In light of my recent money worries in that basically Im skint me and my OH have decided were going to try and go a month without a single take away. (we were having 1 or 2 a week so not extortionate but not good) and I wondered how many takeaways per week others had and what you normally have? :D

I'd say that we have one about every 6-8 weeks... could never afford 1-2 times a week we have a pretty average income in this house too.

About once or twice a month, an indian meal usually but it is something I could easily give up if it helped me escape money issues.   It's not forever and once you are free of paying interest in any form (except maybe a mortgage which is rather inevitable these days) you will have more money for these little luxuries than you ever had before. Home cooking as opposed to ready meals can produce great savings too :)

About once a month maybe.

Indian takeaway used to be our weakness but I can cook a mean curry myself now so don't feel the need to order in so often.  And best of all, I can make enough at a time to do several meals and bung it in the freezer for those 'can't be bothered to cook' nights ;)  Cheaper and healthier than a ready meal :)

I agree with that Isabel! I try and only buy fresh products and make my own. Was very proud of myself the other day because I made a chicken tikka masala! All from scratch! And it was healthy too! :D

Then I think you have the solution to your economy drive :)

I do not like or enjoy cooking Tracey but I do dial a mean takeaway....we do eat out too much, in restaurants or takeaways seriously and often if we have a lean month I have to use the expensive ornament in the kitchen!  Cut back for a little while like Isobel suggests then the when things are better financially, the takeaways can resume!  Good luck x

Whenever we had a tight few weeks, the first thing to go was takeaways.  Even when we do have a spare bit, it is usually once a month or maybe twice (if there is a birthday or something similar).

Have you also tried looking at your food budget?  A couple of years ago when things were really difficult (OH medically discharged out of the forces so no income), I managed to do a weekly shop on £40 for 6 of us.  Wouldn't say it was easy, we had to be very disciplined, the cheaper supermarket varieties aren't as bad as people might think.  I used to work out a menu for the whole week and just bought exactly what I needed, right down to the exact amount of bananas I would need etc.  Also, doing a cupboard/freezer week every other week will help.  Literally, just use the contents of your cupboards and freezers without buying more.  Can come up with some very interesting meals that way!! ;)

Kerri xx

These days, usually a Chinese once a fortnight. When I go to the competitive obedience classes we don't get home until about 11 pm so it's very late to start cooking -and I can't eat BEFORE them as I could not take all that exercise on a full stomach, I know it makes me sick. :)

What's a Takeaway?  Can't afford to do it on a single wage with a mortgage etc to pay for, unfortunately.

:D

We have a takeaway about twice a year in this house. Twice a week is mad How much does that cost?

Snap.

I never have a takeaway because a) think they are basically not great anyway b) live too far away from a City, food would be cold by the time it got here c) you get too much and I hate throwing out food, such a waste d) environmentally unfriendly e) being single & on my own means that I don't have the money.

I have to say, too, I think it would be more than your purse that would benefit if you gave up this habit :)  I can't think of any takeaways that make for healthy, balanced eating, fine for now and then but twice a week.........

I don't know what everyone else pays but we pay about a fiver for enough Chinese for two -they are such big portions we just split them in half, so half the food portion and half the rice portion for each of us. :)

Well, that doesn't sound too bad. I was imagining much more expense than that!

I had a chinese last night as kids away.
Other than that, the most I eat out/ takeaways is
Every wed lunch time I spend £10 in the pub for a meal and drinks for me.
and I buy fish and chips about every 2 weeks for me and kids at £8 a time.
Takeoputs are a BIG luxery for me, NOT the norm!!!!
Lea :)

Takeouts - vietnamese or chinese - about 3 times a year.  One dish + one rice between 2 or 3 of us is plenty :D

Eating out, about once in 3 months, but usually salad or baked potato ;) 

We much prefer MY cooking, Gordon Ramsey is always pestering me for recipes :D :D :D :D

Depends on the hours we work. If we finish late we will pick up chinese or indian out of convenience but you're right it's not particularly good for you. We've both put weight on & if it wasn't for the dogs we'd be in worse shape. When you get home late the last thing you want to do is cook. We don't need to rush home to take the dogs out because they come to work with me.
Actually eating out: once or twice a month because I never want to leave the dogs. We have to find somewhere we can sit outside & eat so the dogs can come, drives OH mad.

