How to Save Money When Eating Out March 19, 2009

I love eating out.  Especially now that I’ve assumed more of a traditional role where I’m responsible for putting dinner on the table every night, I love the thought of not having to worry about it and making my way to a restaurant instead.  Sure, there are the times we’ve gone for broke and enjoyed every last expensive gluttonous minute of it, but there are many more times when we’ll go out and try not to do any significant damage to our savings account.  How, you ask?

• Restaurant.com:  These guys have been running regular specials on their already-discounted gift certificates recently.  Normally, you can buy $25 gift certificates for $10, but lately I’ve seen them offered for as little as $2!  Sign up for their mailing list to ensure you’re getting updates about their latest specials, or do a quick search online for promotional codes.  Once purchased, they are good for a full year – just be careful to check the terms of usage (e.g., some are only good through the week or stipulate that you must spend at least $35).  I normally find that you’re better off sticking with  the ethnic cuisines or lunch hotspots in bigger cities (the certificates available for other restaurants are usually for places that are just okay), but smaller cities have a decent selection of very good restaurants available.
• Ebay:   Another good place to look – search for your city in the category “Gift Certificates” to see if anyone is trying to unload some unwanted Christmas or birthday gifts.  Ebay is also a good source for discounted gift cards to any of the national chain restaurants.  While I don’t condone the patronage of said restaurants, I understand that there are still times when it is necessary to go these places.  Couple that with some cashback through Microsoft’s Live.com or Ebates, and you’ll save even more.
• The Entertainment Book:  Again, much better selection of good restaurants for smaller cities, and good for ethnic/lunch options in larger cities.  We normally buy our Entertainment book in January or February, once there are some really good deals to be had.  The books are typically $20-$40, depending on where you live, but you can always get some sort of additional discount by purchasing through FatWallet or another cashback site.  The books contain a wide variety of coupons in addition to food & dining options (e.g., dry cleaning, golf, theatre, movie tickets, and more).  Make sure you register your card on the website to take advantage of printable online-only discounts as well.
• Make reservations online:  OpenTable offers a rewards program for making your reservations online – search for restaurants, book your reservation, then receive 100 points once you show up at the restaurant.  For every 10 reservations, you will earn a $10 gift certificate good towards any of the participating OpenTable restaurants.  Some restaurants even offer 1,000 points (that can be cashed in for a $10 certificate) just for eating there at certain times.

Ok, so you’ve checked out the above and have found the restaurant you want to go to.  Now what?  I could give you the usual tips here about saving money by ordering a few appetizers instead of an entree, skipping the soda or alcoholic beverages, and having dessert & coffee at home, but I honestly don’t believe that the key to enjoying a meal out is pinching a few pennies.  Enjoy yourself!  Personally, I consider the main entree, the service, & the atmosphere the crux of my visit, and consider everything else (appetizer, dessert, drinks) bonuses from which I can pick and choose to enhance my experience. With that said, here are a few tips to consider while enjoying your steak au poivre.

• Consider B-ing Your Own B: Beer & wine is notoriously over-priced at restaurants – you can expect to pay anywhere from 2-4 times the actual retail value of the bottle.  Call ahead to see if the restaurant allows patrons to BYOB, and if so, what they charge for a corkage fee.  Most restaurants will be fine with you bringing your own bottle of wine, and I have even been to a few places that encourage it!  I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re dining at a very nice place (again, you will not enjoy a very expensive meal any more by saving a couple bucks), but most places won’t care if you’re supplying your own vino.
• If not, buy by the glass:  There usually isn’t a significant savings when you buy wines by the bottle versus by the glass.  Unless there’s a special wine only offered by the bottle, or you and your dining companion(s) are into the same wine to complement your meal, then buying by the glass may help you save money by not forcing you to finish the whole bottle.  Personally, my husband and I never seem to have any trouble finishing the alcohol placed in front of us, but it’s sometimes nice to be able to try a few different wines instead of committing to one type.  Buying by the glass may also earn you a healthier pour than you would have normally gotten.
• You can take it with you: Think of giant portions as a possiblity to enjoy the meal tonight for dinner, and tomorrow for lunch.  Even if you only save a little bit of food, you can always add vegetables, rice, pasta, or make it into a salad for an easy lunch the following day.  I’ve also requested that leftovers like rack of lamb or other meat on the bone be wrapped up so I can make stock out of it later.

