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I have told you guys before how much I love using Restaurant.com gift certificates as a way to stretch our entertainment budget.  I have noticed that whenever I post about the promos I usually get lots of emails with questions about how they work. This past weekend I was chatting with a friend and she said she had never used them because she just didn’t know how they worked–WHAT??  I told her she was crazy to miss out on such a great deal!  So I thought I would break it down to help with any confusion…so Amy this is for you 😀
I usually buy Resturant.com gift certificates when they are at 70% – 80% off.  That means that I pay $2 – $3 for a gift certificate worth $25.   Once I get the email that they are on sale I head over to Restaurant.com and type in my zip code to look for participating restaurants in my area.  Each restaurant will have different requirements. Most of the ones I go to require a $35 – $50 purchase to use the gift certificate. 
Ok…so let’s do the math for a certificate at 70% that requires a $35 purchase:
My family goes to the restaurant and we order $35 worth of food.  Once the bill arrives I give the waitress the gift certificate and now my bill is only $10 + tax and tip!  So I will pay approximately $20 for a $35 dinner.   Now add the $3 that I paid for the gift certificate and I have paid $23 for the meal!!  That means I saved 35% using the Restaurant.com gift certificate! I’d say that is a great deal!!
I have some great news…two of my readers will get a chance to check out Restaurant.com for FREE!!  I have two $50 gift certificates for two winners!! That means each winner will get $50 to use at their favorite restaurant!! 
To make it even more fun this giveaway has a twist!  The winners will get the $50 certificate and the one who scores the best deal with that $50 certificate will get a $100 certificate as a grand prize…that will definitely stretch the old entertainment budget!!
To enter just leave a comment letting me know where you would spend the gift certificate!! While you are checking out Restaurant.com you can score a great deal as they are currently offering 80% off certificates when you use the code PLATE now through 7/31. NOTE: Sue emailed me a great reminder…if your favorite restaurant is out of stock you can still buy a certificate and redeem it at any time!  So you can get the sale price and go back and use it once your favorite is back in stock!!  Also you have a year to use the certificates so I always stock up and then let my family choose based on our taste that night!!
I will choose a random winner on 8/5 around 11pm. Good luck everyone!!
Disclosure: Restaurant.com provided gift certificates to me and my winners.