20 Effective Ways To Reduce Your Dining Out Budget

Whether you choose carry out, delivery, or dine in; dining out is an area that most people can cut costs.

You can do this with no noticeable difference too.

I wrote a post about saving money on groceries.

I also wrote a post about how brown bagging your lunch could save you thousands a year.

Now, I want to help you drastically cut your dining out budget.

The average American spends $300 per month on eating out.

I don’t spend that.

You don’t have to either.

I eat out a lot to be a personal finance blogger too.

I am a foodie.

In all honesty, watching people, I suspect many people spend more than that though.

After housing and transportation, food is a big expense.

If you were able to save on dining out, you would have some nice spare change.

If you spend anywhere near the average of $300, and you cut that by a third, you would have an extra $100 per month.

Remember, put any extra saving to specific goals.

If you save money in any area and don’t set it aside, you won’t see all your hard work.

I think a savings account with all the extra money you have saved is great.

I have been watching my money grow.

It feels good.

You can also put it towards your other financial goals.

I think you can cut your dining out spending without any noticeable difference again.

Here are twenty ways to do so.

20 Effective Ways To Save On Dining Out

1. Buy discounted gift cards

Discounted gift cards such as on Raise.com can save you 20-30% on your favorite restaurants.

That is a good deal.

Most of the time, you will need to buy a $50 gift card or above on these sites to get the biggest savings.

This also saves you from wasting time on small denominations.

2. Drink water

I never pay for non-alcoholic beverages at restaurants.

This is just a waste of money.

I just drink plain H2O.

Water is not only healthier for you, it also saves you money.

3. Look for coupons in the Sunday paper or other places

Wherever you can find a coupon, grab it.

These coupons can be great savings.

My mom somehow gets some great restaurant coupons through the mail.

Sometimes, places have coupon booklets.

The IHOP website has a coupon for 20% off with code: IHOP20.

4. Join restaurant loyalty program

I joined the Chipotle Rewards program a year ago.

Basically, after every $120, you get a free $8-$10 entree.

The average person probably spends $10 each time they eat at Chipotle, so after 12 visits you would get a free $8 entree.

That is not bad.

Most restaurants have a loyalty program.

These programs are only good for restaurants you frequent.

5. Get the lunch special

I eat a lot of lunch specials.

For instance, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants is $10 for lunch but $15 for dinner.

The lunch special usually ends around 4 p.m.

So, you can have a late lunch or almost early dinner.

Some restaurants will even let you order a lunch plate at dinner.

6. Go for kids eat free

Many restaurants have a kids eat free deal.

This can save a bunch if you have kids.

7. Buy an appetizer

Appetizers are cheaper than entrees.

I find that the food is the right portion too.

8. Have a budget

Like everything else, you should have a budget for dining out.

Once you have reached your budget, you should either stop or reevaluate.

9. Pay attention to time sensitive deals

Sometimes, restaurants will have deals that require completion during a certain time period.

These can be really good.

10. Skip dessert

I rarely order dessert.

Dessert can be as much as some meals in some places.

Unless it is something very special or rare, skip the dessert.

11. Follow your favorite restaurants on social media or by texts

I followed Subway via texts.

Every now and then, I get a footlong sandwich for the price of a 6 inch.

Follow your favorite restaurants on social media.

A lot of them will offer great deals.

12. Join Open Table

Join Open Table, an online reservation service.

You earn 100 points per reservation.

When you get 2,000 points, you can redeem for $20 check.

13. Check out online deal sites

The two most popular are Groupon and Living Social.

You can also check out restaurant.com.

14. Use A Reward Credit Card

If you have a good credit score and will pay your balance in full each month; you should use a reward credit card like the American Express Gold Card for dining out.

You should do this not only for dining out, but groceries, gas, travel, and any other categories that can be put on a credit card.

Again, that is if you pay your balance in full each month (i.e. have the cash for it).

The average person spends $300 eating out.

Why should you not get some of that money back?

The average restaurant dining out credit card will pay between 1-4%.

15. View eating out as a special occasion

Eat most of your meals at home and enjoy eating out as a special occasion.

Special occasion could be different for each person.

