Eating out is one of the fastest ways to burn a hole through your wallet, but with a few tips from Five Cent Nickel, you can still enjoy a good meal without breaking the bank.

• Choose Lunch Over Dinner: Skip past dinner plans and instead meet your friends for lunch. The meals are almost always cheaper, and you can usually find worthwhile deals.
• Hunt For Specials: Look for local places with lunch or brunch specials, or two-for-one entrees.
• Free Bread = Leftovers!: Our father used to warn us that we were going to ruin our appetite gorging on bread, and he was right—though we didn’t care, and he certainly didn’t mean it as a saving tip. Load up on whatever freebies you can get—bread, chips, salad—and bring part of your meal home as leftovers.
• Skip Appetizers And Dessert: Both are usually overpriced and unnecessary, considering the size of most entree portions. Skip them and save.

Eating Out Without Breaking Your Budget [Five Cent Nickel]
(Photo: colros)

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