Eating out is probably one of the most social things to do with friends. Problem for a lot of us is that it is really expensive. Aside from restricting yourself by chowing down on McDonalds or KFC, what are some ways to cut down on the restaurant dining costs? Here are some of the ways I’ve managed to make dining a fiscally bearable task. * Coupons o Look at your Sunday newspaper, online, etc for coupons to various restaurants. This can be a great savings that you otherwise would not have received. o Restaurant.com is a great place to buy coupons. I suggest buying coupons during a sale (they throw sales often and you can get $25 discounts for as low as $2). The idea with these is that you get $10-$100 off a meal but you have to spend a certain amount, you have to tip a set amount (15%-18%), tip is usually added on the total of the bill BEFORE your coupon, and other various exclusions (you can not combine it with another offer). At one of my frequented restaurants, they require a $50 minimum to get $25 off. Without the coupon, and after tax and tip, the total would be about 61.12. With the coupon, the total is a mere 32.5. Each entrée costs about $9-12 so this means for this outing, I can bring about 4-5 people meaning that the split cost AFTER tax and tip would be about 7-8 per person. Not too shabby! [...]
