Wednesday, I discussed how to avoid the temptation to dine out! But, every once in a while, we will go ahead and give into that temptation. For our family, that amounts to one time per week.

Here is how our family saves money eating out!

Coupons

Check out the circulars that come in the mail or local newspaper for coupons to your favorite restaurants. Many grocery stores print coupons on the back of their receipts. If you cannot find one for your favorite place to eat, do a quick google search of “(Name of restaurant) printable coupons” or look at the restaurant’s website to see if you can sign up for coupons. I like to keep a separate email address just for coupons and sign-ups.

Family Nights

A lot of restaurants have nights where kids eat free or at a discount. Some even extend a discount to adults. Simply do a quick google search of “Kids Eat Free (Insert name of your city).”

Blue Coast Burrito has $2 kid’s meals and a $6 burrito combo on Tuesday nights. Our entire family can eat for 2/3 of the normal price on that night. Select Chick-fil-a’s offer free kids meals and activities on their family nights. Logan’s Roadhouse offers two full adult meals for $15.99 Monday-Wednesday and some locations offer a discount on kid’s meals as well.

Rewards Clubs

If you have a few favorite restaurants, inquire about any reward’s clubs. Many offer reward’s programs that will give you a discount after a certain number of purchases. A lot of these clubs are now through phone apps, but some are still email clubs or in-store cards.

Gift Cards

Around the holidays, many restaurants offer incentives to purchase gift cards (such as “buy $20 get $5). If you have a favorite restaurant and can spend the cash up front, this is a great way to save money. You can even combine a gift card with other coupons and rewards programs!

Warehouse stores also offer bulk gift card packages year round. For instance, Sam’s Club offers $100 of O’Charley’s gift cards for $80. O’Charley’s also frequently offers 20% off coupons. If you use the gift cards from Sam’s and a coupon each time you go, you will end up with $125 worth of food for $80. That is a 36% savings!

Split an Entrée

Portion sizes at many restaurants are so large that you can easily split one. If at all possible, split with someone else in your party or eat half at the restaurant and ask for a to-go box. In many cases, you can find an appetizer or soup that will serve as an entrée for a fraction of the cost.

Downgrade

Look for cheaper restaurants when you do choose to dine out. Even fast food can be acceptable if your reasons for dining out include convenience, spending time with your family, or avoiding cooking and cleaning. Sometimes we eat at home and go out for dessert afterwards for a lower cost alternative on family night.

Don’t Be THAT Guy!

While it is great to save money while eating out, make sure that you do not do so at the expense of your waiter or waitress. It may seem like an easy way to save money is to cut back on a tip because it is a cost within your control. But, PLEASE, leave a decent tip! I like to tip based on what the total would have been pre-coupon or gift card.

Do you have any other great ways to save money while eating out?

One of the simplest ways to save on your grocery budget is to cut back on the number of times your family dines out. However, eliminating dining out is not always easy or desirable. Here are a list of reasons dining out is tempting for our family, and how we combat those temptations!

1. I Am Too Busy!

We live busy lives and a lot of times running through a drive thru seems like a great alternative to slaving away over a hot stove. I have found that if I cook a batch of freezer meals twice a month, I am less likely to want to go to a restaurant when we are short on time. You can also stock up your freezer by doubling up on recipes that you are already cooking and then freeze the leftovers.

Breakfast burritos, sweet breads, muffins, and waffles work great for breakfast.

Taco meat, pastas, and casseroles work great for lunch or dinner.

2. Convenience Matters (But I Cannot Do Freezer Meals)!

No time to cook freezer meals? There’s an aisle for that (and even an organic one, too)!

We do not eat a lot of frozen meals around our house, but I do always keep a stash of frozen vegetables that steam in their bag. This allows me to have a quick, easy, and healthy side dish in minutes. Another favorite of mine from the freezer aisle is frozen fruit. When I cannot make it to the store for fresh fruit, it is nice to have a healthy snack on hand.

I also like to keep a spare frozen pizza for those nights that I forget to thaw out a freezer meal (or when I get tired of my boys asking me for pizza). Occasionally, we will splurge and get a bag of chicken nuggets, too.

