Want to see something scary… add up the total of yearly budget that was spent on eating out or takeaway… If you’re like most, the average Australian eats out 2-3 times per week excluding holidays! The tips in todays blog, if used frequently, will have a dramatic impact on the money you can save over the course of a year and forever into the future. So let’s get straight into the tips.
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We aren’t one of those finance gurus who will tell you to just stop eating out, we get it, sometimes you crave a certain food and sometimes there’s no food cooked etc. Instead, our tips are planned on how can we save $$ every time we eat out? What tools are there that we can use for when we inevitably do end up eating out?
Entertainment Book (25%+ off a ton of things)
Entertainment Book is likely going to provide the most bang for your buck in this whole list (especially if you are going on a holiday to a destination where it is valid on activities). The savings this discount app can provide have potential to pay for itself in a couple of uses. It’s common to be able to get 25% off a ton of restaurants around the whole of Australia + NZ. They have a huge selection too so it is very likely it will come in handy. On top of the restaurant savings, it also offers savings on activities, shops in general (very broad range of useful shops that would likely be used) and services (like travel insurance, discounts on flights etc). The best part of this offer is they let you do 3, 13 & 24 month memberships meaning you can access all of this starting from $30. If you don’t end up saving a ton more than the costs you spend on the membership, you may need to consider getting out of the house more 😉
First table (50% off heaps of restaurants)
First Table is a site that we used a ton of on our Queenstown holiday but they offer these discounts on heaps of cities in Australia, NZ, Bali & even London! The concept is simple, pay $10 to secure the first table of the night (early dining around 5pm – 5:30pm). You then get 50% off the total bill (exc drinks) for up to 4 people. Do maths on that… Do yourself a favour, next time you’re eating out, check if the restaurant is on First Table and see if you can snag a booking (plan early and be quick).
Fastfood Apps for discounts (McDonalds/Hungry Jacks/Bettys Burgers etc)
For more casual quick eats type of food, the best thing you can do is download the app. The far majority of major corporations now understand the importance of having their users on the app. So they want to do everything they can to keep you on there and they will often post amazing deals on there to remind the user it’s worthwhile to keep the app. While it may seem like a small saving (given fast food is generally cheap) the more you use it, the more it all adds up!
Birthday Discounts
When it’s your birthday, it’s time to take advantage of all the free food & offers businesses dish out! The list is actually huge! You won’t get time to use them all but pick a few of your favourites and using it correctly can save you a ton of money!
Reward Programs (Starbucks, Donut/Ice Cream Shops & Cafes etc)
You probably already know this but most quick eat food shops have reward programs where you get a free coffee/donut/ice cream etc for every 10 you buy. If places offer reward cards and you are visiting it every now and then while it is not a huge saving it is certainly better than nothing!
