[jcunning]

This is my basic monthly budget for my wife and I. We have no kids.

Mortgage 1350 (includes property insurance)
Groceries 480
Alcohol 50
Utilities & Misc 530 (includes cable, internet, elec, gas, water)
Cash 300 (for haircuts, fun activities, etc)
Dining out 75 (We only eat at places where we have restaurant.com coupons)
Fuel 120
Insurance 280 (Two daily drivers and two toy cars)

We have spent the past four years paying back a $h!t load of consumer debt. In 2004, we had over $100k in debt, not including the first house mortgage or school loans. This year we have finally paid off all CC and are actually saving money now.

I think spending $500 a month or $6000 a year for eating out is extreme.
You should try to break this down between lunches and dinners and see how the money is being spent.
For example, perhaps you can get a tap water for lunch and save yourself a couple bucks everyday or $10 a week/$40 a month. It is better for you anyways.

Also, I discovered when we eat out, usually half of the bill goes towards booze. I now limit myself to one or two drinks max. This helps keep the dinner bill lower.
We usually have more drinks at the house as it is cheaper.
In addition, we mainly only go to restaurants where we have some type of coupon. From restaurants.com you can buy a $25 gift certificate for $4 (using an 80% off promo code). This keeps the bill usually around $25-$35. We only go out to super nice restaurants for special occasions and we usually save our money ahead of time.

I'm sure there are plenty of other places where you can make small changes to make a considerable difference. The hardest part is tracking all of your spending, including cash, and understanding where the money is going. From there you can ask yourself if paying X for something is really worth it.