3. I Cannot Stand Dishes!

A lot of times, I want to go out to eat in order to avoid doing dishes afterwards! As a stay-at-home mom, it seems like I have to run two loads of dishes a day, and it is nice to have a break every once in a while.

Disposable dishes are a luxury item for us because the cost can add up; however, the cost of a few paper plates is far less than the additional expense of dining out. You can get disposable plates, cups, flatware, bowls, and pans for your freezer meals.

4. I NEED TO ESCAPE!

After an entire day of being cooped up in the house, I love going out to eat just to get out. We have discovered that often, I am content to simply eat at home and go somewhere to walk afterwards. We love to go to the park, playground, or strip mall during favorable weather. When we need an indoor alternative, we go to the mall, a bookstore, toy store, or even a big box retailer.

Come back on Friday to read about how we save money when we DO decide to splurge and eat out!

Lord,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil (Psalm 119:162). The word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does (Psalm 33:4). My heart stands in awe of your words (Psalm 119:161).

Your Law is perfect, reviving the soul; Your testimony is sure, making wise the simple; Your precepts are right, rejoicing the heart; Your commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the lord is clean, enduring forever; Your rules are true, and righteous altogether. Your word is more desirable than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. By your word, your servant warned; in keeping your commandments there is great reward (Psalm 19:7-11).

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:12). Let it be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105). Let me not be merely a hearer of the word, but a doer of the word (James 1:22).

The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sward, piercing to the division of the soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). Those who love your law have great peace; nothing can make them stumble (Psalm 119:165).

Heaven and earth will pass away, but your words will not pass away (Luke 21:33). The Word of our God endures forever (Isaiah 40:8).

Amen

Our family has a real obsession with books! We have TRIED to cut back the number in our house… but sometimes you just have to buy a new bookshelf and admit you have a problem!

Lately, I have found that I enjoy reading juvenile and young adult fiction because I am so excited about sharing stories from my childhood with my kids. Or maybe it is just because I can finish the story before my mommy brain forgets what is going on.

Here are several of the books that I loved growing up (and a few I discovered as an adult)!

1. Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik- (AR Book Level 2.4)- We are currently reading this with the Champ. It is a sweet collection of tales about an imaginative baby bear and his loving mother bear. I may be cheating by calling this a chapter book, as each of the four “chapters” is a separate story. But, it is the perfect book to snuggle up with at bedtime.
2. Sable by Karen Hesse- (AR Book Level 3.8)- When I was little, I went to a yard sale with my grandparents and found a ratty old book marked down to 10 cents and I had to have it. Much like the main character of this sweet story, I wanted a dog and my mom did not want something else to take care of. Lo and behold, this was probably my favorite book growing up.
3. Ten Kids, No Pets by M. Martin Ann- (AR Book Level 4.4)- This is another story about not being allowed to have a pet (hmm… do I see a theme here?). This time, the story is about TEN siblings that are plotting to get a pet of their own. As an only child, I was intrigued by the possibility of a family this large. There is also a sequel called Eleven Kids, One Summer
4. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix- (AR Book Level 4.8)- This was my first exposure to dystopian novels. It is set in a society where the Population Police limit each family to two children. Illegal third children are referred to as Shadow Children. Among the Hidden is the story of a Shadow Child named Luke, who makes a friend for the first time in his life. This is the first book in the Shadow Children series.
5. The Littles by John Peterson- (AR Book Level 3.3)- Like the title suggests, this book is about little people. The Littles look like people with tails and they live in the walls of the Bigg house. When the Bigg family rents the house out for vacation, the Littles have daring adventures with mice and cats! This is the first book in a series.
6. The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh- (AR Book Level 3.9)- Sarah and her father travel to Connecticut to build a house on land purchased from the Indian tribe there. When her father must leave her in the care of the Indians, Sarah must be brave and learn to trust people from a different culture.
7. Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight- (AR Book Level 5.4)- When young Joe Carraclough’s dad is out of work, they sell his dog, Lassie, to the Duke of Rudling. The Duke takes Lassie to Scottland, where she escapes and makes a thousand-mile journey to meet Joe at the school gate as she has always done. This is one of the few dog books that does not attempt to humanize the dog. Instead, it focuses on the natural instinct, Lassie’s interactions with man, and how these two influences help her along her journey.
8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl-(AR Book Level 4.8)- When I was in third grade, I read this book because I loved the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I sincerely thought from the title that this book was it’s sequel. It wasn’t! The movie was based on this book and renamed.
9. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien-(AR Book Level 5.1)- I would not read this book when I was younger because I was terrified by the movie “The Secret of NIMH.” However (based on a recommendation from a trusted friend), I decided to give this book a shot as an adult. Somehow, the book was not as dark as the movie. While I already knew what the The Secret of NIMH was, I was completely captivated by this story of a single mother’s attempt to protect her family.
10. The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary-(AR Book Level 5.1)- Ralph S. Mouse lives in a hotel with an overprotective mother. The discovery of a toy motorcycle lures Ralph into a life of reckless adventure with an unlikely friend.

