For week 2 of our Thrifty Tips, I want to revisit a favorite. As you might be aware I am the mom of a whole herd of kids!

Yep, before you ask they ARE all mine! All 5. And to save money and be thrifty, I try to cook at home. However, there are those nights when momma cannot play that cooking game ANYMORE ("Really, you're hungry AGAIN? But I just fed you twice today!!") I am sure we have all been there...or maybe it's just me...either way, this is a money saver for families when they go out to eat-seek out restaurants that have Kids Eat free nights! LOVE them. L-O-V-E them!

Here is a list I have put together of places where kids eat free (or cheap):

The first week I put up my new list, I noted that I was doing so because I was frustrated by the fact that other online lists are TOTALLY outdated. I have tried to verify all the ones on this list. They have all been used by myself or a friend. However, many of the chain restaurants have deals that vary from store to store and restaurants change their promotions from time to time. So, to avoid the frustrations I have had, please call your local store before you head over to make sure they are participating in the kids eat free or cheap promotion! :)

Kids eat free:

Omaha

• Hyvee: Eat FREE on Thursdays with an adult meal purchase at any of the following eating locations in the store: Italian, Chinese Express, Kitchen. Dine in only. (one kids meal per adult meal purchased)
• China Buffet: Tuesday kids eat free with adult meal purchase
• Spaghetti Works: Monday up to 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchased
• La Mesa: Thursday night One free kids meal per adult meal purchased. I know this is good at the location on 156th and Q but I do not know about the other locations.
• A+ Buffet and Mongolian Grill:  Thursdays all day Kids ages 3-10 one free per adult meal purchase
• Salgado's Mexican Grill in Omaha (around 9th and Fort). Kids eat free Wednesdays (Thanks Chrissy!)
• Heartland BBQ at 5402 NW Radial Highway has free Kids Meals (I think every day?! I will check on that to be sure) (Thanks Chrissy)NW
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• Denny's: Tuesdays 4-10 pm (Check with local store to verify they participate then be sure to ask your server before you order)
• Pizza Ranch: From their Website: Many Pizza Ranch locations offer one FREE Kid's Buffet with the purchase of an Adult Buffet at regular price on Kid's Night. Use the RanchFinder to find the hours for Kid's Night. Ask your local restaurant for details.
• Texas Roadhouse: Mondays 4-10PM one kid eats free with purchase of each adult meal
***NOTE-I believe this is nationwide, but call your local store to verify. Also for Omaha readers, please note that I hesitantly include this one because we have REPEATEDLY had TERRIBLE service at the Texas Roadhouse in West Omaha and we will NOT eat there again even with good food and Free kids night. However, a friend noted that her family enjoys the one in PAPILLION! So I include this deal with a warning about the West Omaha location (and FYI-when I wrote to them about the issues we have had over and over, they did not reply or care at all. That is why we don't eat there anymore!)***
• Chick Fil A: Wednesday nights One free kids meal per adult combo meal (I have not verified this one so check local store! A friend told me that this is good in Utah locations on Wednesday. I do not know if our new Chick fil A in Omaha has a kids night or not).
• O'Charley's: Day Varies by location 2 kids free per adult meal (Hav enot verified this-cams as a tip from a friend so please check your local store)
• Buffalo Wings and Rings: Mondays  (looks like one free per adult meal)
• IKEA: Kids eat free on Tuesday in Utah (Thanks Aubrie) There is also Kids eat Free in the Tempe Store. I bet all the locations have somethng so call your local store!! (also I noticed at their site that Mondays there is FREE breakfast until 11 am and Fridays you can get a hotdog and a soda for only $1)
• Cafe Rio: My friend Catherine told me that Kids can get a free cheese Quesadilla! Awesome! (I LOVE and MISS Cafe Rio!) Radial Highway | Omaha, Nebraska 68104

