I know we do. But part of that was because when I grew up we lived seven miles out of town and my parents usually were milking cows during the "normal" dinner time and then showers were always involved as you don't dine out after you've milked cows. And there also were not as many choices when I was a kid either. Going out to eat was way more special when I was a kid.

Today we live in town and everything is just right around the corner. And I don't think we've made is special at all for our kids. We've cut back but I still think we eat out way too much.

Even though we don't eat out a lot, we still do more than when I was growing up. We lived 30 miles from the nearest town so going to a sit-down restaurant was done only once, maybe twice a year. It was a very speicial treat. Then once fast food places became popular, since we had to drive that 30 miles to buy groceries, once a month or so we'd get fast food for dinner. Then a fabulous bar-b-que place opened just before I started high school and we would get take-out there every week (grocery day) as a treat for mom so she didn't have to cook dinner those days.

I ate out way more as a kid than I do now. It was always at a sit down restaurant. We didn't do fast food that often, plus there weren't as many places as there are today.

My dad was in the Navy and Merchant Marines and my mom hates to cook. So, when dad was gone, which was most of the time, we always ate out.

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SAHM of 4

August food budget (groceries/take-out): $500.00/$75.00
Total spent: $238.97/$14.12

July budget/spent: $500.00/$650.00

Way more, and I cook a lot more than most people I know (especially people I know who work outside the home vs. SAHM). It would be big to go out to eat once a month when I was a kid. We probably go out once a week.

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I think that I ate out more with my parents than my kids do with us. My parents worked 50 plus hours per week so lots of times it was easier to go out and get something. My mom has always viewed cooking as a chore even though she is a great cook. She does not enjoy cooking at all. Even now, my parents waste more time and money going out to eat than they would if they would just eat at home. I have even tried explaining it to my mom and she doesnt care. Oh well. Of course it does not help that my dad is sooo picky. He will not eat any type of casserole, crock pot meal or leftovers. If someone did not spend hours slaving over a hot stove for him, he will not eat it.

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Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate.
Jon Bon Jovi

We hardly EVER ate out as a family growing up, unless we were on vacation. I'm sure a big part of that was the fact we lived in a small town with hardly any restaurants. We didn't even have a fast food restaurant in town until I was a teenager! We would occasionally get pizzas delivered, but if we ate out it was a special occasion.

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LOL, I could of typed what you did, I also lived 7 miles out of town and had chores dealing with pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks and field work also. All the same thing with eating out, that's just crazy that we had similar growing up experiences with this.

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Yes. My parents would eat out and leave us at the house to fend for ourselves - no joke.

I eat out more now. I grew up in the country, so no fast food. Every once in a while we would get pizza or hot wings. Every once in a while when I'd go with my mom grocery shopping we'd stop and eat.

Now I eat out (fast food) at least once a week. We live in town, and its just me and my fiance, so it's not that expensive for the 2 of us.

We go tot a sit down restaurant MAYBE once every 3 or 4 months.

My Dad was OCD and HATED eating out .. still does so we rarely ate out.

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