Remember that it is best to ALWAYS read (or get a review from a trusted source) the books that you allow your children to read to ensure they align with your family’s morals.

A couple of years ago, I never would have imagined myself enjoying Bible Journaling. I am not much of an artist. I don’t have pretty handwriting. I cannot draw beautiful pictures. This was not the right means of worship for me.

These were all lies the enemy whispered to me. Over the next year, I learned that Bible Journaling was not about skill. It was about finding a way to worship the Lord.

There are several ways to Bible journal even if you cannot draw!

Stamps.
I personally have not used stamps in my Bible. However, they are very popular when it comes to Bible journaling and I love using stamps for scrapbooking. Among my friends who use stamps in their Bible journaling endeavors, StazOn ink seems to be the favorite ink. Much like scrapbooking, you can use cling stamps that adhere to a clear stamp block. This allows you to easily see where you are positioning your stamp. You can also purchase pretty date stamps to record when you designed each page.

Stencils.
Stencils are great because you can use them with various types of media. You can use pencil, pen, colored pencil, watercolors, etc. with your stencil to create a beautiful image. You can even cut out a shape out of a piece of paper and use that as a stencil.

Washi Tape.
Washi tape is a special craft tape that originated in Japan. It looks and feels like masking tape. It comes in a variety of colors, designs, and widths. There are even tapes that are scalloped and reminiscent of lace. You may use a single strip of washi tape as a border (or layer a few of various widths. Or, use several strips to make a pretty background.

Stickers.
If you are uncomfortable with your own handwriting and are also nervous about the bleed through that you risk with paint and ink, there are so many stickers to choose from. You can use alphabet stickers for lettering or tons of pretty embellishments. Flat stickers work best for Bibles; however, you can find various 3D stickers that may add a little extra pop to your page. Be warned: it is very easy to find yourself addicted to the sticker aisle at Hobby Lobby.

Tracing.
One of the best things about the onion thin paper in Bibles is that you can see images through the paper. First, find a black and white clipart image that you like and resize the image to fit the margin of your Bible. Then place the image under the page you would like for it to be on and trace the outline. You can then use your colored pencils and paints to further decorate the page.

Find a Font.
You can dress up your own hand writing by adding some embellishments to it. Darken the down-strokes, add highlighting, or play with different types of pens.
Whenever I need inspiration for a font, I turn to Pinterest. Search terms such as “Hand Lettering,” “Full Alphabet,” “Typography,” or “Handwriting Fonts.” My Pinterest board has several fonts pinned already. With a little practice, your lettering will improve.

Write Instead of Draw.
If you are still uncomfortable with the tips above, you can still journal. Simply highlight the text and write out your thoughts in the margins. Using different colored pencils to write can make your margins a work of art!

What unique ways do you use to illustrate your Bible?

Check out all of my past posts in this series:
Why I Love Bible Journaling
Bible Journaling: My Routine
Bible Journaling: Tools of the Trade Part 1
Bible Journaling: Tools of the Trade Part 2
Bible Journaling on a Crayola Budget

*Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive a small compensation with no added cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally use or believe my readers will love!