Americans love dining out, and a recent Good Morning America report highlighted that in 2010, the average person spent over $2,505 on eating out, which comes down to more than $200 a month. Despite this, it’s possible to cut down on this expense without sacrificing the quality of your meals. Here’s how you can do it with online coupons for your favorite restaurants:
First, put your Facebook account to good use. If you don’t have one yet, consider creating one. By ‘liking’ your favorite restaurants on Facebook, you can gain access to exclusive deals and coupons. For example, some restaurants offer special promotions to their Facebook followers. Famous Dave’s once gave out a buy one, get one free coupon to new page likers. So, keep an eye out for such deals before liking the restaurant’s page.
Next, check the restaurant’s website. Local, independently owned places often have discounts available on their sites, even if chain restaurants usually don’t. For instance, my spouse and I managed to get a 15% discount on our whole order at a new Mexican restaurant just by visiting their website.
Signing up for a restaurant’s email list can also be beneficial. Being on the email list often means you’ll receive exclusive coupons that others don’t get. Additionally, many places send out free items for your birthday month. Restaurants like Starbucks, Famous Dave’s, and Stir Crazy, for instance, offer birthday freebies that can be used throughout your birth month.
You can also take advantage of websites like RetailMeNot.com. RetailMeNot occasionally offers restaurant discounts—currently, they have a code for Papa John’s pizza.
Consider joining daily deal websites too. Sites like Double Take Deals, Groupon, and Living Social frequently have restaurant deals. By subscribing to their email lists, you can get these deals delivered straight to your inbox. In one instance, we bought $30 worth of coupons for $15 each from our favorite sushi restaurant and used them gradually over the year.
Lastly, explore Restaurant.com. This site regularly has coupons for local restaurants and often offers additional discount codes. For example, you might get a $25 dining certificate for just $2 after applying a discount code.
By leveraging these strategies, you can enjoy eating out while keeping your spending in check.