Kids Eat Cheap

• Applebees: Tuesday and Thursday Kids eat for $.99 (one child per adult meal purchased)
• Fazoli's: Tuesday nights 5-8pm Kids eat for $.99.
• Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar: Monday Kids eat for $.99 with adult meal purchase
• Pepperjax Grill: Monday night Kids eat for $.99 (5-8pm)
• Fuddruckers: Monday and Tuesday all day Kids eat for $.99 (in Omaha) 2 free kids per adult

Kids under a certain age eat free:

• Cici's Pizza: Kids under 3 eat free. (Thanks Heather)

Other Kids eat Cheap Deals to note:

• IHOP: In Utah, Kids eat for $1.99 every day after 4 pm. (Thanks Catherine)

If you have any other great kids free or discounted deals to add to the list, please comment with them after this post! Thanks and happy eating out! :)

If you are a reader of this blog, you are probably aware that a couple months ago, my husband finished his radiology residency in Omaha Nebraska and we moved across the country to Scottsdale, AZ for him to do a Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. We will be here is this desert paradise for only one year so we have determined to make the most of it!

One thing that was really exciting for me and the kids is the fact that we are a mere 6 hour drive from one of my favorite places int he world-Disneyland! So, we planned a couple trips there, and after doing the math, we determined that buying annual passes was less money than multiple 3-Day passes. Once we had the annual passes we decided we better use them and we have plans to go there when the kids are off school. Luckily for us, The kids have a full week for fall break here in October so we will be spending that week in Southern California.

Knowing we would be there, my mom was so excited to find a whole packet in her newspaper from http://www.sandiego.org/ that announced "The First Annual Kids Free in San Diego this October! WOW!!! It is pretty awesome and I want to share some of the deals in there with you:



From the ad in the Salt Lake Newspaper my mom sent me:

First, Places with free Kids Admission in October:

• Sea World: kids' admission as well as premium experiences like Dine with Shamu, Dolphin Interaction Program, and Beluga Interaction Program are Free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult.
• San Diego Zoo & San Diego Zoo Safari Park: Kids 11 and under get in for free
• LEGOLAND California Resort and SEALIFE Carlsbad Aquarium: Kids admission free with a paid adult (For this deal go to LEGOLAND.com/KidsGoFree
• Surf Diva: Kids ages 5-12 can catch their first wave for free with the help of this surf school

Here are some places where kids eat free in October in San Diego:

• Croce's Restaurant, Gaslamp Quarter
• Hard Rock Cafe, Gaslamp Quarter
• John's Incredible Pizza Co., South Bay
• Vigilucci's Ristorante, Coronado

Also, in October the San Diego Museum Council partnered with 34 museums to offer FREE admission to children 12 and under who attend with a paying adult. Here are some of them:

• Birch Aquarium at Scripps
• California Surf Museum
• Lu Art Institute
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Museum of Photographic Arts
• Reuben H Fleet Science Center
• San Diego Air and Space Museum
• San Diego Museum of Art
• San Diego Museum of Man
• San Diego Natural History Museum
• The New Children's Museum
• USS Midway Museum

For details on the above mentioned deals, and for more great October deals in San Diego, see the http://www.sandiego.org/ website here.

And don't miss this great article on 25 Fun and Free things to do In San Diego.

I think we will be spending a day or two in San Diego when we go to Disney in October.

The first week I put up my new list, I noted that I was doing so because I was frustrated by the fact that other online lists are TOTALLY outdated. I have tried to verify all the ones on this list. They have all been used by myself or a friend. However, many of the chain restaurants have deals that vary from store to store and restaurants change their promotions from time to time. So, to avoid the frustrations I have had, please call your local store before you head over to make sure they are participating in the kids eat free or cheap promotion! :)

Kids eat free:

