If You Love To Eat Out

I love eating out.  I text my husband during the day, just dreaming of chimichangas and queso.  If you love to eat out, but your wallet doesn't appreciate it so much, try these tips!

• Share.  You learned this in kindergarten.  Ordering a slightly larger meal and sharing with your spouse is cheaper than ordering two seperate meals.  If each meal is $10 and you share, you can order one $15 meal and save $5.  Do this once a week and save $260 a year!
• Share.  Your kids will learn this in kindergarten, too.  Children's meals at sit-down restaurants are usually sized for older children or even adults!  Have your kids share a kid's meal.  If the meal costs $4, you just saved $208 a year!
• Water.  A soda or tea is bound to cost you at least $2 these days!  If you and your spouse order water instead, your once a week savings would be $208!
•  Buy an Entertainment Book.  These books can be purchased online and at many area locations.  I got mine through a fundraiser for my daughter's school.  The book starts at $25, but gets cheaper as the year goes on.  So by summer, you can usually get one for around $5.  It is full of coupons for restaurants of all kinds, from Sonic to Red Lobster.  Often the coupons are buy one, get one free.  At, say, $8 free per use, you could save $416 a year.  This makes the $25 a worthwhile investment.
• Set a price.  If you choose a goal price as your maximum amount you would like to spend on dinner, it really helps keep spending in check.  Try to keep all eating out under $20 for a family of 3, $25 for a family of 4 and so on.  This is doable with the above tips!  Keep a running list of which restaurants you have eaten at that you were able to be under the goal.  An easy way to do this is to keep your receipts in an envelope to refer to before heading out.
• Smaller is better.  Consider ordering an appetizer as your meal.  The costs are often much less than entrees and are just as yummy!  If you save just $3 doing this once a week, you will net $156 a year. 

These tips can save you literally thousands a year if you eat out just once a week.  No more guilt while enjoying your next fettucine alfredo at your favorite Italian restaurant!