Eating out was probably our #1 elective expense the last 5 or so years.

I confess, I am not big on eating out, though DH is. I don't begrudge that expense and we don't minimize cost on good food. Since we travel so much, we typically keep eating out for travel time. IF we are going to eat out, it has to be for something that I can't make better at home, or provide a great Jazz trio live, instead of Radio Swiss Jazz. If we simply are going to need food while out and about, we tend to just pack a lunch into a small cooler bag.

If we are on the town for entertainment, we like to restaurant hop, sitting at the bar for a shared appetizer, glass of wine, perhaps a salad or veggie side. This is particularly fun when we are exploring a city. I don't sit still well. Our son's ADHD clearly came from me.

For a date, my favorite way to "dine out" is to open a bottle of wine at home and create a new meal together as we sip away. We typically do this once a week, and try to pick new exotic recipes. Dining is usually al fresco, on the deck, watching the river flow by. Shared time has always been my love language, and DH appreciates not having to dress up while experiencing fine dining. I appreciate being able to sit with my feet up on the deck rail and not have to send back to the kitchen something poorly cooked that I could have easily whipped up for a fraction of the price. Our grocery bill, on the other hand, is not low budget.

My medal contender would probably be from my days in France. Grab a baguette, meat, cheese, cornichons, bottle of good vin ordinaire,(cheaper than a bottle of Coke,) fruit from all the various specialty stores one would have to visit to get those. Go to a park bench and feast, all available with my Swiss army knife. I actually did a variation of that on one of our first dates, at an open air concert that allowed picnic baskets. Homemade tabouli, shrimp with cocktail sauce, bread and cheese, fresh strawberries, and fruit smoothies. No rum in the smoothies, as required by the rules. Would have thought that Jimmy Buffet would have been more tolerant. It was a hoot to see the entry guys checking it all out, visibly salivating. There are so many reasonable ways to eat great food on the run. Don't compromise with fast food. It's expensive in a health way, if not hard on the wallet.

IP