• Hyvee: Eat FREE on Thursdays with an adult meal purchase at any of the following eating locations in the store: Italian, Chinese Express, Kitchen. Dine in only. (one kids meal per adult meal purchased)
• China Buffet: Tuesday kids eat free with adult meal purchase
• Denny's: Night Varies by location 4-10 pm (I have not used this one since August, but it is listed on their website as available at different nights depending on location-you will wnat to call your local location to see what night they do)
• Lone Star: Tuesday all day up to 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchase.
• Spaghetti Works: Monday up to 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchased
• Pepperjax Grill: Wednesday night 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchased (5-8pm)
• Grisanti's Italian: Monday night
• La Mesa: Thursday night One free kids meal per adult meal purchased. I know this is good at the location on 156th and Q but I do not know about the other locations.
• Pizza Ranch: Tuesday looks like one kid per adult meal purchase
• Texas Roadhouse: Mondays 4-10PM one kid eats free with purchase of each adult meal
***NOTE-I hesitantly include this one because we have REPEATEDLY had TERRIBLE service at the Texas Roadhouse in West Omaha and we will NOT eat there again even with good food and Free kids night. However, a friend noted that her family enjoys the one in PAPILLION! So I include this deal with a warning about the West Omaha location (and FYI-when I wrote to them about the issues we have had over and over, they did not reply or care at all. That is why we don't eat there anymore!)***
• Chick Fil A: Wednesday nights One free kids meal per adult combo meal (A friend told me that this is good in Utah locations on Wednesday. I do not know if our new Chick fil A in Omaha has a kids night or not).
• HuHot: Night Varies by location Note that Kids 3 and under are FREE always, but in addition to that, MANY HuHot locations have a Kids night where kids under 11 eat free with adult meal purcahse. (Sadly Omaha doesn't anymore) Click on the restaurant name to see if your local HuHot has a kids night, and which night it is!
• O'Charley's: Day Varies by location 2 kids free per adult meal (This one is not in Nebraska but in lots of other states East of us!)
• A+ Buffet and Mongolian Grill:  Thursdays all day Kids ages 3-10 one free per adult meal purchase
• Buffalo Wings and Rings: Mondays  (looks like one free per adult meal)
• IKEA: Kids eat free on Tuesday in Utah (Thanks Aubrie) (also I noticed at their site that Mondays there is FREE breakfast until 11 am and Fridays you can get a hotdog and a soda for only $1)
• Cafe Rio: My friend Catherine told me that Kids can get a free cheese Quesadilla! Awesome! (I LOVE and MISS Cafe Rio!)
• Salgado's Mexican Grill in Omaha (around 9-th and Fort). Kids eat free Wednesdays (Thanks Chrissy!)
• Heartland BBQ at 5402 NW Radial Highway has free Kids Meals (I think every day?! I will check on that to be sure) (Thanks Chrissy)NW Radial Highway | Omaha, Nebraska 68104

Kids Eat Cheap

• Applebees: Tuesday and Thursday Kids eat for $.99 (one child per adult meal purchased)
• Fazoli's: Tuesday nights 5-8pm Kids eat for $.99.
• Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar: Monday Kids eat for $.99 with adult meal purchase
• Fuddruckers: Monday and Tuesday all day Kids eat for $.99 (in Omaha) 2 free kids per adult

Kids under a certain age eat free:

• Cici's Pizza: Kids under 3 eat free. (Thanks Heather)

Other Kids eat Cheap Deals to note:

• IHOP: In Utah, Kids eat for $1.99 every day after 4 pm. (Thanks Catherine)

And because my husband and I are often looking for a place on a particular night, here is the day to day places (* denotes that is is NOT free, but is discounted): Monday: Spaghetti Works, Grisanti's Italian, Buffalo Wings and Rings, Texas Roadhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings* Tuesday: China Buffet, Lone Star, Pizza Ranch, IKEA (Utah), Applebees*, Fazolis* Wednesday: PepperJax Grill, Chick Fil A in Utah, Thursday: Hyvee, La Mesa, Applebees*, A+ Buffet and Mongolian Grill Varries by location: Denny's, Chick Fil A, HuHot, O'Charley's If you have any other great kids free or discounted deals to add to the list, please comment with them after this post! Thanks and happy eating out! :)

