by Barry Marcus

Created on: August 07, 2008   Last Updated: April 12, 2009

You can't really save money on eating out. Eating out is for indulgence, pleasure, the enjoyment of great foods. The only way to save money on eating out is to stop doing it. Rather explore your culinary talents and eat in. Become adventurous, try out a range of recipes and foods from around the world. Entertain and be entertained.

Many years ago I mixed in a social circle where dinner parties were the thing. Everyone We took turns to host dinner parties. When it was our turn we splashed out and made a whole range of interesting meals. The guests usually arrived with a bottle of wine. And the cost? A fairly lavish meal for eight would cost about the same as a reasonable meal for two at a half-decent restaurant.

Entertaining in itself is not necessarily the answer. There are many people that will quite happily accept your invitation for dinner but you will wait in vain for a return invitation. What is needed is a group of people that are all passionate about food and are willing to put in the time and effort to provide a decent meal when their turn comes around.

The entertaining group has to become a club. Each member or couple has a turn to provide an out of the world experience. A formal arrangement like this doesn't take the fun out of the wining and dining experience. What it does achieve is ensure continuity and great friendships can be made.

Trying to save on a meal out is something that does really destroy the fun. We can eat out but choose only the cheapest items on the menu. No drinks - a jug of water will do. The cheapest bottle of wine. Forget about desert or a starter - choose a main course and a salad. After all of this you still spend the meal worrying about the bill. There is no point. If you cannot eat out and enjoy the meal then why go out at all?

Of course if you customarily choose the most expensive options on the menu and (of course) only the best wine then there is plenty of scope to save. Experiment with the other items on the menu. The most expensive is not always the best.

Other options are to go Italian rather than French. Italian food often offers very good value.

Of course if you take a trip to South Africa there are a wide range of restaurants that offer excellent value by international standards. The top restaurant in Cape Town will set you back less than $100 for a meal for two with wine, and there many that will cost less than half of that. We recently enjoyed an excellent rump steal with 5 salads and fries with the best wine on the house for a mere $40. The restaurant is a quality Israeli restaurant that serves middle eastern foods. The atmosphere is vibrant and alive. Book your trip now. South Africa is hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Get here some time before that and enjoy a range of restaurants at a third of the price of those in the US and a quarter of the prices of those in Europe.

Looking forward to seeing you. And of course, our dinner party club is open.

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