Don't blow the tip

Amid the summer restaurant deals and promotions, a reminder: Tip on what your meal would have cost, particularly if you get great service. These are tough times for servers, too, and tipping appropriately is a help.

And while we're on the subject: You tip on the pre-tax total, including alcohol, and (unless you're Johnny Depp) 15 to 20 percent is appropriate. (Depp reportedly left a $4,000 tip at Chicago steakhouse Gibsons, and the waiter characterized him to Radar online as "a really cool dude.")