Yep. I have done it; I dined out this evening 🙂
For someone who is trying to keep up with a reasonable yet still challenging budget, who is keen to save money for her future expenses/retirement, who counts every penny each week to record her spending, this may sound like a failure, but my friends, it must be okay.
I do not remember the last time I dined out. I know there has been socials I attended where I have eaten food (all delicious by the way), but my once “at least a week dining out” practice has been gone since last summer.
I have been craving for Chinese food in the last week or so. I finally could not resist anymore and I had it this evening. And boy, did it taste good?
I am over my weekly budget as of today, but I am not going to cry or ask for forgiveness or something. Rather my take is I enjoyed it and every once a while this is okay. I may as well enjoy my money now.
Happiness certainly goes thru the stomach 🙂
Life as I interpret it 
Don’t feel guilty. You do your best. I try to avoid eating out but I do it once a week. Well, maybe more often than not because I do eat out for lunch (sigh). I try to bring my lunch to work but it’s hard to cook every single day. I cook about 5-6 days a week. Not bad, right?
I am glad you enjoyed you Chinese food!
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I think this is only fair Rebecca – it is hard to cook and take lunch with ourselves every work day. sometimes I think it is a more practical way and depending on the food, it may as well be only slightly more expensive than the homemade food (and taking less time to prepare). I think if you cook 5-6 days a week, you should congratulate yourself 🙂
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Awesome – we need to treat ourselves and for some reason we enjoy variety – so well done you! Life’s about balance and it sounds like you found a good measure of that today. And also good that you can look back and ENJOY it – not beat yourself up for the spending. We need pleasure and you found a way of giving yourself pleasure and treating yourself with compassion – good job!
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you expressed it in such a great way – awesome! I am in for this kind of attitude to budgeting and saving while not compromising my quality of life. total deprivation does not work for me and honestly it would drive many people away from budgeting 🙂
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I agree. That’s why it’s all about balance – and budgeting should factor that in as well as the goals (in my opinion)
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well said 🙂
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