I know, I know …. we’re trying to break our eating out habits. But it’s the weekend. You’re tired of cooking. The dishwasher is broken. You have a gift card to use. Spare me your excuses, or are they reasons? I’ve heard them all. I’ve used them all.
It’s okay to go out to eat if you can afford it. Grandpa and I have no plans to permanently give up going out to eat, and that’s why we have a few strategies that we use to save money when we do go out to eat. I’m going to share a few of them with you today.
1. Drink water!
I know that many of you already do this. For those of you who are still paying $1.79 or more for a glass of Diet Pepsi or iced tea at a restaurant, I’ve got two words of advice. STOP IT!
Do you realize that if you have a family of four and you all get drinks with your restaurant meal, you are spending nearly $8 on soda or tea? That’s practically enough to buy another meal.
Most restaurants will add a slice of lemon to your water, and it makes a pleasant accompanying drink to most any meal.
2. Use coupons
Many chain restaurants run coupon promotions, and it’s silly not to take advantage of them. I clip all restaurant coupons that come in the mail or that come in our weekend paper. I clip them even if I have no intention whatsoever of visiting the restaurant because you just never know.
3. Use expired coupons
If you’ve got a coupon, and it’s expired, it doesn’t hurt to ask your server if you can use it. I have used expired coupons at Red Lobster and at McDonalds.
4. Sign up for emails, text messages, fan clubs, etc.
Dairy Queen will issue six BOGO coupons each year for Blizzards if you sign up online for their fan club. I do admit to deleting these coupons when I get them. It’s just too tempting for us to have this coupon in our carb-craving hands.
We get several free appetizers each year because we are members of the Texas Roadhouse fan club. Several local restaurants offer similar deals through emails and text messages.
5. Share entrees, appetizers, extras
It’s possible to save money by having one person order a large entree and the other order just an appetizer. All of the food can be shared. I’ll go ahead and make a confession here. I don’t really like sharing my food. Yeah, no kidding. I will do it sometimes for special reasons or to save money though.
If you’re taking kids out to eat, be realistic about how much food they will actually eat. Buy one meal for two kids. You can always order more food if they are still hungry. I am constantly amazed when I see people order all of their kids a meal and then throw half of everyone’s food in the trash.
6. Take home the leftovers
Ask for a doggie bag or a take home box if you can’t eat all the food you ordered. If it’s hot out, and you’re not going directly home after eating, take a small cooler with ice along in the trunk of your car.
That’s my list of money saving tips for dining out. What are yours?
And now we know how bad for us pop is! (especially diet pop!) Water with lemon is my new option. Though…I do love plain unsweet iced tea…to bad that they charge as much for that as they do a soda!
I actually enjoy the water with lemon, too. Nearly $2 for a glass of unsweetened tea is outrageous!
Another water drinker! I don’t do it to save money as much as I just don’t like the other drink choices or don’t want the calories.
I occasionally have breakfast or lunch at our fancy grocery store. The quality of the items is higher than many restaurants. Most of the things in the salad bar are organic, the bacon in the breakfast burrito is nitrite free and they make some of the best soups around. They have nice tables to eat at and the prices are about half what a restaurant would charge.
Great tip about eating at a fancy grocery store, Betty! We have no such stores in our community, but I have had some delicious muffins with coffee at Wegman’s in a nearby town.
I don’t tend to get water if we’re traveling either, but otherwise it’s a great tip! I will also sometimes (when it’s a restaurant that doesn’t restrict the age on them) order a kids meal for me — at our local pizza place, it’s cheaper to order a kids pizza than the same size “adult individual” pizza. Given that we have it delivered most of the time, they don’t know who’s eating it.
Good idea about ordering from the child’s menu if the restaurant allows that.
But I love having North Carolina ice tea when visiting family there & there are always free refills! Also, when travelling & eating out I usually get unsweetened iced tea because of unknown water
qualities & different & usually yucky water taste. But I agree, around MC it’s a money saver to get water instead of something else. Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday. Want to split a sub with me?
If you LOVE the sweet tea, then by all means, have it!
And I am not sharing a sub on Thursday.
I’m having a taco salad, and I’m eating it all myself!
The only place I don’t get water is Cozy Thai Bistro — their Thai Tea is the main reason I go! I love your tips!
Thanks, Cara! Go ahead and enjoy that Thai Tea!
WATER!!
I can’t imagine the amount of money we have saved over the years with this one tip, Cindy!