Individuals, couples and families enjoy dining out from time to time to enjoy different
food and also the different atmospheres that restaurants have to offer. People would probably dine out a lot more if it weren't so expensive. It is much cheaper to prepare meals from home but it's also great to get a break from time to time.
Dine out frequently at places that offer some kind of membership card or other perks. Some places will have membership cards that will allow you to earn points or free items once you accumulate enough you can trade the points in for food items.
If you have a credit card that offers rewards or cash back at certain restaurants be sure to use it every time you dine out. While it may not seem like much at first you'd be surprised how much money you can save by using a credit card that offers rewards.
To save money on the actual meals consider sharing a meal with another person. The serving sizes at most restaurants is huge and usually plenty of food for two people. This way you won't have to worry about taking home leftovers and trying to eat them reheated. They just don't ever taste as good as they did when the food was fresh.
If you can order from the children's menu that would also be a good option. Their meals are always cheaper but some places don't have a children's menu or may not allow you to order from it but it's always worth a try if it can save you a few bucks.
Another way to save money on dining is to watch out for coupons in your local paper. Each week you're likely to find coupons for at least one restaurant. If you aren't noticing any real good coupons you could also check online. The restaurant's website may offer special deals and printable coupons that you can bring with you when dining out.
If the restaurants you visit have some sort of e-club or e-newsletter to sign up for you can get some really great savings this way that other people won't have access to. They'll periodically send out special offers only to their current subscribers.
Saving money while dining out really is pretty easy especially if you have restaurants nearby that offer memberships, reward cards, coupons and/or newsletters. And don't forget that you can cut the cost of any dinner in half by sharing a meal with another person.