We enjoy eating in restaurants, but don’t like the prices. Therefore, we have a few methods that take the sting out of the bill.

1. We take advantage of restaurant specials and coupons. I know we’re not the only ones who do this, since most of the diners around us at Red Lobster the other night were ordering the Four Course Seafood Feast (for $14.99) and reminding the waiter about their coupon as they were paying the bill.
2. We often take half of our entrée home. Restaurant meals usually come with HUGE portions. At Red Lobster we asked for boxes as our entrées arrived. Before taking our first bites, we placed half in the boxes for a second meal the next day.
3. We split meals. At one local restaurant, their bacon cheeseburger and fries combo with salad is more than enough for the two of us. If we’re extra hungry, we’ll split a chocolate milkshake, as well.
4. We order off the appetizer menu. Our local Mexican restaurant has an appetizer platter for about $11. It contains all of our favorites, but no rice or beans. Perfect! There’s more than enough food for both of us, and we usually take some home.
5. We order one entrée and one appetizer, salad, or soup. I’m not a big eater so many times just a little something off the side menu is fine for me. The husband usually doesn’t mind if I steal a few bites off his plate.

For special occasions, we throw caution to the wind and go someplace crazy expensive like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and we deserve it. However, for the times we dine out for convenience our money saving methods keep the bill reasonable and our digestive systems happy.