Eating Out for Less

Tonight I had the priviledge to have dinner with an old friend. We had a good time catching up over a good meal at Olive Garden. Eating out tends to rack up the dollars, but here are a few ways to save money on your restaurant meals.

• Look for Coupons: There are frequently coupons for restaurants in local newspapers, including in the coupon circulars. You can also check the restaurant website or coupon books such as the Entertainment or Attractions books. (Personally, I find better values in the Attractions book in my area, available at Grille33 @ the Channel in downtown Greenville.)
• Buy Gift Certificates:
• Restaurant.com is a great website for finding discounts on restaurants, but don't settle for their listed price! Always do a search on a coupon code site such as Retail Me Not because Restaurants.com runs so many sales. You can frequently get 70% to even 90% off!
• You can also purchase gift cards at a discount from either Walgreens or CVS from a gift card kiosk if you have a store discount coupon such as a Register Reward (Walgreens) or an Extra Care Buck (CVS). Gift Card Granny also lists restaurant gift certificates available for purchase at a discount.
• Skip the Tip: If you are going to a restaurant where you would need to leave a tip, consider using their to-go or dive-through option instead of sitting down and you can avoid having to leave a tip. Plus, you can take your dinner to a quiet location, like a park, or even eat in the comfort of home.
• Time it Out: Many restaurants follow a sales schedule offering discounts on certain days of the week (such as "Kids Eat Free on Sundays" or "Monday Dinner Special") or at certain times of the day. Coordinating your restaurant meals with their best specials is a great option. Even eating dinner a little earlier may allow you to order off of the lunch menu, which is usually priced a few dollars less.
• Order Less:
• Beverages - Drink water instead of soda, or soda instead of an alcoholic beverage. Doing this will save at least a dollar or two, not to mention the amount of calories you are saving, by not consuming soda and alcohol.
• Appetizers - Skip 'em! The size of entrees in restaurants these days are usually well over the recommended portion size, so you don't usually need the extra food. Many restaurants also give free rolls or bread while you wait for your entree, so you will be able to wait for your meal without starving.
• Entrees - Share! Once again, entrees are usually well over the recommended portion size, so divy up your food before you chow down. Look at combo meals, too, such as a surf and turf or soup and sandwich pair. A slightly higher price for what is still considered one entree may still offset the cost of ordering two separate entrees. Soups are also usually a very budget-friendly entree. They are usually one of the cheapest meal options.
• Dessert - Skip it, or at least share. If you can't manage to skip dessert completely, think about having a dessert ready for you at home, like a freshly baked batch of brownies with a side of ice cream and hot fudge. If you coupon, that is much cheaper that one restaurant brownie and can be just as good!
• Box It Up: Box up whatever leftovers you have and eat them for another meal. This will help your money go even farther!
• Knock It Off: You can actually make some of your favorite restaurant recipes at home! Just do a quick internet search for the restaurant and dish you want to make, and you can find knock-off recipes to try at home. The best thing about this is that you know exactly what is going into your food.

Do you have any other restaurant saving tips? Favorite knock-off recipes? Leave it in a comment below!