How To Save Money Dining Out
A friend sent out a dinner invitation the other day for my circle of friends to all get together over a night-time bite to eat - something we hadn’t done in a while.
The friend who sent out the invitation had a craving for a particular meal at a particular restaurant in New Farm and wanted us to all come along. As it turned out she (and another friend) both had news of their own: the were both newly pregnant. But I digress.
My first thought was about how much it was going to cost. Even before I was saving money, somehow as soon as anyone would mention going out to dinner my first thought was always ‘how much is this going to cost me?’ I guess I don’t like paying good money just for food. But I do like the company of my friends so I was keen on going.
It did get me thinking though on how to go out to dinner and not spend too much. So here are a few tips to keep your spending in check when heading out to dinner:
- Do Your Research: Have a look on the internet for the menu of the restaurant your are dining at to get an idea of the general prices of their dishes. If you can’t find anything on the internet, give them a call instead.
- Don’t Over-Order: Order only a main meal. Don’t be tempted by entrees or breads. The majority of restaurants these days dish up large servings and this is usually more than enough for one person.
- Just Drink Water: Almost all restaurants will give you fresh water for free throughout the meal, and drinks at restaurants are usually badly over-priced. Even places that are BYO will charge you corkage and you still have to buy the drinks beforehand.
- Think About What You Want To Spend: Work out how much the meal will cost you before you go and only take that much money with you. This will stop you from being tempted to order more than what you originally planned.
- Leave The Car At Home: See if you can catch public transport to the restaurant or get a lift with a friend. This will save you on petrol and/or parking.
I followed all the rules above and the whole night only cost me $14.00. I had a great conversation, caught up with friends and had a great time - and did it all on the cheap! Just by preparing and following a few simple rules.
Image credit: Zesmerelda
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[...] two of my posts for this site include ways to save money on food. Both posts - How To Save Money When Dining Out and Looking For Ways To Save - showed easy ways in which you can save when eating away from [...]