THRIFTY POLLS RESULT – WE EAT OUT!!

The results are in for our second Thrifty Poll (just a refresher, we asked you how many times you eat out a month)!  Not only that, but we tripled the number of total responses – Go Team!!  So what were the results?  We actually had a tie between those that eat out ‘6+ times a month’ and those that eat out ‘1-2 times a month’.  But, if my statistics class reminds me (those five days I could stay awake!!), then those two less votes for the ‘4-5 times a month’ category were merely noise and we essentially had a tie amongst those three.  Some of you exude true discipline by eating out only on special occasions (we salute you and know that’s the best way to “save money” by eating out).   And yes, the category ‘Does fast food count’ was more fun and truly invalidated the results – why we will never be asked to develop a Gallup poll.

But, at the end of the day I think the winner is…….Yes, we all eat out!

So, we thought it would be worth it to put some of our tips we use while eating out.  We want to hear some of your deals too!!  Please leave a comment and let us know some of your favorite tips!

Tip #1 – Coupons!!  (Go figure!!)

You knew we had to start with an easy one!!  However, many coupon sources may not be as obvious as it may appear.  But we’ll get to that.

First, we love our Entertainment coupon book!!  We buy 1-2 of these every year!  They are specific for your area and contain many coupons for your local coffee shops, have BOGO coupons for many restaurants, and many different coupon values for entertainment and events galore!  What’s specific here, however is their amazing coupons for different restaurants!  We love the fact that some restaurants that we may never have tried (e.g., I’m thinking of a nice little Italian hole-in-the-wall that has the most amazing Chicken Marsala and best Caesar salad I’ve ever had!!) had placed a BOGO FREE coupon in last and this year’s coupon books!!  If we had never had this BOGO coupon we probably would have never fallen in love with this place!!  Check the Entertainment book out…for us the value is truly worth it!

Second, local advertisers and coupon books will also have great deals, not to mention any coupons you might receive in the mail.  Have an extra file next to your coupon organizer(s) which contain all restaurant coupons.  That way as they come in the mail you can just toss them in and not even think about it.

Third, sign up on-line for their clubs and newsletters!  Very often when you sign up you’ll get a good high-value welcome coupon for a FREE appetizer, FREE dessert, and even sometimes a FREE entree.  One catch, however, is that you need to pre-plan.  We’ve found that restaurants may not send you the coupon for a few hours, so signing up the day you plan to eat out may not work.  We don’t know, but suspect this is to keep someone from signing up just to get a coupon for that night.

Fourth, call the restaurant and ask them if they have an promotions, deals, or know of any coupons available in the local newspapers/advertisers.  We’ve found both employees and managers to be equally helpful in pointing out which newspaper or ad has their coupon.  This is a great way to also learn how that specific restaurant advertises so you’ll have a better idea for next time!!

Now save 60% off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Cert. orders and receive a $15 FTD® Floral Reward. Use code BLOOM and Pay $4 thru 2/8/10.

Fifth, buy discounted gift cards and gift certificates!  We love Restaurant.com as they offer amazing deals on gift certificates.  Please note, however, that although you have a $25 gift certificate, there are usually terms and conditions that you must follow (e.g., $25 off when you buy $35 or more for one of our favorite restaurants).  We still love it as we can usually buy the certificates for $2-3.  Do the math….$25 off your bill and you spent $2….not bad!!

Last (and we know there are a ton more – but these are our favorites), check with your employer.  Just a few weeks ago I picked up a 20% off our total bill coupon from one of our favorites restaurants.  Sometimes restaurants are just trying to get the word out and drop off card/coupons to businesses as they are trying to be a preferred choice for hosting luncheons or just trying to get your company’s share of the lunch crowd.

Tip #2 – Restaurant Specials

As we said above, call ahead to find out if the restaurant is having a special.  Often there are limited time offers (e.g., 2 for $20 specials), free appetizers, etc that might appeal to you!

But, if you are looking to take the family out, we’re finding that restaurants that appeal to families are amazing!!  We’ll try to post more of these as we find them, but we love the Denny’s Kids Eat Free nights!!  Some Denny’s only have one night (Tuesday) while others offer up to two nights (Tuesday and Saturday).  The great thing about Denny’s is that each adult entree will get two kids meals for FREE.  And, if your child wants the hamburger (which is just a slider), you can get an additional slider for FREE as well!

There are a large number of restaurants that offer kids eat free or cheap (e.g., Denny’s, Fuddruckers, IHOP to name a few).  Leave us a comment to let us know some of your favorites!

Tip #3 – Order water / Order out and enjoy your beverages / sides at home

Depending on how often you eat out, you might answer this differently.  Say you eat out as a special treat – you might want to order a drink as it is a time to relax or celebrate!  However, some/many of you wrote that you eat out more often.  When you add up a number of $1.99 sodas (or A LOT more for alcohol) you’ll find that much of your bill is going to those items.  We’ve found that either getting water or taking our meal home (for a date night in!) has helped us save a lot of money on our eating out!  Its up to you, but when you do the math on your total drink bill (say for a year – ACK!), getting the FREE option isn’t a bad choice. 

Tip #4 – Split an adult entree or dinner between kids or a couple

We’re really starting to find that kid’s meals are a very expensive part of a meal (yes, you more experienced parents may chuckle!).  However, we are finding that often buying an adult entree and getting a couple of extra plates can prove to be another money saver.  For example, we just went out to Red Robin, a burger chain; we found the kid’s meals were close to $5 whereas the adult burgers were just a couple of dollars more!  Not only that, but the portions of the adult entrees were significantly larger as well!  Well, we divided between our kids and sure enough, came up with a cheaper night on the town with the family!

Well, the same can go for us adults as well!  Thrifty Cas and I sometimes will split a dinner and add a salad to get a very satisfying meal.  As the dinner portions are generally larger in portion sizes (think of the doggy bags you usually take home), we’ve found one to be just the right size for us both.

Tip #6 – Check our blog as we will continue to be searching for these deals (and looking for your help too!!)

Finally, keep checking back here.  One of the reasons we started this blog is because we were already doing much of the legwork and wanted to share our findings with others like you!  We’ll keep searching for those amazing deals that we love and hope you will share what you find as well!  Together we will make eating out as painless and CHEAP as we possibly can!

Bon Appetit!!