Can You Eat Out And Save Money?

**Collaborative post**

We are all doing the best we can to reduce the amount we spend on nearly everything currently, with food prices through the roof in the supermarkets, gas and electricity prices crippling our bank accounts and the cost of absolutely everything rising faster than our wages, eating out may not be your number 1 priority. There are however ways you can save money and still enjoy a night out.

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Food Membership or Gift Vouchers

If you are planning on eating out then it is always worth looking online for gift vouchers to help save you money. Certain bank accounts offer discounts, as do phone contract plans. Square Meal is another way of saving money on eating out.

Discount Sites

If you don’t want to sign up for a membership but still want a deal, sites like Groupon and Wowcher are other available options. Sign up for their mailing list and you’ll get a daily email with all the latest restaurant offers local to you. One thing to note is that these sites tend to have deals more suited for couples with “dinner for two” a very popular offer – perfect for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries or just to treat yourselves – so if you’re looking to eat with the entire families or with the kids then check that the restaurant will accept multiple vouchers or provide a children’s menu before you buy.

Compare the Market also offer discounts on cinema and meals when you take out one of their policies, they offer Meerkat rewards which are available to all customers no matter what policy you take out – I have previously taken out one-day travel insurance to get this reward for the whole year.

Restaurant Offers

More often than not, you’ll actually find that restaurants themselves give the best offers. Many restaurants and pubs have different offers such as kids eat free with every full paying adult or kids eat for £1, often during the school holidays.

For adults, a lot of pubs and restaurants will have a tapas evening, pizza, curry or burger night which means on certain days of the week the price of these dishes is significantly reduced, so it’s definitely worth checking out the menu for any offers before you book. A lot of places will also have an early bird or pre-theatre menu which are a brilliant way to save money and still get a lovely meal. These will usually be a 2 or 3 course menu for a fixed price making them wonderful for birthdays and other celebrations as you can budget before you arrive.

Takeaway

Of course, eating out isn’t always the most enjoyable, or romantic option! If you’re planning a cosy date night but don’t want to get dolled up to go out, then your favourite film, a takeaway on its way and some scented candles is the perfect option. Not only is this a much more relaxing option, it will also save a lot of cash. Nowadays many takeaways offer restaurant-quality foods with a significant saving on their full-price menu and some will even offer freebies like appetisers or beer if you spend a certain amount. Or another option is to rescue food from going to waste but downloading the TooGoodToGo App and buying mystery bags.