How to save at restaurants if you're burnt out on cooking

Life Kit

NPR

Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Business, Education, Kids & Family

4.5 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 30 June 2026

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Do you blow $20 on slop bowls because you keep forgetting to pack lunch? Or can't help but overspend every time you eat out with friends? Dining out can be expensive — but there are ways to minimize the financial punch. This episode, reporter Joe Hernandez shares tips on how to dine out on a budget. Sign up for his one-month newsletter, How to Cut Your Food Bill, for more tips.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Do you remember when we would go to that bar in Philly after work for Happy Hour?
0:08.0	Oh, big time.
0:09.2	The cheap pizzas and the generous beer pours.
0:13.7	Yeah, I remember that.
0:14.8	The Happy Hour deals were pretty key.
0:18.0	I actually liked the pizza.
0:19.9	Yeah, it was good at the time.
0:25.1	I remember I would get a whole one for myself and people would think that I had gotten it
0:31.0	to share with the group and then I would sort of take it to the side. Yeah, like do some defensive
0:36.2	maneuvers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:38.3	Like the arm around the plate.
0:41.5	I remember people being like, you get really quiet when you eat.
0:45.7	I'm like, yeah, I'm focused.
0:47.3	Right.
0:47.8	I don't want you interrupting me.
0:51.7	All right, well, you're listening to Life Kit.
0:53.7	This is Mariel Segarra.
0:55.0	I'm here with Joe Hernandez.
0:57.0	We used to work together back at WHYY.
0:59.6	We were both reporters at the time, right?
1:01.5	Yeah.
1:01.8	And Joe, you have been reporting on this topic, actually, right?
	...

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