Even though we're trying to live a frugal lifestyle, we sometimes want to treat ourselves and our loved ones to a nice meal in a restaurant. We set a budget for this particular dine-out moment and plan ahead to avoid unpleasant surprises when it comes to finances. When planning for a family meal treat, we even map out our plans on where to eat the main meals an where to eat the dessert to get the most value for our money. At least that's what we do. I also noticed that many restaurants have lower-priced meals during lunch. This is one way to save on restaurant meals - dine out during lunch instead of dinner. What's your best money-saving tip for dining in restaurants?
You can always Google search and try download a menu before going to these sort of places. I think the average American couple/family spends about $40 when eating out. Sometimes ordering a takeout and watching a DVD at home can be better than eating out. If things are really that bad that you cannot afford to eat out once in a while you need to look at your monthly outgoings and start cancelling services/cutting back on spending. The once in a blue moon trip to a restaurant isn't that problem, it is having two contract phones or every cable channel under the sun + 3 credit cards that is eating up all your money.