Kids eat free:

• Hyvee: Eat FREE on Thursdays with an adult meal purchase at any of the following eating locations in the store: Italian, Chinese Express, Kitchen. Dine in only. (one kids meal per adult meal purchased)
• China Buffet: Tuesday kids eat free with adult meal purchase
• Denny's: Night Varies by location 4-10 pm (I have not used this one since August, but it is listed on their website as available at different nights depending on location-you will wnat to call your local location to see what night they do)
• Lone Star: Tuesday all day up to 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchase.
• Spaghetti Works: Monday up to 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchased
• Pepperjax Grill: Wednesday night 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchased (5-8pm)
• Grisanti's Italian: Monday night
• La Mesa: Thursday night One free kids meal per adult meal purchased. I know this is good at the location on 156th and Q but I do not know about the other locations.
• Pizza Ranch: Tuesday looks like one kid per adult meal purchase
• Texas Roadhouse: Mondays 4-10PM one kid eats free with purchase of each adult meal
***NOTE-I hesitantly include this one because we have REPEATEDLY had TERRIBLE service at the Texas Roadhouse in West Omaha and we will NOT eat there again even with good food and Free kids night. However, a friend noted that her family enjoys the one in PAPILLION! So I include this deal with a warning about the West Omaha location (and FYI-when I wrote to them about the issues we have had over and over, they did not reply or care at all. That is why we don't eat there anymore!)***
• Chick Fil A: Wednesday nights One free kids meal per adult combo meal (A friend told me that this is good in Utah locations on Wednesday. I do not know if our new Chick fil A in Omaha has a kids night or not).
• HuHot: Night Varies by location Note that Kids 3 and under are FREE always, but in addition to that, MANY HuHot locations have a Kids night where kids under 11 eat free with adult meal purcahse. (Sadly Omaha doesn't anymore) Click on the restaurant name to see if your local HuHot has a kids night, and which night it is!
• O'Charley's: Day Varies by location 2 kids free per adult meal (This one is not in Nebraska but in lots of other states East of us!)
• A+ Buffet and Mongolian Grill:  Thursdays all day Kids ages 3-10 one free per adult meal purchase
• Buffalo Wings and Rings: Mondays  (looks like one free per adult meal)

Kids eat cheap:

• Applebees: Tuesday and Thursday Kids eat for $.99 (one child per adult meal purchased)
• Fazoli's: Tuesday nights 5-8pm Kids eat for $.99.
• Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar: Monday Kids eat for $.99 with adult meal purchase

And because my husband and I are often looking for a place on a particular night, here is the day to day places (* denotes that is is NOT free, but is discounted):

Monday: Spaghetti Works, Grisanti's Italian, Buffalo Wings and Rings, Texas Roadhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings*
Tuesday: China Buffet, Lone Star, Pizza Ranch, Applebees*, Fazolis*
Wednesday: PepperJax Grill, Chick Fil A in Utah,
Thursday: Hyvee, La Mesa, Applebees*, A+ Buffet and Mongolian Grill
Varries by location: Denny's, Chick Fil A, HuHot, O'Charley's

If you have any other great kids free or discounted deals to add to the list, please comment with them after this post! Thanks and happy eating out! :)

My frustration with very outdated Kids Eat Free/cheap lists has led me to update my own list on here. We have a NUMBER of times lately gone to a listed "kids night" only to learn that the restaurant has not had that for "ages".
All the ones I am listing are ones that I (or one of my friends) have tried recently or that have the deal listed on their website (I am linking to those sites). Basically I am saying these are ones that I know are currently accurate as of this post. That being said, not all locations of restaurants always run the same promotions, so I would call your local restaurant and double check to make sure they 1-have a kids noght as listed, and 2-that it is in fact the day/time you want to go. (My warning is that because restaurants do change their promotions, including kids nights, often. So, this list will likely change as time goes by. I will try to update it though)

Kids eat free:

