We’ve talked about saving money at the grocery. Now let’s tackle eating out. Americans spend about $3008 a year eating at restaurants. Talk about treat yo self. One of the fastest ways to save money is to stop going to restaurants. Since that’s not going to happen, here are three ways to save.
Skip the Drinks: Skip soft drinks and alcohol and drink water instead. For sanitation purposes, I’d avoid ordering it with a lemon wedge, but don’t get me started on restaurant cleanliness. Restaurants make a tidy profit from your drink order because most mark it up 10-45%. Water is free and better for your body.
Work the System: Eat at restaurants that have dollar menus or order from the kids’ menu if the restaurant doesn’t have age restrictions on it. Plenty of restaurants serve huge portions (I’m looking at you, Cheesecake Factory). Order something you know you won’t finish; something that won’t get soggy overnight, e.g. order spaghetti and meatballs instead of a Rueben sandwich. Take the rest home to eat for lunch at the office tomorrow. You can save money by either skipping the appetizer or making it your meal. You could also split a meal if you are eating out with someone. E.g., you order eggs and bacon ala carte; he orders an omelette that comes with bacon, hash browns and toast. You eat the hash browns. If you have a choice, eat out at lunch time. A restaurant’s lunch menu is smaller (so are the portions), and consequently cheaper, than their dinner menu. If you have to go out in the evening, you could opt for just dessert, or just appetizers or go to an ice cream parlor or a coffee shop.
Convenience Costs Money: Buying a cup of coffee on the way to the office every day can add up to over $1000 a year. I brew Starbucks at home and actually use 1/3 of generic ground coffee to 2/3 Starbucks to stretch it even further. Your favorite restaurant’s website probably offers to send you ecoupons if you sign up for their mailing list. If you can stand a bunch of ads clogging up your inbox, you could save some cash. Our favorite pizza place puts a coupon in a monthly direct mailer. We only eat there with the coupon. Uber Eats, GrubHub, and DoorDash add up. If you have to have Chipotle, pick it up on your way home from work instead of having it delivered to your door. Skipping the breakfast drive-thru (you can pack your breakfast as well as your lunch) helps your waistline as well as your wallet.
These suggestions require planning, but a little brain power can save you a lot of money. Make eating out a treat, not a habit. When our daughter was little, we went to McDonalds so infrequently that she used to get excited to eat there. Yes. We were THOSE parents.
What do you do to save money on eating out? Please share your tips in the comments section.