We have a 'chippy tea' every Friday - always have but it only costs about £10 for 4 of us. Once every few months we might have chinese instead. Couldn't justify doing it more often really but I do wish we had a chef sometimes :)

When did you last see a fat chinese person? :D

Well, actually their ummmmm maturer women are very often a little portly shall we say, it seems to me :)  I expect the younger ones run around a lot more than young western woman ;)

:D But I bet they eat a LOT more chinese than we do :D

Have you tried Wong Kei's on Wardour Street?  We used to go there years ago when my S-I-L lived in London.  Infamous for it's astonishingly rude service (very entertaining watching the unsuspecting) although I've been told it has mellowed to merely off hand :) but the food was brill.  Best I've had since Hong Kong (place dropping again ;))

I didn't rate the food in Hong Kong and much prefer the way chinese food is prepared in this country.  I went to a number of local restaurants in Hong Kong but don't like the rice 'wet' as it is prepared there and I like the meat to be well cooked.  Everytime it was barely cooked but it seems I have acquired the taste for fake uk chinese food.

Chinese is meant to be the 'healthier' of the take aways. Noodles and beansprouts are quite low in calories. Obviously it depends how much oil they use to cook in but on weight watchers chow mein and boiled rice are quite low.

I heard from a reliable sauce (geddit?) that they make sweet & sour sauce from custard powder.

Proper Chinese food as the same as proper Indian food is far removed from the c*** you get from a takeaway - no horrendously bright colours for a start.

I'll eat takeaway when I am too shattered to cook. So thats 7 days a week I am down to :D

No, seriously - I'd rather go out for a meal if I get the chance. I have my very favourite haunts and I like to go out once a fortnight with husband for a break. We are going to make a night of it soon and go to Crazy Bears in London - fab :)

We have a take-away about once every three or four months - and eat out on birthdays if we receive any money as a birthday gift :)

We don't spend much on food to be honest, we make almost everything from scratch but usually have a couple of ready made pies or pizza in the freezer for those times when we are really pushed for time. Our supermarket shopping bill for 3-4 adults is around £60 a fortnight and that includes household and personal cleaning items as well. Milk is extra to the fortnightly shop and sometimes we run out of bread as well. Vegetables and fruit are around £10 a fortnight bought from local farm shop but used to grow the majority of them myself.

In fact the dog's food is probably the most expensive thing we spend money on food wise :D

My Local Indian Take-away or dine in, is run by an Indian gentleman who set up his first restraunt in Sweden ergo none of his dishes contain any artificial colourings etc.. He frequently shows people the door with a curl of his lip when they complain their tikka massala is not bright red :D
   My absolute weakness however is Veraswamy in Piccadilly the menu is still the same as it was in the 1920's! and feels like your in a Maharaja's palace. The other end of the spectrum the shabbiest places on Brick lane do the meanest Ruby :D
Ive just got back from a fab little Lebanese restraunt, we eat out weekly and try to eat foods we would not ordinarily know about (so cook)

never have takeaways but we do eat out about once a month - I like the whole 'sitting around a table putting the world to rights' thing that goes with eating out - with a take away you're much more likely to watch TV whilst stuffing your face

Yvonne

We eat take aways and eat out far too often!!

Takeaways usually once a week, sometimes twice if I'm really pushed for time and eat out about once a  month. We are trying to cut down on takeaways though again to try and save money. They are so easy though when you are rushing around!!!:-D

When my girls were small I cooked every day but now they have grown up and not at home I just hate cooking for OH and me, especially after working all day. We always eat out on a Tuesday as we take my mum and she enjoys the evening out (a local restaurant meals are 2 for £8) and we almost always eat out on sunday (another local where sun. lunch is 2 for £10 for dinner and sweet). We sometimes have take away on Fridays. While I can afford it then its my one luxury to not have to think about cooking, if money becomes tight then it would have to be the first thing to go.
jane

Am similar.  don't do much going out and don't drink so enjoy takng the kids otu for a meal, nowhere expensive so that with drinks and afters it is less than £10 a person.

We're the same, now the kids have grown up. It's nice to finish work , pick up the dogs and relax over a nice meal and a drink in a beautiful place, such as the pub by the canal or the one next to steam railway. I guess we eat out or take out 2 times a week. But yes, if times were hard, that would have to stop.