And finally, a few things to NEVER scrimp on:

• Tipping the waitstaff: Please whatever you do, don’t make up some reason why the waiter or waitress doesn’t deserve at least 15%.  Unless they were truly terrible – which in my experience eating out happens VERY infrequently – they deserve at least 15-20%.  And, if they were terrible, speak to the manager in a polite, business-like manner and you are bound to receive better compensation than if you scream and curse.
• Doing your research beforehand: Trying a new place?  Check out the reviews first and you could save a bunch of money by avoiding a disappointing experience altogether.  I have a paid subscription to Zagat.com for restaurant reviews across the US and beyond, which has helped me decide where to go when I’m in the mood for say, eclectic Pan-Asian French in a lounge-like atmosphere.  For me it is definitely worth the annual fee because I know exactly what I will be getting for my money (plus there are always deals where you can get free access for filling out surveys or entering special promotions).  Also check out Citysearch, Yelp, and your local paper for reviews.

Man, I’m hungry now!  What other tips do you have?

How to Save Money when Shopping Online (Part 1) June 10, 2008

The time will come when you will inevitably need to buy something online.  Personally, I like online shopping.  Sometimes I’ll shop in the actual stores, then purchase the item online when I get home because I can get a better deal.  How?  Keep reading…

Note:  This is Part 1 in what will become a multi-part series.  Or not.  I don’t even know.  Onward!

Cash Back websites

The general concept behind these Cash Back websites is that they’re getting a cut of the profit from the store for referring you to that retail site, and they’re kicking a small portion of that back to you.  Before shopping at a retail site, go to the Cash Back website, click through to the store you want to shop at and do your thing.  After a few weeks, you should get some sort of confirmation that your purchase was credited, but that’s pretty much it.  It’s sort of like those “donate food to the hungry by clicking this link” websites, except that in this case the rice is a little extra change in your own pocket.  Greedy bastard, maybe just for good measure, you should click on one of those websites immediately following your own self-serving Cash Back click…

In the interest of full disclosure:  2 of the 3 links below are referral links, but they are also websites I’ve had personal success with.  If you’re happy that I’ve lit the way for you to visit these sites then sign up as my referral; if not, then I actually won’t ever know unless you tell me.

• Fat Wallet:  I’ve been a member of this program since at least 2005.  Great customer support and their payments are always timely.  No referral structure.
• Big Crumbs:  There were a lot of people who thought Big Crumbs was a scam when it first appeared.  I’ve been using it since the end of 2006 without any issues, and have found support to be very good.  Big Crumbs is definitely the best website I’ve found to get cash back on Ebay, Half.com and iTunes purchases.  Sign up as either a CrumbSaver (earn a higher percentage from your own purchases, but don’t get as much credit for referrals) or a CrumbEarner (earn a lower percentage from your own purchases, but get more credit for referrals).  You can always switch from a CS to a CE, but not the other way around.  No matter how much you’ve earned, payments are automatically sent to you via Paypal monthly, on a 2 month lag.
• Mr. Rebates:  You’ll need to accrue $25 before you can cash out.  I’ve personally cashed out once and was paid right on schedule.  Referral structure is one of the best – earn a flat rate of 20% back from each of your referral’s purchases.

One other place to check after you’ve decided what you want to purchase:  Ev’reward is a very useful website for figuring out who is offering the best deal, plus it will give you a list of other rewards you can earn (money toward college savings plans, airline miles, hotel points, etc).  I don’t mess around with the points programs (for the most part… I’ll save that for a later edition of conducting business online), and in my experience one of the above 3 Cash Back sites will usually be offering the best percent back offer.

That concludes Part 1 my friends.  You will NOT:  get rich from using these websites, be able to quit your day job from using these websites, or be able to refer to your children as “heiresses” from using these websites (that’s a good thing, truly).  You will, however, get a little bit of money back on the purchases you were going to make anyway - if you’re smart and avoid the lures of discounts on things you don’t want or other such nonsense.  Found money, woot!