Dining out has decreased dramatically. The high cost of food has forced the restaurants to increase prices. Even the fast food chains are having difficulty. The minimum wages in many states, and more particularly California, has changed everything. The Dollar Tree stores are all closing in California as they cannot afford to offer low prices with such high wages. I like dollar tree. They have items I use such as brand named plastic containers, wonderful selection of cards, sponges, and a few other items. People do buy food there. The rising prices have caused many stores to now slash prices. People are not shopping quite as much in stores and are not eating in their food courts. The chain restaurants are now offering special deals on their menus to attract the dining out crowd again. Sadly, it is not working. People cannot afford all the high prices and have returned to eating at home. Many people do semi-homemade which works just as well. It is more affordable. Even when I am at the grocery in a college city near me, it is now always full of college students buying foods. What I love is that they spend a fair amount of time before choosing a product to purchase. There are both males and females shopping which I think is a good sign. People should return to home cooking even if half the time they are using the microwave. I have also seen articles about the actual quality of the fast food restaurants which leaves much to be desired. Often they food is old, reheated several times, and occasionally outdated. Yet, they sell their wares for a high price and people who do wish for the dining out experience continue to visit these establishments. How do you feel about dining out? I like cooking so we eat at home all the time. It is healthier, often organic and just tastes better. Is this part of your daily routine? The Good Gus Series is available online at Kindle, Nook and Waterstones. Hard copies, personally autographed, are available through our website www.goodgusbooks.com along with past blogs for your reading enjoyment. Now available audio and videos for the Good Gus series on YouTube! Digitizing for all the books are available now on YouTube! “Misplaced Trust” is now available on Amazon in e-book form. It is also available digitally at www.misplacedtrustbook.com. If you are thinking of a Will or a Living Trust, “Misplaced Trust” will give you the information you need to make an informed decision. Please check me out on IHeart radio. The Good Gus series, books one through four, are now available at the Morgan Mill Mail/UPS. I am now on Instagram and X!