Moneywise24 Personal Finance

For some time throughout my life I had been avoiding restaurants completely. I knew I was on a tight budget, and I felt like dining (or lunching) out was eating my budget away. At a certain point, I felt that something was missing. Often, going to a restaurant is a fantastic opportunity to bond with friends, to exchange some ideas about various topics, while enjoying a nice meal.

Nowadays, I am back to going out to restaurants, but I always try to limit the impact on my budget by following a few simple rules.

Control the frequency

I often used to visit a restaurant when I simply didn’t feel like cooking. During some weeks, I went out dining five times, which is a lot. One thing I learned is not to go out due to laziness, but because I wanted to meet up with friends, have a great time, while eating something that I would not be able to cook at home. I am a great fan of international food, so I would frequently go to a good Italian restaurant, or an Asian restaurant. However, I’d be picky when to go. I have now limited my frequency to a maximum of about once a week.

Check the price level

There are some great restaurants out there, but many of them are simply overpriced. They might have an exquisite menu, and perhaps one or more Michelin stars, but if the restaurant is clearly above my living standard, I will simply not go there. Sometimes it means saying ‘no’ when I am invited, but I feel that in the end it pays out. Additionally, I don’t need to feel bad about my finances when I have just paid 120 Dollars on a meal. There are some great restaurants out there with very moderate prices too.

Picking the right dish

I often used to pick the best piece of meat, or in a Chinese restaurant where ordering multiple dishes is often usual, I’d pick three or four dishes, since I wanted to try it all. Naturally, I couldn’t even eat half of it, and the food needed to be thrown away.

When picking what I want to eat, I realize that I don’t have to pick the most expensive dish. I pick a dish which is right for me, and which is nutritious. Sometimes I might even only pick a starter dish; it keeps the calories away, and in summer I generally prefer to eat something light.

Beverages

A lot of money is earned by restaurants on beverages. It is often very tempting to pick a very good wine with the starter, another wine during the main dish, and perhaps a cocktail afterward. Still, I find that the difference in quality between a low priced and a high priced wine is not that great. Additionally, I stopped drinking cocktails some months ago, since they are true calorie bombs, and I want to cut back on the alcohol anyway. Often, I can enjoy the entire evening with only one wine, and perhaps a beer afterward… and I am happy.

Coupons

If I have a coupon, such as “two for the price of one” I will use it. It is a great and easy ways to save some money.

Focus on the conversation, not the meal

One last thing, which I had to learn over time, is to focus on the conversation and the company more than the food. I had some awkward situations where I was visiting a restaurant with friends, and in the end we were all eating silently; the only conversation we had was about how good the food was, and who was going to order a desert.

By focusing on the conversation, attention is drawn away from the food. It made me to eat slower, enjoy my food much more, and interestingly it also prevented me from wanting to order more and more and more.