Do you dine out often?  Is it killing your budget?  Trust me, I get it. I used to spend hundreds of dollars every single month going out to eat with my husband and kids.  HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS PER MONTH. That’s just ridiculous. It is one of the things I am most ashamed of in my financial journey.  I imagine all of the places that money could have gone instead. 

Restaurants can be an absolute killer on our budgets if we aren’t careful. That’s why I decided to create this list of easy ways to save on dining out.

Easy Ways to Save on Dining Out

Use Groupon.  I know I talk about it a lot, but Groupon is an excellent way to save money on dining out.  You can save up to 50% just by buying a Groupon Restaurant deal. Another great thing about using Groupon to save on dining out is that you are more likely to try new restaurants this way!  I know that I have found some awesome new restaurants and places to go thanks to Groupon deals.

Value menus. If you are swinging through a fast food restaurant, be sure to force yourself to only order off the value menu.  My family and I rarely eat at fast food restaurants, but when we do, I only order from the value menu. My husband, however, does not.  Let’s take our most recent trip to Carls Jr., for instance. His meal was $10.89, while mine was $5.  

Go at happy hour.  If you are going for a sit down meal, check out your local restaurants and call around to find out which of them offers happy hour pricing.  Sure you may be eating just a little early, or maybe a little late, but it is well worth it when you see how much money you can save this way.  

Skip the drinks. Seriously, drinks add so much money to the cost of your meal.  Just drink water and enjoy drinks at home.