Rob Chatterson

The next time you visit a restaurant, chances are you won’t hear the server urge you to “Get the water, it’s excellent.”

But these days, more and more diners are choosing to pinch pennies by cutting out costly beverages in favor of a free glass of water.

Market researchers NPD Group recently reported that orders for drinks you pay for have fallen by 6 percent over the past five years.  At the same time, they said, requests for water have been on the upswing.

The weak economy isn’t the only reason people seem to be ordering fewer sodas, coffees and beers, but cost was a big factor, the folks at NPD say.

Do you love dining out but hate the credit card bill hangover? Here are 8 some tips for enjoying a restaurant meal without worrying so much about money.

Pick food you love: If you’re going to go out for a meal, make it worthwhile. Pick a restaurant you really like or are absolutely curious to try, and order food you love. Take advantage of all the ratings and reviews websites to make sure you are getting a good meal for your money. You’ll feel better footing the bill if you like the food.

Skip the beverages: Nix the soda and stick with water. Or, if you must enjoy your meal with a bottle of wine, bring your own. Many restaurants will allow that for a corking fee. It can still save you money.

Skip the other extras: When you get to the restaurant, you’re hungry so you order an appetizer. Then you’re tempted by the dessert list so you splurge on coffee and a sweet treat. Those little extras can add up to a hefty bill.

You don’t have to deprive your sweet tooth completely, however. This great post from Wise Bread is a few years old but has some good tips, including grabbing a tub of ice cream from the store — for a fraction of the cost — on the way home instead.

Split an entrée: Let’s face it, even the best restaurants will often give you a big enough portion to share with a friend, child or loved one. It’s a good way to cut calories, too.

Save some for later: If you absolutely must have all that pasta or steak for yourself, try to the meal into two, and ask for a doggie bag.

Take advantage of freebies: Lots of restaurants offer free bread or provide a salad with an entrée, and kid’s meals often also come complete with additions such as milk. Make sure your server brings all those extras.

Look for coupons and deals: Check out local websites and publications for buy-one-get-one free entrée deals and other promotions. Daily deals such as Groupon also can be great if you know you’ll use the coupon and enjoy the experience. Check out The Bad Deal for some great tips on using daily deals wisely.

Our final tip is to tip: Even if you cut down your bill, don’t skimp on the tip. Your server has to pay rent and buy groceries, too.

Readers, what did we miss? Share your tips for eating out on the cheap below.

Related:

Frugal food: Brown bag options that won't break the bank

Frugal food: Protein that doesn't kill your pocketbook

Are you trying to save on groceries for the family? Hoping to eat healthy but having trouble budgeting for it? Looking for low-cost options for dinner parties?

Join us here at 9:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. ET Tuesday for a weekly Today Money chat on how to eat well and save money.

Related:

Brown bag options that won’t break the bank

Protein the won’t kill your pocketbook

Getty Images file

Make extra salad the night before instead of spending money on the salad bar.

Ah, lunch.

If you’re an adult who works, it’s all too easy to be tempted by convenient but costly and often calorie-laden options such as takeout food and restaurant meals.

If you have kids, despite efforts to improve school lunches, the cafeteria can still be a place to spend money on less healthy items.

As part of our new frugal food series, we sought out some expert tips on brown-bag (or reusable lunch bag) meals that are low-cost and healthy.

FOR ADULTS

Two for one: Marilyn Townsend, a nutrition education specialist with University of California at Davis, says the easiest way to prepare a brown-bag lunch for the next day is just to cook extra at dinner the night before.

“If you’re going to all the work of making the stew or casserole or the rice whatever it is, make extra,” she said.

The same is true for salads – make a little extra and you can throw it in a container for the next day.

To save more money, make a separate container of dressing with oil and vinegar instead of buying a pricier bottle from the store.

That will also keep the calories down.

“People don’t attribute … calories to dressing, so they put a huge scoop of, say, guacamole on a salad, or sour cream,” Townsend said. “I’d lump all those under the category of dressings (and they’re) pretty much 90 to 100 percent fat.”

