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Money Dining Out
by Jeffrey
Strain
One of the best ways to save
money when you're on a budget is to cook your
own food rather than dine out. Preparing your
own meals and brown bagging your lunches to work
can save a significant amount of money each
month. Still, there are times when you want or
must dine out, but that doesn't mean that you
have to spend a fortune. Here are some hints on
ways you can save when dining out.
Where To Dine: Obviously there is a huge
price range depending on which type of
restaurant you decide to dine at. A chain family
restaurant is likely to be more expensive than a
fast food establishment, but less expensive than
a fancier specialty restaurant. Choosing a
restaurant with an appropriate price range is an
important first step to saving while dining out.
No matter what price range you decide upon,
there are still ways that you can reduce the
cost of your meal. Take the time to search for
newly opened restaurants. The restaurant
business is extremely competitive and new
restaurants have to entice you through their
doors to establish themselves. Many do this by
offering meals at a discount when they first
open to get you to try their food in hopes that
you will become a repeat customer.
Another way that many restaurants bring in new
customers is by offering coupon discounts. These
can be anything from a percentage off a meal
discount on a meal to 2 for the price of 1
offers. While some of these offers may come to
your door through advertising mailings and
newspaper inserts, you can also make a more
proactive attempt to find these discounts.
One of the easiest ways to get restaurant
discounts is to go to sites such as
restaurant.com
that offer coupons at various restaurants that
you can purchase at a 50% discount. Simply
search to see if there are any restaurants that
you frequent that are part of the program and if
there are, you have instant savings. It is also
a good place to get a discount if you are
looking to try a new restaurant.
Another place to look for discount coupons that
are free is at your local tourist bureau or in
free magazines aimed at tourists. These are
often overlooked by locals, but usually contain
a wealth of discounts for local eating
establishments. Another place to check is the
yellow pages of your local phone book. More and
more restaurants are offering discounts inside
the yellow pages to attract new customers.
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