Frugal - Abundant Living

Kid's Really
Can Eat Free

Kellie Renfroe

Eating out with four children (three boys and one girl) is not cheap. I find myself looking for coupons and making mental notes of local 'kids eat free' establishments. My memory doesn't always hold up (did I mention I have four kids?) and I usually forget about the coupons until it's time to pay. Showing up at a restaurant a day late for the 'kids eat free' night is common too.

There must be a better way to track coupons and know where the 'kids eat free' nights are weekly. With a bit of online searching I found some great deals that will make saving money when eating out easier.

* Kid's Eat Free.
To find all the kids eat free restaurants in your area visit:
CouponDivas.com
Mykidseatfree.com
Allkidseatfree.com

* Online Coupons.
Receive discount coupons and free food by visiting the website of your favorite restaurants. Sign up for their email or mailing list to receive discounts. Here are my favorite sites:
Zaxby's Birthday Club
Wendy's
Longhorn Steakhouse (Receive a free appetizer coupon!)
Dairy Queen

We'd love to hear and share your tips for saving money when eating out. Send your tips to: Mentoringmoments@aol.com.

Save Money When Eating Out

Kellie Renfroe
When our family of six goes out to dinner, the bill can be steep. Here are some ways to eat out and save money:
* Order water to drink, especially if drinks are not included with your children's dinner.
* Know where the good deals are in your town. Which establishments offer 'kids eat free' nights?
* Share entrées. Allow younger children to share a kids meal.
* At fast-food restaurants, look at the $1 menus (most have them now).
* Use coupons! Make the decision only to eat out when you have a coupon for the restaurant
* Kids want ice cream? My children love Oreo Blizzards. I ask for an extra small cup and spoon and the two younger children share. This saves not only money but avoids waste.
* Super size large fries and divide among 3 or more kids.
* Give teens a dollar amount when eating at nicer restaurants. My teenager enjoys choosing his own food and I enjoy knowing he's not ordering a $15 dinner.
* Eat out at lunch time (or during "Early Bird" pricing) when prices are generally cheaper.
* Learn to make your favorite restaurant food at home and save big!

Cash In On Returns

Kellie Renfroe
A friend told me the story of a lady she worked with that we'll call Stacy. Stacy was a fashionista with children who knew more about current fashion trends than most adults. Her home was decorated beautifully, but she was beginning to find it cluttered. Deep in credit card debt although she had a well paying job, she sought the help of a personal organizer to get her home in order.
The first thing the personal organizer did was look inside every closet. What she found was exactly what she suspected--hundreds of dollars in clothing and other brand new items with tags. When Stacy was asked why she had the massive amount of new, unused items, she said she did not have time to return them. Usually she ended up just giving it all away. The personal organizer was not shocked because she heard this regularly. This was the first area Stacy would face and organize.
Stacy made returns totaling over $700 to stores such as Wal-Mart, Belk's, and Dillards. She paid the personal organizer a hefty portion of that money (her husband had been giving the same advice free for years) to tell her what we all should know--be wise financially and return unwanted items!
Why is it unwise to save time and just give items to those less fortunate or to Goodwill for a tax deduction? If purchases were made on credit cards that cannot be paid in full monthly, those items will continue to cost you money. Return them and pay back the credit cards. Do not allow slothfulness to drag you into debt!
Here are some tips on returning items:
* Keep receipts in your purse for easy access. If you do not have a receipt for a return, do not let it stop you. Instead of cash or crediting your card, the store generally issues a gift card in the same amount.
* Have a tote or basket in your car for returns. To make sure I don't forget, I put the returns in the front seat beside me. I've been known to drag a basket of returns around for weeks before finally returning them. But if they stayed in the house, it would never happen.
* Use money from returns to pay off credit card debt. If you receive a gift card, use it for your own needs or save it for Christmas or birthday shopping. (Check the fine print to make sure there are no penalties in holding onto the card for awhile).
* Turn those mistaken purchases into wise financial choices!

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