I’m a firm believer in spoiling yourself once in awhile and even when you’re on a budget. In fact, I think being on a budget is a lot like being on a diet. If you don’t reward yourself now and then, you’re going to reach for the chocolate cake or bag of chips. And a meal out is a nice reward once in awhile. I know lots of people have been saving money by skipping restaurant meals, but there are some ways to eat out even in a tough times.

Stick with Ethnic Restaurants
Where I live we have a good selection of ethnic restaurants, everything from Mexican, Chinese, to Indian cuisine. While the food is great, a plus is they often offer the best prices. And most of them place a coupon in one of the local papers which also saves some money. Sometimes it will be buy one meal, get one free, or 15% of the total bill. And many of these restaurants also have buffets which is another great way to eat for less.

Sign Up for Savings
Lots of restaurants now have newsletters and mailing lists you can sign up to receive. You might be thinking but I don’t need any more junk mail being sent to me, but there is a plus side. I signed up to receive a newsletter from a local Italian restaurant. Sometimes they send a coupon for $10 off, sometimes 10%, and always offer a free dessert when it’s my birthday.

Let’s Not Be Picky
If you’re not picky about when you eat sometimes you can get better deals on Mondays and Tuesdays…two of the slower days in the restaurant business. And another plus, it’s usually much quieter and more relaxing to enjoy your meal.

Boy, Those Appetizers Look Good
I don’t know about you but sometimes the appetizers on the menu sound more enticing than the entrees. Oftentimes I end up ordering them as my main meal. They’re just as filling an entrée and usually cost $3-5 less.

Think Leftovers
Yes, leftovers aren’t only for meals you eat at home. What restaurant doesn’t serve portion sizes that should really be feeding two people? So if you are going to eat out don’t just think you’re paying maybe $15 for one meal. Eat half at the restaurant and then bring the other half home for the following day’s lunch.

How About Dessert?
And how about desserts? A couple of years ago my uncle came to visit us. We wanted to treat him to some great restaurant meals but eating out every day would have been expensive. So most days we ate our main meal at home and then headed out to a restaurant for dessert.

$40 a Day
I’m not sure if this show is still on the Food Network because I don’t get to watch as much TV as I used to, but one of my favorite shows was Rachael Ray’s ‘$40 a day’, where she visited various cities with just $40 to spend on food for the day. She had two valuable tips. Be a tourist and check your local visitor’s bureau, not only for advice on great places to eat on a budget, but they sometimes have tourist brochures containing coupons.

Water Only
There’s one thing that sends me into a bad case of sticker shock in just about every restaurant these days and that’s the price of the soft drinks. Where I live they’re around $2.50. It’s obviously where the restaurant makes the bulk of its profit, so if there’s say four in a party and you all opt for water, that’s $10 you’ve already shaved off your bill.