Ways to Save this Summer Part 2: Food and Eating Out

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Wanting to save big this Summer, but aren’t sure how? I’ve got you covered with my latest series on Ways to Save this Summer. See how you can save on Activities and Entertainment by clicking here. Up next is the top ten Ways to Save on Food and Eating Out:

Use coupons with your grocery shopping. If you’re planning on having a cook out or two this Summer, you’re probably trying to figure how to save some cash with your grocery shopping. By pairing coupons with grocery store sales, you could easily be saving 50% on your groceries this Summer. Find out more and get started with couponing here.
If you plan a cook out or BBQ, Make sure it’s a potluck so that everyone pitches in with the cost of the food. This takes the strain off of any one person or family taking the brunt of the cost.
Sign-up for email newsletters with your favorite grocery stores and restaurants. A lot of times, restaurants will send out special coupons or deals to those that are signed up with their email newsletter. Sometimes it’s a birthday freebie, holiday deal or just a special thank you coupon.
Check Groupon and Living Social for daily deals at local restaurants. Just recently it only cost us $10 for $25 worth of food at favorite local pizzeria of ours. Groupon and Living Social deals change every day, so be sure to sign-up for their email alerts and be ready for some great savings.
Ask for gift card specials at your favorite restaurants. I’ve seen a lot of restaurants, particularly around holidays, offering free $5 gift cards when you purchase $25 in gift cards. This amount can vary, but it’s still a deal. While these deals are found in varying degrees around the smaller holidays like Father’s Day and July 4th, look forward to nearly every restaurant offering this type of deal around Christmas.
Use Restaurant.com to purchase gift certificates. My family uses Restaurant.com a lot for eating out. When Restaurant.com puts out their famous 80% or even 90% off coupon codes, it becomes a very inexpensive way to eat out. A $25 gift certificate can be as little as .75 cents when paired with 90% off and cash back through Mr. Rebates.
Buy the Entertainment Book. This book comes jam-packed with coupons available for restaurants, attractions and more in your area. The discounts that come with it vary by location, but usually make it worth buying.
Fan your favorite grocery stores and restaurants on Facebook. More and more companies are using Facebook Fan Pages to spread the word about their products and promotions. If you are a regular reader here, you know that a lot of great freebies and restaurant deals come from Facebook. It’s a powerful resource for the consumer looking to connect with brands and find great promotions. Be sure to follow The Thrifty Mama on Facebook, so that you stay up to date on the latest deals I find and share on there.
Check Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, Redplum.com and My Coupon Database for restaurant and free grocery coupons. They don’t appear every day, but on occasion I’ve seen great restaurant coupons available on Coupons.com, Smartsource and Redplum. These sites are a great resource for saving money on your grocery bill as well.
Check local fliers, grocery store receipts, newspapers and junk mail for coupons and discount booklets. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen discount booklets sitting at the customer service counter in my local grocery stores, or found a great restaurant coupon on the back on my grocery store receipt. Not only do these things have coupons for local businesses, but also for restaurants. Just recently I saw a $5 off $25 purchase for Beef O’ Brady’s. Keep your eyes peeled, and you are sure to find some great discounts!