Here’s the thing. I used to eat out at restaurants so much that I decided to start a food blog in 2010 to keep track of all the fabulous meals I was having around NYC. I didn’t want to forget them; I wanted to savor the memories. I will say, looking back at the blog for the first time in a few years, I’m still really glad I documented it. I ate some amazing food in NYC (and Portland), and I probably would have forgotten some of those experiences otherwise.
Anyway, I don’t dine out as much these days, mostly because I took a hard look at my values and decided that the excessive spending on foodie restaurants didn’t really align that well with my life priorities. Luckily I like cooking too.
We cook a lot more now and go to restaurants just occasionally, usually as a treat or to socialize, which are happiness-enhancing behaviors (delayed gratification) and also fit better with our priorities. Life is good under this new paradigm, and if you have similar goals/values/priorities and a weakness for restaurant food (and drink), I would definitely encourage a test run.