Five Ways to Save Money When Eating Out

I eat out a lot and it can get quite costly. It’s not that I have an aversion to eating at home, I know how to cook and sometimes enjoy it! But, being a single guy, it’s not important for me to rush home from work and make a healthy dinner. It’s easier just to stop at a restaurant along the way for dinner. My friends all ask how can I afford this luxury? It’s not hard when you do it my way!

The economy stinks and of all industries I think that the restaurant business has suffered the most. Every week I hear of another restaurant that has closed after years of doing great business. What causes this, you ask? They just aren’t getting the flow of customers they need to generate enough sales to cover the overhead. People aren’t coming in so they are looking for inventive ways to get your business.

Everyone is looking for ways to cut down on their expenses and eating out seems to be one of the ways people are cutting their spending first. Or instead of going to the “more expensive” places they are frequenting the fast food joints and getting the double ripoff! They are saving a few bucks and trading off for a lot of useless calories and usually substandard food.

Not me! I go to some of the nicest restaurants, get served like a king, and walk out fully satisfied that I have had a good, healthy, filling meal for about what you spend at a fast food joint. Let me explain….

Idea Number One: Never go to a restaurant without a coupon.
There are coupons everywhere. Buy one get the second free is a common coupon these days. You can find them all over. Small local free newspapers that you find, ironically, near the front door of some restaurants usually have several coupons for restaurants in the same neighborhood. Look them over and clip the ones you find appealing. Make a mental note of any special times, days, or limitations on the coupons.

Idea Number Two: Learn how to enjoy water.
One of the biggest profit makers at a restaurant are the drinks. Forget about alcoholic drinks altogether. If your coupon requires that you purchase a drink with your dinner get the cheapest drink. Otherwise opt for a delicious, thirst=quenching, glass of ice water. If you just can’t stand water ask for a slice of lemon, squeeze in a few drops and add a small amount of sugar or sweetener. I started doing this a few years ago and found that now I enjoy drinking water with all my meals.