I love eating out but at restaurant prices today where a 'inexpensive' meal can mean $15-20 just for a main course and when you are living on a low fixed income it is pretty tough.

A few years ago I was taught a pretty good way to save money when eating out and I am just passing it along.

All chain restaurants have web sites such as Red Lobster, Kilwins, Gold Corral, Sweet Tomatoes, Ruby Tuesdays, Bennigans, TGI Fridays, Marconi Grill, etc. where you can register, which generally just means giving an e-mail address and some will ask for your birth date. They will send you a mailing once a month with all sorts of deals such as 2-4-1 (buy one get one free) or 50% off your check and will, invariably, send you a coupon for a free meal on your birthday. While many will stipulate that the coupon has to be used on the date of your birth date others will give you a two week time frame.

Now-a-days even individual, family owned restaurants have web sites offering 'deals'.

I have 8 coupons, so far, for a free meal for my birthday from 8 different restaurants not to mention free ice cream at Stone Creamery, Baskin Robbins and desserts at other places.

On Wednesdays, as a rule, Allen and I go out for lunch--I usually hand him a bunch of coupons and tell him to pick one--as an example yesterday I registered at Sage, a French-American Cafe, where a main course for lunch averages about $22. I got a coupon for 'buy one get one free' (plus a coupon to come in for a free dessert on my birthday.

We had an excellent lunch there today--we both ordered the Angel Hair pasta with seafood in a light pink sauce--it had scallops, shrimp and lobster--and was a huge portion--after that we ordered 2 different crepe desserts--one with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and raspberries and the other a bananas foster with vanilla ice cream and a Cinnamon caramel sauce. We walked out very satisfied and still some money in our pocket.

So next time, check out the restaurant you plan or want to eat at on the web and save a few bucks.

Not that I have to tell YOU but be sure to tip 20% on what the original check would have been plus a couple of extra dollars--you are still saving money!!