Even though the price of dining out continues to increase, you can still enjoy eating at places you enjoy if you know how to make smart choices. When you take a close look at what you actually pay for when you go out to eat, it isn't hard to find ways to save money without sacrificing the fun of going out.

Be sure to check the Restaurant Coupon section at www.couponmom.com to see if you can save money at your local restaurants. However, if your favorite spots do not offer discounted restaurant gift certificates or coupons, then take a few of the savings approaches I use to eat out without breaking the bank.

1. Drink water. This tip may seem basic, but it's amazing how even ordering soft drinks can drive up the dinner check for a family of four. Most restaurants do not even put the price of beverages on the menus anymore. It's not uncommon for a standard size soft drink to cost about $3 at a family restaurant. That adds $12 to the total tab for a family of four. If you do order beverages and the server offers to refill the drink, be sure to ask if there is a charge for refills. I have been unpleasantly surprised in the past to see that we were charged for every generous offer to refill our beverages.

I would rather buy a 12-pack of the same soft drink and enjoy it at home. I go out to restaurants to enjoy their food. Why not drink water and spend my money on the restaurant's good food? Refills are free!

2. Consider dessert first. Common savings advice suggests skipping dessert and coffee at the end of the meal because it can blow the budget. I'd agree and generally suggest we eat dessert at home, or at least split one dessert because they are usually so large. However, if you are eating at a restaurant with an a la carte menu and you like dessert, I would ask to see the dessert menu before deciding on appetizers, salad or side dishes. If the price were the same, I'd rather get the signature dessert than six pieces of lettuce on a plate called the "house salad." I'll have salad another day. Dessert is more fun.

3. Eat out for lunch instead of dinner. Many restaurants serve identical types of meals at lunchtime for a lower price. Enjoy your favorite meals at a different time of day to save easily.

4. Use restaurant reservation services like www.opentable.com or www.dinnerbroker.com. If restaurants you like participate in these programs, you can earn points toward free gift certificates if you dine at off-peak hours. Choosing to eat out on a Wednesday night instead of a Saturday night may earn you $10 towards a gift certificate and you will get an identical meal.

5. Split meals. Many restaurants serve very large portions. If the restaurant allows you to split meals, you may consider doing that to enjoy good food, save money and save your waistline at the same time.

6. Check your local cooking schools' dinner programs. Many cooking schools will host special dinners to allow their students to showcase their talents at a reasonable cost. Do a search in your area to see if a local cooking school offers bargain-dining programs.

7. Find out if your favorite restaurants have special theme nights that offer good deals for family dining. For example, a local restaurant we like offers "All-You-Can-Eat" Prime Rib night that is fairly affordable. With two teenage sons, we get our money's worth at those kinds of events.

8. Consider substitutions and fast food options. Today's fast food restaurants have added many healthy options that are affordable. For example, McDonald's has a dollar menu that has some healthy choices. Their fruit and yogurt parfait for $1 is a healthy breakfast option, their $1 "snack wrap" is actually a grilled chicken wrap that has enough calories and is tasty enough to be a lunch with a side salad, and their low fat frozen yogurt cones at about $1 are a great option for a family outing. Our family of four would spend about $12 at the local frozen yogurt store to get cones as compared to $4 at McDonald's. We also prefer the taste of the McDonald's cones.