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Before we moved last October, no matter where we went in our small town, we were never more than about five minutes from home. In our new home, though, making a trip to "town" is a 22 minute venture.
Since we've become accustomed to going to "town" several times each week, I had also fallen into the habit of running through a fast food drive through to grab lunch whenever we were away from home during the noon hour. This is quite a chunk of change when there are seven growing kids and a hungry mama to feed.
After discussing how those trips through the fast food line add up and in an effort to cut expenses, our family has committed to avoid any and all eating establishments for the month of August (and hopefully beyond).
What this means is we do a little planning ahead and pack our lunch in an ice chest if we intend to be away from home for the day. Bologna sandwiches, carrot sticks, home popped popcorn, and water do just fine.
It's not as convenient as a drive through and it definitely isn't a Sourdough Jack with curly fries and a Coke (num-num!), but we are getting into the routine of throwing everything together in a snap and I feel good about the money that is no longer flying out of my purse.
10 comments:
Great frugal tip - we often pack our lunch when going out for most of the day (especially as the kids are getting too old to split meals anymore!)
Very true. It takes some planning that's for sure even with my pint-sized family (compared to yours that is.) But it does save a lot of money to just pack some food!
Good job. I know just how hard it is to convert kids from fast food to home made food while out in town.
Have fun,
Terri H
I need to do some better planning and start packing food to take with us when we go to the city.
You know, I am so good about doing this if we are taking a day trip somewhere (like the zoo) but I really could do it on errand days too. Thanks for the tip.
:)
Stop over at Free2BeFrugal!
Ahhh very smart. I can only imagine how much my hubby is spending on cafeteria food or McDonald's on the way to and from the hospital with all four kids.
Good for you for adding a goodie like home popped popcorn to the lunch!
Great advice!! Thanks!
I need to get in the habit of planning ahead like that. I know that errands with my munchkins along take quite a while to complete, but somehow I'm always surprised that we get hungry along the way. Fast food is yummy and convenient, but it's not good for our wallets or our health!
Good for you. We spent a month not eating out at all. It was an interesting challenge.
Good for you!! We're pack-your-lunchers, and sometimes when I'm cleaning the sandwich pieces out of the carpet of the van, I think it's more trouble than it's worth. Thanks for the reminder and encouragement!
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