1 Surprising Way to Stop Eating Out

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We really like to go out to eat and get takeout. It’s one of the biggest weak points in our budget every month.

Seriously, if we got over budget, it’s almost always because of takeout and going out to eat.

Here’s one surprising way to stop going out to eat when you shouldn’t:

Go Wash the Dishes

Stick with me on this one.

I can’t be the only one who feels overwhelmed and stressed when I look at a messy kitchen.

The last thing I want to do is cook and pile up more messes. Plus, it seems like way too much work to have to clean and undo the mess before I cook and make a new mess.

It took me a while to see that my desire to get takeout was affected by the state of my kitchen, but it’s totally true.

In fact, the day I started writing this post, I texted my husband and told him we should get pizza for dinner. A little later I noticed how messy our kitchen was as well as how tired I was feeling. Those things are absolutely related.

I even took a picture of my kitchen sink for you. #embarrassing. I’m still a work in progress!

When I can keep up with washing the dishes and wiping down the counters at least once a day, I have more energy and desire to cook.

I found this picture of a beautiful kitchen. Doesn’t that clean counter leave you feeling more motivated to cook?

Since this revelation, I’ve been trying much harder to keep up with our kitchen.

Eating out should be a fun treat, not an emotional decision to cope with overwhelm.

Moral of the story: If you are consistently spending more than planned on eating out or takeout, make more of an effort to keep your kitchen clean!

⇒ Are you more likely to get takeout if your kitchen is messy?

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114 Shares

Krysta

Saturday 18th of February 2017

I've never thought of this - but it's totally true! I HATTTTE seeing dirty dishes in the sink when it's time to make a meal. I try to wash the dishes every night before I go to bed but let's get real - it doesn't always get done.

Christine

Yes!! I'm trying to get better at doing them at least once a day. When I don't it gets so overwhelming!

Theresa Little

Thursday 16th of February 2017

OMGosh! You may have just changed my life! Seriously! I'm in the same boat. Just get drive-thru or delivery. Looking around my kitchen, I may understand why! Holy cow! Epiphany!

It's crazy right? And you don't even realize the two things might be related! Just the other day I texted my husband to see if he wanted to get a pizza for dinner and then walked into the kitchen and saw a pile in the sink!

Deanna

Aside from a few minor differences, I would swear you snuck in and took a picture of my kitchen in the messy picture!! It certainly does make me not want to cook and contributes to the general feeling of overwhelm when I get home at 6 or later and don't feel like doing much of anything. I try to keep something simple on hand (popcorn shrimp or fish sticks, steamer veggie bags) for the days when I am running short on time, patience, or both to attempt to keep myself from running back out for takeout or buying it while I am out to begin with. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.

It's totally overwhelming! We've bought more convenience foods lately because life has been crazy. I figure slightly more expensive things like you mentioned are still cheaper than going out to eat.

Holly

Wednesday 15th of February 2017

I've never heard of this one! Worth a shot! My issue is typically, however, that the fridge is completely empty. That's when I say it's time for takeout. :-)

That is a problem! We always at least have noodles and a jar of sauce for spaghetti.