Reducing Dining Expenses

I spend a fair amount every month on dining out expenses. I go out to eat lunch everyday with a group at work and my girlfriend and I usually go out 1-3 nights a week and I typically pick up the bill.

So far I have really only done a couple things to reduce these expenses:

1) Signed up for a Bank One credit card that offers 3% rebate on restaurants.

2) All of my cards are on a free dining rewards account so I can earn airline miles if I go to a participating restaurant automatically.

3) Use restaurant coupons received in mailings such as ValPak.

4) Coupon Books - I also bought "Enjoy the City" ($10) and Entertainment ($15) coupon books this year. These books are very useful and I have saved significant money with them since I am usually buying for 2 anyway. My original plan this year was to just buy the "Enjoy the City" book at the beginning of the year, however I ended up buying the Entertainment book in May when the price fell to $10 + $5 shipping. It ended up working out very well, I was able to use most of the good coupons from the "Enjoy the City" book early in the year, then I was able to get the Entertainment book for essentially 1/2 price (normally $30) and maximize my return on investment.