$1 off McDonald’s smoothie or frappe

Local Dines

The usual discount is 50%, but occasional Blue Plate Specials take the cost even lower. If the restaurant doesn’t demand a printed coupon, you can buy one on your phone while you’re dining and show your waitress the code.

Find Local Dines deals here.

Restaurant.com sells discounted dining certificates for local restaurants, and if you understand the rules, you can eat well on the cheap. Here’s how to make sure you get the best deal:

• A certificate worth $25 is normally $10, for example. But never pay regular price, because those certificates are always on sale.
• Certificates are frequently offered for 50% off (or $5), 60% off (or $4), 70% off (or $3) or 80% off ($2). The ad above is automatically updated to tell you about the latest sale price and the promo code you need to get it. If you click on our ad to buy your certificate, we’ll receive a small commission.
• New certificates are added once a month, usually at the beginning of the month, and popular restaurants may sell out fast.
• Most restaurants require a minimum purchase to use the certificate, some restrict how often you can dine at a discount and others have other rules. Be sure to read the fine print before you buy.
• Restaurant.com sometimes is late to find out when a restaurant has gone out of business, so you might also want to make sure the restaurant is still around. If a restaurant goes out of business after you’ve bought a certificate, Restaurant.com will let you exchange it.

-- Teresa Mears