There’s An App For That: 2 Ways To Slash Your Dining Budget
We all know the best way to slash your food budget is to stop dining out, make your own food, take a sack lunch, and eat at home for dinner. That’s why my first “App”-posts in this series center around cutting your grocery bill using The Grocery Game:
Part 1 – Review of The Grocery Game
Part 2 – Personal Interview with Julie, a GG user
Eating every single meal at home is not only HARD, sometimes it’s darn near impossible. Long commutes, work schedules, and social activities often get in the way of your plan. Or maybe you just want a break from home cooking and want to get a meal out.
Restaurant.com
Luckily, you have options to eat out that won’t bust your budget. One tangible way to succeed is to buy coupons from Restaurant.com!
Restaurant.com partners up with local dining establishments to provide gift certificates at reduced rates. These local shops get publicity, and the consumer gets a deep discount. A win-win all around!
A typical certificate worth $25 at a particular restaurant can be purchased for $10 – a 60% savings! Quite often, Restaurant.com will run sales upwards of 80% off of their normal sales price. So in otherwords, a $25 certificate can cost you as little as $2 – insane!
Current deal at Restaurant.com
Currently on their website, Restaurant.com is offering certificates for 70% off regular sales price ($25 for $3) PLUS a $50 certificate off of a trip from Orbitz.com. Use the promotional code FEAST when checking out, and of course, see their website for details.
There Really IS An App For That!
I came across an iPhone app to help you find restaurant coupons, called Coups.com. Upon initial inspection, it appears not to be directly affiliated with Restaurant.com, but only provides a list of establishments listed on Restaurant.com. Basically a 3rd party app for Restaurant.com.
The Pros
It’s a free download, and can use your current location to help you find restaurants in your immediate area that take coupons. This is really helpful when you’re on the go and don’t have time to figure out what restaurants are nearby when surfing through Restaurant.com.
The Cons
They charge their own $1.00 convenience fee when purchasing a certificate through their website. But like I said, this is a 3rd party app and they have to make money somehow. I consider them the Ticketmaster of restaurant coupons. If you are already out on the town and can’t use the regular Restaurant.com website, Coups.com looks like the next best alternative.
I Need Your Comments!
Have you ever used Restaurant.com or the iPhone app Coups.com? What was your experience? How else do you save money when eating out?
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