Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in  Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.

Here’s my little Happy New Year gift to you. Each day in January, I’ll bring you a simple, concrete and easy to put in place tip to fuel your efforts to Save Money, Pay Off Debt, and Be Awesome this year. Looking for a quick plan? Well this might not to be the right place for you. Most things down well take time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t begin to implement systems in your life that will help you achieve your goals. I’ve said it many, many times before. Paying off debt isn’t complex. It’s just not easy. You have to punch the clock daily and do the hard work. Here’s another way to make that happen

Day 8: QUIT RESTAURANTS

I’m seriously considering hiding behind my couch after I hit publish on this post. I know it won’t be my most popular piece of writing. I know that some of you will throw daggers at me with your eyes through the screen of your phone. I know that some of you might write a piece of hate mail or two. Everyone knows this truth, but no one wants to hear it or abide by it.

Our culture has so acclimated us to the process of eating out, that we can barely imagine going a week (or for some of us a day) without running through the drive thru, ordering a pizza, or sitting down for a fine dining experience. From coffee to ice cream cones, there’s a destination catering to every taste, every meal of the day.

Don’t get me wrong. I love a good meal out on the town. I like trying new foods. I love favorite old standbys. I like fancy lady coffee. Most of all, I like not having to be the person who prepares the meal and then cleans up afterward.

But there is nothing so astronomically overpriced is food at a restaurant. Don’t kid yourself into the idea that the dollar menu is “saving” you money. Most meals prepared at home cost under a dollar per person and include more than just one item.

That is why if you TRULY want to kick debt in the teeth, during 2016 you need to quit eating at restaurants. Before you push back on me, giving a litany of reasons why you “must” eat at restaurants, let me introduce you to someone. You may or may not be acquainted with a certain someone known as the King of Free. During our four year debt slaying journey of paying off $127K+, the he went for 2.5 years without eating at a single restaurant. He’s written plenty about the how and the why of that particular part of our journey. It began as an exercise in self control and morphed into a guy streak, fueled with each person who told him “he could never” not eat at a restaurant.

We went on weekend trips with our family. He did not eat at a restaurant. He went to a business lunch at Fogo de Chao. He did not eat a restaurant. Not a napkin, not a glass of water, not packet of sugar. Not even if it was free. Nada. For 2.5 years. It can be done. It does take planning and intentionality, though.

I’m not saying you have to be that extreme. But if you really want to kick debt in the teeth this year and be awesome, I challenge to give up at least a week or more preferably a month of eating at restaurants. I promise you can do it and it will make a HUGE difference for your bank account.

If you do plan on dining out, at least schedule the luxury in advance. Plan on where you will eat. Look at the menu. Make it a truly pleasurable experience. Don’t haphazardly pick the place closest to your home without thinking. Don’t play the “Where do you want to go?” “I don’t care. Where do you want to go?” game. When budgeted for, eating at a restaurant is a huge blessing. Be wise about how you approach the experience.

We are taking the Restaurant Challenge yet again this year and are 8 days in. Only 3 weeks to go! I have be honest that I’m not ever overly excited about the practice. But it is a remembrance, a refocus, and a reboot for us – both in our faith and our finances. A sacrifice is always worth it, friends. I’d never ask you to do what I wouldn’t do myself. So every January, even after being debt free, we return to giving up restaurants. It makes life a little less convenient and fun but I never regret it.

Want to be sure you don’t miss a single one of the 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth? Be sure to subscribe to my daily newsletter! Look for the bar that looks like this in the upper righthand corner.

You’ll receive another e-mail to confirm and then daily around 8 pm all of the money saving, debt slaying posts I write will come right to your e-mail inbox!

I’m so looking forward to sharing this month of challenge and inspiration with you. Together, we can show debt who’s boss and give it a swift kick in the teeth this January and throughout the year in 2016. Away we go!

Miss the previous posts? Check out:

• 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: BELIEVE
• 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: STOP IT
• 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: SELL, BABY, SELL
• 31 Ways to Kick Debt in The Teeth: USE CASH
• 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: PLAN YOUR MEALS
• 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT BUDGETING
• 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: READ A BOOK

My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free on Kindle.  

This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!

Related posts:

31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: PLAN YOUR MEALS Great Ways to Stretch Leftovers How Many Meals Can You Get from $50? 31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth: SELL, BABY, SELL