I love going out to eat. There’s something about getting out of the house, having someone else do the work and being in a good atmosphere in good company that is just so appealing to me. Not so appealing to me: spending money. How can I both eat out and save money?
- Discounts: Aside from the usual Entertainment book and/or local paper, there are also several surprising ways to save money while eating out.
Option 1: Half Off Depot—> This is a website where you can buy gift certificates to restaurants, bars, clubs and the like for half of their face value. I’ve done it, I swear it’s legit and it’s a great deal. You always save at least 50% off, but you have to wait for the certificates to arrive in the mail, so be prepared to order them at least 2 weeks in advance.
Option 2: Restaurant.com—> The instant gratification alternative to Half Off. On this site, you can print the gift certificates immediately with a few catches. For one, there is not an unlimited number of restaurants you can choose from. For another, there is a minimum you have to spend. The best option I’ve found for 2 people is to buy a $25 gift certificate that requires you spend at least $35 (excluding alcohol). There are often promo codes that you can use on this site, too. In fact, I bought $300 worth of gift certificates for $24. Talk about a steal!
Option 3: Ask for student discounts and the like. Or learn which restaurants have specials on which night. Often times, Mondays are half-priced bottles of wine. Eat out strategically.
- You don’t always have to go to a fancy restaurant. By finding cheap, delicious places to eat, you can achieve that same satisfaction at half the price. I love Taqueria del Sol, but I’ve never spent more than $10. Find places like that!
- It’s okay to have an appetizer, entree, dessert, and drink all in the same meal now and then, but you can really save money by cutting one or two of these out, especially if it’s alcohol.
- As for alcohol, a lot of places allow you to bring your own bottle and charge a small corkage fee. You can buy a great bottle for less than $10, add in the $5 corkage fee and you just saved at least 50%.
