7 Ways to Eat Out For Cheap

You know that when I travel, I love to plan my activities around food, because dining in new places and trying local cuisine is a favorite hobby of mine on trips. Of course, this isn’t always the best idea, because it means I get in the habit of eating more every day and then when I get home, I have to get back to my normal eating routines, which is maybe don’t eat dessert with two meals each day and also don’t eat everything I’m served. I know, I know. Details. 

Calories don’t count on vacation, but they still come back with you, unless you walk a lot while you’re out sightseeing, which is always a good idea anyway.

So, while I love to eat as much native food as possible, you can’t save money by eating out 3-4 times a day without a plan of some sort, so let’s talk about some frugal tips on how to stretch your food budget, while still eating amazing food each day of your trip. With this plan, you can still eat out for cheap, and here are 7 ways to stretch your dollars.

Go shopping

My first tip, always, is to hit the grocery store as soon as you get to your destination and load up on staples. Of course, this works much better if you have a kitchen(ette) of some sort that has at least a refrigerator. I always buy breakfast items, since that is my least favorite meal and also I don’t like to get up too early to get out of the house to eat eggs. If you loooooove breakfast, then you can grab lunch or dinner foods. Snacks are never a problem for us, because we bring quite a few on the plane. If you don't have a kitchen, you can still cook in your room.

Book a vacation rental

A condo, apartment or house can not only help you save money, because many are the same price as a hotel, have a lot more space if you have a family/group of 4 or more and they also have kitchen facilities where you can make your own meals. I know that cooking on vacation doesn’t sound all that fun, but saving money does and sometimes a home cooked meal gives you time to relax and catch up from the long day you’ve had. Plus, many rental properties also have BBQ grills, and grilling is ALWAYS fun. Right?

Make reservations

Book dining reservations through Internet sites like OpenTable Most reservations net you 100 points, but every once in a while you get your 1,000 point dining options. Once you accrue 2,000 points, you can trade them in for a $20 dining certificate (this threshold may vary by country) as well as waiting until you make it to 5,000 and 10,000 point levels.

Split your meal

Sometimes you just can’t take your leftovers with you (because you’re in the middle of sightseeing or it won’t keep until you make it back to your room) or you are in a country where they don’t let you take your remaining food with you. If you aren’t hungry enough to eat a large meal, then possibly finding something on the menu that your travel partner wants and you can split is a good idea. Most restaurants serve portion sizes that are enough for 2 or 3 people anyway. If you think it might be too small, order an appetizer or salad as well.

A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle) on Mar 18, 2018 at 7:20pm PDT

Make lunch your main meal

If you are dying to try that fancy restaurant, stop in for lunch. The portions may be smaller, but the prices will be also. You can get the same great service and food, but at a better value.

Make a meal of appetizers

Happy hour can save you quite a bit of savings. Another reason to do appetizers for dinner: You had a big lunch or you want to try a bunch of menu items at one time. When 4 entrees seem like too much (which should be always if there are only 2 of you and you aren’t at a buffet), get 4 appetizers instead. You’ll spend about the same price as you would for dinner, but get more options and not totally stuff yourself.

Eat at food carts

Not only are food carts becoming the gourmet restaurants of right now, but they can save you money and offer you so many more options for food, are less than a sit-down restaurant and can get you back to sightseeing more quickly. With the lower prices, you can treat your food cart meal like an appetizer buffet. 

So, now you have some ideas on how to eat well, while not breaking your budget. Food will probably always be a big part of your expenses, but you can make it more affordable and not feel like every time you sit down to a meal that there are more things you can't do. Do you save money other ways when you travel? How do you do it?

My London Wish List

With the Royal Wedding fast approaching, many people have London on the brain. earlier this week I talked about taking a London trip on a budget, because there are so many things you can do for cheap or free that nobody thinks about. Skip the London Eye and instead take a stroll along the Thames or even learn more about the river and the bridges by doing the Tower Bridge Experience. 

Now you can take a look at what I have on the docket for my trip next year with my London Wish List.

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The Cauldron

As a Harry Potter fanatic, I'm always on the lookout for awesome magical stuff, and this potion-making cocktail class is right up my (Diagon) Alley. You use science to create alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) beverages in a potions classroom setting, dressed in robes and wielding wands. I mean, who doesn't think that sounds fun?

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Sketch

This be-floraled restaurant is like stepping into a fairy tale and you can have breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea in a variety of rooms, all just as beautiful and spell-binding as the last.

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Host Cafe

Set in a 17th century church, this quiet little coffee shop has the most amazing setting. Their coffee and pastries are supposed to be really outstanding too.

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Hoxton Street Monster Supplies

For those that like British sweets, monsters and a sense of humor, Hoxton Street sells items like Bah Humbugs (hard candies), Creeping Dread (a short story canned with sweets), and Daylight for Vampires (a solar cell mason jar). 

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Hunterian Museum

A museum of oddities in the middle of London? Yes please! All for free? I will be there with bells on. I mean, where else can you just wander around looking at diseases in jars, weird artifacts and Winston Churchill's dentures? It sounds a bit like the Mütter Museum. 

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Leadenhall Market

I've only been here in the nighttime on a Harry Potter Walk (which I'll be doing again as well), but now I plan to go back in the daytime, where I can browse the stalls and walk under the ceiling of books (I'm sure that's not what it's called).

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Neals Yard

I'm not entirely sure what to expect from Neals Yard, besides eye-popping colors and probably some fantastic outdoor cafes, but what else do you need? If nothing else, the pictures will be phenomenal.

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B Bakery London Afternoon Tea Bus Tour

I'm a sucker for an amazing afternoon tea, and what better way to experience it than while on a historic bus driving around London? For about the same price as a city tour or just afternoon tea, you get both and London landmarks including Marble Arch, Royal Albert Hall and Trafalgar Square.

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St Dunstan-in-the-East

I don't just like food and Harry Potter, though those are big things on my travel list. I also like historical places, and this place totally qualifies. What was once a church built in 1100, is now just ruins after suffering through the Great Fire and the Blitz. Only the tower and steeple survived, along with the South walls (the rest of the building was taken down for safety), and since a lawn and fountain were added to make this gorgeous quiet space from the hustle and bustle of London.

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The Clink Museum

I didn't manage to make it to the Clink Museum last time we visited, but I've been wanting to go since my first trip in 2006. This tiny, dark museum is housed on the site of England's first prison. The guided tour is highly affordable and tells the tales of the 600 year old prison, torture devices and archaeological artifacts. After hours you can even join in the hunt for ghosts and spirits with Ouija boards and other divination methods.

I'll be adding more things to my list, but for only being there a week, it'll be hard to narrow down my choices. I would love to have tea on top of The Shard, visit Hyde Park, actually go to Kew Gardens, and take a day trip to Stonehenge, which I missed last time, and I'll absolutely be visiting the Warner Bros Studio Tour again. What things do you think I should absolutely do (keep in mind, this will be my third trip, so I've done most of the tourist things)? 

Get 300 bonus SB when you sign up for Swagbucks in May

All throughout May you can earn large bonuses when sign up as my referral on Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, or PayPal cash. 

When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a 300 SB bonus! Here's how: 

1. Sign up using this link .

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3. That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned over 70,000 SB, which I use to purchase Amazon gift cards so I can purchase items I was going to buy anyway, or things for my annual Harry Potter party and then use real money on travel.