How to Eat Out for Less

With a baby around, Britney & I definitely eat out less than we did before Bailey arrived. Before she was born, we probably ate out at least 3 times per week - probably more. Now we eat out for lunch on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays and that's about it. If you eat out with any frequency, you know that this is an expensive practice. For two people, you're not going anywhere decent for less than $15.00 - and that's a cheap, fast-food style restaurant. If you go sit down somewhere and have a waiter/waitress, you're out $20-$25 at minimum. There are, however, ways to save money when you eat out and I'm here to tell you about the one I like best.

Let me start by saying that magazines and internet sites run little teaser stories like this all the time. Your standing in line at the grocery store and you see some women's magazine with something on the cover about eating out for pennies. When you read the article, you typically get advice like:

• Order appetizers instead of entrees
• Always order water
• Don't order alcohol
• Ask for free bread, get full, and don't order anything at all

I'm not going to give that kind of advice. Frankly, I enjoy eating out and I hate sharing food and/or eating off each others plates and I don't want to drink water every time and I am embarassed to not order something, etc. Those kinds of tips are obvious and, well, lame. The best way I know of to save money eating out is to buy dining certificates at Restaurant.com.

Restaurant.com is a website that sells 'certificates' that have cash value that can be used at restaurants in your area. You go to the site, type in your zip code, and it will list restaurants in your area that participate. Now - these certificates often have stipulations to them - but the price paid/money saved make it worth doing. Here's a sample listing:

Fuel Pizza is a restaurant in Charlotte that we used to frequent. As I said, we don't dine out much anymore - but that's not the point. Look at this certificate. It has a value of $10.00 and it costs you $3.00. To use it, you have to purchase $25.00 worth of food. So - right off the bat, you're getting $25.00 worth of food for $18.00 ($25.00 - $10.00 coupon + $3.00 for the certificate) for a savings of 28%!

Now - you may be saying - 28% - big deal. Think about that though - if you could invest in a savings account that paid you 28%, you'd be in it in a heartbeat. So that kind of savings is nothing to sneeze at when you think of it this way. Furthermore, the story doesn't stop there. Restaurant.com ALWAYS has promotion codes on the internet that you can use on their site to lower the price you're going to pay for the certificates you buy. This month's code is 'TREATS' and it's good for - get this - 70% off! That means that the $3.00 you were going to pay to get that coupon/certificate - it costs 90 cents. That brings your savings to 36%. All you have to do is enter that code in the discount code box when you're ready to check-out. Promotion codes change monthly, but you can always find the latest one by doing a simple Google search - 'Restaurant.com promotion code'. Or, if you're lazy, go here: http://www.edealinfo.com/Coupons/restaurant.shtml

What's the catch to all of this? The catch is that the listing of restaurants is not huge, it usually involves restaurants that are new and/or are trying to drum up business, and your top choice is probably not on there. You're not finding Outback or Chili's on this site. You are, however, saving big money and dining out at some new places - something I'm always up for. Finally - and this is a good tip - you can use these when you travel. Britney and I ate at Commander's Palace in Las Vegas a couple of years ago using one of these certificates and it knocked $60.00 off a $100+ bill. If you're headed to NY, LA, Vegas, etc., do a little planning ahead and you can save some serious money!!

Or - alternatively - always order water and fill up on bread. Bon Apetit!