Lifestyle Keeping the Fun in Eating Out on a Budget 8/14/2023 | By Samuel and Phyllis Hooten Most folks find dining out to be a pleasurable experience – including letting someone else do the cooking, serving, and cleaning up. Samuel and Phyllis Hooten were especially hooked on restaurant dining, so when they found themselves having to live on less money, they discovered strategies for eating out on a budget. Growing up in in the 1960s, the Texas Restaurant Association’s emblem “Eating Out Is Fun” was on almost every restaurant’s door. Eating out was fun while busying ourselves with activity books and crayons and anticipating our kid-friendly entrée. People watching and avoiding kitchen chores rounded out the fun. Years later, sans the crayons and activity books, eating out remained fun. So much, in fact, we frequently ditched kitchen duty for sitting in a corner booth people watching while eagerly waiting dinner. However, this favorite fun outlet was threatened when we both became unemployed in rapid succession. While job loss at any age is challenging, it is more complex when retirement is anticipated within a few years. For one of us due to health reasons, and the other after submitting 76 applications with abysmal results, we decided to retire early. Although sage financial advice concerning unplanned early retirement includes stop spending, we contemplated how to alter our habits versus totally nixing dining out. Our quest began by reviewing information at personal financial and household budgeting websites. Three sites, Ramsey Solutions, The Penny Hoarder, and nerdwallet, provided insights into curbing restaurant costs and helped us start strategizing. Taking into account budget, lifestyle, and preferences, we decided to monitor our progress over a three-month period. At the end of our experiment, we saved approximately $1,200 while still enjoying meals prepared beyond the confines of our kitchen. There are several lessons we learned, helping us to continue saving. Strategies for eating out on a budget Less is more A simple saving boost is reducing the number of times eating out. Our savings increased markedly when decreasing from four to twice weekly dining out excursions. This commonly cited technique was easily implemented since we no longer had the dilemma of conjuring something up after an exhaustive, draining, and stress-filled work day. We discovered dining out less became a richer experience because of intentionally selecting dining venues based on the quality, ambiance, service, and potential savings. Incentives: You had me at 50% off There are several ways of applying incentives. One frequently cited is using coupons. This reduced our bill between $5 and $10 and quickly accumulated into covering the cost of a moderately priced meal. However, there are limitations. One is remembering to use coupons whether in electronic or paper format. Additionally, we chose forgoing this technique anytime coupon searching became too arduous. CreditDonkey provides rationale for using coupons in moderation, including limiting coupon redemption when usage lures you into a false sense of saving. This could cause overspending or feeling pressured to redeem because of an impending expiration date. Other incentives include daily specials, loyalty programs, happy hour, or early dining times. Through the loyalty program at one Mexican restaurant chain we purchased appetizers at almost $7.00 savings plus received free or half-price meal coupons. Although saving money is enticing, a pitfall is making poorer nutritional choices. At a favorite lunch spot, we selected the daily special of a barbeque sandwich, chips, and soda instead of the pricier lean meat and vegetable combination. While waddling back to our car, we pondered if the savings countered the impending feelings of bloat, lethargy, and guilt. An incentive we were slower adopting was for diners age 55 and older. Overcoming this required recognizing to a 19-year-old food service professional we look eligible for the senior discount, but is a small price to pay for 10% or more discounts. The eligibility age, applicable menu items, and discounts vary, and The SeniorList has a comprehensive list of restaurants offering senior discounts. Unwelcomed and/or overwhelming solicitation is a downside of incentives. After sharing contact information, we braced for the onslaught of text message, e-mail, or social media solicitations. Weekly we averaged 100-plus unsolicited incentive and communications. Changing settings on cell phones or other devices and/or requesting placement on the Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry (www.donotcall.gov) decreases solicitation communication. Because no method totally eliminates unsolicited contact, we recommend carefully considering to which restaurants or other types of businesses you will provide contact information. Money for nothing Although Dire Straits was not thinking about budget-friendly dining-out antics when recording “Money for Nothing” this techniques does provide saving measures. A most straightforward one is gift cards. A 2022 sales report found a 106% increase in family and 57% fine dining gift card purchases, suggesting many of us recently have received restaurant gift cards. The challenge with gift cards is remembering to redeem them. One study reports 47% of U.S. adults having at least one unused gift card, voucher, or store credit, translating to an estimated $21 billion in unspent cash. After discovering we had $260 in unused restaurant gift cards, we now review our gift card status when deciding about dining out. Checking your restaurant receipt reveals another money-for-nothing opportunity. Numerous establishments offer anything from a free drink to an entrée for completing an online dining experience survey. Typically the reward value is only $5 to $10, but it is a sufficient return on investment for a few minutes of work. This strategy negates savings if surveys are not completed or rewards redeemed within a timely manner. Your place or mine This saving strategy is about dining location and beverage options. Ordering menu items that are seamlessly divided into the current and leftover meals is frequently cited. This tactic decreases costs as well as calories while providing the anticipation of enjoying another meal with minimal prep and cleanup time. We found selecting menu items that are optimal leftover choices works best. For instance, unless chicken is reheated properly, the encore meal is disappointing. Also, requesting the dressing and croutons on the side decreases the likelihood of tomorrow’s leftover salad being a soggy mess. A Houston Press article provides a comprehensive list of the best and worse restaurant leftovers. Beverage selections inflate meal costs. On average non-alcoholic drinks costs $3 to $5, adding $48 or more to the monthly tab for two dining out twice weekly. Hence, water is our beverage of choice, for at least some meals. When desiring an adult beverage, expect to pay $5 to $15 per drink. A cost-cutting measure when wanting to imbibe is ordering take-out. This has led to mastering several fun cocktail recipes available on the Internet or in recipe books. You may uncover your hidden bartending talent with recipes for The Bob Marley Cocktail or wine sparklers. Plus, enjoying our supermarket wine at half the cost of restaurant prices is worth toasting. And the cherry on top Upon completing our experiment, we realized the value far exceeds the estimated $1,200 in savings. The proverbial cherry on top is feeling empowered and in control, both of which can be in short supply after job loss. We learned the oft-cited advice to control costs need not become a difficult or dreaded task. Instead, with a little research and ingenuity, dining out is still fun. In fact, buoyed by the amount of savings, we promptly scheduled a trip overspending on airfare and hotel. But oh well, discovering savvy ways for travel savings will become our next experiment. Read More Samuel and Phyllis Hooten Samuel and Phyllis Hooten live in Central Texas with their three rescue dogs. In addition to eating out, they also have fun volunteering with several community organizations.