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12 Menu Items To Stop Ordering If You're Looking To Save A Buck

$18 for pasta? Never again! There are better ways to spend your tax refund, especially when you bring back the big bucks by using H&R Block.

H&R Block
by H&R Block

Brand Publisher

Restaurants are businesses, and that's cool, but they've got some secret-y secrets, like the price of...

1. Pasta

Discovery Channel / Via mystery-of-the-cake-topper.tumblr.com

Pasta has a bad reputation; it's tasty and overpriced. If you're craving carbs, stay home tonight — most pasta only costs a few cents a serving to make.

2. The Second-to-least Expensive Bottle of Wine

TBS / bricesander.tumblr.com
TBS / bricesander.tumblr.com
TBS / bricesander.tumblr.com

Restaurants know your struggle. Second-to-least expensive bottles are usually marked up for this reason. Either keep it 100% trashy, or go in on the good stuff.

3. Eggs

Via lolwhyumadtho.tumblr.com

Womp womp. Everyone wants their protein these days. But if you're paying $3 for an omelet, you're probably paying 300% more than you could be.

4. Pizza (Sorry)

Via aplacetolovedogs.tumblr.com

Put it back! When you're everyone's favorite, you can sell for nearly 900% what you cost to make.

5. Guac

eyeliam / CC BY http://2.0 / Via Flickr: eyeliam

No offense, but your favorite extra is still mostly avocado. And restaurants pay less for that simple ingredient than you would at the grocery store.

6. Salmon

youtube.com / Via akagi-91.tumblr.com

Something's fishy with the price of salmon. Most filets of this widely consumed breed cost only a few dollars to prepare. You'll be charged well above that.

7. To-go Coffees

Vine
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You've been told before, and you'll be told again: Coffee is staining your wallet. Consider the overhead cost itself. By many estimates, cups cost double the actual coffee beans.

8. Iceberg Lettuce

Via cheezburger.com

Seeing as a chunk of iceberg is almost entirely just water, you should stick to the free glass they give you. (See below.)

9. Fancy Water

youtube.com / Via tumblr.forgifs.com

Bottled water at restaurants is notoriously overpriced. Stick to the tap, but be sure to ask for it first. Some cities prohibit serving water of any kind until it is requested(!).

10. Potatoes (Fries)

11. White Truffles

Blue moon in her eyes / CC BY http://2.0 / Via Flickr: bluumwezi

OK, even if these were priced "fairly," you're paying too much. The big hangup here is that "price-per-gram" pricing requires some mental math, and when you're feelin' all fancy, you're bound to make en error. Delusions of grandeur = getting gouged.

12. Whatever's in the Top Right-hand Corner

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Photobomb tip! Our eyes are naturally drawn to the upper-right corner of an image, like a menu. Therefore, many restaurants will overprice the item featured up there.

Spend wisely! Your tax refund from H&R Block will be in your pocket soon enough.