Not going through the drive-thru was going to be a tough one for me. But we have seriously done awesome. It helps that Mike hates fast food anyways and my kids don't really know what it is. We have cheated and gotten it maybe 5 times the whole year in a pinch like if we were on a road trip or our fridge actually was totally empty and it was meal time.
Here are our takeaways so far!
1. Less food in the car
If it were up to me, my children would eat exclusively in the car. It is easier. I don't need to question their manners, if Lou wants to pull apart her PB&J and lick off only the jelly, whatever. I don't need to be going back and forth to the kitchen because if it's not in the car, sorry, remind me to bring it with us tomorrow. I don't have to wash any floors after we're done. Whatever crumb debris comes off their graham cracker just goes into the abyss under their carseat. Problem solved. The plus about not getting fast food is that I pack healthier snacks for my kids when we leave the house so I am not relying on cheeseburgers or french fries to fill their tummies if we're out during meal time. This also totally lessens my chance of finding an old chicken nugget under the seat 6 months later. And this all leads me to a question, does anyone else have a flock of birds that gathers around their car when they park it in the driveway? I think we are feeding the local wildlife with all the droppings that fall out of the car when I pick the babies out of their seats.
2. I appreciate it way more when I do
I have received several Starbucks gift-cards throughout the year because people really feel like I am deprived here. This is the funniest thing to me, when asked about the spending fast people are all like "Oh no clothes? I could do that. No make-up? That's not important to me." But when it comes up that I don't do drive through coffee, people freeeeeak out. They literally cannot handle it and then they send me a Starbucks gift card. Ohhh america, how I love thee! I really do feel grateful when I get a special latte though. I love that paper mug and high I get when the barista understands my order the first time I explain it.
4. I use this thing called a thermos
This is so crazy y'all. You are able to leave your house with coffee. I know, it takes 2 minutes and that is extremely inconvenient but I fill up my to-go mug or thermos and bring it with me when I go places instead of getting drive-thru coffee. I am basically a cavewoman. If you want, I will make a you-tube tutorial of how to do this for those of you who are confused.
5. Making up fun drinks
Here are my favorite new beverage concoctions:
a. Coffee with heated dark chocolate flavored almond milk
b. Coffee with creamer, spoonful of honey, cinnamon, and a splash of vanilla
c. In the afternoons I drink hot green tea with honey
d. A frozen banana, cold coffee, ice, and almond milk
6. Saves my dollars
Obviously this is good news. My kids are old enough to need actual meals now, they can eat a cheeseburger on their own (and they will do it GLADLY). I tended to spend $10-15 on the 3 of us if we were getting Chick-fil-a every week like we were pre-fast. I think I used to spend an average of
7. My kids eat healthier
I consider anything not fast food to be healthier because that's what I saw in a documentary. So most often their lunches entail a sandwich, fruit, and applesauce. We aren't munching on kale chips all day over here but we're not gorging on tons of sugar either. It is cool because when something does come up and my kids are offered something completely processed and full of nonsense, I feel freedom in letting them indulge because I know that it's a rare occasion for them to eat like that.
8. We really eat ALL the food we buy
We shop at Costco once a month and we eat everything we purchase, nothing goes to waste. I alternate shopping at Trader Joe's and our local grocery store in between Costco trips. Another big change I have seen since we have been eating at home more, is that nothing gets thrown out because it got neglected at the back of the fridge and that is a big change at my house.
9. I have learned the lesson that I can always scrounge up something
So let's say we're leaving a morning activity that gets done at 11:30 am and normally I'd swing through Jimmy John's, now we go home and actually eat the leftovers from last night. It is slightly more inconvenient then eating in the car but big picture thinking tells me 15 minutes of hard labor (microwaving, putting food on plates, bibbing the children, feeding and clean up) could do this lazy mama good.
10. All of this is a joke, I'd way rather get drive-through and can't wait until my Spending Fast is over so my kids and I can eat McDonald's every day. And I can't believe the year that I did this Taco Bell came out with the 'quesarito,' I'd be all over that. Nom nom!
(If you are good at math, you will notice I skipped the number 3. I only could come up with 9 for this one and even that was a stretch. I LOVE fast food! Would eat it every day if I could!)
I'll take one of your fancy drinks next time I come over, thankyouverymuch.
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