Saying NO and meaning it
Eating out, especially if you have a hectic work schedule can become the norm in someone’s life without even realizing it. You eat out for lunch and after a hard day at work; the convenience of restaurant spending is there for the taking, yet once again. You end up spending so much money in a week, months, and a year and before you know it, you can hardly catch up with your cell phone bill because your priority to eat out comes first.
That is some twisted logic, but unfortunately, it happens all the time to some of us good folks.
Resist the temptation
That my friend is easier said than done. Restaurant spending is just like any other addiction and it should be treated as such. Addiction, you ask? Yes. You can’t seem to control yourself or your money. The more you do it, the more you’ve got to do it everyday.
So how do we combat this addiction head on? It isn’t easy quitting cold turkey. A habit formed is always hard to break, but if you at least follow these tips to minimize Restaurant spending in your life, at least you won’t be looking at your bank statement with one eye open every time you receive it!
1) Redemption of Coupons
Be good at loading up your purse with coupons, so that when you do eat out, you will save a good amount of money in redeeming them. Quite a number of restaurants offer coupons for main course and desert entrees. Be on the alert which ones do and don’t be too dedicated in selecting just one restaurant to get your food.
You can find some of these coupons at Restaurant.com or couponsherpa.com. Print them out and make use of them to avoid Restaurant spending.
2) Go easy on the drinks
Any kind of drink in a restaurant is expensive. You might find yourself with a bill that is way over the top due to the drinks you may have consumed that night. If you have to drink, look out for happy hour specials which are cheaper and do not range in the ten to twenty dollar bracket. If not, be aware of how many you buy.
When you leave the restaurant, pass by the store and grab a bottle of wine, go home and call it a night. You will have minimized your restaurant spending immensely.
3) Become a ‘social Bee’
There are some great deals floating around on social media. This may be due to people wising up remarkably about Restaurant spending. Restaurant owners are always trying to promote their businesses so they will make a drastic deal once every so often, so it is up to you to be right there when they do.
Sites like Twitter or face book are popular in having pages of restaurant food chains, therefore keep up with these pages and soon enough, you shall be saving some cash the next time you decide to go and eat out.
4) Share food with friends
Most of the time, we end up taking home half of the food that is brought on our plates. You would save some money if you went with a friend and ordered one dish and shared it. That is of course, a friend that is willing to share, ahem! It is a sure way of minimizing cost in Restaurant spending.
5) Divide the Bill equally
If you are a large group in a restaurant, there is some unlucky person that might get stuck with the bill, while others chip in to contribute for the tip. Now, it may happen once in a while, but imagine paying for a hundred dollar meal in one sitting! Oh, there goes your cable money. Let’s get real. There should be no shame suggesting in dividing the bill fair and square.
Unless you are on the Forbes list of the 20 richest people in the world, everyone should chip in equally.
Don’t forget
- Take advantage of any loyalty programs that they may have in the restaurant.
- Also, keep up with what you are consuming. If you don’t, the waiter might give you a miscalculated bill without you noticing it, and thus, end up paying for more than you ate.
6) Use Gift cards
They are great for saving and if someone gave you as a Christmas gift or employee of the month kind of award, do not throw it in your drawer and forget about it. If it is a gift card of a place you have never been, the better. Have a date with yourself and go splurge, even if it has 10 dollars in it! At least it is not coming out of your pocket and using it on Restaurant spending.