5 Ways to Save Money on Your Date Nights
We all know prices for pretty much everything have skyrocketed recently, but don’t let that stop you from going out. Here are 5 ways to save money on your date nights.
If you’re like us, it’s easy to fall into a routine (translated “rut”) and get a bit lazy about venturing out for an official date night. We often find we are perfectly content with dinner, Netflix, and a bottle of wine on a Friday or Saturday night. But when we push ourselves to actually dress up (meaning put on something other than shorts and a T-shirt) and get out of the house, we are usually glad we made the effort.
We are always on the lookout for ways to have fun on a budget. So here are five easy ways we have found to save money on your date nights – or any time you head out.
1. Use your senior and / or veteran’s discount
We are starting to ask if either of these are available wherever we go. The age that is considered “senior” varies widely, but sometimes it’s as low as 50. We’ve found some great deals, such as the $8.22 senior rate for tickets at our local movie theater, 5-25% off dining out, or free coffee for veterans at Starbucks. Check out this list of senior discounts for inspiration.
2. Join the rewards program for businesses you frequent
You might be surprised by how fast you can earn freebies or bonus goodies by signing up for these. We’ve collected points for places like Panera, Chick-fil-a, and Domino’s Pizza and earned free menu items, birthday surprises, or add-ons (like a free appetizer or beverage) pretty quickly. Here’s a list of some of the best programs available now.
3. Go early, go on a weekday, or go for Happy Hour
Look for places that offer early bird specials (usually before 6:00 p.m.). Or deals on less busy days (like Taco Tuesdays, Wednesday Wing Night, or Throwback Thursdays). Early bird works great for us because we’ve started eating dinner earlier as we’ve gotten older. We also prefer going at times when places aren’t so crowded and we don’t have to wait for seating. Another option is to look for places that have a Happy Hour. Some of our favorite restaurants offer Happy Hour specials where we can order a variety of small plates to share.
4. Share the meal
Speaking of sharing, one of the best ways we’ve found to save money eating out is to share the entree. Most restaurants serve portions that are ridiculously large. We often end up taking a doggie bag home if we each order our own meal. So we’ve found that it’s actually better for us to share an entree and order an extra side, like a small salad. That way we leave satisfied, but not stuffed, and the cost of the whole meal is significantly lower. Here’s a tip about tipping: we like to tip on what the total would be if we ordered two entrees, so the server isn’t shorted. Our daughter was a server in college, so we understand how much they depend on tips as a large part of their income.
5. Save money on your date nights by using websites like Groupon or Living Social
Sites like this are not as popular as they used to be, but they still have some good deals. We saw a few coupons we were interested in while researching this post. We live in the Central Florida area, so there are lots of offers geared toward tourists. But we found a great deal on bowling at a national chain with a location near us, a discounted tour and tasting at a chocolate factory (yum!), and some restaurant discounts for places we visit occasionally. Could be worth checking out if you’re looking for something different to do.
Whatever you do on your next date night, we hope you will be glad you made the effort. Let us know in the comments if these suggestions helped you spend a little less. If you have other suggestions for ways to have fun on a budget, we’d love to hear about them, too.