SavingsVine.com

A friend who reads SavingsVine regularly asked me how they could save money when eating out. Not everyone wants to eat a cheap meal every single day, but did you know that you can actually save money even when you eat out? Yes you can!

I often take a very simple approach to eating out and saving money. I think about what I’d like to eat, narrow down the choices then choose the cheapest one. Here are a few things you can do to save money on top of choosing the cheapest place to eat.

First off, if you don’t have to dine in, DON’T! If the place you’re going to allows you to take out your food rather than be waited on, choose to take out your food and eat it at home or elsewhere. Why? Eating at the restaurant can lead to purchasing appetizers and drinks which tend to add up. There is also the tip that many feel is obligatory at the end of the meal. You can save yourself some extra money by not eating at the restaurant. We often like California Pizza Kitchen food but choose not to eat there. This saves us waiting in line for a seat and also saves us money at the same time. The food is just as good at home as it is at the restaurant.

My second tip is to never order soft drinks. Why? Soft drinks add up. One soft drink can run anywhere from $1.79 - $4.00 depending on what you’re getting. Add two people to the bill and your softdrinks alone can become $4 - $8 bucks! My advice: drink water instead. If you want some flavor, ask for a lemon or lime to squeeze into it. This saves your wallet as well as your waistline.

Now some of you might be asking about fast food places that have value meals with the drink included. I did the math, and by purchasing a value menu meal at most places you can save if you absolutely MUST have the drink. I do find that if you simply purchase a burger and fries and ask for a water cup, you’ll still save money. In fact if you just toss the fries out as well you’ll save even more money not to mention it’s probably better for your health.

In my opinion, soft drinks are priced way too high at restaurants and fast food chains. If you actually do your own shopping and buy your soft drinks on sale you can enjoy them at a much better price.

My last tip for saving money when eating out is to simply not do too much of it. In financial hard times, it’s much better to eat at home than eating out. We try our best to plan our menu for the week and do our grocery shopping according to what’s on sale. While it’s not practical for everyone to eat at home all the time, it’s probably a money saving thing if you can.