Long ago, people rarely ate out.  Mom would cook almost every meal at home.  When they did eat out it was exciting and special.  Times changed and eating out became an almost everyday happening.  Times have changed again and we may have to revert to the old ways because dining out has gotten so expensive.

But, why should you?  You work hard. You and your family deserve to eat out if that’s what you enjoy.  Some read a menu from right to left checking prices first and then scan back to the left to see what it is.  There are other ways to dine out and stay within your budget.

Select a restaurant you can afford.  You may have eaten in restaurants where you feel the owner must be laughing at you for paying his exorbitant prices.  You can get just as full in a reasonably priced café on quality food with friendly service.  If you’re a big eater, an all you can eat buffet may be right for you.  And, you can save on tipping.

Some restaurants offer specials on certain days and discounts for eating early.  Do your homework by reading their ads or give them a call.  If you’re a senior citizen they may have senior specials that offer smaller portions for a smaller price.

If you’re eating with no children in tow, try the happy hour lounge specials.  For the price of a drink you can usually sample the heavy hors d’oeuvres.   If you do have kids, some places have kids eat free nights.

For the two of you just order one dinner and perhaps an appetizer and share.  Portions can be too large anyway.  Most restaurants these days are happy to have your business and will be glad to bring you an extra plate at no charge.  If you have leftovers take it home and eat it later getting two meals for the price of one.

Scan the newspaper and other ads for discount coupons but read the fine print and make sure it’s a bargain and not a come-on.  Buying an Entertainment Book that usually offers buy one get one free can be real savings for the whole year.

Practice skipping when dining out.  Yeah, that would be good exercise but try skipping a drink such as iced tea or soda and skipping dessert.  Drinks can add more than four dollars to the check for just two people.

Order water instead and freshen it up with lemon and maybe a little sugar.  Pick up a half gallon of ice cream on the way home for dessert the rest of the week. Fast food fare can be cheaper and if you’re careful it can also be healthy.  Most fast food chains now offer salads and soups.  For dessert try a container of fruit instead of fat-laden sweets.

Don’t forget to check your receipt.  Some offer free meals or a reward if you take a survey about your dining out experience.  Your experience should be fun and affordable.  With a little planning and restraint dining out can always be special.

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We all have to eat, regardless of what the financial situation happens to be.  When trying to reduce the amount of money you spend, you don’t have to sacrifice a lot in order to save money.  Below are a few ways you can save at the grocery store.

Before you leave the house check your pantry and do a swift inventory so that you can see precisely what you need. Also, if you have some odd ingredient hanging out in the cupboard, you can purchase something to go with it while you are out.

Check weekly supermarket ads to see exactly what’s on sale. Combine that information with what is already in your cupboard, and you should be able to come up with some recipes for the week that integrate both.

When you see something on sale that you often buy, buy it. When you buy things that you would buy anyway on sale, you’re saving yourself plenty of cash in the future.

Do your best to avoid making small purchases at places such as convenience stores. These smaller stores usually charge more when it comes to their grocery goods.

When you make a grocery list, stick to it. Do your best to avoid impulse buys.

Red meat can be very pricey. If you’re looking for ways to get your protein without spending a whole lot, your best bet is to go for poultry, tuna, peanut butter, and eggs as an alternative.

When buying poultry, go for the whole chicken instead of breast meat. They are a much cheaper way of getting chicken.

When you see something advertised as a sale, be sure that it is in fact a deal. Compare the product to comparable products in the area to decide whether or not you’ll be saving money by buying the sale item.

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Have you taken the time to figure out how much you spend a month on groceries? It’s enough to make you want to stop eating… well almost. But there are ways to chop away at your grocery spending without starving yourself.

Check the newspaper ads and plan your meal around the loss leaders. Those are the items the grocery store puts at a good sale price to get you to come in. They’re willing to take a hit on those items to get you to the store because they know you’ll end up buying other products.

Plan your meals out for the week. This tip is huge. If you plan your meals, your trip to the grocery store has a purpose. Your plan should also include how to repurpose your leftovers so there’s no wasted food. Leftover meat and veggies? Add a liquid and you’ve got soup, or add a sauce and serve over pasta.

Come in with a list and go directly to where those items are located. If you walk up and down every isle, you’re going to throw more things in your cart.

You might have heard “Never go shopping when you’re hungry” and it’s true. If you’re hungry and looking for food for dinner, you’ll actually pick out more things for dinner than you can actually eat, and it’s a good possibility that they’re not low-priced sensible products.

Buy in bulk. Bulk food is usually cheaper, but not always. Compare the price per ounce or pound and decide which is the better deal. If you feel you can’t use up all the bulk product before it spoils or you have storage issues, then split it with a friend or neighbor.

Buy fresh, not canned, and prepare meals from scratch. Pre-prepared foods are more expensive than buying fresh ingredients and cooking a meal. Plus canned food has extra ingredients on the labels, including excessive sodium that may not be good for your body. This is not an all or nothing proposition. Increase the number of scratch meals as you can.

Compare prices between stores. Chances are you have more than one grocery store near you, and that’s great because you can compare prices. If you’re real serious about your budget and wanting to lower what you pay for food then take a small notebook into both stores and write down the prices of the food you’d buy over a month’s span. At the very least, check the prices of the items you buy regularly and compare.

Coupons can be your best friends if you go about using them the right way. Do not cut out a coupon for something you wouldn’t be buying if you didn’t have the coupon. Some people end up spending more money when using coupons because they’re actually buying more stuff.

Use your freezer. If you bought hamburger in bulk and jarred spaghetti sauce on sale, you can make up a big batch of spaghetti sauce and freeze it in separate meal-size portions. That way nothing gets wasted, and you’ve probably saved yourself from a fast food trip on nights when you don’t have time to cook.

Here you have some money-saving, take it to the bank tips surrounding your grocery shopping. Follow them and you’ll save money, and probably eat healthier too.

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