Bristol Weekly Magazine 1st December 8th December 2022

If you're looking to save this holiday season, Andrea Knowles from vouchers. co.uk has some great tips. According to one survey, 46% of Brits plan on spending less on eating out. Here are seven easy ways to stick to your budget:

1. Always arrive on time for your meal so you don't need to buy a drink at the bar. Not only do these drinks increase your total bill, but drinking alcohol before your stomach is lined could lead you to getting tipsy and blowing your budget.

2. Waiters and waitresses may request your drink order as soon as you sit, which could be a sign of good service or a psychological trick to get you to pick a more expensive drink before you've had a chance to look at the menu.

3. The second-cheapest wine is often a psychological trick, so avoid it if you're trying to save money.

If you’re trying to save money, don’t order the second cheapest wine on the menu. Restaurants know that this is a common trick, so they hike up the price of those wines.

4. Also, picking the set menu isn’t always the best decision if you’re trying to save money.

Watch out - ordering a set menu can sometimes make you spend more money than you would have if you didn’t order one. Even though a three-course menu for £20 sounds like a great deal, you might not be that into the starter or dessert options. But you end up picking one of them anyway.

5. Restaurants will highlight an expen sive meal on the menu to make other options seem like a bargain.

Have you ever noticed how restaurants will highlight their most expensive item by placing it in a box? Yeah, they're not doing that just to be nice. What they're actually trying to do is encourage big spenders to treat themselves to the ‘best’ item on the menu. But it can have the opposite effect, too.

The sheer size and price of the item make everything else look reasonable in comparison, so diners feel like they are getting a bargain if they pick something else.

6. If there’s no GBP sign next to the pric es on a menu, the restaurant is trying to trick you into spending more money.

By not including the sign, they’re hoping you won’t think about the cost as much. So be careful when you see this tactic being used!

7. If you’re sharing an appetiser, ask whether it arrives in an odd or even portion.