Best Buy of the Week: Entertainment Book

Like of lot of folks practicing Savvy Frugality, I keep eating out at restaurants and going out to a minimum, but my family does still enjoy a good meal out once in awhile. I have a wife and two sons, and while we keep a lot of our entertaining close to home, there are occasions when we want to have a night out on the town. My son's recent high school graduation was one of those occasions. But how do you go out and stay frugal at the same time?

I recently took advantage of a current sale of the Entertainment Book. In the interest of full disclosure, the Entertainment Book is an advertiser at Savvy Frugality, but it is one which I use and recommend. I purchased the book online (yes, there is a banner on SavvyFrugality.com) for just $9.99, and it has already more than paid for itself.

There are coupons for restaurants, local amusement parks, bowling alleys and movie theaters. I like the restaurant coupons because many of them allow me to save 20 percent or more when my family goes out to eat. There are also coupons for rental cars, airfare, and other travel expenses.

Personally, I like a good burger once in awhile, and I have "buy one, get one free" coupons at McDonald's. I took my youngest son to McDonald's recently, used a coupon, and saved about $4 during that one trip. I purchased a Big Mac. He had a Quarter Pounder with Cheese (which cost me nothing after the coupon). That already took care of nearly half the cost of the Entertainment Book.

Also, the book comes with a plastic Entertainment card which I can use at participating merchants for deals which don't require a coupon. When I travel for business or on vacation, I can also check out the Entertainment deals for the cities I'm traveling to and print coupons right from the Entertainment web site.

Some of the coupons do expire in November, but I have already saved more than I spent on the Entertainment Book. Personally, I usually try to get FREE coupons I find online, but if you like to go out and eat and be entertained (moderation is the key here), then the coupons in your local Entertainment Book are definitely worth the $9.99 investment.