Money Saving Tip: Breakfast over Dinner

Want to go out to eat as a special treat to your family but don't want to spend a fortune? Here's a money saving solution:

Go out for breakfast instead of dinner—it’s significantly cheaper.

We do this all the time. As you can imagine, my kids LOVE McDonald's pancakes (and I do too). They taste great and what they lack in nutrition, they make up in economy. For under $4, each of the kids can stuff themselves so full that they don't even need to eat lunch. In addition, our McDonald's makes eating out extra exciting -- it has a big screen TV that the kids sit in front of as they munch away. It's a fun way to eat out without spending much at all.

Comments

[Blaine Moore (Run to Win)]

Ugh, McDonald's. I can't even tell you the last time I ate something from there. When I was in high school we would stop there on the way home from cross country or track meets, and I would say for a period of 2 1/2 years I did not go a single time without getting something green. A french fry, the bun, a chicken nugget...there was always something green. This was at least 5 or 6 times each year, if not more, and at many different locations.

As for the breakfast over dinner bit, great advice. I love to cook, and cook dinner 3-6 times a week (my fiance will cook 1 to 3 times a week, usually), and I cook myself breakfast at least on weekends and once or twice a week. Eating out is sometimes a nice treat, but breakfast tends to be more of one than lunch or dinner. There are still a few diners in my area I haven't tried, but I've found a few really good ones that are worth stopping into now and again.

[Dave]

At the risk of sounding like a preachy stick-in-the-mud, stuffing your kids at McDs is a *bad*, *bad* idea. You're teaching your children unhealthy eating habits (gorging so much they miss a meal?), which if they continue will lead to them being at the least overweight and possibly obese, in which case they will make up for your economy through higher healthcare and insurance costs, and, who knows, maybe even early death. There are good ways to be economical, but to my thinking this is not one of them.

[thc]

Oops. We just finished breakfast for two at about 40 bucks. Of course the ambiance and service were a tad different than at Mickey D's. Besides, were on vacation!

[FMF]

Dave -- FYI, my kids are both VERY skinny -- they could stand to pack on a few pounds. And they eat so healthy all the rest of the time (my wife is a health food nut) that this is out of the ordinary for them.

And don't get stuck on McD's -- the idea is that you can eat out at breakfast (Bob Evans, local diner, IHOP, etc.) for a LOT cheaper than at dinner. In fact, even lunch is cheaper than dinner. I've eaten at places and paid one amount at lunch, then come back a couple weeks later and paid MUCH more at dinner for the same meal!

[FMF]

Dave:

Here's where I wrote about the lunch dinner/experience I reference above:

http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2005/08/money_saving_ti_11.html

[FMF]

THC -- Yeah, there are times when you just need to splurge. ;-)

[Savedeltas]

My kids are young and never set foot in Mc's. We drove by a billboard with a picture of chicken nuggets and my daughter wanted to know what it was advertising. She always looks fondly at the brightly colored playgrounds but after seeing the movie "Super Size Me" I can't bring myself to get them addicted now.

[FMF]

We're getting off McD's too. Especially now since my wife has a machine that grinds her own whole wheat flour. She makes yummy, healthy pancakes topped with pure maple syrup.

[mel]

I like the breakfast idea, it is generally cheaper wherever you eat out to order breakfast. As far as McDonald's once a month or so is not going to kill a child, especially when they eat healthy the rest of the time. My kids are the same, we eat super healthy so it is a fun treat to indulge in a little McDonald's food on rare occasion! My fondest memories are playing on the equiptment when I was young and we rarely ate out at fast food places.