Eating out is a special treat for our family of five. We typically eat out about once a month, although there are some times we will eat out more often (vacations, birthdays, etc.). Right now, I do not have dining out in our budget, so when we do go out, it has to come from somewhere else in the budget – groceries, gifts, or some other creative way!
To help us out, I look for ways to save money. I take surveys online and will sometimes get restaurant gift certificates. I have been able to get certificates for places like Applebee’s, Subway, etc. Another online method I have used is restaurants.com and have purchased a few of their certificates- you spend a few dollars (the price varies) and you get a fixed amount off or even sometimes up to half off. This is mostly for local independent restaurants and the selections and savings varies. The last local place we visited using a restaurant.com certificate was wonderful and we saved almost 1/2 off of our bill.
I also use tie-ins from other businesses. For instance, we go to a local attraction in our area and on the ticket stub they have a child eats free with one paying adult for Applebee’s. So we get 2 children free, and sometimes if the waitress is nice she lets all three of the children eat free! Another thing I have tried recently is signing up for a particular restaurant’s emails. For example, Ruby Tuesday let me sign-up and they immediately sent me a $10 off coupon.
To keep us within our budget, and yet still have some fun eating out, I am always looking for a way to get a discount. What are some ways you save on dining out?
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