Today’s question comes from Nick from North Carolina!…
“I have a frugal or cheap question for you… I have an 18 month old son. Until recently, when my wife and I have gone out to eat, we would just have some baby food or something small like a banana for him to eat.
This seemed fine to bring this food into the restaurant since he was just a baby and mostly eating foods that wouldn’t be served at a restaurant.
But over the past few months, he has started eating full meals and we have started ordering from the Kid’s menu for him. It’s not much money, but it still stings to pay $7 dollars for a grilled cheese that sometimes doesn’t get touched.
So my question is whether it is frugal or cheap to make my kid his own meal and bring that into a restaurant.”
The short answer:
Ooooh we’re kind of torn on this one.
At age 18 months it’s probably more of a frugal hack, so we think it’s fine for now!
But at some point it will cross into cheap territory. Especially if you’re cooking and bringing in the same foods that the restaurant sells.
Here are our full thoughts…
Frugal vs. cheap
For our family, it would definitely be cheap for us to bring our own food to a restaurant for the kids. Our kids are in elementary school or beyond.
Part of going out to eat is for us all to enjoy a restaurant cooked meal.
But at 18 months if you brought some apple slices & half a grilled cheese or something I think you can get away with it.
Especially since kids at that age are unpredictable eaters. You don’t know if they are going to wolf down an entire grilled cheese sandwich, or not touch it at all. Bringing pre-made food avoids that gamble.
But at some point (probably soon) you’re going to have to pony up that money and pay for a kids meal. It will get too weird otherwise.
Another options
Another option is to let them eat some of your meal.
We all know that portion sizes in American restaurants are large. Often bigger than one person can (or should) eat.
You could ask for a separate small plate and give your little person a small helping of what you are enjoying. I don’t think that’s cheap at all. Plus, it introduces them to adult foods sooner rather than later.
Adults split meals all the time. And some couples will split an entree which is a great way to save money at restaurants.
I’m totally fine with splitting meals! I’d just be more generous with my tip in that case.
Teachable moments
At some point soon you’re also trying to teach your kids manners. You want them well behaved with good etiquette at restaurants.
Part of that is letting them order for themselves. And saying please and thank you! Maybe even talking to them about the difference in pricing and value for the money you spend.
So again, while you might be able to get away with BYO kids food now, it’s not a forever thing.
If you really want to continue eating out a lot, start budgeting more for that extra spending.
Or, reduce how much you eat out by once a month or so so that your kid can start ordering his own food too.
Oh, and be sure to watch out for restaurants that allow kids to eat free on certain nights! One taco joint near our house lets kids eat for free on Tuesday nights. Plan accordingly!
Frugal habits
One last note – and please don’t take this as “judging”…
Taking your little ones to restaurants too much might be accidently giving them the wrong idea about where food comes from. They could grow up thinking restaurants are the norm and make eating out their default option when they move out of the home.
Restaurant spending has exploded the past 50 years. Check out this chart from Our World In Data with data from USDA…
Again, we’re not trying to tell you how to raise your kiddos! We take ours to restaurants too.
But given this stage of life, it’s worth considering what habits your little dude is soaking up.
Hopefully you’ll arm him with the right frugal habits that will serve him his entire life! Cooking at home is one of the most powerful money savers in existence.
The Bottom Line:
When and how much your 18-month-old is going to eat is a complete mystery. That’s why it’s more of the frugal side to bring him snacks and premade food if you’re headed out to a restaurant.
But in the not too far future this will likely tip into the cheap territory. So you’ll want to fork over that extra $7 whether he eats the meal or not. You can always take it home for leftovers too!
Thanks for the question, Nick!
For the full version of this discussion, check out Podcast Episode #787 (it’s the 3rd question in the episode)
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