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We are trying to cut back on eating out, but honestly, on some busy days, fast food is the only option. When you do hit the drive-thru, what are your tricks to save money or pick healthier(ish) options?
We've had luck with Burger King's 'Have it your way'... customizing saves money.
My rough take on fast foods is that a meal runs maybe $10. In my grocery stores you can buy prepared full meals that you just pop in the oven at home in sizes for about two or four people. Probably comparable in price, but much healthier. And there's always store bought rotisserie chicken that can be a meal with a simple side dish or two. My frugal take is pulling out frozen meals from the freezer and microwave.
I get it, sometimes you're just not home - when you planned to be! and everyone is "starving". For fast food, we usually get a chicken or fish sandwich. I try to always have a sweet and/or salty snack in my bag - a container of nuts or trail mix, pack of granola bars, bag of puffed corn (hull-less popcorn), pretzels, etc. And we almost always have a bottle or two of water per person, and a travel mug of coffee. So those cover drinks and sides, are better for us (mostly) than fries, and cheaper. Sometimes there are two-fer deals at the fast food joint, which is an additional help.
McD’s seems to have the best deals in its app. Chick-Fil-A has few specials. I like Panera but they’re more expensive. Not sure about Taco Bell. I would download the apps for the places your family likes best and see what offers they have.
Market Basket's prepared food dept makes pizza, burgers, sandwiches etc to order. They are very busy around lunch time, because their stuff is good and prices are amazing. You can buy a full-size submarine sandwich/grinder/hoagie (we call them "subs") for $4.99!
That just reminded me that pretty much any grocery store will have prepared sandwiches ready to go, which may be a cheaper option that the drive thru.Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
We don't do it often at all, so when we actually are going to order in, we'll usually do some Chinese takeout.
These are all such nice tips, thank you. I usually keep freezer-meals on hand too, but being readily available, they vanish soon. I will definitely try Market Basket's "sub" next time. Sounds cheaper and fresher.
Yeah, I checked some fast food apps and some do have good deals like McD's $3 menu and Wendy's menu $5 Biggie bag and free fries options etc. Taco Bell's $5 box is also a nice deal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
But they are just occasional treats for the kids or what I call... mom's exhaustion backup plan.
Great tip. Thanks! I do keep some snacks with me to calm down 'hangry' kids but this is a very frugal way of using them as sides with burgers or sandwiches.Quote:
Originally Posted by early morning
Our Market Basket has a nice place to sit and eat the sub, with booths and tables and views of the mountains.
If I were going to eat Fast Food with a family, I would buy something large and split it up, or two large somethings if you have several kids.
Nice! Ours has a cafe, but definitely no mountain views.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
I think the answer to not eating out is a bit of planning and some food prep. Having a meal prepared and taken out of the freezer in the morning and ready to heat is the answer. Sometimes I do a prep the night before. I don't have kids, but I still have trouble getting meals made in an efficient time sometimes. So, I may make the filling for something or the sauce the night before and only have to cook up the rice or the pasta, or heat something up. It's really much more frugal.
Prepping ahead is a great idea! But I think the OP was concerned about frugal eating out when they hadn't planned to BE out. Crap happens, lol. The game has a rain delay, Mom calls because she fell and needs help and the car is full of hungry people, errands or appointments run later than you thought they would, making it impossible to stop by the house and eat before heading to the next appointment/game/meeting. Packing snacks is a good stop-gap, but sometimes, people are hungrier than a snack. Sometimes, the drive-thru is much appreciated! But driving thru without tapping out the wallet - that's the rub here, I think. :)