Welcome back to another week of The Teacher’s Salary series.
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It’s no secret that Kev and I love to eat out. I cook mostly out of necessity {although I’m slowly coming around to actually enjoy it on occasion} and since clean up is even worse than cooking, I welcome any invitation to eat out. The problem is eating out can be expensive.
When it was just Kev and I, we had it down to science. But with adding children to the mix and us desiring to feed them more than just junk food, it can be even trickier. We ate out tonight so it got my juices flowing about ways to save on eating out.
1. Avoid restaurants with servers
It’s no secret that tipping can add up quickly. Try to avoid restaurants where servers bring out your food and tips are expected. There are some great places out there which have yummy food but are a little less formal than a sit down restaurant.
2. Pick a day when kids eat free
Kids meals are not cheap, so eating out on a day when kids eat free is key! We love McAlister’s Deli on Tuesdays and Dickey’s BBQ on Sundays because kids eat for free. There are probably others that we don’t know about yet 🙂
3. Order water
Restaurants make a killing off beverages. We love Diet Coke, but it’s pricey when eating out so we only order a drink when we can splurge.
4. Split entrees (at restaurants with large servings)
Many restaurants have enormous serving sizes, so consider splitting one with someone. It will save you some money and probably a lot of calories too.
5. Opt for a lunch out rather than dinner
The lunch menu prices are typically cheaper than dinner. Sometimes they even offer good combo deals or free soup/salads with lunch too.
6. Bring a coupon
If you follow some frugal living/money-saving blogs, you can hopefully snag some coupons to restaurants. Just make sure you check out any exclusions to make sure they really offer a good deal.
7. Take advantage of Groupon or Living Social deals at restaurants you love
I don’t always buy them, but I subscribe to the daily Groupon and Living Social deal sites and often see them for local restaurants. It’s a great way to get a meal for sometimes as much as half price! You may end up discovering a new favorite restaurant in town!
8. Take advantage of restaurant loyalty programs
Kev joined one for a restaurant he loves. He gets coupons for a free burger on his birthday and sometimes other email offers. I think they also reward him after spending a certain amount at the restaurant.
I know eating out isn’t always the healthiest or most frugal option, but we really enjoy it. We just have to make sure to include eating out within our budget and then we try to stretch that money as far as we can by doing many of the things listed above.
