Our biggest spending habit is eating out. I just don’t have the energy to cook every night! What are the ways we can save money if we do choose to eat out?
Lisa, your question is shared by tightwad trainees and seasoned veterans alike. For some reason, we all have those nights where we have no energy to cook, let alone face the clean-up afterward. Then, of course, nothing we have even sounds good. The eating out bug is one of my own family’s biggest potential budget busters, so we have tried many techniques for saving at the restaurant. Here are some of our ideas.
Collect your coupons
Coupons may or may not pay inside the grocery store, but for restaurants, you can find some great deals. Actively seek out two-for-one restaurant coupons and other deals. They can often be found in the Sunday paper or in coupon mailings to your home. College areas often have their own coupon books set in stands around town. You can even have your friends and family on the lookout for you. When you know it’s going to be a dining-out night, don’t choose based on what you’re “in the mood for,” but instead, choose based on what you have the best coupon for. This tip alone can cut your bill by 40% or more. If you like to eat out quite a bit, an Entertainment Book (usually $35-$50) might be worth the money for you. If you buy after the first of the year, you can get a substantial discount.
Carefully consider kids’ meals
In most restaurants, the kids’ meals are not only overpriced but are also void of any real nutrition. If you made those chicken nuggets & french fries yourself at home and added all of the ingredients in them by hand, such as the teaspoons full of chemical preservatives and MSG and salt and sugar, I doubt you would want to eat them yourself, let alone feed them to your children. Instead, it helps the immune system and the budget to let your children have a little from the adult meals on their plates. If you have more than two children, perhaps they could split an adult meal.
On the other hand, some children’s meals, especially in ethnic restaurants, are the same food and nearly as large as the adult meals, but at half the price. Perhaps your family could split one adult meal and one children’s meal and still be full.
Order water
If you can just save your more expensive drinks for home, you will save considerably on your restaurant bill. A cup of coffee at home, for example, costs less than 10 cents. At the restaurant, you will pay $1 or more.
Save dessert for home
Many people, myself included, never purchase desserts at the store so that there is no temptation to eat them in the house. What results is that when I go out to eat, I want to enjoy a dessert since I don’t eat them at home. Of course, I end up paying the price for this little self-indulgence. A better idea is to purchase a gourmet-type dessert from the grocery freezer case and keep it in the freezer. When you’re tempted at the restaurant, you can just come home & eat one of your pieces. Or, you could put a piece in a little plastic container & let it sit in the car until you are finished with dinner.
This method takes a little forethought, but the benefits are huge. Dessert typically adds $5 for each slice to your restaurant bill – more if you decide to have coffee with it. Plus, you’re limited to whatever the restaurant serves, whether it’s your favorite or not. Buying frozen desserts at the store will add $5 to your grocery bill for the whole dessert. Plus, it’s not that much of a temptation for many people since you have to think ahead and plan for defrosting time to enjoy a frozen dessert. If you feel you would be tempted by this and you’re trying to watch your weight, consider purchasing frozen desserts such as cream pies or other egg-based items that cannot be defrosted in the microwave.
Always get a box
I joke to my family that I have no shame. I will ask for a box for half of an uneaten pancake and I’ll throw in all the condiments that have been served to the table as well. Why? Well, the half a pancake makes a great pint-sized breakfast the next day. And those condiments can definitely come in handy for on-the-go meals or next time I run out of something and I don’t want to make an unscheduled trip to the store. The fact is, most restaurants have a policy against serving condiments to another table once they have hit your table. Why just send them to the trash when you can use them later?
Lisa, I hope some of these ideas help you reduce your dining out expenses. You’re very smart to be thinking ahead on this instead of waiting until hunger strikes along with its notorious side effect of no self-control.
Thanks for writing, Z.T.! Every Thursday The Tightwad Trainer will answer one of your questions. Email me at tightwad_trainer@fuse.net and I will do my best to solve your dilemma. Sign your name if it's OK for me to include it!
Annoying but necessary disclaimer: All information contained herein express my opinions only and are based on my health status & location. Each person's situation, health, and local laws & ordinances are different. By all means, use your own common sense & don't do anything you see here if someone more important than me (like your doctor, your local police, your own conscience) would disagree. If you're easily persuaded by everything you read, and you think I might cause you to hurt yourself or break the law, quit reading my site, please.
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