[Harmless Teddy Bear]

It's nice that places like Ruby Tuesday have wonderful offerings for locarbers--but they are significantly more expensive than the menu plates with carbs.

Went out with some friends yesterday to TGI Fridays. We split a spinach artichoke dip with veggies instead of chips. It was yummy. It was also two dollars more then the one with the chips. Reason? The veggies have a short shelf life, take more preparation and cost more to buy in the first place.

Same with other low carb options, potatoes last forever, you can buy them in bulk and serve them over a month if you like. Fresh broccoli? Maybe a week. Lower volume, higher price, more waste equals higher menu prices.

[Mamzelle]

I am taken aback on a regular basis at how much people eat out, and how much they take eating out for granted. A lot of retirement funds could be maxed just by cooking at home.

Since starting on locarb, my food bills have increased but not incredibly so. However, there are many stages of marking-up in the restaurant business, and costs that register as nominal to the home cook will be exponential to those dining out.