How to cut costs when eating out
The following are some great tips for how to cut costs when eating out:
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- Eat at places without servers. Eating out is a real joy, and you should not have to eliminate it from your life in order to save money, but you can find places that are less expensive to eat at, and still give you a high food quality, and enjoyable experience. One of the biggest costs of eating out is the service fee you pay. Paying for service can get really pricey, but rather than stiff your server, which would be unkind, why not try eating at a place without servers. There are several new restaurants opening that serve an extensive menu, and foods that are higher quality than fast food, but that are not delivered to your table by servers. The casual dining scene is starting to change, and this is going to really help you save. So, when you go out to eat, go out to a place where you are not going to have to pay 15% or more in a tip. Just eating somewhere where you get your own food, and still sit down to eat can cut the cost of eating out by 15-20%. You can take that and put it right in your cash reserve.
So, instead of eating at a Chili's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, etc. choose something more along the lines of a Cafe Rio, Paradise Cafe, Zupas, etc. Where you wait in line, order your food, carry it to your table yourself, and get your own fountain drinks. The price per meal will likely be similar, but by eliminating a service charge you just freed up $2-3 a person to put in your cash reserve. If you eat out regularly, this can translate into a nice size chunk to put in a cash reserve.
- Don't order beverages. Drinks are one of the most expensive items on the menu at a restaurant. Not because their cost is high, but because their relative cost is high. A hamburger at Chili's, for example, might run you $8-$9. You could go to the store and buy all of the ingredients and make it yourself, probably for about half the price. A soda, however, costs you usually $2-$3, and to go to the store and get the same amount, you could pay closer to $.50. The same holds true for many alcoholic beverages, specialty drinks, etc. So, if you want to cut your costs when eating out, drink at home, and order water at the restaurant. You can then, happily put the $2-$3, plus the 20% tip you would have paid for that soda as well, into your cash reserve. A little here, a little there, and it adds up quickly.
- Eat at lunch, not dinner. The prices on the lunch menu versus the dinner menu are often extremely different, and the portions, and food quality are typically not much different at all. A lunch portion may be slightly smaller, but cost 20% less than the dinner portion. You can still get the satisfaction and enjoyment of eating out, and the food that enticed you to do so, but save 20% on your bill. That 20% can be put directly into your cash reserve.