• Hyvee: Eat FREE on Thursdays with an adult meal purchase at any of the following eating locations in the store: Italian, Chinese Express, Kitchen. Dine in only. (one kids meal per adult meal purchased)
• China Buffet: Tuesday kids eat free with adult meal purchase
• Denny's: Night Varies by location 4-10 pm (I have not used this one since August, but it is listed on their website as available at different nights depending on location-you will wnat to call your local location to see what night they do)
• Lone Star: Tuesday all day up to 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchase.
• Spaghetti Works: Monday up to 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchased
• Pepperjax Grill: Wednesday night 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchased (5-8pm)
• Grisanti's Italian: Monday night
• La Mesa: Thursday night One free kids meal per adult meal purchased. I know this is good at the location on 156th and Q but I do not know about the other locations.
• Pizza Ranch: Tuesday looks like one kid per adult meal purchase
• Texas Roadhouse: Mondays 4-10PM one kid eats free with purchase of each adult meal
***NOTE-I hesitantly include this one because we have REPEATEDLY had TERRIBLE service at the Texas Roadhouse in West Omaha and we will NOT eat there again even with good food and Free kids night. However, a friend noted that her family enjoys the one in PAPILLION! So I include this deal with a warning about the West Omaha location (and FYI-when I wrote to them about the issues we have had over and over, they did not reply or care at all. That is why we don't eat there anymore!)***
• Chick Fil A: Wednesday nights One free kids meal per adult combo meal (A friend told me that this is good in Utah locations on Wednesday. I do not know if our new Chick fil A in Omaha has a kids night or not).
• HuHot: Night Varies by location Note that Kids 3 and under are FREE always, but in addition to that, MANY HuHot locations have a Kids night where kids under 11 eat free with adult meal purcahse. (Sadly Omaha doesn't anymore) Click on the restaurant name to see if your local HuHot has a kids night, and which night it is!
• O'Charley's: Day Varies by location 2 kids free per adult meal (This one is not in Nebraska but in lots of other states East of us!)

Kids eat cheap:

• Applebees: Tuesday and Thursday Kids eat for $.99 (one child per adult meal purchased)
• Fazoli's: Tuesday nights 5-8pm Kids eat for $.99.
• Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar: Monday Kids eat for $.99 with adult meal purchase

And because my husband and I are often looking for a place on a particular night, here is the day to day places (* denotes that is is NOT free, but is discounted):

Monday: Spaghetti Works, Grisanti's Italian, Texas Roadhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings*
Tuesday: China Buffet, Lone Star, Pizza Ranch, Applebees*, Fazolis*
Wednesday: PepperJax Grill, Chick Fil A in Utah,
Thursday: Hyvee, La Mesa, Applebees*
Varries by location: Denny's, Chick Fil A, HuHot, O'Charley's

If you have any other great kids free or discounted deals to add to the list, please comment with them after this post! Thanks and happy eating out! :)

I love to go out to eat! LOVE it, but it gets really pricey, really quick with 5 kids. So, I am always on the lookout for kids eat free or cheap deals. We have a few go-to places we like to take the kids out on the kids nights. My husband and kids LOVED to go to Sizzler, but it has closed down! So, I still have a few good spots (I think the BEST right now that I know of is Spaghetti Works on their kids nights). BUT-I would LOVE to know if you have a go to place with great FREE or discounted kids meals/kids nights?! I am putting together a post of the ones we know of, but I know you all must have some ideas for me...Anyone?!

FYI Locals, La Mesa just posted this status update on FB:

"Kids eat free on Thursday, one per adult entree have a good day"

I love when kids eat free! :)

Did you know that IHOP currently has a promotion going on )for a limited time) where kids eat free EVERYDAY from 4-10PM? It's true-look:
I took that picture at my local IHOP personally...Oh and I hear this promo should last through August so you will want to take advantage of that one this month!! Happy end of summer from IHOP I guess!!

