Save Money Eating Out is hard. Face it, when you are at a restaurant, the last thing you want to do is pinch your pocketbook and save money. Don't worry ladies, the next time that you go out, you'll be able to save money eating out easily and effectively without feeling your purse strings tighten! I eat out a lot, so I have mastered the save money eating out tips and tricks so it doesn't seem like you are limiting yourself!
Ladies – are you using coupons to save money eating out? I wasn't until a few weeks ago when I started to really get into couponing (I'm not an extreme couponer yet, but soon!) and it's easy and a great way to save a ton of cash! Coupons on websites like Restaurant.com or Groupon.com are great ways to save money eating out and not limit yourself at all!
Do you ever notice that there are tons of different Early Bird specials that a lot of people don't take advantage of? If you are the type of person that gets hungry early – why wait until after 5:00pm to get your food? Go before 5:00pm and you'll be able to get everything cheaper! This is a great way to save money eating out without limiting your options.
A lot of the time, a restaurant will actually have specials that they put out which are at discounted prices. If you just take a look at all of the different specials, you may find something that suits your taste buds and you'll be able to save some cash! I've done this a ton of times and trust me, I was surprised when the bill came and it was so cheap!
The internet is seriously a great place to find out about all kinds of things – such as grand openings, daily specials and even discounts that might not be offered. 'Like' your favorite restaurants on Facebook and watch to see what types of specials/discounts they offer – just to their Facebook fans. Companies want to use social media outlets to promote their restaurants – so why not take advantage of their discounts?
If you and your mate or girlfriends are just looking for a light dinner but still want something substantial, why not share dinner? Typically, the portions in restaurants are huge, so sharing wouldn't be a bad idea and it's a great way to save money eating out! If you don't want to share – put half in a box so you can save money on lunch the next day!
One of the biggest profit-makers that restaurants have is drinks. This is especially true with soda. It's typically less than a penny to fill up a glass of soda, but some restaurants can charge up to $5.00. Drinking water cuts the cost and keeps your restaurant bill lower!
Finally, if you really want to go big on dinner and not skimp, why not cut out the appetizers and dessert and order an expensive entree? It's a great way to save some cash and you'll still be able to get whatever you want! You could also cut out the drinks and then you'd truly be able to go wild on the entrees!
Learning to save money eating out isn't easy. I know when I was looking for ways to save some money on going out to easy, these were the tips and tricks that I followed. What do you ladies do to save money eating out? Do you use coupons? Cut out dessert? Come on, share your ideas!
Top Photo Credit: Alex Segre