A tip for you

Ahhh the Alamo!
Such a wonder of Texas history so easily accessible when visiting San Antonio.

Which by the way, is where I was for the past 2 days.
My husband and I took off for a quick trip there to attend the TSACF...
or was it the STCAF,
or it could have been the TSCAF.

Oh, not that it matters really, let's say it was a high school all star football game which my sweet husband was requested to attend.
It was a good excuse for the two of us to go on an overnight date!
With three kids about, there really aren't many chances for that, so we jumped at the opportunity.

In case you don't personally know me, and are just a random passerby, or a reader referred by a friend, there is something you must know about me.

I, like many others I know and jaunt about with, love a good deal.
I am more likely to do without something I really really want than to pay full price for it.
There does come a rare opportunity to work a deal and get both the item in want and the "high" from knowing I saved money in the mean time. Like the Coldwater Creek jacket I scored the other day for a mere $15.00 instead of the selling price of $79.99.
Just thinking about that makes my heart flutter a bit.

You might by this time be wondering, "Just what does this have to do with San Antonio?"
Well, hang on I am gonna tell ya.

I knew that my husband and I would be eating out this whole trip.
This was not a pack a sandwich kind of trip, it was a romantic get away (with a football game thrown in) kind of trip, which we had specifically set aside money for.
However, me being me, I had to find a deal to make all that eating out easier to swallow.
Not that I don't enjoy eating out. I do! It is the spending money that I am not crazy about.

This is where we get to the meat of this post.
My husband is always in charge of choosing our hotel and he does a bang up job searching for unique historic places and not just the Motel 6 down the road.
Once he makes his choice, it is then my turn to visit Restaurant.com.
This is a website which sells "discount certificates" from participating restaurants.
You simply type in the zip code of the area where you wish to eat, then modify your search based on distance and cuisine!!
It is a neat way to try new restaurants, especially if you know you are going to be eating out anyway.
For instance you can purchase a $25.00 off the purchase of $50.00 certificate for a listed price of $10.00.
But, there is always a coupon code available to bring that price down even further.

Come on...you know about coupon codes don't you.
Always, always search for a coupon code before you buy anything online!
Just go to your google bar and type in the particular place "restaurant.com" followed by "coupon code".
The internet is filled with sites that track these codes and make them available.
For instance, at the time of this post, I googled and there I found a coupon code of "tasty" to plug in before your purchase at restaurant.com to save 70% off of your total purchase.

I like to watch the trends and purchase from this site when there is and 80% off code bringing my purchase price down to a measly $2.00. Yes, $2.00 to save $25.00.
There are other savings amounts as well, depending on the restaurant and how fancy it may be. Anywhere from 10-100.
Be sure before you purchase that you read all the fine print very carefully.
When is it available for use?
What is the minimum you must spend?
Does it include lunch, or just dinner?
How many entrees must be ordered?
Look for things like that, read it and read it again to be sure you are getting what you think you are getting.

I have used this particular service for eating out in my home town as well as when we are traveling. I have only had one incident where a restaurant I purchase a certificate from had closed. I immediately got a notice from the website with a "credit" to be used toward another certificate of my choice.
I have had gone to some places and thought, boy I sure am glad I didn't pay full price for that!!!
I have gone to other places, I probably never would have gone to otherwise and had amazing food!!
Some months I look and don't find anywhere at all that I would consider eating, and other times there have been offers from some of my favorite places.
So, it is touch and go, but isn't life in general that way?

So, check it out. It could be that you have an occasion to eat out, and may get to go to a place fancier than you would have considered because of the deal.
Or, maybe it causes you to try Mongolian stir fry, or sushi, or that little Mexican place that you drive by and wonder about.

You may just hit pay dirt, and you will have me to thank!!!
Oh, and be sure to always pay your server based on the full ticket price, cause anything else would just be rude!