I am 20 minutes late for a playgroup and it is my son's birthday so he cannot wait to get there, but I wanted to post a couple reminders of some kids meal deals going on. I took both of the following pictures myself this week:


In case you cannot view-they are to let you know that Fazoli's (in Omaha at least-call your local store to make sure they participate) has kids night on Tuesdays (read tonight) from 5-8pm. That means with each adult meal, 2 kids can eat kids meals for $.99 each.

The second picture is a reminder that IHOP (in Omaha-again, check your local store) has Kids Eat Free every day from 4-10 pm. Theirs is one kid eats free for each adult meal purchased!

Tonight and tomorrow kids can eat free at Chili's! You just need to print the coupons and bring the coupon with you!

Coupon for kids eat free tonight (7/19)
Coupon for Kids eat Free tomorrow (7/20)

I was just sitting here thinking about how I do not want to cook dinner later tonight (yes I am already thinking about dinner and we have not even done lunch yet). While I was thinking about it, I thought I would let you know about a website I LOVE because it has an awesoem list of Kids eat free local (Omaha) restaurants (MANY are national as well thought FYI) and it is listed by day of the week. So, as I sither on a Monday, I go over to the list on Momsofomaha.com to see what restaurants have Monday deals.

They have a pretty good list with about 20ish restaurants , but I am sure you know of others-what is your go to restaurant for great kids deals? We love to go to the Kids eat free at Sizzler(M-W at our local one) and at Spaghetti Works (M), and we love the kids eat cheap ($.99) at Applebee's (T, TH).

I am seriously always looking for other places with kids deals-do you have any you can share?

This is awesome! For the entire month of August, Kids eat Free at IHOP with each Adult entree purchased (from 4-10 pm). Here are the details:

For more information please visit http://www.ihop.com/kef/index.html

Thanks eeendeavors.

We have 4 kids, so when we go out to eat, it costs a pretty penny-we are always left with the questions of whether a babysitter or paying for them to come with us will be cheaper. One way we have found to really combat the costs of going out to eat (on those rare occasions we do), is to find places that have Kids Eat Free (or cheap) deals! Remember to check with your local stores to make sure they participate in these promotions before you head over there!

Here are some FREE ones we have discovered in out experience and really like:

• Sizzler:  Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday (only some locations have Wednesday's too) Kids eat free Salad bar with an adult entree meal (last time we went in they told us you can get 2 free kids meals with each adult meal. So, we get all 4 kids to eat free at Sizzler-LOVE that)
• Hyvee: Eat FREE on Tuesdays with an adult meal purchase at any of the following eating locations in the store: Italian, Chinese Express, Kitchen, Deli, or Salad Bar
• China Buffet: Tuesday kids eat free with adult meal purchase
• Denny's: Every night 4-10 pm
• IHOP: Tuesday and Thursday 4PM-close Kids eat free with adult meal.
• Lone Star: Tuesday up to 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchase.
• Spaghetti Works: Monday up to 2 free kids meals per adult meal purchase
• Texas Roadhouse: Mondays 4-10PM one kid eats free with purchase of each adult meal  
• Golden Corral: Monday 5pm - 9pm  up to 2 kids per adult meal purchase (AND ages 3 and under are always free).

And here are some cheap ones we like:

• Applebees: Tuesday and Thursday Kids eat for $.99
• Fazoli's: Tuesday nights Kids eat for $.99 from 5-8pm
• Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar: Monday Kids eat for $.99 with adult meal purchase

Now, I realize that these are just a few of the deals out there and I am by no means the definitive expert on these deals. This list is just the ones we have actually used or have heard about recently. So, PLEASE add the free/cheap meal deals for kids you know of in comments or you can email them to me! I love when my great readers share their tricks and tips with me, and I am always looking for a new place to eat where my kids eat free!! Please share!

As I was checking around the Internet to see what other places I could tell you about, I found an awesome website where you can search for places where kids eat free in your city. It is My Kids Eat Free. Go check it out-it has a lot of the ones listed I have above and a few more.