Ready to cut back on eating out?

Do you budget those drive thru runs? 

After we paid off our last debt and had wiggle room in our budget we would mark $100 every month for eating out (Restaurant on our budget form). For a family of 7 $100 really does not go far and we meaning Brent and I thought it would curb our fast food runs to a minimum. Well it really didn't. We wanted to eat less junk yet I somehow found myself justifying a happy meal or a coffee because we still had money in the Restaurant budget to buy it. 

So we made a change. 

We cut back our Restaurant budget to $50 and agreed it was to be spent on a meal out for the entire family. With coupons we can hit one sit down restaurant as a family for $50 including tip or we break it into two pizza nights per month. If we wanted fast food it was coming out of our personal money. Brent and I each get personal blow money to spend on whatever we want. Since making that change our eating fast food has cut way back. 

I love it!

Maybe once a month Brent or I will treat the other and the two kids who are at home during the school week out to lunch but that is it. You feel the pinch in your pocket a lot harder when it is coming out of your personal spending money and not out of the Restaurant budget. If you are looking to eat out less in 2012 consider tightening that Restaurant budget!