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Something people frequently don't think about is the hot food cafeteria that many grocery stores have. Frequently you can get a good meal for a reasonable price there.
I just did this while traveling on vacation. I had dinners out at some ethnic restaurants we don't have in the town where I currently live, but I purchased some nice salad bar salads, fruits, and warm foods at the nearby grocery and food co-op and had some great quick meals for just a few dollars.
I usually leave 20% and round up, but I very rarley eat at table-service restaurants.
I rarely eat out.
What I do is sometimes when im out cycling or walking/hiking, I will stop at McDonalds or Subway, sometimes White Castle (when im in Louisville or Cincy...we dont have WC here in Dayton) and order a coffee with either a cookie or two, or a hot apple pie (at Mcdonalds)...but I will also bring a banana & orange with me. So I supplement a fairly cheap "snack" with something more substantial.
Sort of a comfort food thing.
Otherwise I usually get a soup/salad or soup/sandwhich thing, and try to eat off the lunch menue (time eating out for lunch).
I also look for cheap places and menu items that sort of have built-in sides....like chicken and rice, which is one thing, but then you can order a side. So you really get two sides. The rice and the other side.
And,for sandwich and sub shops (and places like Chipolte), I will cut the sandwich or burrito in half and eat the other half (plus a homemade salad) at home the next day, as a lunch or dinner thing. So I stretch the going-out bill to two meals.
A lot of this is driven by portion control and keeping weight off...but the side benefit is cheaper eating-out costs.
With 3 kids, i look for places that have a 'kids eat free on such and such day after such and such time'.
Kids eat free at IHop on Tuesday, i think.
Kids eat free at Steak and Shake on weekends.
Also, unless the kids get a kids meal that comes with a drink, they must order water.. i order water almost 99% of the time and of course my wife counters that with a beer or wine..
We are a family of 8 (6 kids and 2 adults) and my DH and I order off kids' or Senior Citizen's menus (even though we are 35 YO)! Half the fat, half the size, and half the price is a "win win" situation.
A lot of restaurants (i.e. Outback Steakhouse) allows patrons to order off kid menus, etc. We do this all the time. Also, use coupons at curbside pickups (I have been using the Outback $5/off 2 entrees and ordering kid meals and eating for about $7 or so). I usually will order a side house salad for one kids meal and order another kids meal with a different side. Total cost with $5/off coupon discount under $8 or so.
"Early bird" discounts before 4 p.m., ordering appetizers, splitting meals, etc. is one way to save when eating out. Coupon deals too help. Sign up for chain or local restaurants e-club discounts for birthdays/anniversaries for "Free" desserts, meals, etc. For example, Arby's, Logan's, etc. all have "Birthday Club" discount programs.
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If you know of a good supermarket deli, please share. I live in Vancouver, WA.
I can't remember ever eating in Vancouver WA. If you make it to Central Oregon, the market in Terrebonne sells really good fried chicken and excellent sliced meats and cheese. Their bakery stuff is decent, too.
Safeway in Redmond does good fried chicken, decent salads, and hot dishes like sweet and sour pork. Albertson's in the North end of Bend does a good fried chicken and an excellent polish sausage in barbecue sauce.
Winco in Salem and Corvallis, everything in the hot deli is good. They do a baked chicken as well as the fried. Good JoJos. I didn't like the Winco in Gresham.
There is a convenience store in Philomath that does excellent fried chicken gizzards and enchiladas.
Costco is the big winner for cheap and really good. Their packaged deli stuff is top notch, bakery stuff is excellent, their hot food lunch counter is good and very cheap. They are always crowded, but the lines move fast.
There is a Mexican market in Madras that used to do world class tamales. I hope they are still there, I have not been there for several years (Marta's Market). Our delicious Mexican food at a supermarket in Redmond was lost when the market closed down.
There is a gas station in Bend that does excellent enchiladas, but only one day a week. It was a Exxon, but the name has changed. I don't remember what day of the week or the name of the station. It's across the street from the Burger King at the north end of third street.
The first place restaurants jack up their prices is on their wine list. If you like wine when you dine out, it's so much cheaper to go to a BYO. My friend and I sometimes go to a pizza place in a highway shopping center in the area that has a good-sized dining area in the back. A level or two nicer than just the tables and chairs at most pizza places. Food is as good as you find in fancier Italian restaurants and we pick up a bottle of wine at the liquor store in the same shopping center. And I always have leftovers. Of the food, not the wine.
With 3 kids, i look for places that have a 'kids eat free on such and such day after such and such time'.
With no kids, we avoid those places at all costs
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801
The first place restaurants jack up their prices is on their wine list.
One of the things we really like about one of our favorite restaurants at home is that the markup on their wines is on a sliding scale - the more expensive the bottle is to begin with, the less the markup.
Lots of places have 'buy 9 or 10, get one free' punch cards- my neighborhood sushi resto has its lunch club, a local big McDonalds franchise operator has one for buy 10 combos, get one free, overpriced frozen yogurt place has one, as does the Little Ceasar's in the same strip mall.
Sometimes you just have to ask if they've got one.
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The servers have to eat too.
Half the fat, half the size, and half the price is a "win win" situation.
What are your frugal ways to eat out? 
