My world doesn’t abide by standard 9 to 5 rules. I run a small business, work as a freelance graphic artist, and have a large crazy dog who needs more supervision and attention than a 9 to 5 family could provide. (Boy did he luck out finding suckers like us!) In addition, the Hubby works four nights a week, so much of our quality time happens in the afternoon. Rather than having a nice dinner out once a week, which seems to be the American norm, we tend to do lunch out instead.
For us, eating lunch out is actually quite nice. Unlike 9to5ers, we are generally not in a hurry during lunch. We aren’t running out between phone conferences, grabbing the fastest thing on the block. We don’t have business meetings over lunch–there are no laptops and no sales pitches. Instead, we have the luxury to take our time and read the paper, maybe do the crossword puzzle. Our tabs tend to be pretty low, since we aren’t tempted by the wine list, and since lunch is served in smaller portions, it’s cheaper. Often we spend less on lunch out than we would have spent buying lunch fixings at the grocery store. It’s also a great way to try that trendy new spot you have been curious about, or that crazy ethnic restaurant with the menu you can’t pronounce (the one you are a little afraid of, but still intrigued by) without blowing a lot of money or time on dinner. I am a big fan of lunch.
On the days when we eat at home, however, our fallback plan is sandwiches. (more…)
Raising the Root 