It is no secret I hate cooking. It is no secret I am bad at cooking. The combination of these two things lead to me eating out a lot more than I should. Most of my monthly budget goes towards food because even when I grocery shop, things just end up spoiling. It’s a vicious cycle.
I can only take so much fast food. It gets to the point when I’m desperate for a side besides French fries, and for a salad that comes before the meal. Apparently millennials are killing chain restaurants, but not me. Well. I’m helping kill most chains, but there’s one restaurant group I hit with relative frequency and that is Bloomin’ Brands. They own Carrabba’s, Outback, Bonefish, and Fleming’s. I’ve never actually been to Bonefish and Fleming’s I’ve only been once, but I’m in either Outback or Carrabba’s once a month. The sole reason I can afford to do this is their Dine Rewards program. You swipe your Dine Rewards card, or give them your phone number if you’re like me and keep losing the card, each visit. On your fourth visit, you get 50% off your bill, up to $20. ($40 at Fleming’s but I’ve never tried it.) Plus you can mix and match. So I can go to Carrabba’s three times on their “Amor Monday” three course special and then take my 50% off to Outback for steak. It also works on to-go orders!
Obviously, not eating out would save me more money than the Dine Rewards program does, but I’m going to eat out anyway and I know that. So a little careful planning and use of coupons (you can get credit for a visit even if you use a coupon) makes the paycheck go a little farther and I get real food instead of fast food. It’s a win win!
You can sign up for Dine Rewards here, and you’ll get a bonus $5 off the first time you go. (I get $5 off too!) There’s also an app but honestly there’s no need to download it as long as you know your own phone number.
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