For me, it is usually once a week.

There are 21 meals in a week, so it could be different for each person.

There are people who eat all three meals out.

This is a lot of money when something like breakfast can be a simple bowl of oatmeal.

If you make the bulk of your meals at home, I think you will enjoy dining out more too.

16. Use promo codes for delivery or split a delivery order

Delivery is not something that has to be expensive.

Every week, we post several promo codes on Twitter.

If you are new to DoorDash or Uber Eats, they will usually give you a discount on your first order or money back through something like Swagbucks.

17. Get appetizers half off at chain restaurants during happy hour

Big chain restaurants like Applebees or the Cheesecake Factory have half priced appetizers during happy hour.

At Applebees, I have enjoyed $5 boneless wings and quesadillas.

Check to see if your favorite chain has a happy hour.

It is usually from 3-6 p.m.

18. Meal plan

If you do not meal plan, you will be pulling up to the drive thru or picking up takeout.

Your meal plan does not have to be extensive.

You just need to have an idea of what you will eat each day.

19. Cook more or learn to cook new favorites

I will be honest.

I did not always know how to cook.

This would cost me a lot of money, so I learned to cook.

The more you learn to cook, the more you will save money.

Something as simple as brown rice can be easily prepared at home.

Watch YouTube.

If most people knew how to cook their favorite meals, and they tasted great; who would be spending as much on dining out?

20. Cut your dining out budget

I had to add this one.

This should be emphasized.

Your dining out budget can be cut.

Again, the average person spends $300 per month eating out.

I suspect many people spend more again.

Along with an earlier point, not only should your normal meals not require eating out, you can cut your budget.

Many people eat out to eat at all.

You will need to change that.

If you spend anywhere near the average $300, and you cut half your spending, you would have an extra $150 per month again.

I am a Foodie.

I love food.

I even have a home chef hobby.

If this applies to you, I can understand.

I will be honest, years ago, my dining out spending was a large number.

I was probably the average person.

That is a large number to me today.

In the present, eating out can cost me as little as $50 per month.

How on earth do I manage that?

First, unless the restaurant is the same price for dinner, I only eat during the lunch special.

Most lunch specials end at 4 p.m.

I like around 3 p.m. (or did before the pandemic).

Most restaurants are empty at this time, and it can be like an early dinner.

Restaurants where I live are generally $10 for lunch.

After taxes and tips, this comes to around $13.

I just make this point because I have spent $300-$500 on eating out.

I eat out once a week.

For a personal finance blogger, that is actually a lot.

So, you can cut your dining out expense and have a couple hundred extra a month.

I think the key again is that you never eat out to have to eat at all again.

This will require cooking and meal prepping again.

I know people who don’t have time to prepare breakfast, which is probably the easiest meal.

A bowl of oatmeal is all that is needed.

So, this may require improving your cooking skills again.

A lot of meals I used to buy, I learned to make myself at home.

I learned to make healthier versions of these foods.

For instance, I learned how to make baked Sesame Chicken and vegetable fried rice.

I also have a health and wellness business, so part of this was for healthy living reasons.

My health and wellness business has saved me money.

Stores like Trader Joe and Whole Food have frozen vegetables, frozen chicken breasts, frozen quinoa, etc.

A healthy meal consists of a lean protein like chicken, a whole grain, and half your plate fruits/vegetables (ChooseMyPlate.gov).

So, you can learn to prepare meals you enjoy at home.

I did not always even know how to cook, so you can learn too.

The Great Courses even offers a great cooking class.

They have a free trial for two weeks, which is all you need to finish the course here.

So, don’t overlook cutting your dining out budget.

Like I said, I still enjoy restaurants once or more a week.

I think that is the second key to success again.

Pick an amount of times you will dine out each week.

If you spend $300 eating out now (the average), even if you cut it to $200 per month, you would have an extra $100 per month.

Summary

Most people love to eat out, and they spend a lot on it.

Some people spend more on dining out than groceries.

That is a big number.

I am a Foodie again.

I love food.

While I cook most meals, I still love to dine out.

Why spend more on dining out than you have to?

Use these tips to save money and put money back in your pocket.

Have you tried any of these?