For those of you who eat out often, or would like to eat out more but worry about money Restaurants.com has a screaming deal for you right now. For every $25 gift card you buy they are charging $2.o0. That’s right TWO DOLLARS for $25 worth of appetizers, entres, drinks and desserts.

What’s the catch? It’s the as everything else on Restaurant.com

1) Your bill has to be over a certain dollar amount. It’s usally a $35.00 minimum tab for a $25 gift certificate although I’ve seen that $35 minimum go up for nicer restaurants.

2) There is also a required minimum 18% tip on the entire bill amount before the gift certificate. So you can’t buy $35 worth of food, use a $25 gift certificate and tip on the $10 you paid out of pocket. That is more then fair since the waitstaff need to earn a living too!

3) You cannot combine gift certificates. For example you can’t hand in $100 worth of gift certificates to pay for your tab. There is a minimum order for every denomination of gift certificate and you cannot use more then one certificate per day.

4) (Please note I’ve never tested this part) You can only use one gift certificate at a time per group. So if you and your friend go to lunch together you can’t both use gift certificates at the same table. If you have a big group with several tables you can’t use a gift certificate per table.

5) You need to make sure the order limits work for you. Some restaurants exclude gift certificate use on alcohol purchases, for example, although in my experience most don’t. Read the fine print.

6) They could have blackout days. My local House of Blues has something called “Gospel Sundays” which is a very popular day. You cannot use your gift certificate on a Gospel Sunday.

These are the rules as I have applied and understood them. Always read fine print for yourself of course because things can change but I’ve purchased and used several of these and I’ve never had a problem.

WAIT there is a BONUS!
Remember how I talked about how I love MrRebates.com? (If you missed it click HERE) If you go through that site you can get a percentage cash back on your order.

For Example:

I’m a Disneyland Annual Passholder so imagine my excitement when I discovered the House of Blues in Downtown Disney is a listed resturant. I purchased 4 different $25 gift certificates for the House of Blues at $2 a piece but I didn’t just go to the website and order. I went through MrRebates.com and received a percentage back on my total order.

My Order

4 ($25 Gift Certificates) for $2 each- totaling $8.00 (Use the code: FUN)

20% MrRebates cash rebate- totaling $2.00

Total price I will have paid once I recieve my quarterly rebate?

$6 for $100 worth of restaurant certificates.

Yes I could give you links to Restaurant.com and all that with my referral link from MrRebates but I’d really prefer that you register with them yourselves and start saving.

A membership to your local YMCA might give access to classes, summer sports teams and a fitness center.

You can also search http://www.localhikes.com/ for hikes near you.

My local Auto Club usually has a flyer several pages thick listing days for kids to get into local museums and attractions for free.

If you’re a Southern California native you might want to consult http://www.daytrippen.com/

Try clicking HERE

I’d also bet if you gave these out as summer gifts to grandparents they’d be delighted to display them!

Originally $19.99 Currently on sale for $1.43 at Amazon. Even with $5 shipping you’re saving over 60%!

Check it out

http://www.amazon.com/Tooth-Tunes-Junior-Jungle-Book/dp/B001CF9FEO/ref=sr_1_56?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1262761492&sr=1-56

Buy the 

V Tech – Whiz Kid CD- Spider-Man & Friends

Originally $19.99 for $1.84 on Amazon. Shipping is $1.99 so you get it all for $4.00. You can use it on any PC so it would be a great gift for a child’s birthday as well!

Product Features
40 activities and games
3 modes of play per activity page
Teaches: Letters, Numbers, Colors, Animals, Nature, Counting, Matching
Comes with a CDRom and cartridge for learning on the go or on the PC
Recommended for children between ages 3 and 5

http://www.amazon.com/Tech-Whiz-Kid-Spider-Man-Friends/dp/B000NOZ3QY/ref=sr_1_72?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1262761043&sr=1-72

You can also purchase

V Tech – V.Smile Smart Book-Toy Story 2

for $4.00 (again originally $19.99)

http://www.amazon.com/Tech-V-Smile-Smart-Book-Toy-Story/dp/B000NOXGTU/ref=sr_1_117?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1262761347&sr=1-117

http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Finding-Nemo-Buscando/dp/B00029X8W6/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1262760831&sr=1-17

Even with the $5.00 shipping you’re still paying less then half price!

When I have kids I’m creating one of these. It’s fun. It’s easy. It’s genius. It involves chocolate.

Check it out HERE

Try HERE

Important side note: If you’ve got little ones in your house beware of the size of the magnet! You do not want choking hazards!

Turn your sad cookie sheet into a magnet board to hold notices and reminders. And now you have something for all those magnets your kids bring home from school!

see HERE

Click HERE