Delivery fees, service charges and tips often add a large share to the menu price. The aim is not to stop eating out; it is to make it a choice.
The habits
Decide your eat-out nights in advance Easy
Pick one or two a week and make them good. Unplanned takeaways are the ones to cut.
Collect instead of delivery Easy
Picking up an order usually avoids the delivery fee and often costs less on the menu too.
Keep a "fakeaway" in the freezer Easy
A frozen pizza, curry or dumplings for the nights you would otherwise order.
Go for lunch, not dinner Easy
Many restaurants have cheaper lunch menus for the same food.
Drink water at the table Easy
Drinks have the highest markups on a restaurant bill.
Two $4 sodas or a $12 glass of wine each time you eat out adds up over a year.
Coffee at home, café as a treat Easy
Make your daily coffee at home or work, and keep the café for the weekend.
A $5 coffee five days a week is $1,300 a year.
Example figures are simple arithmetic to show how amounts add up. Your numbers will differ.
Tips from travellers
Tried Eating out and takeaway? Share what helped. The first good one goes right here.