Even though going out for a meal can seem relaxing since you don’t have to cook or clean up, it is costly. The convenience is nice, but the monthly amount on your credit card bill won’t be. The most direct way to reduce your “going out” expenses is to not do it at all. Not only can you earn money for your family by refraining or restricting your outside dining, but you can also keep your waistline in check. Let’s review some shocking stats and averages that I found at www.thesimpledollar.com as it relates to eating out. The average American spends $232/month eating meals prepared outside the home, with the average meal cost of $12.75. The average number of meals eaten outside the home monthly is 8.2. Going out to eat is definitely more than just spending money. It can be time away from the kids or just an enjoyable moment to yourself. If you really enjoy going out to eat, there are ways to make cutbacks.
To-Go
The first way that you can shave money from your dining out bill is to take it “to go.” Due to Covid, we’ve been doing this for almost a year. Skip the dessert, tip, and expensive drinks (alcohol or otherwise), and take it to go. Or if it makes you feel better, you can tip a few bucks to the bartender, which will amount to less than the traditional 20%. You can bring it back to the comfort of your own home or if you want to be alone with your sweetie, swing by the park, the beach, or the lake.
If you want to get away from the children for a night, a financially smart way would be to send the kids to grandma’s or a friend’s house and prepare dinner right in your own home. You save money on the ingredients and you also get alone time with your significant other. This is important on so many levels, but especially in keeping your relationship strong for your family and reducing your financial concerns about spending too much money on dining out. If you don’t have family in the area, put the kids to bed and have a late dinner or even coffee or dessert. It is much cheaper than going to a dessert place. It doesn’t have to be extravagant. I once asked a friend how she could afford their weekly date-night. She said that they didn’t always do something expensive; it could be as simple as going to the bookstore together and hanging out in the café reading on the couch. Something simple, but connection and time away. **Review Hacks for Fast Food and Home Eating on 4/22/21 for tips about saving money while picking up food.
Don’t Leave Home Without It
Whether you’re ordering take out or dining in house, make sure you never order without having a coupon. Hard copy or digital. For discount deals on dining, go to www.restaurant.com to purchase gift certificates for a fraction of the true price. Pay attention to the small print though, because sometimes you have to spend a minimum amount or purchase a certain number of entrees. You can find amazing local deals. You can purchase a $25 gift certificate for as low as $7.50. **Don’t forget to search the site for places you’re traveling as well. Some other sites you need to become familiar with are www.livingsocial.com and www.groupon.com where you can not only find deals on dining out, but almost everything else too. At www.giftcardmall.com and www.cardcash.com, you can find discounts on gift cards instead of paying full price. You can save 5-20% off your favorite places—even fast food. In addition, Costco has discounts on gift cards that we’ve purchased several times.
Order Less and Purchase Strategically
Even beyond coupons, there are even more ways to make your trip more economical. You can do this in a variety of ways. One way is to order less food. Skip the appetizers. However, don’t shun the free bread or chips/salsa. Pay attention to overeating on the free stuff. We want to save money but not expand our waistlines. Say goodbye to the coffee, tea, and soda. Stick with water. Not only is it healthier, but the bill will look a lot more pleasant upon arriving. Savings can be around $3 per drink. Alcoholic drinks are even pricier, so take a pass. I’m not trying to be a downer, but we’re talking strictly financial here. Try to keep it reasonable on the spirits and drinking. Instead buy the items and enjoy it at home. You’ll get a lot more bang for your buck by picking up a 2-liter of soda, a bottle of wine, or spirits.
Instead of choosing a night out for dinner, try going out to breakfast on the weekends. Breakfast items are usually less expensive and easier to handle on the budget. You can still have all the convenience of going out, but save your dollars for other things.
Portion Control
In many restaurants, the portions are much larger than an individual would need. Instead of each person getting their own entrée, share meals and then get a salad. This is especially a good idea when you’re out of town or traveling. You cut down on the amount of food purchased and won’t have leftovers. Why not get an appetizer for your meal? Sometimes the appetizer is the same as the meal except that it doesn’t include a side like French fries, but is priced considerably less than the meal. If you’re single and dining alone, consider asking for a half portion, if you aren’t able to eat the leftovers.
Loyalty Club
Join a loyalty club for your favorite restaurants. You can get free meals, appetizers, and discounts. Most of your fast-food restaurants and even higher end places offer birthday or anniversary promos. Don’t forget to get their app. In my city, a fancy local restaurant offers a free meal of anything on their menu. Their prices are not cheap so many locals hit them up on their birthday. Not all places are quite so generous, but you still may get a free dessert. Take advantage of the daily specials and discounts. It’s quite common for restaurants to offer special deals on their slower nights. Things like free appetizers, chips & salsa, burger night, etc. Mondays and Tuesdays are the days you tend to find the best deals. Try to avoid major holidays. A $15 meal can easily become a $49 meal “special” for each person. I’m not saying don’t celebrate out for these special times, but I am saying go the day before or the day after, where you’ll save a lot in the process. Not only will your finances be happier, but it will be a lot less crowded too.
