Well, in the never ending quest to avoid dish duty, going to a restaurant ranks pretty high up there in avoidance tactics. The problem is....we have two kids in college this year. That means that all my extra money (and some not so extra) will be going straight to the university. So, in order to eat out, I will need to get super creative.
Here are some of my "How to Eat out Cheaply Ideas"
1. Split meals - super easy!
2. Order only water - kinda boring but cheap and low cal too!
3. Combine #1 and #2.
4. Buy restaurant coupons. - (I am not sponsored by them, just a big fan.) You can buy a $25 gift certificate for $10. Sometimes when they have sales you can even get them cheaper. One caution...read the small print. Sometimes you have to spend $50 before you can use your $25 gift card. Oh, and please...always tip your waiter on the full amount before the gc is taken off.
5. Go to a restaurant that DOESN'T have waiters. Not tipping saves 15 to 20%.
6. Order the food to take home. Then you can drink what you have at home and don't need to tip. And no dishes to clean!!!!
7. Look for deals online. I found a website by The Thrifty Couple that lists weekly deals for eating out.
8. A single mom once told me that she and her girls loved to go out to dinner but just couldn't afford it, so once a week they would have PB&J for dinner and then go out to split a dessert and drink water. There favorites were places that give you HUGE desserts. Isn't that creative?
What are your cheap eating out ideas?
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