If you like to save money, and you have a competitive soul, I’ve got the perfect game for you. Dining out usually raises red flags of potentially wasting money for me, but sometimes it is nice to just go out and have someone else do the cooking for me. There’s endless ways to keep down the cost of dining out, such as splitting a meal, eating appetizers, drinking only water, but here’s a new one for you: save money on dining out by making a game out of it.
My wife and I trying to figure out which restaurant to go to when we decide to dine out is sometimes a long and drawn out process that usually ends with me saying, “I don’t care, wherever you want to go is fine.” But by adding a little competitive gamesmanship to the process, not only will we figure out where we’re going to eat, but we’ll save some money and have a bit of fun in the process.
Here’s how it works:
Set A Timer
Decide together on a time limit for the game. Mark the time on a clock, or set a timer on your phone for the agreed upon duration.
Search For Dining Deals
Once the timer is started, each person searches for the best possible deal to be had for dinner that night. You might scour the internet for advertised deals, scour the daily newspaper for coupons, or call restaurants directly to get information regarding their specials for the evening.
Compare
Once the timer goes off, compare what you’ve found. The person who finds the best deal decides where they’re going for dinner that night.
Special Cases
Ok, admittedly the “best deal” is going to be subjective. You might have to come up with some ground rules as to what constitutes the best deal. Whether it’s a percentage off, raw dollar amount, or some other deciding factor.
You can play this game with a significant other, your friends, or even by yourself. The point is, you have to find a great deal in order to dine out that evening. The more times you play, the more creative you will become. Finding a great deal isn’t hard, it just takes time, practice and a little effort!
How about you, EOD Nation, does this game get your competitive, and frugal minded juices flowing?
I think anytime you can make something fun or competitive you will be more motivated to succeed. Good tip.