Matt and I both are, and also enjoy going on them. While we've cut back as much as we can financially lately, we've also tried to make allowances for little luxuries here and there that don't cost too much, but keep us from losing our motivation to stay frugal.
Dates that cost us under $10 are one good way to do it. Recent opportunities: free pancake day at IHOP, on which we got up early and went out to IHOP to each enjoy a free short stack of (read: 3 giant buttermilk) pancakes. We also got there early enough to qualify for the early bird specials, one of which was 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 2 sausage links, hash browns, and toast for $4.99--which was more than enough for us to split. The only "request" IHOP made was that their patrons "consider making a donation to the Children's Miracle Network." Well, we honestly did consider it, but we also considered that our charity budget had been spent elsewhere, and the fact that our waitress was likely to get stiffed on tips all day because everybody was getting pancakes for free. So instead we gave her a $5 tip and still came in right at $10--not bad at all for such a robust breakfast, and we had a great time doing something so weekend-ish on a Tuesday morning before Matt went to work.
Tonight we're going for free chili at the Hard Times Cafe. We've never been before, but I heard on the radio yesterday that tonight everyone gets a free bowl of chili with any purchase. I'm figuring that one of us can get a side of fries and the other can get a dessert, and that will again be plenty to share and should clock in at under $10 with a tip. I also got a coupon for a free Chili Mac (which seems to be chili and cheese over pasta) for joining their email club, which we can either save for another time or use tonight, should we still be hungry after all that.
It's nice to be able to fit in a few outings a month like this for less than it would usually cost for one meal out, if we did so with a little less planning. As mentioned above, we do try to build in a decent tip for our server so that we don't look like total cheapskates, and that way everybody comes out ahead.
Dates that cost us under $10 are one good way to do it. Recent opportunities: free pancake day at IHOP, on which we got up early and went out to IHOP to each enjoy a free short stack of (read: 3 giant buttermilk) pancakes. We also got there early enough to qualify for the early bird specials, one of which was 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 2 sausage links, hash browns, and toast for $4.99--which was more than enough for us to split. The only "request" IHOP made was that their patrons "consider making a donation to the Children's Miracle Network." Well, we honestly did consider it, but we also considered that our charity budget had been spent elsewhere, and the fact that our waitress was likely to get stiffed on tips all day because everybody was getting pancakes for free. So instead we gave her a $5 tip and still came in right at $10--not bad at all for such a robust breakfast, and we had a great time doing something so weekend-ish on a Tuesday morning before Matt went to work.
Tonight we're going for free chili at the Hard Times Cafe. We've never been before, but I heard on the radio yesterday that tonight everyone gets a free bowl of chili with any purchase. I'm figuring that one of us can get a side of fries and the other can get a dessert, and that will again be plenty to share and should clock in at under $10 with a tip. I also got a coupon for a free Chili Mac (which seems to be chili and cheese over pasta) for joining their email club, which we can either save for another time or use tonight, should we still be hungry after all that.
It's nice to be able to fit in a few outings a month like this for less than it would usually cost for one meal out, if we did so with a little less planning. As mentioned above, we do try to build in a decent tip for our server so that we don't look like total cheapskates, and that way everybody comes out ahead.
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