If you are like me (or most of the population), then you probably like a good meal out every now and then. You can sit down, order your food, and it will be brought to you. Minimal work needs to be done by you (except for the actual driving part), which is nice!
However, eating at a restaurant can be expensive. If you are not careful, then you may find yourself spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars each month.
Below are tips to save money when eating out.
Search for coupons.
Some don’t like to use coupons in fear of looking cheap, but I don’t care. USE THEM! If there is a coupon out there, then who cares?
My favorite type of coupons are coupons from Restaurant.com. You can eat a fairly good-sized meal and save a good amount of money as well. Also, before you buy their certificates, always search for coupons FOR those coupons because they are always out there. Most of the time you can score a $25 meal by just spending $2 for the Restaurant.com gift certificate.
However, keep in mind that there are usually spending minimums on these gift certificates. For example, for a $25 gift certificate, you usually have to spend a total of at least $35 at the restaurant.
Go out for lunch instead of dinner.
Lunch is almost always cheaper than dinner. I can’t think of many instances where it wouldn’t be. Lunch usually means smaller portions, but that can be a good thing for many people as well.
Also, going out for Happy Hour can save you money as well. Look up the Happy Hour times for your favorite places and usually you can eat for much cheaper. My favorite place has the same size appetizers (as when they are full price) for only $1 to $3 instead of the usual $5 to $10 price. DEAL!
Skip the drinks.
Luckily, for me, I actually prefer water over most other drinks. However, most people aren’t like me. But, if you want to save some extra money, skip the expensive drinks and drink at home instead. Some places charge for refills as well, so you will want to watch that as well.
How do you save money when eating out?
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