But it is often reserved by Mr. Melius himself on Sunday nights, when he invites close friends to help him test new menu items while dining in the splendid setting overlooking the Island.
But add items like dining out, alcoholic beverages and reading, and the amount jumps to almost $5,200 a year, or more than 10percentt of the average household's pretax income.
"Rising gasoline prices tend to curb spending on discretionary service items like dining out, entertainment and consumer electronics, which given the weak pace of spending does not bode well for growth this quarter," Bloomberg economist Richard Yamarone wrote today, (via Barry Ritholtz).
Eventually, the company hopes to offer more than one item at a time on its website per region, so there's always a bedroom, dining and living room item available at all times.
I'm not saying you aren't going to slip up, and tell your son that under no circumstances can he appear in the dining car in an item of clothing scandalously known as a wife-beater.
Currently, the site lets you search for furniture, kitchen, dining products, home décor, patio items, lighting, and bedding, as well as women's shoes.
(See Burger King Gains On Pocketbook Pains.) Burger King has fought to entice casual dining customers with lower-cost items, including the launch in October of a six-month promotional deal for a $1 cheeseburger.
Expenses for discretionary items like entertainment, dining out, and buying new clothes should be adjusted to ensure adequate savings necessary to achieve long term investment objectives.
How much do you normally spend each month on discretionary items like restaurant dining, magazine subscriptions or cable TV? Can you cut any of these bills -- at least temporarily -- while you save for the holidays?
And if she can convince the nation's chain restaurants to improve its menu items to make dining out easier for parents who want to feed their kids right, more power to her.