>My absolute weakness however is Veraswamy in Piccadilly the menu is still the same as it was in the 1920's!

Ooh yes, I went to Veeraswami's occasionally when we lived in Westminster. The food's divine!

£60 a fortnight for 3-4 adults! Wow - whats your secret? I pay about £40 a week on 2 adults!

I only buy food for meals - we very rarely have snacks between meals :) Now we are on a very limited income we have just adjusted accordingly - prior to our current circumstances we spent more on food but probably eat healthier now than we have ever done :)

Likewise. Lack of cash teaches you to spend wisely and not to waste anything. :)

>I'll eat takeaway when I am too shattered to cook

Isn't that when OHs come in handy? OH does great spag bol (actually that's about all he can cook from scratch) yesterday he did 3 which tested his patience. One for him and me, one for son who doesn't like onions or peppers and one for daughter who has just gone vegetarian. 

I love eating out but don't do so often.  You'll never catch me eating takeaway Chinese as they give me mega migraines.  I can eat the Sainsbury's ones though. 

I don't know if I'm getting fussy or just choosing the wrong places to eat out but so often I end up thinking I could have cooked this better myself and at the fraction of the cost.  Perhaps I'm just turning into GOW :rolleyes: :D

Takeaway meals? Once or twice a year, perhaps. Faaaaaaarrrrr too expensive! Eat in a restaurant - what's that then?

We are going out today for the first time since my wedding anniversary in October and its to celebrate my son and daugter Confirmation, and I can't wait.

We have a chinese takeaway maybe twice a month ...but some months one or even none

We tend to go through phases of eating takeaways and eating out. We probably eat out more around Christmas, birthdays etc and go to a variety of restaurants from pubs to posher places :D

I never used to be bothered about Chinese (takeaway or restaurant) as not eating meat, I found the main attraction was always the same - rice, noodles, veg. spring rolls and so on. However, we've recently discovered the wonderful mock duck, plum sauce, pancakes etc and i just can't keep away from it at present :P I suspect it's braised tofu but it's excellent whatever it is.

OH and I never eat out just the two of us :) If we do eat out it's with friends - two or three times a year and I eat out with friends maybe a couple of times a year. Usually eat out with the children to celebrate a birthday - so another two or three times a year. Takeaways once every month or two - almost always Indian :)

We never go to a pub, so save some money there. Eating out/takeaways is our only form of paid entertainment - never go to concerts, cinema etc :) :) When the children were small we hardly ever ate out/had takeaways :)

Daisy

MMMM Duck in pancakes! They are lethal!!!

:D

OOOh gosh we are always eating out

Not at night but during the day as we both are working from home more and so we enjoy going out for a break :)
However my waistline is suffering so we have said Friday is our lunchtime going out from now on :)

We do however like a really lovely meal out about every two months and enjoy and good meal and nice wine etc !

We also have friends round for dinner alot and also go to their house as well

Lucy
xx

me too Lucy, i'm always eating out or having takeaways.  It's one of the main ways I socialise as I'm not a great drinker and catching up with friends over lunch/brunch/dinner/snacks at the weekend or evenings is a huge part of my social life.  love it! I work hard and expect to be able to have luxuries so slaving over an oven and washing loads of dishes is not my idea of enjoyment when I'm not slaving away at work.

I don't do takeaways, but I do"do lunch"at least twice a week LOLOL nowt grand just a visit to my friend's farm cafe for some lovely organic grub & a bit of craic with a couple of friends LOL Lunch usually turns into luntea !!!!

We spend alot,too much,on food.. Our grocery bill for 3 is between £80-90 a week.We have takeaway every Thursday night,and sometimes sunday too,and go out to dinner once every couple of months. But i must say our fridge and pantry is always stocked,no-body whinges that there's nothing to eat,and it's nice to always find something to snack on.I dont buy too much junk food,none of us are overweight,so it works for us.

Wow! Ktee, I don't spend that for three of us in a month!  Neither does anyone go hungry in this house.  However, I don't eat out much; perhaps takeaway once a month - we've got a good variety up the road with chinese, pizza, f&c's.

I never buy ready meals or similar and always cook with fresh ingredients, limiting my use of processed food.  I do grow some of my own produce which helps.