Try this little experiment: Go back through a month of your credit card statement and your banking statement and answer the following two questions:
How many times did you eat out?
How many times did you go to the grocery store?
I’m not especially frugal myself, but I am organized. I know generally how many times I should be grocery shopping every month (1-2x per week) and how many times should be eating out (2-3x per week). Knowing these numbers keeps me relatively on track in terms of spending.
Therefore, it’s shocking to me to see a family eat out upwards of 25 times per month, and then still go to the grocery store another 20 times per month (sometimes more than once a day).
Studies show that the average American spends $2,000 annually on lunches out (and on average, only $1,500 annually on commuting).
I think the real question is: are you getting $2,000 worth of value out of the “lunch-eating-out” experience?
Are you getting an awesome experience with your food spending, or is it unconscious?
What is the balance between convenience, enjoyment and consciousness?
Even if you brown-bag it, the eating-out cost doesn’t completely go away because you still have to buy food…but in most families, there is an opportunity to be more organized about planned shopping versus planned restaurant visits.
What would you rather do with that $2,000 annually?
A good way to clarify that for yourself is to go through my free workbook on your Chief Initiative – it helps you align your money with your values. Download that here.