Tips for Dining Out on a Dime

If you are on a budget you can still dine out. Think outside of the box. Go for lunch instead of dinner, eat the bar or share an entree. Always check and see if they offer an email club too! There are so many eclubs and birthday offers available. They are free and it only takes a minute to sign up. In fact my three favorite months out of the year are my birthday month, my husbands birthday month and our anniversary month. What is fun is those are all summer months and since we are busy in the summer it fits our schedule to dine out more.

Now what you have to keep in mind is even if you get a free or nearly free meal that you do need to budget for tipping on the full amount. In addition to promotions I also suggest checking out Kids Eat FREE dining opportunities! This is a great way to shave some money off of your bill.

You can also use Restaurant.com where you can purchase certificates for a fraction of the cost. These is a great resource. Of course other offers are available through Groupon and Half Price shopping sites. I also suggest purchasing the Entertainment Book if you like to dine out. This is a great resource for saving money.

Another resource is to purchase gift card deals during the Holiday’s and use the incentive cards to reduce the out of pocket expense for your dining out budget. We do this for our favorite restaurants. I always post these deals when they come out through the holidays so keep you eyes open and be sure to set aside some money to purchase.

Tips for Dining Out on a Dime:

1. Drink Water

2. Share an entree

3. Use a Coupon

4. Use Early Bird Specials

5. Sign up for email clubs/birthday clubs.

Of course the bottom line is only dine out if you have room for your budget too. I suggest budgeting a set amount each month and placing that amount of cash in an envelope. By doing so you KNOW when the envelope is empty there is no more dining out for you for the month. We moved to this technique in 2005 and it has been a huge tool in keeping us on budget.

Are there any other suggestions you have for dining out on a dime?

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Melissa Jennings

Melissa is a soccer mom who has been married to her best friend for 21 years. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.