Let’s be brutally honest for a second.
Cooking sucks when you do it every day.
Sure it’s cool to get excited, find recipes, and have a big night of cooking every now and then. But when you’re balancing life, work, school, raising young kids, etc., eating out becomes easier and easier to justify.
I mean, who doesn’t love showing up, eating delicious, at least slightly unhealthy food, then throwing away the evidence, and leaving without a dish to clean or a care in the world?
Yes, restaurants are a beautiful thing.
The only problem is they can drain your bank account and put a major strain on your budget - if you don’t know what you’re doing.
The key is to be smart about it and know how to eat out without breaking the bank.
That’s exactly what you’ll learn in the steps below.
Here are 14 ways to eat out regularly without breaking your budget:
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You know the drill. You go to a restaurant you’ve been to a million times before, and what do you say to the person taking your order?
“One moment please.”
The sound that follows is the sound of your wallet crying.
The more you look, the more you falling in lust with the large #7, and the chocolate shake, and the fried pickles.
“Hey, I can save those for later,” you tell yourself, “That’s smart.”
Those few precious moments in front of the menu is all you need to justify spending a painful amount of money on a single meal.
DON’T DO IT.
Nearly every restaurant on Earth has their menu online now, and I’d be willing to bet you have a smartphone with internet access.
So look at the menu before you go, while you still have a non-impulsive level head to think with. Your wallet will thank you later.
Soft drinks quickly push your bill over the line of frugality when you’re eating out. Water is better for your body and your wallet, so opt for a little agua when eating out.
Many appetizers are more than enough to fill one person up, and they’re much less than an entree.
Couple that with the fact that many restaurants offer discounted appetizers during Happy Hour, and you’re in for a money-saving good time (as long as you have self control and don’t talk yourself into splurging on 2-3 appetizers or a full entree after the fact).
Happy Hour specials are your best friend when trying to make eating out a sensible option. You can beat the crowd and save money at the same time. Win-win.
There’s a little secret cheap people use to eat out a lot without feeling bad about doing so: I call it the Lunch Special Leftover method.
Eat out for lunch so you can take advantage of a lunch special, then save the leftovers for dinner. You’re paying a fraction of the full price, and you’re getting two meals out of the deal.
(Pro tip: Mexican restaurants are great for this, because they always give you too much food AND at most places you get complimentary chips and salsa to take home with you if you ask for it. Which leads us to our next point...)
This should go without saying, but we’ll mention it for thoroughness sake: you can’t eat a 5-star meal on a McDonald’s budget. It might be possible to do, but why get in the habit of eating out at expensive restaurants when you know you don’t have the money to do so?
Instead, stick to a handful of restaurants you know are affordable. Again, Mexican restaurants and value menus are your best friends here. They’re not always the healthiest of options, but it is possible get reasonably healthy food on a budget.
Knowing where to eat is only half the battle. You need a gameplan once you get there. You need to know what to order, so you don’t end up letting your eyes (and your nose) get your wallet it trouble. Here’s a great article that covers what to order at a few popular restaurant chains.
(Remember: Water is your best friend. See #2.)
Most meals from restaurants can (and probably should) serve two people. When it comes to dining out, don’t be greedy. It’ll help save some serious cash and calories.
Believe it or not, you can actually get cash back for eating at certain restaurants. All it takes it a little time to find the right rebates, then claim your cash back offers after you’ve eaten. Start your restaurant rebate search by checking Ibotta for available rebates near you.
Tips can take your bill from reasonable to “we’re cashing in change tomorrow”, so try to keep yourself out of situations that require tipping when you don’t have the money for it.
For example, instead of dining in, order your food to-go.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t tip as much when ordering takeout from a restaurant.
I’m all about tipping generously when you sit down at a restaurant and have a waitress/waiter serve you. That’s non-negotiable in my book. But when I order food to-go and pick it up, I don’t tip nearly as much. And according to Priceonomics, I’m justified in doing so.
The theory is, eating in a restaurant involves much more work on the part of the waitress/waiter, so 20% or more is appropriate. But when ordering food to-go, much less “serving” is required, and therefore a smaller tip is reasonable.
Another way to save on tipping is to go to restaurants where tipping isn’t expected. At fast food and “fast-casual” restaurants like Panera Bread and Chipotle, tipping isn’t as big of a deal as it is at other restaurants, so your bill won’t creep up without you realizing it.
Some restaurants offer “Kids Eat Free” deals on certain days. To see which restaurants offer these deals near you, and what days they offer it, check out "Restaurants Where Kids Can Eat Free" and try going to Mykidseatfree.com and Kidsmealdeals.com.
Signing up for local restaurants’ loyalty programs will not only get you deals sent directly to you, but most restaurants offer some sort of incentive to sign up. You could get a discounted meal, free appetizer, or free dessert, among other things.
Restaurant.com allows you to buy discounted gift cards, and Groupon is a daily deal site where you can save a ton if you find the right deals. Spending time on these sites might take a little extra time to find deals, but the savings are well worth it, and you don’t have to feel bad about eating out regularly.
Mike is a husband and father of 2 who studies the art of never paying full price for anything.
