Keeping Money at Home…

I’m a fan of dining out. In fact, I LOVE dining out. I like it when someone else cooks and I love it when someone else cleans.

Most of my siblings are still in town. They flew in for our family reunion and decided to stick around until after the 4th of July. Since all but two of my six siblings have children, we are limited on how often we can afford to dine out. Feeding multiple families of 6 can add up fast so they all shop at the grocery store together and cook at my parent’s house whenever they are in town.

I drove to my parent’s house on Monday and my ears were immediately assaulted by the noise of nearly a dozen children yelling while running around the yard. My sisters, sisters-in-law, mother, grandmother, and I were in the kitchen making pizza dough and sauce from scratch while talking about men, babies, and differences between authorized users and co-signers on credit cards (yeah, that last subject contribution was mine… obviously) while my husband, brothers, brother-in-law, and father were outside yelling at the kids to stop hitting each other with light sabers.

The pizzas were created, cooked, and came out of the oven to form an assembly line of cut slices for everyone. Grandma made a garden salad and fresh strawberry lemonade and one of my sisters made Olive Garden style breadsticks.

The house was in complete chaos and the noise level rivaled a Metallica concert.

I sat at the crammed dining table and felt sorry for everyone dining in a restaurant that night. Who would possibly want to miss out on a scene like this?

Leaving the house took about an hour as each nephew and niece threw their tiny arms around my neck in a goodbye hug. They all followed it with a pat to the belly saying goodbye to the baby.

Yes. My sisters spent a heck of a lot of time putting together the dough balls into perfect pizza bread shapes. Yup. The kitchen was a mess and it needed a good cleaning. Yes. There was an argument or two about the use of too much salt/onions/water/you name it. But there wasn’t a bill to pay at the end of the night. No one glared at the kids for being too loud. And we didn’t have to tip our servers anything other than praise for the good meal.

I guess I don’t love dining out nearly as much as I thought I did.

Posted by Beks on July 5, 2011 at 5:00 AM in Life Experiences, Money & Relationships | 9 Comments »
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CarLa responded:
Posted: July 5th, 2011 at 8:03 am
Sounds like a great night!! Typical to here!
Newlyweds on a Budget responded:
Posted: July 5th, 2011 at 10:26 am
That is one of the great things of cooking at home. I used to dine out all the time. With finances now, I invite friends over, or simply cook a gourmet meal that would cost us probably quadruple at a restaurant. And we still have a lovely time.
Honey responded:
Posted: July 5th, 2011 at 11:32 am
I am glad your life decisions are making you happy (and I cook at home quite a bit too, I’m a hooby cook) but I am SO GLAD I am never having children.
Crystal responded:
Posted: July 5th, 2011 at 11:59 am
It’s great to not have to pay a waiter and cook to prepare your meal or sit you at a table. But it’s even better when you are having a large family meal at home with tons of family and everyone is equal in what they are bringing to the potluck. Nothing like having one relative bring a liter of soda to the dinner while another sibling/relative brings in $20 in groceries..that always causes hidden anger amongst families.
Maria responded:
Posted: July 5th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Those are precious times! With all the craziness, it shows how much love is in your family. Just think when your little one is running around out there with his/her cousins and you’re beaming with pride! “Look he/she is contributing to this chaos!”
Money Beagle responded:
Posted: July 6th, 2011 at 6:26 am
Great reminder that nothing beats family times. You’ll remember that versus any meal you had a restaurant, no matter how expensive.
Internationalmom responded:
Posted: July 6th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
How fun!! Not only for you, but also the kids you’re creating great family memories with. The fact that it’s easier on the pocketbook is an added bonus : )
littlebylittle responded:
Posted: July 7th, 2011 at 12:27 am
I use to love dining out as well but as my kids have gotten older and our families expanding, it’s gotten too expensive. I found out this past year that I actually prefer being at home in my kitchen surrounded by friends and family. My family is crazy and it’s always loud and happy when we all get together.
Erill responded:
Posted: July 14th, 2011 at 2:46 am
Great Job! Aside from you save a lot of money you spend quality time with the family and that’s the most important thing.