Similar to this question, but not about behaviour.
My son is 5 years old now, and I give him lots of choices that he is free to make on his own. A while ago, he started asking for certain foods (that he enjoyed many many times in the past), but once it got ordered and brought out to us, he did not want to eat it. I know, kids change lots...
My issue is that I cannot always send back food after it's been ordered - for example, going through a drive thru and we've already arrived back home. The food is not overly expensive, but it is annoying on my wallet. He needs to eat, no doubt about that.
I started a while ago giving him between 25 cents and 2 dollars for any extra chores around the house (you know, other than cleaning his room). He has a piggy bank with money, and a bank account that he is not allowed to withdraw from until he has enough for "something big".
What I have been doing is making him the deal that if he's not hungry, he tells me point-blank "I'm not hungry, no thank you". He is usually quite good at that. Other times, he asks for a specific meal (i.e. "Cheeseburger plain, yam fries, apple juice"), and will even place the order himself sometimes. After it's been paid (out of my money, it's a family meal once in a while), we go to sit down, and he decides he doesn't want anything. At this point, I tell him that I'm going to take $5 from his piggy bank when we get home, and he even goes to get it.
When he gets it, he pulls out the money, and I help count it for him. I do set it aside, and plan to keep it in a savings area away from him and away from my spending. He will be angry at me, and I explain about how money works, and how upset it makes me when money is essentially "wasted". He claims he understands, which I assume is true. He still loves me and tells me that, so I know he's not angry enough to do anything rash.
My question is, is this type of discipline (I don't consider it a "punishment") a good way to get him to stop this behaviour, or at least understand why wasting money on things he specifically asks for and not wanting it when it comes happens?