Eating Out On A Budget

I have a confession to make.   I love to eat out.  I do  enjoy the food. More importantly, I enjoy someone else doing the dishes and cleaning up after my messy 11 month old.  Let's face it though, eating out is expensive.  I have figured out some tricks and inexpensive places to eat to keep the cost down for our family of six (Family of six... when did that happen).  When we eat out, my goal is to keep the bill under $25.

In N Out

   This is a family favorite.  This is probably one of the least expensive fast food places to eat.  We share fries.  We also don't order drinks (at least some of us).  My seven year prefers water anyway.  This is far cheaper than McDonald's. 

Jersey Mikes

    Jersey Mikes has a family picnic pack for around $20 that includes two giant sub sandwiches, four bags of chips and four drinks or a two liter bottle of soda.  Again, we combine chips and drinks.   

Stonefire Grill

     This is for take out only.   What comes with this is, a pound of tri tip, bread sticks, a small two topping pizza, and a small salad.  Including tax, I believe this comes to $24.  That is a lot of food for our family and we have left overs

Souplantation

      There are coupons in the paper frequently that are $19.99 for a family of four not including drinks. We were able to use the family of four coupon because children under three are free.  Since my daughter just turned three, we will have to start buying one more meal.   One of the great things about Souplantion is they allow you to bring the kids cups back and get free refills (for kids drinks only).  That is a huge savings.  I really like Souplantation because no one ever leaves hungry,my kids love vegetables, and dessert  comes with the price of the meal.  You can also join their club and get coupons via email.

Panda Express

     I just realized how inexpensive eating at Panda can be.  Forget the kids' meals and order two and three entree item combos.  Again order water.  Ordering 3 combo meals will run around $25.  I also like this because it keeps portion size down for me.  I am less likely to overeat when sharing a meal.

I would love to hear about any other inexpensive dining out ideas you may have.

Happy Saving!