How to Eat Out for Under $20 with a Family of 6

Eating out seems to be a luxury these days with how expensive it has become. This is especially true if you have a big family! From here on out, it is possible to find places for your whole family to eat out for under $20!

1. Pick the right restaurant

There are restaurants out there that allow you to eat out and stay under budget. One thing I’ve learned from eating out is to try to stick to the more local restaurants and avoid the big chains if you can. You’ll easily be able to eat out for under $20 with a family of 6 this way.

Try to eat out at places that offer Kids Eat Free! This helps stretch your small budget easily! If you are in the San Diego Area, check out these places to take your kids to eat for FREE

2. Avoid fast-food restaurants

There are a lot of misconceptions about fast food restaurants. These days, they are not the cheapest way to eat out. Instead, eating at a fast-food restaurant can be costlier than a sit-down restaurant.

3. Get the food to go

This is a huge eating out tip that will help your $20 go further. When you eat out at a restaurant, you should tip the waiter/waitress. Most of the time, when you get to eat out, you can leave a few bucks, but you don’t have to leave a full-blown out the tip. Getting the food to go can help your money go a lot further.

4. Have your kids share food

There is no shame in the game of food sharing when you got to eat out. Most kid portions are huge and your kids can share. This works better when your kids are little and can survive off eating crumbs for meals. Sometimes, when you are eating out, you can even order a huge entrée and have 2-3 kids share the entire meal. 9 times out of 10, my 6-year-old ends up giving half of his meal to one of his older brothers– Share! 🙂

5. Drink water, unless the drinks are free

Sometimes when you go to eat out, you’ll land upon a restaurant that offers free drinks and in this case, drink up. However, if the drinks aren’t free, keep in mind these puppies can cost upwards of $3.00 per glass. Sure, you get free refills, but most people don’t find those refills necessary when eating out. Think of how good you’re doing your body by drinking water!

6. Pay attention to the specials

Eat out places like Sonic always have great deals on their food and drinks. If you were to eat out at the right time, you could slash the cost of your family’s meal in half. Sometimes the times aren’t always convenient, but the savings rock!

7. Use Coupons

This might be an obvious one– but they can really help stretch your eating out budget. Each Wednesday, we get our grocery ads to send in the mail. Mixed in with those ads are usually a TON of coupons. Save those for eating out, because you never know when you might need them!

When it comes down to it, it’s possible to eat out for under $20 with a family of 6. Following these suggestions, you will be able to eat out, without feeling bad and without breaking the bank.

What tips do you have for eating out for under $20?

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