If restaurant checks always seem to be a bit higher than you envision, it’s because the industry thrives on ways to trick you into giving up extra cash at every turn. Waiters can be upsell-happy con artists, and you are the mark.

Twenty Something Money outlines several ways in which it’s easy to let your frugality slip away when you’re sitting down for a meal.

Here are a few sneaky maneuvers to watch out for:

*The dessert tray – It’s far tougher to turn down the well-manicured physical approximation of a cheesecake than it is the verbal or written suggestion of one.

*Appetizers and post-dinner/dessert coffee – Waiters make it seem so natural to add pricey courses to meals you’d never even consider at home. Just as you don’t need to munch on spinach and artichoke dip at home before you microwave a burrito, you don’t need it when you’re out. And even if you really, really need some post-dinner coffee, why not wait until you get home to drink it?

*Credit card receipts – They’re often designed to make it way too easy to over-tip. It’s easy to be overcome by the power of suggestion and tip a few percentage points higher than you’d planned.

What trappings do you avoid to save money when eating out?

The Hidden Upselling in Restaurants [Twenty Something Money]

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