June's challenge is going to address a lot of people's major budget breaker - dining out!
This month's challenge is to set a monthly dining out budget for yourself (and your family, if applicable), and stick to it! If you would like to join me in my challenge, please leave a comment and indicate how much your budget is for.
Personally, dining out has always been a hard category for me to control. It's so hard to say no when friends want to go out, or when I want to treat my sister to a lunch ... or when I'm just feeling lazy and don't want to cook.
I really enjoy trying new restaurants and eating new food, and I know a lot of you out there do too. There's nothing wrong with it, as long as we're able to work that expense into our budget. For example, I want to treat J to a nice dinner out, in celebration of our 6-month anniversary and his birthday. So I'm going to have to somehow work my budget to accommodate that expense. Plus, I have my dad's 60th birthday dinner to attend, which is really important. Otherwise, my dining out budget usually ranges from $40-60/month.
So even though I'm budgeting a lot for dining out, I'm taking into consideration 2 very special occasions. If you've noticed, I've done a few PPP opps lately, and have about $110 coming to me ... so already I'm over half way there to saving up for these 2 dinners.
What's your dining out budget?
- Kelly - $10
- livingpaychecktopaycheck - $30
- lucian's mommy - $30
- passivefamilyincome - $30
- BeachGirl - $40
- x - $40
- laughing808 - $50
- LB - $50
- meg - $50
- Pushing30 - $50
- Twiggers - $50
- change is a good thing - $60
- Rocko - $75
- Frugaleconome - $80
- Archaeologychic - $85
- Amphritrite - $100
- asgreen - $100
- beautifulreality - $100
- CelticBuffy - $100
- Jude - $100
- Kate - $100
- lindaisdone - $100
- Lise - $100
- Meli - $100
- Single Spender - $100
- Strange Bird - $100
- Shevy - $120
- The Frugalista Files - $120
- honugurl16 - $150
- Hyperchondriac - $150
- Meg25 - $150
- otherdeb - $150
- Michele - $180
- Dolly Iris - $200
- JanePlain - $200
- krystalatwork - $200
- Tough Broad - $200
- Grad Student - $250
I was wondering what the new challenge would be. My plan is to spend no more than $40. But that's always my goal. I'd shoot for less but I know I'll eat out at least once since I'm going to a baseball game.
Count me in! I will try to keep it below $60.
Oh wow. SO HARD. But I'm in.
I'm starting law school in August and am going to have to SEVERELY cut back on my dining out budget so this will be good to start now.
I'm going to go with $50.
Thanks!
I think your spammer is still out there. Check out the comments at Ugly Betty, I don't think you posted that, did you?
Seeing as though i.suck.very.badly and need to deal with reality, I'm going to say $100. Dating and having friends are what's expensive.
Since I really struggle on this one, I'll sign up for the challenge - hopefully I'll spend less than $200 next month on dining otu!
I'll say $150 for both of us. I'd like to cut that further, but...baby steps...
Yes the spammer left me one yesterday too. A whole song in fact.
Anyways, this one is my ultimate WORST! I choose to turn a blind eye to it most of the time so this will really force me to take note. UGH.. um ok... lets go for .. $200.
My family usually budgets $30/month on eating out which usually involves going to Wendy's a couple times per month. My son has severe food allergies, so we really don't eat out that often. Wendy's is one of the few places that has anything he can eat. My wife also can't eat soy, so we do most of our eating at home which helps the monthly budget a lot!
Hey I'm new around here, but I'd like to join the dining out challenge. I think I'll go for 75 dollars for June, not including meals on my vacation.
I'm going to go with $30. I'd like to may it none, but I know I'm going out the first weekend in June for a friend's birthday, and my boyfriend can only pay for so much.
I'd like to join with a limit of $100
Count me in! I'll try not to spend more than $80.
I'll try for $200
It will be hard for me. I'll be away in Alaska for the last week of June for a conference. In these conferences, I tend to dine out with coworkers every night so I'll try my best. My goal would be then 250$ for the entire month of June.
I need to join this challenge! I'm going to set my limit at $100. BTW, I love your blog!
well, i no longer get 'free food' from my program since the program has officially ended. so my going out budget is going to rocket up high (along with groceries). that said, i know this is a challange, so i'm going to challange myself to limit my dining out bills! by the way, does fri night drinks count in this challange?
i'm going to go with $150
Well my (now ex) boyfriend is moving out June 1, so June will be the first month ever (since college, and a "real" job)planning all of meals alone. I think I can do $100 of eating out and $100 of groceries for the month.
That doesn't include travelling with work though. What a great way to get an idea of where my spending is, since everything has been combined and uncontrolled for so long!
Good luck everyone!
I'll bite.
My limit for June's dining out will be $150.00
Count me in......with a budget of $50. Hubby and I are planning a week logn trip to Florida in July and we've both agreed to not eat out from last week until we leave for Florida.
I'm in for 50$. I travel a lot for work - and those meals are covered off by expense claims..but this is for the "me" stuff like pre-show drinks and appies and east indian food (my weakness!!!). Thanks!!!
I found your site through beachgirl!
we are going to plan for $30. so excited about the next grocery challenge!
Just found your site going from Paid Twice to Frugal Babe % Beach Girl. I'll set my goal at $100 for a family of four. We eat out far too much and I've just set my goal to work my plan to debt freedom.
I'm in. $100.
I've just began participating in the world of pf blogs, so I'll try this challenge. Put me down for 180, which includes my daily coffee. Writing it down, I feel like that's quite a lot, but that's the amount I've budgeted for (I'm just starting out and now sure yet where I need to make adjustments)so I'll try it. Hopefully I'll be WAY under and I can re-allocate that money elsewhere.
My goal is $100. This will definitely be a challenge since I will be moving to NY on June 1st and won't be working then. I definitely wanna aim for less but $100 max!
Been lurking here for awhile and I think I'll join your June Challenge. I'm working on another project for June so I think my budget for eating out will be $10 that covers my $1 vanilla cone every Friday my weekly treat and one trip to Starbucks when I go see my parents. Rounded up to cover the tax.
Great challenge! This is going to be tough considering it is patio season...but specifically for that reason I'm setting my target for $50.
I'm really, really good about not dining out now - when you have come from destitute, it's easier to consider this a luxury that can but cut from the list.
I think, instead, I'll treat this as though it's my whole entertainment budget, if you don't mind.
For June, we'll go $100 on entertainment. Count me in!
hi! can i change the amount? I'm going to reduce it down to $150. and that would include starbucks coffee as well since its technically dinning out. and i guess nights out as well :) gotta make it a REAL challange!
I just calculated it and I have spent $144 dollars eating out this month. Granted, some of those times I was buying for two, but I still feel that I am eating out way too much. I will set my budget at $85 for June. That is nearly $20 a week. Hope I can stick to it!!
Now that I'm a grad student, I need to get my spending in order. I'm going to go with $100 because eating out is my biggest financial vice...
This will be my first challenge with you, but they sound like so much fun! Count me in for $100!
I am joining the June Challenge. This my first time and I am going to try and stick to $150
I am going to try for $100. This includes a weekend at the beach, going to dinner one night.