Time and time again I find myself asking my husband or friends, “Hey what do you guys want to do?”  Whether it’s about dinner, weekend plans, or simply a Tuesday night, inevitably the same response is given “I don’t know what do you want to do?” 

Guilty of this myself, I can’t exactly get upset with my loved ones, though I am reminded of a certain scene from a Disney movie involving a similar discussion, check it out, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGTWmrnPdgk, if you feel a  sense of familiarity sink in, then you know what I mean!

In this article, we’ll mostly hit on dinning, we’ll take on music and events in separate articles!

Here are some helpful ways to combat the “I don’t know”!

Tip #1: The rule of three:

My favorite of the various ways to get unstuck when trying to make a decision.  One person picks three choices of where they would like to go.  The next person then eliminates one of the options, then the person who picked the three chooses between the two left.  Here’s and example:

Susan: Hey Joe, what do you want to go for dinner tonight?

Joe:  I don’t know Susan

Susan:  Well I like Cabo Fish Taco, Prices Chicken Coup, or Fat Burrito.  

Joe:  Fat Burrito is out for me.

Susan:  OK, Then let’s go to Cabo!

You can create any variation you want on this “game.”  Seems simple and common sense, but really, when you are hungry and tired, sometimes I have to remind myself of the rule of three!  It is a life saver, or should I say marriage saver!

Tip #2:  City Search

For those who thought city search went out with the 90’s, think again, this site is an oldie but a goodie! Now, as a disclaimer, I must say, I don’t think City Search is a spectacular site, especially not for Charlotte, I’ve browsed the site for other large cities and they seem to be a little more in-touch.  So why suggest this method to help with decision making?  Well, I think City Search is particularly good at finding restaurants, City Search has a good registry of restaurants in your area, additionally, they have great filters to let you change the restaurants they show you which can lots of opportunities to try new places.  For example, go to http://charlotte.citysearch.com  You can choose to look at restaurants by price, then you can filter by rating or by location.  So if you are looking for the top rated restaurant in the $21-$30 range (keep in mind this is per entree, then you find one of my favorites, Mama Ricotta’s!  There is still a lot of great information on the city search site, and they seem to improve with time!

Tip #3

The all time hands down, pun intended, best practice for making up the minds in our house, good ole fashion rock, paper, scissors.  Try it out, you’ll find a harmonious decision and have some fun in the process! 

Happy dinning!

-Gal About Town