The Cost of a Good Meal

I don't know about you, but I love going out to eat.  I enjoy cooking, so eating out isn't to escape a chore around the house.  It's more about breaking up the norm, getting out of the house, and spending time with others.  The only problem:  it's often more expensive than I'd like. 

 

I'm not talking about a $50 meal either.  We try to stay on a tight budget to allow me to stay home with my baby.  When we go out, we drink water, usually skip appetizers and desserts, and look for the cheaper menu items.  At many restaurants the options are limited to sandwiches to stay within that budget.  That's why if we come across a restaurant that offers lots of choices for under $10 a plate, we usually end up liking it.  

On Dining Review Tampa I have a section called "Cheap Grub" where I list restaurants that offer food for great prices.  Sometimes it's nice to feel like you got your money's worth and still had a nice dinner.

I am enjoying this tour of restaurants that I am on now as I make my way around Tampa Bay to write reviews.  I am limited a bit by our budget, but we use Entertainment coupons, Restaurant.com certificates, and flyers from our mail to get good prices when we can.  I try and make a note of any discounts we used for our meal on my review pages...so you can save some money, too!