If you've ever done an assessment of your monthly spending patterns, you may be surprised to learn how much you spend eating out each month. You may vow to eat out less often. But somehow this never happens. Why not? Eating out is enjoyable. It offers an opportunity have a great meal you wouldn't have cooked at home. And it's an opportunity to spend quality times with your partner or friends.

Believe it or not, it's possible for eat out at restaurants of your choice, for almost no money, and with no strings attached. I found out about this not long ago, myself, and am happy to share what I know.

My favorite money-saving venue for eating out is Restaurants.com. Restaurant.com describes itself as a "community matchmaker." They are free to join and, once you do, you can eat at local restaurants for next-to-nothing. It seems almost too good to be true! But it is! It costs nothing to join and there are no membership fees. Restaurant.com is supported by ad money and by the restaurants themselves, who offer deep discounts with the hope that this website will help them pull in many new customers.

Once you are on their website, type in your zip code to find participating restaurants and cafes in your area. Their database included dozens of restaurants that were near my home. And none of the ones in my zip code were chains, by the way. They were cozy cafes, sushi bars, and tasteful Mediterranean restaurants (places where I'd actually wanted to eat).

You'll have the option to buy $25 gift certificates for $10 ($10 certificates for $3, $50 certificates for $20, etc.). This sounds like a great deal. But you can actually pay much less, as Restaurant.com frequently offers additional discount codes. They email these to you, but you can also find them on coupon code websites. Currently, they're offering a 70% discount off of regular rates (using the coupon code "SAVE"--they reuse this code, so it may still work for you). That means you can buy a $25 restaurant gift certificate for just $3! Last winter, I waited until they sent me a 80% off coupon code and then bought a dozen gift certificates (in some states the coupons expire after a year, but in others they never expire). Sometimes Restaurant.com also gives gift certificates away for free.

After paying for your gift certificates, simply go to your account page and print them out. Printing them from your computer makes it possible to purchase a gift certificate and go out to eat that evening.

There are usually a few conditions, so read the fine print on each certificate. Some gift certificates can only be used on certain days, for example. And you often have to spend a minimum amount. Hence, most $25 gift certificates require you to spend $35 (which is easy to do with two people). When everything's totaled up, though, you'll spend $12 on a $35 restaurant bill!

Many chain restaurants will give you a free dessert on your birthday.  A number of them will foot the bill for the entire meal.  To take advantage of this opportunity you will usually have to sign up for the restaurant's birthday club in advance.  Some restaurants will send you a coupon in the mail, while others will let you print the coupon out on your computer. Be sure to sign up ahead of time, as it may take awhile for your coupon to come.

Some of the restaurants that offer free birthday meals are:  Amato's, The American Cafe, AMF Bowling Centers, Austin Grill, Azteca, Baskin Robbins, BD's Mongolian Grill, Belfonte Ice Cream, Biggby's Coffe, Boston Market, Black Angus, Buca di Beppo, Captain D's, Carrows, Champps, Charlie Browns, Chevys, Coco's, Cold Stone Creamery, Damon's Grill, Daphne's Greek Cafe, Del Taco, East of Chicago Pizza, Eat 'n Park, Famous Daves, Fazoli's, Firehouse Subs, Flat Top Grill, Friendly's, Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, Gold Star Chili, Hearth 'n Kettle, Hollywood Video, Houihan's, Islands Restaurant, Juice It Up, La Madeleine, Lone Star Steakhouse, Macaroni Grill, Mad Mex, The Melting Pot, Memphis Barbeque, Mimi's Cafe, Moe's Southwest Grill, Noodles, O'Charley's, Old Country Buffet, On the Border, Orange Julius, Original Roadhouse Grill, Perkins, Quiznos, The Ram, Red Lobster, Red Robin, Rock Bottom, Rockfish, Ruby's Diner, Ruby Tuesday, San Francisco Oven, Sephora, Schlotzsky's, Souper Salad, The Spaghetti Warehouse, Spicy Pickle, Swiss Chalet, Tastee Freeze, Texas Steakhouse, TGI Friday's, Tumbleweed Southwest Grill, Wienerschnitzel, Wing Stop, and Zaxby's. 

Check local restaurants as well. They may offer similar specials and you'll be keeping your money in the community.

At a number of family restaurants, kids eat free.  There are three websites you should visit: KidsMealDeals.com, www.MyKidsEatFree.com, and KidsEatFree.com. All three of these do a good job of tracking restaurants across the country that offer free meals for children. 

Make Tuesday the family night out. On Tuesdays, kids' meals are free at Denny's, Bennigans, Chick-fil-A, Pizza Hut, Roadhouse Grill, Golden Corral, Perkins, and Champps. Call ahead to learn more about deals and restrictions.

Kids eat free at IHOP on Mondays and Tuesdays. And at O'Charley's they get a free meal every day of the week! Check local restaurants. They may offer similar specials and you'll be keeping your money in the community. A number of restaurants also offer free birthday meals just for kids.  In addition to the free kids meals listed here, check for local offers in your community.