Timing
We love going to our favorite bar, but when we go, we make sure it’s Happy Hour. You can find special deals on food and drinks. It’s perfect to be able to get the experience of hanging out with friends, but for a fraction of the cost. Timing of your dining is also important beyond not on a holiday or happy hour specials. Embrace lunches out. Not only is it cheaper, but sometimes come with fun extras like soup or salad and it’s still less than dinner prices. If you still want to go out at night, opt for less expensive options like ice cream or coffee.
Save the Dessert for Home
When dining out, skip dessert. For the price of a single dessert at a restaurant, you can likely purchase an entire cake at the grocery store. If you don’t want an entire cake because you don’t want to eat it all, you can buy it (or make it yourself), eat your piece and take it to a neighbor or friend. That way, it’s not overspending and you’re making your neighbor happy. Luckily, cake freezes very well so if you have a small family, you can freeze it in individual portions for when you have a sweet tooth. The most important thing to remember about desserts in a restaurant is that they are highly overpriced for the amount of food that you get. At a bare minimum, split it with others at the table.
This is also true for ice cream shops. For the cost of a single ice cream cup, you could purchase a half gallon of ice cream at the grocery store if you find it on sale. Instead of purchasing dessert at the restaurant with the family, we stop at the grocery store on the way home in lieu of the ice creamery where it’s much cheaper, especially when you’re talking about a family of five.
I know that there are special events or times when you simply want to have a dessert at the restaurant. I understand this; however, you want to make this the exception instead of the rule. Again, if it’s a birthday, consider bringing in your own cake. I’ve never encountered a restaurant who had a problem with this. In the past, restaurants used to give you free desserts, but that is happening less nowadays.
Choosing What to Order
If you are going to splurge at a restaurant, even using coupons and discounts, choose wisely. In addition to using the tactics of splitting meals and buying appetizers, make smart decisions. Since you may not go out that frequently, look for items that you are not eating at home. Restaurant mark ups are approximately six to ten times when you’re talking pasta. As for steak or seafood dishes, they barely break even. So, go for the good stuff and shun the items that you can easily make at home.
Plan Ahead
Going to a restaurant you are not familiar with may have you working overtime looking at the menu. To avoid being overwhelmed, jump online and do your research before you arrive. You may end up making a hasty decision that may not be the best financial one. Knowing what you want before you go there will help you stay on track for your financial goals. In addition to any money savings, you can check the menu for savings on the exact same items. For example, for breakfast, you want two eggs with toast. You see a meal with those items and hash browns. You order it. You don’t really want and won’t eat the hash browns, but oh well. By choosing items a la carte, you can sometimes reduce your cost. I personally found that if I ordered just the eggs and toast, it was much cheaper. Remember, it’s the small things that add up to big money savings in the long run.
Check Your Receipt
Not only is it important to look at the menu, but just as important to review your bill carefully. Be sure that they charged you the right amounts. It’s not uncommon for them to accidentally put items on your bill or forget to remove items. To be a good customer, you should also point out anything that you did receive but didn’t pay for. You should want the bill to be correct no matter who it favors.
Strategies
In receiving your food, eat items first that don’t heat up well. You should finish all of the salad and take home the chicken for later. If you know that you will not take it home as leftovers, eat that item first. Because if you run out of space in your tummy, at least your mind can be eased because the remaining items can all be eaten later rather than discarded. If I’m getting shrimp and chicken, for example, I eat all of the shrimp at the restaurant and take home the chicken. Shrimp does not heat up well. I would say the same for French fries.
By taking home your leftovers from a meal, you can save the time and money of making and packing lunch for the next day. If you are at a restaurant that offers bread, make sure you don’t forget to take the remaining amount as well. You can always make a mini sandwich using it later. Remember that any item served to a table in a restaurant must be thrown away and cannot be used for the next table—so no, you’re not being greedy or cheap. You’re conserving. 😊 See how that works. Nothing’s wrong with taking an item that will be disposed of anyway. I’m not saying that you need to bring your Tupperware to pack up the table in secret. My depression era grandma would carry plastic bags in her purse just for this purpose. No need to sneak, the server will give you a to-go bag or box for anything on the table.
Even though we want to curtail every bit of extra and wasted expense, what you shouldn’t do is skimp on tipping when you’re in the restaurant. You and your budget should be prepared to tip. Use other ways to save money on dining out, but please don’t reduce your tip amount. Don’t forget that when using BOGO’s, coupons, and promos, tip on the full amount and not the discounted amount. If you really can’t afford to tip, choose restaurants like Chipotle or Five Guys where no tipping is required or choose take out options. In paying for your meal, I would recommend paying with a cash back credit card where you are reducing your costs even more. Every 1%+ can make a difference in accomplishing your financial goals. **This is only if you pay off your credit card off EVERY MONTH.
Money spent on going out to eat is a very large line item in your budget, but now you learned some hacks where it doesn’t have to be. Saving money does not mean that you have to have no life and stay at home all the time. Being cheap, or frugal as I like to say, doesn’t have be a bad thing. You can still get all of the experiences but know that you’re still earning money for your family. Saving money doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on anything.
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