Save Money While Dining Out with Kids

If I had to count, I could probably count the number of times in a year that we went out to dinner when I was a kid. For good report cards, there was Pizza Hut. For Mother's Day, dad picked somewhere so mom wouldn't have to cook. And then maybe a few other random Sundays for dinner after church.

 

Flip the calendar to now, with me and my husband and our own children, and I would lose count how many times we eat out.  Although I enjoy cooking, given our schedule, sometimes it's more convenient to grab dinner out while we're in between activities or order in when the day's been too busy to cook a good meal.  But eating out with kids can get a redundant, a little lacking on the vegetables, and, yes, a bit expensive.

 

Here's a few ways we've found to make dining out with the family a balanced, more affordable, experience. 

  

Have the kids split an adult meal. This does requires two children to actually agree on something, which in itself can be a small miracle and may involve some bribery. However, the adult menu generally offers a greater meal selection and vegetables are more likely to be included.  Take a moment and do the quick math; I've found this is often cheaper than two kid's meal, or at least the same price for a better meal.

 

Split your meal with the kids. Some meals are too big even for an adult and these are perfect to share with a smaller person. Often when we go out for breakfast, I get an omelet that might come with a stack of pancakes.  And what are my kids going to order? A stack of pancakes.  They can have mine. 

 

Order a drink and an extra cup.  In some restaurants, even the "kid-size" is a 20-oz lemonade. Ask the waiter how big the drink is. If it's really huge, order one and have the kids share. Or better, let them drink water.

 

Know where the kids-night specials are.  Many restaurants designate Tuesdays or Wednesdays for their family nights with special prices and free kids meals or desserts.  A local diner makes it a big affair with clowns and face-painting.  And don't forget the carryout specials, too, which are great for a family on the go. One of local grocery stores (the kind with the deli and hot food) has pizza specials on Mondays . Located across the street from my son's swim practice, this is a perfect fit into our back-to-back schedule.

 

Order the adult portion.  Let them enjoy half their meal at the restaurant, then take half home for tomorrow's lunch or dinner.  Not cheaper at the moment, but a little costs savings and work savings over the two days. That counts, too.

 

Eat a little bit earlier, around happy hour. I know we don't generally think "happy hour" and "kids" but in addition to bar drinks, food items are often cheaper, too.  Consider the appetizer menu - for little kids you can sometimes make a whole meal right there. Chicken fingers/wings, flatbreads, and salads are often on there and generally what the kids are going to eat anyway.  Dinner at 5 is early for us, but we've found when we eat dinner earlier, we're not as nervous about the kids having an ice cream for dessert and being wired up for bedtime.

 

Ask for a kids portion. There are some restaurants that actually do have a kids menu, if you read the fine print on the back of the menu. If not, some will make a kids size (and charge you accordingly less), especially if the kids are real small. 

 

My last point, has nothing to do with cost, but instead the experience. Don't use the wait time to check your email or play Angry Birds or "like" your friend's posts on Facebook. Enjoy not having to cook or wash dishes, sit back, and check in with your family, look in their eyes, and have a conversation.

 

Cheers! 

Pack Your Bags: Back to School!

“You must be a teacher – getting ready for back-to-school?” The cashier commented as he began ringing up my notebooks, pile of composition books, couple dozen pencils, and peeked into my cart full of school supplies.

“Actually, no, I’m not.  These are just for my own kids.”

With four school-age kids, there’s a LOT of school supplies.  And it adds up.  Here’s some ways I’ve found to save a few dollars (and my sanity) in checking off our supply lists.

Stocking up for the school year

The bag: Of course, the kids need a bag to carry all of their stuff to and from school; most popular is the traditional backpack.  Before you purchase a backpack that's too small or too big, consider the age of your child, what they will be carrying, where are they carrying it, and the comfort of carrying it.  Does your kid ride the bus or get picked up at school or do they walk home?  Do they have to bring home textbooks or do they keep a set at home?  Will those wheeled back-packs fit in their locker?  

Spend a little extra on bookbags and lunchboxes.  I know, that doesn’t seem like a savings tip, but in the long run it is.  I purchase my kids’ backpacks from Lands’ End and they’ve lasted a few years through school, vacations, and camp.  The key is to pick a design that they won’t get tired of before the bag wears out.   We replenish lunchboxes every school year.

School supplies

• Take the school supply list with you when you go shopping, then stick to it.  If the teacher is asking for 24 crayons, don’t bother to get 48, no matter what the 7-year old tells you.
• Take the kids with you.  I generally prefer to shop without my kids, but I do take them school supply shopping.  1 – Because it’s their stuff, so they get excited about school by picking out their folders and notebooks and all that.  2 – Some of the sale items are a limited quantity per person.  Put each child in line with their own stuff and their own quantity limit.
•  Buy at least 3 of everything on the list now while its on sale, not including binders and big stuff like that, but pencils, crayons, notebook paper, etc.  Send one to school, put one away in your stash for when your kid runs out and tells you at bedtime she needs more glue for tomorrow, and put one at your homework station/supply basket.  Put a few extras pencils and crayons in a school box in the car for doing homework on the go.
•  Consider the store brand.  Sure, there are certain things that you have to have the commercial brand just because, for instance, crayons.  But other stuff, like pencils, if it doesn’t matter, compare prices.
• What will they need for an upcoming project this semester?  Think back to last school year or ask parents of older students about this year – are there any big projects that might require specific supplies?  Last year, my daughter had a research project and everyone else in the county must’ve been assigned one at the same time because there wasn’t a 4”x6” lined white index card anywhere to be found.  They aren’t on sale right now, but I still picked up a pack to save the aggravation later.  Also consider those tri-fold science fair boards and report covers.
• Maximize your savings - use all your coupons, discount cards, send in the rebate forms.  I went to Staples and found that they have a school supply discount card – you get 15% of your total, the card costs $10 and is good through mid-September.  Do the math to figure out if it’s worth it for you.
• For some of the big purchases, wait until school starts or at least, don’t use the product and hold on to the receipt.  My second middle schooler’s supply list for 6^th grade math includes a super-duper calculator that runs about $120.  I don’t recall my older daughter needing it for that math class, so I bought a much less expensive one for now.

Once you've brought home your haul of pencils and scissors and papers - make sure it doesn't all end up in Lost & Found or someone else's desk.  

Mom's labeling supplies: sticker labels, Sharpie, label maker

• Label all your kid's stuff.  With a sheet of stickers (order some low-cost stickers from online vendors or print your own), a Sharpie, and a label maker (I love my label maker!) you should be able to get Little Susie's name on everything she owns.  
• Don't forget their clothes!  Think your Little Tyrone is the only one with that red jacket?  Take a walk past the Lost & Found rack one day, you'd be surprised the stuff kids lose.  There are vendors who print iron-on labels for clothing or you can use a Sharpie, a regular one or I found some specifically for fabric.  

We're almost done checking off our supply lists - I think we've got one more binder to get.  Any other supply-shopping tips?