I am often asked how I get such great deals on food and entertainment everywhere I go. It is really not that difficult. The magic word is “Internet”. You can walk into a restaurant or up to a theater or an amusement park and pay full price if you like. Personally, I like to save my money and get more for my buck by shopping for deals and coupons on the Internet.
All the fast food places and many higher class restaurants have websites. You may find a deal just by browsing to them but go ahead and subscribe to the site even if you don’t find a deal. They send out deal announcements and coupons by email. I just got 2 free “W” burgers from Wendy’s that way. I also get great discounts at KFC, Del Taco, etc. It is well worth it. If you are worried about getting spam emails because of this, then create a separate email address just for this. Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, etc. provide free email addresses. Your ISP may provide more than one email address to use.
Restaurant.com can be an excellent place to get discounts at restaurants. They sell discount certificates. The usual price is $25 for a $35 certificate but they also have regular sales for as little as $2-$8 for $25-$50 certificates. It is a great way to try a new restaurant out or go out with several other people and pick up the tab. There are restrictions and only one person in a group may use the cert at a time. Be sure to show the certificate before ordering. They do work though. I have used them and they make it easy to send gift certificates to family and friends. I also like that they do not expire so you can buy now and use them later.
If one of you is a veteran, recently Golden Corral buffet has been offering a free meal for veterans and active duty military on Veteran’s Day. Get there early because it really draws a crowd and don’t forget your VA card or military ID.
Amusement parks, theaters, and dinner theaters all have websites as well and I almost always find special deals on them that are only available when booking over the internet. Never go direct to any of these without checking their website first. Usually I get a discount price but other times I will at least get a free VIP upgrade and sometimes both. VIPs get better seats, may be allowed backstage, get a special waiting area to sit down in away from the crowd, and other goodies. If you subscribe at their websites, they will notify you of upcoming deals, shows, and special days so you can better plan your next trip. I scored two tickets for the price of one to Medieval Times dinner theater on their website. I got a discount and free VIP upgrades at websites for two other shows. Disneyworld let me in free on my birthday after I registered at their site for that deal.
If you are thinking about going to an RV show, they too have websites with discount tickets available. The same applies for local races and festivals.
Pay attention at grocery stores in the area you are visiting too for discount coupons on rodeo, circus, and amusement park tickets.
Another good place to get a discount is in your RV park or motel office. Most of them carry a brochure rack and some brochures have coupons in them.
Lastly, consider your state of legal residence. Disneyworld in Florida provides a discount to local residents. If you are a full-time RVer, hang out in Florida a lot, and love Disneyworld you may want to consider using Florida as your legal residence. Florida also gives a 50% discount to local seniors and handicapped for state park camping fees so you could save quite a lot just by changing your state of residence. They also don’t have a state income tax!
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