Monday, January 28, 2008
Today's Tip: Order the Lunch Portion
When I was a teenager I used to love going to restaurants that served big, heaping portions.
I had an incredible appetite, and it was very rare that I couldn't finish a meal placed in front
of me. As I've aged, my appetite has dwindled, and now I don't cleave to those
large-portion restaurants so much as I've used to.
A couple of months ago, I had a nice young man wait on me while I was at his restaurant.
As it turns out, I was at a place that gives you what you pay for, and I told him that I
wasn't quite as hungry as I usually was. His suggestion was magnifique: No problem, just
order the lunch portion!
I've never heard of the concept, but after talking with him for a couple minutes, he
informed me that most restaurants will serve you a lunch-sized portion for dinner. They
will usually take between $3 - $5 off the regular dinner price. There wasn't a mirror around
anywhere, but if there was, I would have looked into it and said, "You're not the athlete you
once were. You don't need all that food!" Then I felt like I was on Deal or No Deal and
felt triumphant when I took the his deal of a lunch sized portion, even though the dinner
portion was still on the board.
Ok, enough of my shenanigans. What I'm trying to say is that more times than not there
are little, subtle opportunities for you to save money. Ordering a lunch-sized portion and a
water at a restaurant instead of going for the dinner-sized portion and a soda will probably
save you at least $5 ($6 including tip). To me, that's enough of a savings to change my
eating habits for the day. Plus, when I think about it...I don't really need all of that food
anyway, since usually I have just enough left over to not even make half of a meal after I
get home. All it does is sit unloved in my refrigerator, taking up space for the next week
until I throw it out.
Here's another nice thought. With your savings, you can "pay it forward," and tip your
server extra for his/her hard work. When you've saved a few extra dollars, you have the
extra to use as tip money if you so choose. Who knows? Maybe you'll just make some
hard server's day, or give him/her a nice story to tell one of his/her friends!
Have you downloaded the free budget yet? Our free budget spreadsheet is updated for
2008 and features a monthly account tracker and budget form!
When I was a teenager I used to love going to restaurants that served big, heaping portions.
I had an incredible appetite, and it was very rare that I couldn't finish a meal placed in front
of me. As I've aged, my appetite has dwindled, and now I don't cleave to those
large-portion restaurants so much as I've used to.
A couple of months ago, I had a nice young man wait on me while I was at his restaurant.
As it turns out, I was at a place that gives you what you pay for, and I told him that I
wasn't quite as hungry as I usually was. His suggestion was magnifique: No problem, just
order the lunch portion!
I've never heard of the concept, but after talking with him for a couple minutes, he
informed me that most restaurants will serve you a lunch-sized portion for dinner. They
will usually take between $3 - $5 off the regular dinner price. There wasn't a mirror around
anywhere, but if there was, I would have looked into it and said, "You're not the athlete you
once were. You don't need all that food!" Then I felt like I was on Deal or No Deal and
felt triumphant when I took the his deal of a lunch sized portion, even though the dinner
portion was still on the board.
Ok, enough of my shenanigans. What I'm trying to say is that more times than not there
are little, subtle opportunities for you to save money. Ordering a lunch-sized portion and a
water at a restaurant instead of going for the dinner-sized portion and a soda will probably
save you at least $5 ($6 including tip). To me, that's enough of a savings to change my
eating habits for the day. Plus, when I think about it...I don't really need all of that food
anyway, since usually I have just enough left over to not even make half of a meal after I
get home. All it does is sit unloved in my refrigerator, taking up space for the next week
until I throw it out.
Here's another nice thought. With your savings, you can "pay it forward," and tip your
server extra for his/her hard work. When you've saved a few extra dollars, you have the
extra to use as tip money if you so choose. Who knows? Maybe you'll just make some
hard server's day, or give him/her a nice story to tell one of his/her friends!
Have you downloaded the free budget yet? Our free budget spreadsheet is updated for
2008 and features a monthly account tracker and budget form!
My Financial Profile - MyFinPro.com
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