Eat Cheap: How to Take Smaller Bites out of Your Wallet

From cradle to college, kids are siphons for food and money. As you probably know, most children are on demand feeding schedules until they move out -- sometime between the ages of 18 and 35, if you're lucky.

And at no time are their super-size eating habits more evident then when the family is away from home. Short of strapping the refrigerator to the car roof or your back, keeping 'em satisfied on the road without going broke can be a challenge.

In the 1970s when my children were very young it was fast food or nada. We were ignorant about what we were ingesting (maybe a good thing at the time) and the price was right: burger, fries and a drink for under $2 a head.

When I penned the first edition of Frommer's Washington, D.C. With Kids, most restaurants were not what I would call, "family-friendly." Now, nearly 20 years later, restaurants do cartwheels to woo families and cater to small fry.

Owing to the family travel explosion, most eateries now have a kid's menu, or the chef will accommodate their smaller appetites. Many toss in a free dessert and/or beverage, crayons, games and balloons. I suspect it won't be long before Tippy the Clown puts on a show while they're waiting for their apple juice.

The good news for today's parents is that eating out need not eat a hole in your wallet. Here are some tips for cutting mealtime costs.

1. Never leave home without snacks. Take anything with a substantial shelf life that you can jam in your purse or backpack -- crackers, pretzels, nuts, fruit (fresh and dried), a small jar of peanut butter, canned or boxed juices, plastic utensils, napkins and straws. If you're concerned about smooshable items, wrap them in an old shirt or layer of bubble wrap.

2. Mine the menu for appetizers, soups and salads.

3. Share. Isn't that what you always tell your children? Even if a restaurant charges a small fee for the privilege, sharing beats paying for an entrée that will land in the disposal.

4. Head for ethnic eateries. Appetizers at Asian restaurants and their many offshoots (I almost said bamboo shoots) entice kids because they're tasty, colorful. When eating dim-sum, egg rolls, fried wontons, and such, kids can use their fingers as chopsticks. (Note: Do not try this with hot and sour soup.) Spanish tapas and Greek mezedes are flavorful, filling and fun to eat too.

5. Have your big meal at lunch. Save up to 40 % over dinner prices and dine mid-day. Doctors and nutritionists tell us it's healthier. Eat "small" for dinner.

6. Belly up to street vendors and museum cafeterias in cities.

7. Get takeout for lunch or dinner and picnic in your hotel or outdoors.

8. Stay in a hotel where breakfast is included. If a bowl of unpeeled fruit is part of the deal, grab a piece for later. You're already paying for it.

9. Unless you're in a third-world country, refill your water bottle from a tap. According to the latest research, the water is as good or better than the stuff you buy in a store.

Beth Rubin, a kid at heart, is always looking for mealtime deals. She is the author of Frommer's Washington, D.C. With Kids (9th ed. available now).

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