Make it from scratch: Generally speaking, Townsend notes, the more processed a food is the more it’s going to cost. Avoid high costs by making your lunch items from scratch. Resources such as the federal Expanded Food and Nutrition Education program  can help low-income families learn to cook healthy meals.

Hoard containers: You don’t have to spend money on reusable containers for your lunch. Townsend recommends saving a little money by simply reusing deli containers, yogurt tubs and other items.

Save on sandwiches: Instead of buying pricier deli meats, mix up tuna or egg salad.

Free drinks: After the initial investment of a reusable water bottle, you and your kids can keep your drink budget down by filling up on water rather than juice or soda.

FOR KIDS

Townsend notes that kids may feel a lot of peer pressure to eat school lunches, so you want to make sure what you are giving them is fun as well as nutritious.

Yogurt cups can be yummy and also provide good nutrition.

Fruits and vegetables: You can get pretty good deals on fruits and veggies if you buy locally and in-season. To make it a little more appealing, this may be where it’s worth splurging on a little container of dressing for dipping.

Buy in bulk: If you do find a food that your child likes and is nutritious, look for bulk buys to save money.

Readers, what are your tips for healthy and cheap brown-bag lunches?

Getty Images file

Beans can be a good source of protein, especially with rice.

The news last week that the price of peanut butter is going up left many readers fretting about their options for cheap, protein-rich food, especially at a time when many of us are pinching our pennies.

It’s not just peanut butter that’s getting pricier. The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects food prices to rise by 3 to 4 percent this year, after rising by less than 1 percent between 2009 and 2010.

Meat — a favorite protein choice in many households — is already be one of the higher-cost grocery items, and it’s been getting even more expensive.

Beef prices rose by more than 10 percent between this August and the year earlier, according to government data. Pork prices are up by 7.5 percent over the same period. Poultry prices have not risen as much.

We asked Amy Yaroch, executive director of the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition in Omaha, Neb., to give us some options for healthy, protein-rich foods that aren’t too pricey.

Here are some examples:

Beans and rice:There’s a reason these two foods appear together in many traditional meals. Yaroch said that beans themselves are a good source of protein, but they work especially well when paired with rice for a complete protein.

You don’t have to eat them exactly at the same time, but Yaroch said eating both low-cost foods within a couple hours of each other is a great way to boost protein levels at low cost.

“It’s really important to eat rice and beans,” she said.

Eggs: Yaroch noted that eggs have gotten a bad rap in recent years among people who watch their cholesterol. But scrambled eggs, omelets and other egg-based foods can offer a filling, high-protein meal that doesn’t break the bank.

“If you don’t have high cholesterol, eggs are a really low-cost way to get good, high-quality protein,” Yaroch said.

Health-conscious eaters can just use the egg whites, she said.

The price of eggs is up by nearly 15 percent, according to government data, but they still remain a much cheaper option than meat.

Dairy: Yaroch notes that many people forget that dairy is a good source of protein. A glass of milk, a serving of yogurt or cottage cheese or a helping of plain old cheese are all good options for adding affordable protein.

Quinoa: OK, so this one may not regularly appear on most people’s shopping list. But Yaroch said quinoa is actually a great source of protein and has other nutritional value.

Soy: Yaroch concedes that many people may think of tofu as a flavorless, and it can be if you don’t know how to cook it right. But when cooked well, tofu can be a tasty addition to smoothies, stir-fry meals and other foods.

Meat: Yep, you can still put meat on your grocery list if you’re pinching pennies, but just don’t buy as much. Yaroch notes that many families would be healthier if they served smaller portions of meat and instead filled the rest of the plate with veggies. Another option is to mix meat with cheaper protein, such as beans or tofu.

You can still have a great meal (with) a smaller piece of chicken or meat,” she said.

What are your tips for lower-cost, protein-rich meals? Share them below.