November Challenge, the wrap up!

Mission accomplished.

I am please to say, that despite traveling, temptation, and getting burned out in the kitchen, the Krajca family did not eat out for the entire month of November!

The Good

• Obviously, the best thing was the hundreds of dollars we saved this month. We're not sure exactly how much we saved, but we know it was probably several hundred dollars.
• We've noticed a change in our children's attitudes. They're more grateful, complain less, eat what's in front of them, and are way more thankful when we do get to eat out (thanks to their grandparents who took them out to eat over Thanksgiving).
• We've learned the value of a family dinner.
• I've learned the importance of planning ahead and working hard.
• It was good to see how much the little things (Sonic runs, coffee at McD's, a frosty for dessert) really add up.
  
• We didn't spend much more on our grocery budget, making the entire endeavor a true financial success!
• Our Sunday afternoons were a lot less stressful (though our Sunday mornings and Saturday nights were a little more stressful).
  

The Bad

• I felt like I was in the kitchen ALL the time.
• We ran out of paper plates.
• It was hard to not stop and pick up a Sonic drink, or a McDonald's coffee.
• There was a lot of planning ahead that I had to do, especially since we went out of town.
• There were times when it would have been SO much easier to just pick up a Hot-N-Ready.
  

Overall, I think the month was a huge success! We are planning to do it again, but maybe going out to eat three times (letting each kiddos pick one meal out for the month). The positive aspects of not eating out far outweigh the negative!