How to make eating out as inexpensive as eating at home? - Page 2

[ilovebabies]

Thanks everyone for the great tips!!

[ScarletBegonias]

i have to just echo the pp's about not ordering drinks. my dh and i have been ordering h2o with our meals for years now. it's not just about cost, we don't drink soda. okay, maybe the occasional hansen's or organic soda. it saves us so much money, since we eat out more than i'd like to, but on the rare occasion we want an iced tea or even a $4 beer, it's no big deal. also, as a rule, we have never ordered desserts either. that saves big money. stop at the sore on your way home and pick up some yummy ice cream instead! even a carton of organic ice cream is cheaper than 1 dessert from a restaurant.

[llamalluv]

If you ENJOY eating out, and do it rarely, why not just do it slightly less often and not try to scrimp on an activity you enjoy? I'm not saying hit the Ruth's Chris every week, but instead of going to cheap places with mediocre food on a weekly or biweekly basis and ordering the cheapest thing on the menu with water, why not go to a nice locally owned restaurant and order something you enjoy and get the dessert, too?!

[ilovebabies]

Originally Posted by llamalluv

If you ENJOY eating out, and do it rarely, why not just do it slightly less often and not try to scrimp on an activity you enjoy? I'm not saying hit the Ruth's Chris every week, but instead of going to cheap places with mediocre food on a weekly or biweekly basis and ordering the cheapest thing on the menu with water, why not go to a nice locally owned restaurant and order something you enjoy and get the dessert, too?!

Good point, thanks!!

[kijip]

One of our favorites is a place with burritos large enough to serve 2 adults/teens. Since our son is small, it's actually enough to serve all three of us, even hungry. And it costs like $8. Pretty cheap. Since it is counter service, no waiters, we just stuff a dollar in the tip jar and call it a day. So look for places with large portions and cheap entrees. We also like 2 of the local taco truck type places...super cheap and tasty. Way better than chain fast food but every bit as fast.

Another thing is getting on the b-day and anniversary lists. Several locally owned places here send out buy one get one dinner coupons for b-days and anniversaries if you give them your email.

I also agree with the idea of splurging less often to scrimping often.

[eccomama]

well we try to go out for breakfast as it's cheapest. also sign up for bdays so we go when it's free. there's also a new pizza place that gives you great rewards for eating there. so we always get something free, slice of pizza, a drink or salad. usually can feed dd and i for $5.00! and when i dont feel like cooking we go to Taco Bell. Again $5 for both, it's not healthiest but it's quick and a nice break.

[Amys1st]

Originally Posted by llamalluv

If you ENJOY eating out, and do it rarely, why not just do it slightly less often and not try to scrimp on an activity you enjoy? I'm not saying hit the Ruth's Chris every week, but instead of going to cheap places with mediocre food on a weekly or biweekly basis and ordering the cheapest thing on the menu with water, why not go to a nice locally owned restaurant and order something you enjoy and get the dessert, too?!

This is what we do. We do not eat out that much. But when we do, we stick to local owned places and order what we want such as appetizr, dessert, drinks etc. Usually its a date night as well so we want to stretch out the time!

[lalaland42]

I second (or is it third?) going to locally owned places. There is a fantastic Thai place near us whose mailing list I signed up for and I got a coupon in my email for $10 off $25. I also went in one Tuesday night at the beginning of 2007 and they gave me a laminated card for buy one entree, get on 1/2 off.

We live near "Chinatown" (that's what everyone, even people from China call it even though it is a strip mall) and if you go with a friend and share 2 entrees for 3 adults plus 1 kiddo, you can eat for a total of $15. Yay family style.

[Mom2Joseph]

A big thing for me is to order at a restaurant something I know I can't make at home for cheaper....

No sense in ordering pasta or beans and rice at ethnic places because of course I can make it at home for a fraction of the cost and probably better tasting too. But for dishes I can't replicate at home, or hard to cook items, that is worth the money of eating out. I'm not good at cooking lobster at home, same for a good quality steak (when I'm in the mood), speciality fishes/fresh fish blackened, steamed clams, etc. You get the idea!

Also love going during "Early Bird" times. Same entree's, sometimes almost half the cost. Many places here also include soup, salad, entree AND dessert with the Early Bird prices. So the savings there is huge.

Coupons, birthday specials, BOGO nights...

I like having drinks when going out so also knowing who has good table wine or specials on wine helps tremendously.

[ScarletBegonias]

if you must have fast food, try del taco. their food is actually *fresh* and cheaper than taco bell. the beans are made from scratch, and the meat is so much better. it's marinated and cooked everyday. most of taco bell's food is "freezer food" and instant mixes, like the beans. i used to despise del taco, but a friend talked me into trying something and i was hooked! the portions are bigger than taco bell's too. and, no, i don't work for del taco! i hate fast food, but my dh likes to eat it, so we compromise (happily) with del taco, if fast food is required, say on a trip, or out running errands.

besides that, little family owned restaurants, and counter order places have waaay yummier, cheaper and bigger portioned food than chains for the most part. and it seems like the food tastes even better because you are supporting a local business! fortunately where we live there are several organic eateries, that are a little pricey, but not anymore than a chain. the portions are huge so dh and i split an entree and maybe order an extra side, like some of the pp's mentioned.

[phathui5]

A great thing with a lot of the birthday things that you sign up for through email is that you can use them the week before through the week after your bday. With 6 people in our family, that's 12 weeks out of the year we have birthday deals available.

Here are a couple to sign up for:

Red Robin

Cold Stone Creamery

Don Pablo's

And don't forget that on Halloween you get a free burrito at Chipotle for coming dressed as a burrito!