irst, let's look at eating out. The prices are the same, so why does it often cost more to eat out on a weekend? Put simply, because you are prone to order more than you would mid-week. This happens for a few reasons. One might be that you have to wait for a long time before you are seated because the restaurant is so busy. If you went out to dinner hungry, and then had to wait for 45 minutes to be seated, you might be ravenous by the time you get to your table. So, you look at the menu, and instead of ordering conservatively, you over order, and order everything that sounds good. The second reason you may spend more is simply because it usually takes the restaurant kitchen longer to get food out to you on a weekend, and so you are more likely to order an appetizer to tide you over until your food can come out. This can raise your bill by a nice percentage. So, going out mid week means you wait less, get your food faster, and usually spend less.

Second, let's look at forms of entertainment. Because seeing a show, a play, a concert, or some other form of entertainment on a weekend is far more popular than doing so during the week, it costs more. Many people can't or don't go out during the week, and theaters, etc. capitalize on this by increasing their prices on weekends when they do the most volume. If you go to a movie, for example, on a weekend you will pay a couple of dollars more per ticket than you typically would during the week. If you make a habit of this, that is over $100 a year that you could be putting in your cash reserve, and instead you are spending to see the same movie you could be seeing for less. Movie theaters are not the only places that hike up the prices for the weekend shows. Live plays, concerts, comedy routines, etc. all do the same, where you pay about 20% less during the week then you will for the same show on the weekend.

Third, let's look at the mental side. More people go out on weekends, and thus it is easier to spend more, and feel normal. You aren't the only ones out to dinner, to a movie, or at a bowling alley. You waited in a long line, you sat in a waiting area for an hour, you had to fight for the seats you got, etc. so, you revel in it, you bowl a few extra rounds because you have the lane, aren't waiting for it. You order dessert too because you are out with friends, and it looks yummy. You order concessions because you might want something during the movie and the theater is packed. For some reason, when you are out in a bigger crowd you tend to spend more. So, go out when it is less crowded, and save time and money!