I work hard to plan meals and menus for my family. I find that we not only eat healthier when we do this, we also save quite a bit of money. Of course, there are those evenings when I just am not in the mood to cook dinner - and neither is my husband. We plan for these outings in our monthly budget, but we always do what we can to save money.
We register for e-mail clubs and/or newsletters at our favorite venues. This allows us to get offers for B1G1 Free meals, discount coupons and other offers right in our inbox. We often times save these for our much cherished "date nights."
Find places where kids eat free. Right now, all Kansas City area Applebee's are offering a free meal with a paid adult entree on Tuesday evenings. Chili's often offers events where 2 children eat for free with a paid adult entree. You will need to read the fine print on these offers as they sometimes exclude age groups and/or menu items.
Check out Restaurant.com. I love this site not only for my local dining establishments, but for the (rare) occassion when we travel it can save us when we eat out when away from home. You can often get $25 gift certificates for as low as $2 (keep in mind that with these you normally must spend $40 at the dining establishment to be able to use these.
You mght look at splitting or even swapping meals. My kids are young enough that they LOVE to eat at fast food restaurants (as much as I hate them). My younger two are only interested in the toy. When we head here, we order a meal for each of them but I order nothing. Then, they split one meal and I eat the other one and everyone is happy....and I just saved myself a few bucks!
Saving money certainly can put a smile on your face (well, that and not having to slave in a hot kitchen on a sweltering Kansas City day).