Brief post today. Sunday was my wife and I’s anniversary. We ate two meals out this weekend (we typically try not to do that), and both meals were heavily discounted. Obviously, anytime you’re eating out, you’re not saving money. I think eating at home is almost always cheaper, healthier and more efficient. You know where you got it, what you got and exactly how it was prepared. Dining out can be a lot of fun, of course, if the price is right.
If you are going to eat out, see if you have any restaurants in your area that participate with Restaurant.com. We’ve mentioned Restaurant.com on this site before, and it can be a great way to save money on eating out. Typically, you can get a $10 gift certificate for $3 or a $25 gift certificate for $10. The deal potentially gets even better. If you sign up for email updates you’ll periodically get codes that allow you to purchase the gift certificates for 80% off – making a $10 gift certificate just 60 cents and a $25 gift certificate $2.
Of course, it’s not perfect. There are requirements that have to be met in order to use the printed out gift certificate. Most of the time using the $10 gift card will require you to spend at least $20 and the $25 will require you to spend at least $35. Make sure you check so you know going in what you’re going to have to spend. Try to maximize the gift card so you don’t have to spend more than you have to, but still get to use the card. Other restrictions might apply as well. You may not be able to use the gift card for alcohol or in certain other circumstances. Gratuity may also automatically be added on the original amount (which is what you should tip on anyway). Make sure you check the specific requirements before you buy to ensure that it meets your needs.
The only other problem I see is that you can’t necessarily use Restaurant.com everywhere. Here in Kansas City there are lots of participating restaurants, but there aren’t as many as towns get smaller. There’s a definite bias toward larger cities. Check out the site here.
If there are no participating restaurants in your area, and you like to eat out, you can probably still find coupons online for some of your favorite places. Before I buy almost anything I check for online coupon codes or printable coupons just by doing a google search. There are also lots of restaurants that offer birthday coupons if you sign up for there various “clubs.” Dennys, Red Lobster, Pizza Hut and Macaroni Grill are just a few of the many restaurants that offer deals to customers who are willing to join their clubs and be sent coupons. You might want to set up an extra email account that you use exclusively for this purpose (to keep your email from being cluttered with coupons).
My wife and I also joined what’s called the Kansas City originals club that offers us cash back for eating at some of our favorite restaurants ($10 free for every $150 you spend). See if there’s a similar program in your area – I think they called it an epicurean card where I grew up. You can search these “clubs” online for your area, too. Anyway, the point is, if you like to eat out once in awhile, but you care about saving money, too, try to make the rules of the game play in your favor. Please leave other ideas for eating out on the cheap in the comments – or drop me a line by email. Thanks for reading.
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Happy Anniversary Todd! Kudos to you both.
Our best trick is celebrating special events over lunch. (No coupons for us here in the “country” so we just try to each off the less expensive menu). Works well, especially with young kids who have early bedtimes!
Good post. I have checked out restaurant.com in our area. A couple good restaurants but as you said, there are restrictions. One other great way to save money eating out is to purchase (and use) coupons in Entertainment Books. They are well worth the price.