Saving on Dining Out Expenses
I am a fan of both the Enjoy the City and Entertainment coupon books. I dine out fairly regularly and am always paying for myself and my fiancee so these books tend to cut the bill almost by 1/2 with a coupon. I always get 2-3 times the payback in savings.
Two tips to make sure you are maximizing your coupon book value:
1) Look for discounted books. Some organizations sell them at different discount levels and as the coupons get closer to expiring, the companies themselves with drop the prices on the books to compensate. This may mean a better return on your investment since you will probably only be using your favorite restaurant coupons anyway.
2) Trade coupons with coworkers. I make the coupon books really payoff by trading coupons I know I won't use for coupons I know I will use with co-workers. This can easily 3-4x your return.
Here is an older post of mine on other ways to save on dining expenses.
Comments (2)
I'm a big fan of the Entertainment books myself. My parents used them 20 years ago when I was just a kid. I had picked them the last couple of years and definitely saved about three times what I spent on them.
Posted by Lazy Man and Money | September 22, 2006 12:53 PM
I bought my first entertainment book last fall, as my former boss was selling them (thus I was politically motivated). I was surprised to find out how much money we save using it. I spent $30 buying it, but of course it paid itself off after two dinners.
It's also great because it introduces you to restaurants you may not otherwise have gone to.
Definitely a fan of them!
Posted by finance girl | September 23, 2006 8:06 PM