Natalie McNeal, who blogs over at The Frugalista has put together a Dine-In Week challenge which runs from February 22-26th. This is a great idea, as restaurant meals not only drain your wallet, but have that evil tendency to expand the ol’ waistline.
For many of us, going five weekdays without eating out is not that difficult of a challenge, but McNeal is fabulous singleton; plus this week includes her birthday. She’ll be posting her meals, plus a tally of how much money she’s saving.
I would like to extend this challenge to the Non-Consumer Advocate community. This means no restaurant meals, no take-out and no fancy work lunches.
This is an opportunity to dust off your stove and plan some nice meals with friends and family. I have a tendency to prepare some pretty simple meals that often lack that wow factor, so I think I’ll plan a few fancier meals than normal. (Keep in mind that fancy does not necessarily mean expensive.)
Are you in? Would you like to take this week as an opportunity to polish up those home cooking skills? Please add your name in the comments section below to join the Dine-In Week challenge.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey, Katy! Thanks for the link and joining the fray! Nom nom!
I’m in! Meal plan to be posted later today.
Count me in, although this one is so easy for me – I like to cook and options at work are terrible *and* expensive – I wonder that my efforts should even count.
I’m in. I’ve actually been doing this all month during our “No-Spend Challenge” for February. As a reformed fast-food-aholic, I definitely support dining in. Great way to save money and calories. 🙂
Perfect timing. I’ve committed to learn to bake bread with yeast this month and have to find a way to eat all the bread. Plus a few months ago we reduced our income by more than half to maximize our time at home (I’m working part-time while Dad stays at home) and have officially realized we’re overspending. We love homecooking anyway – we’re in!
The Huffington Post features “The Week of Eating In” for this same week…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/09/the-week-of-eating-in-eve_n_454204.html
Count on me! Actually, this is what I do on a daily basis anyway. So to do a little above and beyond, I won’t buy any pre-packaged foods. Everything this week will come from scratch.
Every week is Dine-In week for us. lol So, I’m in.
This is an easy one for me. I usually pack the lunches and make dinner every night. I tend not to go out to eat unless it is for a special occasion. I usually think I can make the food better for alot less. My big thing is Iced Mocha Madness from Honey Dew. I won’t be stopping in for one of those this week. I’m in.
dangit!
I just got back from lunch at Logans Steakhouse….:(((
How about starting now and continuing a little past the date?
We ate out once and had pizza delivered once last week. Eating “out”twice in a week is a real rarity around here. Today I made soup from Sunday leftovers and tonight we’re doing kielbasa, cabbage and pintos. Such a great meal for a cold rainy evening!
18 inches of snow on the ground make dining in even easier to commit to this week. 😀
Perfect, just the challenge I need. My DH is away for work and the cupboards are bare – very tempting to take out!
I’m not sure how I’m going to work the post into my 100 Thing Challenge blog (which is about decluttering), but I’ll see how I go.
I’m in. Glad it wasnt last week because we run a dog hotel, and last week was school vacation here in Massachusetts. During those types of breaks, we allow ourselves takeout and Dunkins.
Tonight was salad, rice, broccoli, and mac n cheese with ground turkey. nothing fancy, but everybit delicious. Oh yeah, and I just saw my hubby sneaking some homemade ice cream too…
<3 that you run a "dog hotel." I suddenly have visions of doggie mints on doggie pillows.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advovate
I wish I could join, but I received an allergy vaccine (LDA) and have been on a super strict diet for the past two weeks and Friday, I will have my first meal out. Yippee! However, both my husband and I are committed to cooking diner from Sunday to Thursday inclusively on a weekly basis, and we bring lunch 4 out 5 work days for our bodily and financial health.
Marie-Josee,
It’s sounds like you’re already doing great and don’t need the challenge!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advocate
Sounds like a fun challenge for this week, I’m in, starting with supper tonight. My daughter is away for the week, so it’s a time when I would normally be more tempted and likely to eat out, rather than cook for one.
I love this – especially how you are influencing others. For me, eating macrobiotic foods, I DON’T enjoy eating out, as so many foods are way too salty, oily, not tasteful, not healthy and just never as enjoyable as my own – and of course, costs alot more. But along these lines of eating in, being organized is the sub-goal I need to work on so I have meals ready and don’t give in to eating easy to grab, like cookies or bread, kinds of food.
Hi, I just gave you an award – hope you get a moment to swing by my blog and pick it up 🙂 – Jane
Jane,
Thanks for the award! I stopped by your blog and tried to leave a comment, but was repeatedly told that my message was an error.
Boo!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advocate
It’s really easy for us to do this – restricted calorie diets, Lent, and my usual too-cheap-to-eat-out philosophy. Last week I had two days with almost no cooking – one was traveling, one was Ash Wednesday, a fast day for many Christians. But today we are on the road for a doctor’s appointment, and I know a Tim Horton’s stop will be necessary! So I’ll have to start tomorrow. Actually, this would be a great way for those keeping some sort of Lent discpline to make a healthy, low cost “fasting” choice. How about a restaurat/take-out fast – including Timmies and Starbucks. right until Easter?
I’m in, most of my weeks go this way anyway, but I will think about how much money we are saving while “eating in” this week.
I’ve been out of town, so I’m just getting to this now. Count me in, starting tonight.
Consider your fine self counted. Mwah!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advocate
As you say, this is an easy one for us too as it’s what we normally do. But in your honor, Katy, I’m going to serve tortillas tonight with leftover pork tenderloin, some sauteed peppers/onions and beans and rice for make-your-own burrito night.
Sounds like a terrible sacrifice. 😉
Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advocate
I signed up about a week ago. Tonight will be the challenge. On the run from 2:30-8pm. Transporting kids and myself. Need to start planning now.
Well what do you know? This turned out to be a bit of a challenge after all. At lunchtime I was 1- hungry after exercising, 2- next to a Subway, and 3- had money on me. I would have gone if it weren’t for this challenge.