Until late last year, I would start feeling an itch on Friday evenings.
As a 30-year-old, living in a buzzing city like Toronto and running my business from home, I wanted to be out on Friday nights with my husband, ordering rounds of drinks, and gorging on carb-heavy meals.
However, after doing this for many months in a row, something felt off.
These outings were costing us in more than one way
Financially, with an appetizer, mains, one to two drinks per person, sometimes dessert, and Ubers, we were spending upward of $100 per date night or $400 to $500 a month — and that’s if we only dined out once a weekend.
While we enjoyed going out, it became less fulfilling over time. So, starting last fall, we decided to mix it up a bit.
We still wanted to go out, enjoy meals, and each other’s company. So, we ditched fancy Friday dinners for relaxed Sunday breakfasts or brunch.
Every Sunday, we pick out a new place to try. It could be a cafe, a diner, or a restaurant. We’ve been doing this for almost six months, and it has changed our life.
We’ve cut our dining out expenses in half
Our Sunday breakfast meal, which usually consists of a main dish each and tea and coffee, costs us between $30 and $40, which adds up to a maximum of $160 a month.
This is significantly less than the $400 average we were spending each month on Friday date nights.
With a monthly saving of $240, that’s almost $1,500 over six months — enough savings for a short vacation or a sizable portion of one month’s rent.
We have more fun together, and it’s easy to execute
Sunday mornings have turned into something we really look forward to. We have more meaningful conversations simply because we have more energy and are more relaxed on Sunday mornings than Friday evenings.
As a woman, I also enjoy it more because I don’t feel pressured to dress up or don a full face of makeup.
We also mostly walk to the restaurants, and since we’re not drinking or too tired, often walk back. The walks have become a part of the ritual — something that we deeply enjoy and help us get our steps in.
Finally, it’s fairly easy to have Sunday breakfasts regardless of our energy levels or the weather. Even when it has snowed, we pop by our cozy neighbourhood diner.
In contrast, Friday dinners sometimes felt draining after a long workweek since they require more effort, such as making reservations and getting dressed up.
We’ve come up with more creative ways to enjoy Fridays
Valentine’s Day was on a Friday this year, and despite our recent shift to Sunday outings, we were planning to make an exception and go to a nice restaurant. Then, my husband suggested something creative.
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Since we’re both fans of puzzles and games, he recommended that we ditch Valentine’s dinner (which in past years could cost upwards of $100) and enjoy a murder mystery night at home.
On Instagram, he’d seen murder mystery dinners being held at various hotels and decided to bring the concept home. I was instantly sold.
He got the “Unsolved Case Files” murder mystery game on Amazon. We dressed up, made cocktails at home, and ordered food.
It took us over two hours to solve the “murder,” and that night is a core memory for us. The whole thing cost us between $55 to $65 and was significantly more fun and exciting than a dinner outing.
This experience led us to plan more game nights on Fridays — sometimes it’s Scrabble, Pictionary, or even the viral Taco vs Burrito. Of course, once a month or so, we still go out for drinks or dinner on Friday, but it no longer feels like a requirement to have a good time.
As I told friends and family members about our Sunday breakfast ritual or murder mystery on Friday nights, many seemed to like it so much that they’ve tried it, too.
As for us, we fully intend to continue this ritual because the benefits we have reaped in terms of financial savings, peace of mind, and building meaningful memories seem too good to pass up.
