost me much more to go out to eat because I go for local inexpensive restaurants, coffee shops, etc...  I also have some control over the cost of eating out, if the price of seafood goes up I can order a burger or if the meal is too large I can take home a doggie bag for lunch the next day, scan the newspapers and internet for a coupon, go out for breakfast or lunch instead of dinner, etc...   Try to relax and not get too granular with your retirement budget plan.  Focus on the big ticket areas and be sure to include a category for retirement savings so you can maintain and replenish a comfortable slush fund.

Good luck!


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## RadishRose (Dec 2, 2017)

SeaBreeze said:


> Lol Rose!  Not to give any false impressions, I just mentioned the good stuff.   We have our days of tuna fish sandwiches, sardines and crackers, spaghetti and red sauce, beef franks, pizza, and ready prepared frozen foods we buy from Costco.



 Oh, I get it. Just when I gassed up the car! layful:


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## RadishRose (Dec 2, 2017)

Upto- take advantage of senior discounts and early birds specials, they may be small, but they add up .


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## NancyNGA (Dec 2, 2017)

Less.


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## Uptosnuff (Dec 2, 2017)

RadishRose said:


> Upto- take advantage of senior discounts and early birds specials, they may be small, but they add up .



Yep, already do.  We go to the over 55 two for one buffet at Harrah's casino.  I think the specials are some of the funnest retirement perks.  Aren't most of the senior discounts for over 60?  I'm not quite there yet.  58


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 2, 2017)

I eat out much less than I did during my working years because I've gotten more insistent on eating food that isn't toxic.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Dec 2, 2017)

We never ever ate out much. These days we don't purposely go out to eat because when we travel to see my daughter we know we will be dining out a day before and maybe a day after our visit so we save dinner out for those times.


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## MarkinPhx (Dec 2, 2017)

Being single I don't go out for dinner much unless with friends but I do go out for lunch most days of the week.


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## rkunsaw (Dec 3, 2017)

Last June our daughter who had been visiting was leaving the same day my wife had a dr. appointment in town. Daughter had to be at the airport at 1:00 pm and wife's dr. appointment wasn't until 2:30 so we found a Mexican restaurant and had a meal. Another time I was in town I stopped at Sonic and brought hamburgers and onion rings home. That's our eating out so far for 2017. We normally don't eat out so much.


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## OneEyedDiva (Dec 3, 2017)

We eat out less since we retired. Initially it had to do more with the fact that we were eating out almost every night before that and first me, then my husband had to start watching our sodium intake. Restaurant food has a lot of hidden sodium. We still like to eat out but now it may only be once every 10 days or twice a month, if that. Today was an exception. We had Burger Kind for lunch then Chinese take out for dinner. One way to be able to continue enjoying eating at restaurants is to do lunch instead of dinner and/or use Restaurant.com or Groupon deals. Just be careful to read the fine print when using those sites and choosing your restaurant(s). Also if there's a good buffet place in your area, that's a good way to get a lot of food for your money. Most times when we go to the Chinese buffet, I don't eat another meal later, just a snack. In the southern states, some have Picadilly's which is not a Chinese buffet. I wish we had one close to us.


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## Lethe200 (Dec 3, 2017)

I don't see any need to worry about what you might spend on entertainment in retirement. That's what discretionary income is all about – you take care of your needs first, and enjoy your “wants” with what's left. 

We dine out much more now that we're retired. It's one of my main hobbies. I cook a lot, have always enjoyed it and my whole family is one big collection of foodies, LOL.  I will often make dishes that we don't find any longer, or can't find easily.

However, I've been cooking for over 50 yrs, and don't get a big kick out of it any longer. We live in one of the great restaurant areas in the world, the San Francisco Bay Area. There are an incredible number of ethnic cuisines in addition to mid-level and upscale restaurants, at every price point, in almost every city in the region. 

We both enjoy finding new dishes, with pairings we wouldn't have thought of. Ceylon cinnamon with roasted beets. A fresh coconut sambal with panko-crusted shrimp. White corn agnolotti with smoked Japanese mushrooms. Discovering the difference between ceviche and aguachile.

Over the last month, we had:
Cantonese
Afghani
Asian fusion
Korean
Peruvian
Sicilian
California/Mediterranean
Japanese
New Zealand 
French
Chinese fusion
Cal-Mex(different from Tex-Mex or Southwestern)
Sichuan/Uygar
Thai/Issan
Ethiopian


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## IKE (Dec 4, 2017)

We normally ate out once a week before retiring and we average about the same now.

I'm not talking about going to the fancy high dollar joints........we frequent local cafes & diners, some chain restaurants and the occasional drive-thru window.


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## Knight (Dec 4, 2017)

Less even though we live in the entertainment capital of the world where along with something to be entertained by is plentiful and restaurants are even more plentiful, that option got to be boring really fast. 

Retirement, true retirement meaning filling your day with something you like to do once travel and the usual other bucket list items are ticked off your list can be fulfilled by spending time, a lot of time prepping meals you never considered.  Good nutrition along with exercise is key to enjoying retirement. Eating at home and knowing what goes into your meal can accomplish that. 

