If you are trying to save money spending that extra money to eat out is a huge waste. How much you are going to spend for a meal is going to depend on where you are eating and how many people you are feeding. When you are trying to build a cash reserve you want to put as much money as possible into the cash reserve each month. When you are eating out you are using money that you could be putting towards your cash reserve.

Here are some examples of how eating out is wasteful.

Example one: Drinks
Buying a margarita or even a beer is a huge waste of money when you are eating out. The reason for this is that you only get one drink for the price that you are paying; at least with sodas you get free refills. Not to mention that if you order two or more drinks for the amount that you have paid you can buy the ingredients and make the drinks yourself at home, plus invite a few friends over. For example, one margarita costs about $7.00 at restaurants like Applebee's; it can cost more at higher scaled restaurants. If you were to buy two margaritas it would cost you $14 and for that price you could buy all of the ingredients needed to make them from home.

Example two: Appetizers
When eating out every waiter or waitress always asks if you want to start off with an appetizer or two. These menu items are high priced and come with very little food. Appetizers can cost anywhere from $5 to $15 depending on where you are going and what you are ordering. When you buy an appetizer before dinner you will partially fill up before your main entrée arrives, which means you will eat a smaller amount of your main entrée then you would if you hadn't ordered an appetizer.

Example three: Full dinners
At some restaurants you can order something called a half dinner, which is the same thing as a full dinner, but is half the portions. Most people when they go out to eat do not eat everything that is on their plate, which is a waste of food and money if you do not take it home. The reason that most people do not eat everything on their plate is because they have ordered too much food and simply cannot finish it all. By ordering a half dinner you get less food which gives you a higher chance of eating everything on your plate, which results in no food being wasted.

Example four: Soups and salads
Ordering a side salad or even soup can be a waste of money, even if they are not very expensive. On average side salads can cost $4, but they can also cost as much as $8, this depends on what kind of salad you get and what type of restaurant you are at. Side salads and soups work to fill you up before your main entrée arrives, which means that you will eat less of the main entrée.

Example five: Deserts
Desserts are another way that restaurants get you to spend more money than what you need to. Waiters and waitresses are trained to ask their customers if they would like desert, this is usually done before you are even finished eating. The dessert menu is always placed on the table so that you can browse through it and see everything that they have to offer. Desserts are not something that you need to have when eating out, but some people find the temptation to hard to refuse. Desserts are a complete waste of money because they are not a necessity, you do not need dessert it is just something that tastes good.