Thrifty and Thriving

The usual promotion from restaurant.com – 80% off – when you enter code SAVOR

I find these are only worth buying if you’re going to use them in NYC, Boston, or some other big city.

Readers, have you found these useful in the 518 area?

Probably like a lot of families these days, we’re trying to cook more at home and avoid going out to eat more than once every few weeks. It doesn’t seem that hard to steer clear of sit-down places, since (and I’m not sure if this is just me) it seems like prices have really gone up. For example, the last time we went out to Pizzeria Uno (this is one place where it’s always guaranteed that my kids will finish their meals) it seemed like it was at least $10 more than we’re used to paying. Has anyone else noticed this at area restaurants?

Smart Money has a few tips for saving money on dining out. Check out this video. They share some interesting Web sites that could help you save. Here are some examples:

• Opentable.com and grubstreet.com – Offer details on discounts and fixed-price restaurant weeks. It kind of looks like these have more info if you’re looking for New York or other larger cities. Has anyone used these sites for dining around here?
• Restaurant.com and groupon.com – Allow you to get restaurant gift certificates and other discounts. Groupon.com looks like an interesting concept. It offers a different deal each day (not always restaurants), but you can only get the deal if enough people sign up for it.

Smart Money also recommends clipping coupons when you can find them, signing up for e-mail newsletters, and even following your favorite restaurants on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have any restaurant savings tips? Share them here.

I read in the latest issue of Consumer Reports that store brand products, or generics, on average cost 27 percent less than brand-name products, and many times they are as good or better. They taste-tested a few products, and here are a few winners that you can find locally:

• Archer Farms (Target) Oatmeal raisin cookies, $2.92, beat Pepperidge Farm, $2.98.
• Archer Farms (again) dried cranberries, $2.29, beat Ocean Spray, $2.41.
• Great Value (Walmart) Au Gratin potatoes, 92 cents, beat Betty Crocker, $1.85.
• Archer Farms pepperoni pizza, $5.02, tied with DiGiorno, $6.20.
• Market Pantry (Target) brownie mix, $1.32, tied with Duncan Hines, $1.95.

I was kind of disappointed that they didn’t do a comparison with different cereals. Sometimes store brand cereal is good, but other times, it’s just not the same as the original. I have a sweet tooth, and I was pleasantly surprised that Market Pantry’s cinnamon toast cereal tasted a little better to me than Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Is there a store brand that you swear is better than a brand-name product? Share it here.

Okay, that doesn’t apply to very many of us, but in celebration of finding his 1971 Z28 Camaro that he sold more than 25 years ago, Papa John’s founder John Schnatter will be offering a free large, one-topping pizza tomorrow. The catch is, you have to own a Camaro. Read more from MSN money.

If that’s important to you, then here’s a deal you should know about. Order 3 bags (7 oz.) of My M & M’s (with custom colors, words, or even your picture), and get a 3rd bag for free. Find out more on their Web site.

Custom M & M’s can make cheap wedding favors too. When I got married, my colors were navy blue and white, so I went to a candy store near where I lived that sold M & M’s in custom colors. I was able to get navy blue and white M & M’s. I then made little bags with some mesh fabric to put them in and tied them with ribbon, and printed labels that were attached. I’m not usually that crafty or creative, so I was rather proud of myself. Of course, I had 150 guests, so between my mom and I, it took a little while. A cheap alternative to ordering favors online, if you have the time.

I saw this post on The Simple Dollar, and it reminded me of a situation I was faced with this morning. I went to cut up some strawberries that were in my fridge when I noticed they were frozen solid. I checked, and at some point (probably during the process of trying to shove as much as I possibly could on the top shelf) it got set at the coldest possible level.

According to The Simple Dollar, this is one of many things you can control to reap savings from your refrigerator or freezer. A few other recommendations they make are as follows:

• Clean the dust out of the coils regularly. That means actually move the fridge out and clean behind it. Ick. I’d just prefer to forget that part of the house is back there.
• Fill empty juice or milk jugs with water and freeze them. A fuller freezer is a colder one.
• Purge the leftovers. They go bad, contaminate other food, and in the long run make you waste more than if you’d just thrown them away in the first place.

Read more suggestions from The Simple Dollar.

According to smartmoney.com the following restaurants offer free kids meals (there are, of course, plenty of restrictions and not every restaurant is participating)

Applebee’s
Savings: About $5 for one kid’s menu meal, including one side dish.
On Monday nights, some Applebee’s locations offer a free meal for one child and $1 meals for any children beyond that.
Rules and restrictions: One child per paying adult. Additional kids’ meals cost $1. Not available everywhere.

IHOP
Savings: About $3-$5 for one kid’s entrée.
Some IHOP locations let kids eat free every day from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Individual franchises set up their own promotions, so check with your local IHOP first.
Rules and restrictions: Kids must be 12 and under. Not available at all locations.

The D-Zone at Denny’s
Savings: About $3 (based on the price of an average kid’s meal).
Kids eat free on Tuesday nights at Denny’s from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. In some locations the deal is offered on Saturday nights as well.
Rules and regulations: Kids must be 10 and under. Two free kids’ meals for every paying adult. Not available at all locations.

Family Fun Night at Chick-fil-A
Value: About $3 (based on the price of one kid’s meal).
At some Chick-fil-A locations, kids can eat free on Tuesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Rules and restrictions: Free kid’s meal when an adult combo meal is purchased. Not available at all locations.