Restaurants want return patrons, what they prepare  is for taste, healthy eating that tastes good can be achieved at home. Restaurants not so much.


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## Manatee (Dec 4, 2017)

I traveled in my working years and commonly ate 13 meals a week in restaurants.  to me eating out is not a treat.  I participate probably once every other month.
My wife goes for lunch with the girls once or twice a week.

At home we each fix our own breakfast and lunch.  For supper she cooks (makes a good job of it) and I do the washing up.


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## tortiecat (Dec 5, 2017)

The social committee here at the residence organizes supper out once a month, a pub night and also
a luncheon out; I do the supper and pub nights most months.  Here in our dining room, Sunday night
is roast beef night and several of us go down for that.  I have an outside caterer that I order meals
from every couple of months.  Other than that I prepare my own meals.


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## fuzzybuddy (Dec 5, 2017)

To me, "eating out" is eating in my living room, not the kitchen.


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## Bullie76 (Dec 5, 2017)

I eat out a lot, but I always have. Being single and not want to cook just for myself is the main reason.


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## Aputernut17 (Dec 10, 2017)

Retirees is why the powers that be came up with early bird dinners.


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## Temperance (Dec 11, 2017)

Eat out more.  Hate preparing a meal for one or two people.  Easier to eat out.


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## SpicyTweed (Dec 12, 2017)

I eat out maybe half a dozen times a year, sometimes at a nice family restaurant, and sometimes at fast food places.  What I really enjoy, though, is ordering in a special treat to be delivered - it could be fish & chips, a seafood platter, Chinese food, Swiss Chalet, KFC, etc.  For this, I don't have to dress up, and can enjoy someone else's cooking in the comfort of my own home.


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## retiredtraveler (Dec 12, 2017)

We don't eat out any more than we did before retirement, but we are willing to go to more 'upscale' places and spend more on a meal.Our wine budget has increased, significantly, in the same light.layful:


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## Capt Lightning (Dec 12, 2017)

Before I retired, I worked all round the UK & Europe  and occasionally the USA.  As a result, I ate out a lot, and by the time I retired, the novelty had definitely worn off.  Now I only tend to dine out when I'm  on holiday, but I do like to try local dishes whenever possible.


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## Marie5656 (Dec 12, 2017)

*We have not gone out to eat in months.  We usually have done either Chinese takeout or fast food lately.  But then, even when we were both working we did not often eat out more than a couple times a year.  *


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## treeguy64 (Dec 14, 2017)

I'm a gourmet vegan chef.  I only eat out when the gf wants to, for a change of scenery.  My cooking beats 99% of what I'm served in the "best restaurants" in town.  I'd say we dine out about four times a month, and then I tell the waitperson exactly how I want my meal prepared.  About 75% of the time, everything is fine.  The rest of the time, I send back my food, smile at my gf, and wait until she finishes her meal.  It works, for us.


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## HiDesertHal (Jan 6, 2018)

My wife and I eat out every Wednesday or Thursday night, either at a Steak House, a Seafood House, or an Italian Restaurant.

We eat out more often than when I was working, because now we have no mortgage, no car payments, and more spendable income.

Hal


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## EllieR (Jan 6, 2018)

We do not eat out very often.  I prepare simple meals now that there are just the two of us.  We order some meals for special occasions to prepare at home rather than going out to eat.


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## C'est Moi (Jan 6, 2018)

We eat out a couple of times a week, which is actually about the same as when we were working.   I have a weakness for Chinese food and Mexican food, and we enjoy going out for those fairly often.


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## KingsX (Jan 6, 2018)

.

I am single so I eat out quite often.  But I try to spend my money wisely.

For example,  even at a nice restaurant,  I drink water instead of purchasing overpriced drinks.  I'd rather that two or three dollars for a glass of tea go towards the tip [I leave good tips.]

I have discovered that a grocery deli can be a good, cheap and convenient place to eat lunch.

I like to buy BBQ meat to go so I can make sandwiches at home.  The same cost for a BBQ sandwich at the restaurant equals about three sandwiches at home.


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## KingsX (Jan 6, 2018)

C'est Moi said:


> We eat out a couple of times a week, which is actually about the same as when we were working.   I have a weakness for Chinese food and Mexican food, and we enjoy going out for those fairly often.




Yummm... I love Tex-Mex.   When I do dine out,  much of the time it's Tex-Mex.

.


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## Falcon (Jan 6, 2018)

Don't  "eat out"  much more,  but lately  I bring home  fish and chips  or  Chinese food.


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## hearlady (Jan 6, 2018)

treeguy64 said:


> I'm a gourmet vegan chef.  I only eat out when the gf wants to, for a change of scenery.  My cooking beats 99% of what I'm served in the "best restaurants" in town.  I'd say we dine out about four times a month, and then I tell the waitperson exactly how I want my meal prepared.  About 75% of the time, everything is fine.  The rest of the time, I send back my food, smile at my gf, and wait until she finishes her meal.  It works, for us.


What is your favorite meal to prepare treeguy?


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