6 Ways to Eat Out and Save

Less spending, better eating!

Dining out is a great way to take a break from cooking and the accompanying cleanup, but the price can deter many from eating out as often as they would like. Options such as drinking only water, eating out at lunch, and sharing entrees offer savings, but those ways of saving limit dining out experiences. If you don't want to be restricted when eating out, check out these six ways to eat out and save.

1. Kids Eat Free

Parents can save big when paying for only their meals, and kids eat free nights are popular at both national chain restaurants and local eateries, often on weeknights. National sites such as My Kids Eat Free allow you to see lists of deals in a specific area, or you can find lists by using search engines to explore kids eat free nights in any city or by a specific restaurant. Read the fine print because some restaurants serve one free kids meal for each adult, while others do not limit the number of free kids' meals. Those with a large family can really enjoy saving money when finding deals that allow all the kids to eat free!

2. Daily Deal Websites

Groupon, Living Social and similar sites offer many dining deals at big discounts. Scan the listings for favorite spots and places you have wanted to try. Don't buy just because it's cheap-stick to deals you will actually use. Bonus: Sometimes the deal websites offer subscribers an extra percentage off the deal price, so when you receive a discount coupon code head to the dining deals to get the biggest discount.

3. Gift Card Savings

During the winter holidays, many restaurants will offer a free gift card if purchasing a certain amount. Deals tend to be $20 free with the purchase of $100 in gift cards. This is a great time to invest in some gift cards to score the savings. Fast food restaurants sometimes do similar deals at back to school time, so stay on the lookout at the end of summer for another chance to save.

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