• Look for weekly specials
• Eat out at lunch time
• Order from the daily restaurant specials
• Order water with a wedge of lemon for your drink
• Forgo the dessert at the restaurant

Many of the restaurants have weekly specials where they offer free appetizers or sampler trays on certain days of the week.  To find these specials look in your local newspaper. Do read the fine print, however, to make sure there is not catch involved with the offer.

To eat out at lunch time rather than dinner is another great way to save on the cost of a meal. There is usually a special lunch menu to order from. Many times this menu is, for the most part, a remake of the dinner menu offering smaller portions. I find that many times even with the smaller portions there is more than enough food to fill you up.

Another great way to save is to order from the daily specials that the restaurant is offering. Different days have different specials listed. There again there is more than enough food and you find yourself rewarded with a little extra discount.

Rather than ordering one of the soft drinks or other available drinks I have started to order water with a wedge of lemon for my drink at restaurants. So far there has been no charge for the water and I find it tremendously satisfying. It manages to quench my thirst better than any other drink available.

Forgo the desert at the restaurant. What I do, and have been doing for awhile is making a desert at home. I make it early in the day and have it ready for the return from the restaurant. Most times I am way to full to be thinking about eating a desert after a meal anyway.

Drinks and dessert at a restaurant could end up almost doubling your bill, so it is wise to forgo these items. If you do, both your tax bite and your tip will be considerably smaller. These may be small considerations, but the little things do add up. You are saving a little bit at a time.

There is, also, another way to save on that dinning out bill. Use a coupon going in. So, eat out and enjoy, just keep in mind the five tips that you have learned and remember that eating out will not break your budget.

• Using Coupons
• Making use of the two for one sales
• Try free samples
• Fine tuning your grocery list before heading out shopping

Coupons are a great way to save money. I look for both manufacturers coupons as well as local store coupons. Most times I find that stores put on sale those items that the manufacturer has issued a corresponding coupon for. I not only get the sale price at the register, but now have a manufacturers coupon to give me even greater savings. Be on the look out, as you read your local grocery store sales brochures, for items that you have a coupon for.

Another great way of saving is to take advantage of the store two-for-one sale.  I love these sales myself. In my area there are three major grocery chains. There is Winn Dixie, Publix, and Sweetbay. Winn Dixie most often has a great two-for-one sale. Both Publix and Sweetbay occasionally have the same type sales on their selected items. Be sure to check out these items every time you read on of their sales papers. The paper usually come out once a week and are delivered to your mail box. Be on the look out for them.

Free samples are another way to save and cut costs on that grocery bill. Some manufacturers provide coupons for free samples on certain products. Especially, those products which are relatively new to the market place. It makes sense and is a great marketing tool. I have found some that have led me to continue using these products. Here are a few of those samples that you can try Clorox and Dove.

The last item on my list I find most important for saving money on the grocery bill. Fine tune that shopping list. Go through your freezer, Fridge, and cupboards. Make a list of just what you need to prepare your meals for the week. Also, add to that list the items that you may need to replenish your stock on. After compiling your list of necessary items sit down with the sales papers and go through them to see if any of the needed items are on sale. This is the best time to buy those items. Always make sure that you check your coupons also. Once you have made and fine tuned that list you are ready to head to the store. Only purchase those items on your list. Do not get trapped by the in-store marketing displays. Keep in mind that all stores have marketing to a science and they know just how to entice any buyer, so beware of these traps or pitfalls.

If you follow the above list of steps as you prepare and go shopping you will find that you will be handing over less of your hard earned cash at the register. After all our objective is to save money on food.

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