Checking your bank balance-IMPORTANT!!!

[AMISLANDER]

...I am recording every ATM transaction these days...after a bad overdrawn situation last month due to not keeping track & got charged $30 on ten different $5-20 transactions...ok. Took care of it like a big girl and now I write everything down & round up when I have a purchase....so...

went & got pizza last night, it was 18.63...looked at my pending charge on my BOA account this morning...charge was for 22.41 or thereabouts...WTF?

Called BOA...they said, "was it a restaurant?"
I said, "YES".

Apparantly today, restaurants round up due to not knowing something about how you're going to tip? Maybe I haven't checked this out or that tells you how much I eat out....

Anyhow, it's supposed to drop off, the xtra amount, if you don't add a tip...which when picking up pizza...and being somewhat not having a tippable need...I didn't...

I do not remember this ever???? anyone else notice this....I don't think it's right one bit....

[BK'd-Betty]

Yes! It's standard practice! I see it all the time on my debit card when I use it to order take out or delivery!

[HHM]

I generally don't order take out or delivery (generally unhealthy), but I have seen this as well. Just make sure it drops off when the charge actually posts. I have also, sometimes, seen it at sit down restaurants where you pay at the counter and not at your table. But it usually works out in the end.

[BK'd-Betty]

Hi HHM! Not only is it unhealthy -- it's VERY expensive.

Before our BK we used to eat out like 5 times a week. When we went BK7 and really committed ourselves to living within our means, we made a food budget and started making all meals at home.

I was truly amazed that eating at home every single meal was only costing us about $80-$100 per week - TOTAL for all meals. We were spending twice that in eating out in one week before our BK, plus our regular grocery shopping.

My husband and I make our lunches every day instead of eating out. We can both eat lunch on $15 for TWO entire weeks by making our own sandwiches. Before, we were both spending about $8-$10 per day - do the math, that's $320-$400 per month vs. $40 per month. Putting that amount of money in a savings account would be $3840-$4800 in 12 months! Staggering, right?

So, we budget to eat out only ONCE per month now (sometimes we slip and order out twice a month) - and as an added benefit that I NEVER expected - I've lost 30 pounds in 10 months without even trying!!!! The weight loss was a side-affect of eating better food, prepared by myself - lower fat and salt!

So, anyway - I look good and feel good now, and have learned so much about the true cost of eating out all the time (not just in dollars and cents).

Betty

PS - sorry, didn't mean to hijak this thread.

[AMISLANDER]

no worries on high jacking!

Hi HHM! Not only is it unhealthy -- it's VERY expensive.

Before our BK we used to eat out like 5 times a week. When we went BK7 and really committed ourselves to living within our means, we made a food budget and started making all meals at home.

I was truly amazed that eating at home every single meal was only costing us about $80-$100 per week - TOTAL for all meals. We were spending twice that in eating out in one week before our BK, plus our regular grocery shopping.

My husband and I make our lunches every day instead of eating out. We can both eat lunch on $15 for TWO entire weeks by making our own sandwiches. Before, we were both spending about $8-$10 per day - do the math, that's $320-$400 per month vs. $20 per month. Putting that amount of money in a savings account would be $3840-$4800 in 12 months! Staggering, right?

So, we budget to eat out only ONCE per month now - and as an added benefit that I NEVER expected - I've lost 30 pounds in 10 months without even trying!!!! The weight loss was a side-affect of eating better food, prepared by myself - lower fat and salt!

So, anyway - I look good and feel good now, and have learned so much about the true cost of eating out all the time (not just in dollars and cents).

Betty

PS - sorry, didn't mean to hijak this thread.

But this is true....you do save by eating at home! We order pizza usually Thursday nights....and I have lost 17 lbs since April by cutting everything I eat in half, gave up beer, and those restaurant meals...most restaurants s*ck anyhow....my bf cooks extremely well & I'd rather him make it!

[HRx]

I only pay cash whenever I dine out at an eatery that accepts tips.

[SinkingFast]

You gotta watch those slips when they run your Debit as a CC and have you sign. Lots of places print an extra line for "Tips" or "Miscellaneous" and another line for the "Total". If you don't fill in that "Total" with the actual amount of your purchase, someone else can come back later, add in a "Tip" or "Miscellaneous" and put down the new "Total".

