One of the types of posts I will be making on this blog are tips and tricks on how I've managed to stick to a budget while trying to save up. This one is for anyone that likes eating out as much as I do! Many will have heard of Tastecard, or similar restaurant discount cards that can get you two for one or 50% off your meals.
I was sceptical at first, thinking it was a ploy to spend more money rather than save. Although when I sat down to work out the following, I was surprised by the savings on offer. Now that I have one, I also use there app to find restaurants nearby, especially if I am somewhere new and I can filter my results by the day of the week (offers are not always valid seven days a week), the type of offer and how many people can benefit from the offer. The downside is that not every restaurant accepts Tastecard so you could argue that it limits your options, although it's never been an issue for me.
When I was looking at buying a card, I managed to find a promotion by signing up to their newsletter. This got me an Avoca 7 tablet and the card for £29.99. If you can't find an offer like this, make sure to try their £1 card which last for 90 days and makes a donation to charity!
A quick and easy way of working out if Tastecard is for you is to do some maths. Ask yourself how many times you go out to eat in a month on average. Then take your favourite restaurant, check Tastecard offer discounts there on the day you would go and google the price of your favourite meal; for instance, £15 for a starter and main course. Multiply the number of times you'd eat out per month by 12, to get your annual cost. Then divide the total by half.
Example:
I eat out 3 times a month, therefore 36 times a year and my favourite meal costs £15.50. So in a year I would spend £558. The promotion I found meant my Tastecard with p&p was £34.98.The cost of a year of eating out plus the cost of the Tastecard would be 50% of £558 plus £34.98, which equals £313.98. That's £244.02 over the year.
Remember that the discount can be applied on 2-10 people's meals, not just one. So if you always eat with a friend or your partner, you'll be saving them money which is always good for a first time buyer who might need a favour with the painting!
To note, I am not in anyway associated or affiliated with Tastecard, this is my genuine opinion and I am not being paid for this post.
Image | Glen Carrie via Unsplash.com
