Well, here we are at the last day of January and the last day of our no-eating-out challenge. We started the month with the goal of not spending our monthly allowance on eating out. How did we do?
For the most part, we did really well. There were a few exceptions, such as the celebration lunches I was invited to at the beginning of the month. Things were going great--until last Sunday. We'd had a pretty busy day, so busy that we had to skip lunch because there was no time between church and our community group. Faced with the prospect of going grocery shopping on empty stomachs, we caved and went to Qdoba. Oops! I was 50/50 relieved I could put food in my tummy and frustrated that I'd caved with only 7 days to go. Oh, well. It's in the past, so all we can do now is learn from our actions and move ahead.
What did I learn this month? First, I learned that the cravings for fatty fast food do go away the longer you avoid them. At the beginning of January, I kept craving the grease, but by the end of the month, I could drive past Taco Bell without a second glance. Second, and I think most important of all, I learned that you can still have fun going out with friends without breaking your budget. Before this month, I could really only join my work friends for a couple of lunches out a month because they ate up my budget (no pun intended). After the celebration lunch when I ordered a $1.97 coffee, I realized that I could stretch my money by ordering a special treat at the restaurant instead of a whole meal and eating the rest of my lunch at work. Sure, this means I'll have to make my lunch instead of taking a day off, but being able to hang out with my friends every Wednesday means more to me than the convenience of having someone else make my lunch.
All in all, it was a good experience. We've discussed other things we could give up or add on this year, so you may see some similar posts in the future.
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