Dining and trying out new restaurants is perhaps one of my favorite things to do.  Luckily I don’t leave in a major city where restaurants with good food are popping out everywhere, because kaching kaching… this could break your bank account.  Andrea Woroch, a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc. offers a few tips on dining out the frugal way.

1. FourSquare Deals
Members check-in to various locations on their mobile phones using this service, but did you know you can also receive offers for freebies and discounts simply by letting FourSquare know where you are? Check out a recent segment on FOX & Friends for a “how to” on using the app for restaurant savings.

2. Track Daily Deals
Restaurants are one of the most common frequenters of daily deal offerings, so it pays to keep an eye out for vouchers that can greatly reduce the cost of dining at a new or favored eatery. Just make sure you read the small print and are aware of expiration dates and exclusions. For example, most restaurant vouchers don’t include drinks.

3. Get Happy
Eating early isn’t just for our elders. Happy hour ad early bird deals have become more common as restaurants try to fill in slow-traffic times. For example, Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill offers full-size appetizers for under $5 before 6 p.m., plus $3 drink specials.

4. Split It Up
American restaurants usually overload our plates — unless they’re into nuvo cuisine — so there’s often enough food for two in a single order. You can cut your costs down to around $20 by simply sharing an appetizer, entree and dessert with a friend or date.

5. Gift Yourself
We tend to think of gift cards in terms of what we can offer others, but they’re actually very useful for individual purchases. Sites like GiftCardGranny.com let you purchase gift cards for several restaurants at a discounted rate, yielding immediate savings of up to 50 percent.

6. MatchPin
If you live in one of nine major cities, you might download the free MatchPin app . Membership brings you offers, rewards, contests and announcements from a variety of local restaurants.

You can also get deals through Facebook.  A lot of restaurants, especially the big chain ones, offer lots of deals if you like them on Facebook.  I’ve had free salad from Noddle Co. or free meal from Pei Wei when they’re running a promotion for new menus.  I have to credit my dear hubby to find all these deals.

Keep in mind that you can still enjoy lives and save money at the same time.  Just a little self control, avoid instant gratification, and some creativity will do the justice!

Tags: dining out frugal , tips on frugal living

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