Save Money/Have Fun!

If you are like me, you like to eat and you love to eat out! Even if you are trying to cut back on eating out to save money, sometimes our busy schedule make it necessary to eat out. Plus eating out is fun! Not only are you getting a tasty meal from your favorite restaraunt, but eating out is also a social activity. With the cost of groceries today, sometimes eating out can actually be cheaper than buying groceries (we'll cover how to cut your grocery costs later!).

So how can you save money and still HAVE FUN eating out? Here are some tips:

1. Restaurant Coupons
Look online for some GREAT coupons that can cut your cost in half! There are several great websites that offer restaraunt coupons. One of them is Valpak. Ever gotten a thick blue envelope in the mail? That's Valpak! Before you toss that envelope in the junk mail heap, check it out. I regularly recieve up to 10 coupons a month, many with BUY ONE GET ONE FREE DINNERS! Some of them have day of the week restrictions, but they are still GREAT deals. Valpak is also available on-line. Just plug in your zip code and the website will tell you what's available in your area. See below for some restaurant coupon website links.

2. Share a meal
Let's face it; most Restaurant meals are HUGE! Usually the platters they are served on could feed a small army. So, sacrifice a little and share a meal with your partner. Most restaurants will even split the meal on to two plates for you. Even with drinks, tax and tips, you can get out of a place like Chili's or TGIF Fridays for under $20. If you can't bring yourself to share, then eat half of your own meal and take the rest home for lunch the next day!

3. Downgrade
Take a look at your restaurant receipts for the last couple of months. If you regularly spend $50-$80 bucks on dinner for two on Friday night, consider taking it down a notch. Instead of Seafood, Steak and Sushi try an American casual dining chain or a place where you are not waited on so you can save on a tip.

Look below for some links to help you save money eating out!

If you want to save money, cutting cost on your grocery bill is a GREAT way to do so! We all know that food costs have risen considerably in the past year. If you have a growing family, it can be very frustrating to see food costs steadily rising while your budget remains the same or may have even shrunk. What To Do?! Hopefully, these tips below will give you some tools to make the cost cutting a little bit easier.

1. COUPONS! COUPONS! COUPONS!
I know, I know; coupon cutting is annoying. Especially if you are not particularly organized, coupon cutting can be one tough job. But it is worth it! Get organized. Check out some websites that offer coupons and come up with a plan. The number one piece of advice I would give on coupons is ONLY use coupons for products that you normally use. The worst thing you can do is use coupons on products you would not normally buy. If you don't like cutting coupons, then look for deals at stores that don't require an actual coupon. Albertsons for instance usually has these GREAT 10 for $10 items that save you a bunch of money and don't require a coupon. Also, using a rewards/savings card at your favorite grocery store can help you find great deals on sale items.

2. Shop With A Plan
If you go to the store hungry, you will spend MORE money. If you go without a plan for exactly what you need to buy, with a budget, you will be much more likely to just grab stuff off the shelf. Look at your schedule for the next week or 2 weeks and come up with a meal plan. Decide what meals you will eat and what you will need to buy to amke those meals possible and STICK TO THE PLAN!

3. Cheap Meals
Limit your "premium" meals to one a week. If you grill out expensive meat or only eat pre-packaged meals, you will spend more money. Check out cooking websites for great ideas on good meals on a budget. Spaghetti, Casseroles, Quesadillas, Chicken Fried Rice, Hamburger Helper, and Rice-A-Roni are all meals that you can feed a fmaily of four on for UNDER $10.

4. Warehouse/Club Shopping
Sam's Club,Costco, and BJ's are a few discount shopping clubs that are worth joining. If you have the ability to pay up front for some long term benefit, it is well worth it. Dry goods are a definite solid investment when bought from a warehouse club. I recently spent $40 worth of diapers from Costco that lasted me 2 months for my 1 year old. Normally, $40 only covers about a month worth of diapers for this kid! That purchase alone cut my diaper bill in HALF! If you don't think you need 4 pounds of ground beef, or some other perishable item, consider going in with a friend or family member and splitting the cost.

Look below for some links to great coupon websites and meal planning tips!