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DAY 21: Early celebration brunch!

Last week I told my family that the spending freeze has been successful so far and if we continue and finish the month strong that we could go out to eat. We voted and decided to have brunch at El Torito. Plus I had a coupon for $15 off. The plan was to go to brunch Sunday March 1st. But we had a surprise visit from some friends that drove up for the weekend from LA. They stayed the night Saturday and we had brunch together on Sunday at El Torito. It was nice to be there and spend time with our friends. And it was as yummy as I remember it. But it will be a long while before we got back for brunch again. The price has jumped up. Last time we were there it was $15.99 per person now, its $17.99. Plus, Leo is still at the childrens price at age 12. In a few weeks he is going to be 13. Most places have childrens pricing for 12 and under. Although, this past year anytime we said he was 12, I am pretty sure no one believed us. He is 5'8" and around 165 lbs.

I can say that eating out is one of our favorite things to do. But not eating out has been the biggest money saver. It's probably been the hardest thing to give up on the spending freeze. But eating out with a family of four is not cheap. The cheapest thing we do is pick up a pizza or chicken wings and eat them at home, which is around $20. Eating out at a sit down restaurant with drinks and tip can be around $40-$50. To me, I see that dollar amount now and think about how many groceries I can buy and how many meals that will make. Plus I feel like the portions are too big and I over eat. Making the sacrifice of not going out is worth it to me. But I am not convinced my family feels the same way.

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