It's not just restaurants that have the extra line. We were shopping for new shoes for Hubby. The store wasn't set up to take PIN's on Debit Cards. When the sales clerk handed me the slip to sign, the shoe store had a "Tips" line. I definitely filled in the "Total" line with the amount of Hubby's shoe purchase!

Could be where some of these additional charges are coming from.

[Grace]

If your checking account is that tight don't use debit cards for those purchases. Is it fair? Nope. But that's how it works. The only way to save yourself some money is to not use your debit card for those purchases or leave more money in the account as a buffer.

[debtisbad]

If you like to cook epicurious.com is a great site. Fabulous recipes!!! I always said if i can make dinner as well or better than a restaurant I would rather stay home. Restaurant food has really gone downhill in my opinion.
Amelia, you have some great restaurants there in the Sarasota area. We used to eat out a lot when we lived there in 2000. Of course that was when we had money. I used to like to go over to Tampa as well--ybor city had some good places. Those were the days.....

[FilingOnMyOwn]

But this is true.......most restaurants s*ck anyhow....

Its true. Anyplace really worth eating at, is at a price I simply couldn't fathom to pay. To spend $100 on a dinner, to me is like buying healthy and high quality groceries for a week. And I'm not talking about a week of ramen noodles, but quality fresh foods.

[miss puff]

[QUOTE=AMISLANDER;72363
Apparantly today, restaurants round up due to not knowing something about how you're going to tip? Maybe I haven't checked this out or that tells you how much I eat out....[/QUOTE]

I had no idea that they do this as well. I am going to have to check more carefully in the future.

Speaking of tipping. Do you all tip at the Starbucks? My husband had a good point that he doesn't tip at the Dairy Queen when they whip him up a blizzard, why should he tip for a coffee through the drive through. If they bring it to your table, yah, sure leave a tip. But not for drive thru. Just wondering what your thougts are about that.

[Peevee]

I can't afford starbucks. I just can't see paying that much for a cup of coffee.

[FoolAndHisMoney]

You gotta watch those slips when they run your Debit as a CC and have you sign. Lots of places print an extra line for "Tips" or "Miscellaneous" and another line for the "Total". If you don't fill in that "Total" with the actual amount of your purchase, someone else can come back later, add in a "Tip" or "Miscellaneous" and put down the new "Total".

It's not just restaurants that have the extra line. We were shopping for new shoes for Hubby. The store wasn't set up to take PIN's on Debit Cards. When the sales clerk handed me the slip to sign, the shoe store had a "Tips" line. I definitely filled in the "Total" line with the amount of Hubby's shoe purchase!

Could be where some of these additional charges are coming from.

SF, I notice that the stores that take debit cards always prompt you first to enter your pin. Sometimes they have a credit button and sometimes you have to tell the cashier to use it as a credit card. They try to force you to use your debt card with pin because they don't have to pay a fee to visa or mastercard. I always use mine like a credit card without the pin because visa and mc protects you from fraud. If you use the debit card pin option and there is an error like the merchant debiting your account for $250 when you only made a $25 purchase visa isn't going to help you and you will have to fight with the merchant.

As for take out food I budget myself for twice a week no exceptions for health and money reasons.

[FilingOnMyOwn]

Speaking of tipping. Do you all tip at the Starbucks? My husband had a good point that he doesn't tip at the Dairy Queen when they whip him up a blizzard, why should he tip for a coffee through the drive through. If they bring it to your table, yah, sure leave a tip. But not for drive thru. Just wondering what your thougts are about that.

I've never been to starbucks. I haven't drank caffeine in years (was hard enough to break the habit to begin with, don't need to go back). I knew a couple people that worked at starbucks, they do have a tip jar but it gets evenly split among all the employees once a week, so even if he tips someone there they dont' keep it themselves, it gets split among all of them. And doesn't amount to much.

The only time I will really tip in a drive thru or fast food type deal is if its like a friday or saturday night, where someone is working for minimum wage when they could be out having fun like everyone else.

[HRx]

I can't afford starbucks. I just can't see paying that much for a cup of coffee.

Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts are pretty identical in price...but you're right, spending ones money on the likes of SB's or D&D can be a waste of money, especially if he/she doesn't have much of a surplus of it! lol SB/D&D is pretty much a luxury nowadays.