Went to Chili's - Forgot Coupon!

So this past Sunday, we went to visit my mother-in-law. Her birthday was on Monday, August 5th, so we decided to go visit on Sunday and take her out to eat. Now, being the RGV Coupon Mom, you would think I would not forget my coupons, right? Wrong! My MIL was making a fuss about us not going out of our way for her, and she didn't want us to spend any money on her. But, my husband explanined that we have been couponing and that we had a coupon for a free dessert that we could use, since it was her birthday. That pretty much sealed the deal. So we headed to the Chili's in Rio Grande.

Everything was great, the food was awesome, she ate very well, the kids enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to grandma, they even gave her a free dessert, we didn't have to use that coupon. When the bill came, we were very surprised, it came out to $45, which for us is great and since we were a party of 5, it was expected. We got the 2 for $20, the kids get from the kids menu and my MIL had the lunch combo. So, it was very reasonable, even without the coupon.

Now, here is where I kick myself. When we got home, I decided to check my email, because I hadn't seen it in a while. Well, low and behold, there was a coupon from Chili's for a Free Kids Meal! Valid only on Sunday! OMG!!!!!! We were just there. Not only would we have saved more with that coupon, I could not believe that I didn't remember to check to see if there was anything in my email that I could have used.

But, in the end, what really mattered was that my MIL enjoyed her time with us and her grandkids. The point was for her to have a great time and enjoy great food no matter the cost. Of course, she made us show her the bill, but was plesantly surprised herself. Sometimes, it's ok to go off grid, not to use coupons, and not worry about the cost, if it's in your budget, which for us, it was. Chili's is pretty much reasonably priced to begin with, which is why she wanted to go there. Sure, we would have saved ourselves way more than what we paid had I used the Free Kids Meal coupon, but, seeing everyone enjoying themselves, was worth it.