🍟 5 Easy Food Hacks That Will Save You Money! (2024)

Summer is a time for family and enjoying time outdoors! ☀️

With food often playing an important role during these activities, here are some of my favorite tips to reduce meal costs at home or on the go.

What’s included this week:

🍔 Three Hacks For Cheaper Eats Out Of The House
🏡 Five Hacks For Cheaper Food At Home
🤫 This Website Will Save You $$$ On Food
🏷️ Top 5 Deals of the Week
👀 NEW Fast Food Tips and Tricks!

🍔 Three Hacks For Cheaper Eats Out Of The House

✅Don’t Overlook This Hidden Hot Spot For Deals: There is usually no app or advertising to alert you but the lunch specials at your local Chinese Food Restaurant are typically as competitive as a fast food restaurant, with the bonus of full service. An Asian feast for you or your family can typically be found for somewhere between $8 and $10 per person. You leave full and the experience is often more relaxing than a takeout counter or kiosk.

✅Dine With A Promo Or Coupon Every Time!While Fast Food on a regular basis might not be what the doctor recommends, there are times where you need the convenience, and over-paying is avoidable. Free websites like this one serve as a repository for all the discounts and promotions for your favorite food chains so you can plan your consumption around their freebies and discounts.

✅Know Where Kids Eat Free: Check beforehand for the days where kids eat free and for participating locations first. At select times, kids 12 and under eat free at iHop, Ruby Tuesday, Bob Evans, Denny’s, Famous Daves, Chili’s, Ikea, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Godfather’s Pizza, Johnny Rockets and select Smashburger locations. Check the days of the week and promotional requirements for the meals before you visit.

🏡 Five Hacks For Cheaper Food At Home

✅Get A Pressure Cooker!Cheaper cuts of meat are a difficult purchase because they require lengthy cooking times for them to be flavorful and to reach that fall off the bone texture. A pressure cooker can transform the often heavy discounted pieces of meat into something you can thoroughly enjoy on a more regular basis without any extra effort.Here is a a budget-friendly all-in-one pressure cooker currently on sale.

✅Consider Some Of These Cheap Kitchen Gadgets:A Mini spatula can give you a few extra servings from a squeeze bottle that you would typically toss. A bag sealer or vacuum sealer can prolong the freshness for all sorts of produce and pantry staples. And finally, consider a product that can help remove the naturally occurring ethylene gas released by fruits and veggies to extend the freshness of food inside your fridge: BlueApple, Fresh Paper, Produce Saver and Dualplex are different types of products I’ve tested with successful results tied to extending food freshness.

✅Use Frozen Fruit As Ice Cubes:Don’t let your fruit go to waste! Frozen fruit is ideal for keeping your favorite summer beverages cold without diluting them. My mom uses frozen grapes for wine and it produces a Sangria like effect apparently. If you have even more leftover fruit, it can also make the perfect smoothie.

🤫 This Website Will Save You $$$ On Food

(THIS IS NOT SPONSORED)

StillTasty.com is an absolute game-changer for making your groceries last longer and keeping your wallet happy. The site provides comprehensive information on the shelf life of thousands of foods, from pantry staples to fresh produce and leftovers.

I’ve found that by knowing exactly how long your food stays fresh and safe to eat, it has helped my family avoid unnecessary food waste, leading to fewer trips to the grocery store and more money in our pocket.

Here is an example of what you see when searching Eggs

All you have to do is type in the name of any food item, and you’ll get storage tips, expiration dates, and freezing advice. As you can see from the image above, eggs are actually reported to be able to last up to 5 weeks in the refrigerator vs. the 1-2 week “sell by date” period listed on the package, which many people often confuse as a product's expiration date.

You can find out more about StillTasty by clicking here.

🚨 60% OFF BJ’s Wholesale Club Membership (Usually $55!)
🛞60% OFF Cordless Portable Tire Inflator (Very well rated!)
🇺🇸 HUGE 4th of July Appliance Sales now at Home Depot and Lowe’s!
🧰 MASSIVE Harbor Freight Scratch and Dent Sale is NOW LIVE!
🏷️25% OFF AARP Membership! (Limited Time)

**If you buy something through these links I may get a small share of the sale.Click hereto learn more.

👀 NEWSLETTER EXCLUSIVE

As some of you may have noticed I have not uploaded a new Fast Food Secrets video in over a year!

Here are some of my favorite new fast food freebies and hacks for this summer:

🍩Free Krispy Kreme Donut on July 4th

Krispy Kreme is offeringone FREE donut on July 4thto anyone visiting one of their stores wearing red, white, and blue clothing. This deal is valid only at participating stores, with a limit of one donut per person.

🍟Two Ways to Save at McDonald’s in 2024

1) BRAND NEW MEAL DEAL!

New Meal Deal launching on June 25th!

I’m sure you don’t need me point out how the prices at McDonald’s have soared over the past 4 years. In what is likely an attempt by them to win back some customers, McDonald’s is launching a new $5 meal deal on June 25th. For only $5, you can choose between a McDouble or McChicken sandwich, plus you'll get small fries, a 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, and a small drink.

2) Don’t Overlook the Shareable Section!

Another great way to save money when buying food at McDonald’s for multiple people is to buy from the “shareables” section of the McDonald’s app. This is where you will find those lesser-known value boxes containing multiples of popular menu items at a price that’s cheaper than if you purchased the items separately.

Here is where you can find this section in the McDonald’s app

My BIG piece of advice, however, is to play around and select different locations in your area as prices can vary from one restaurant to the next.

Here you can see an example of a price difference between locations

As you can see from the image above, one store close to me has the 40 pack of nuggets for $13.99, while another store just a few more minutes away has the same thing priced for less at $11.99.

🎂ULTIMATE BIRTHDAY FREEBIES!

One of my favorite birthday activities is to embark upon a free drink and meal redemption adventure all day long. It could be a free birthday drink at Starbucks or a free pretzel from Auntie Annie’s. There’s even now a way to ensure you never miss a birthday freebie that you might fancy!

Here is a list of more than 80 different birthday freebies that you may be able to claim on your big day. There’s even an extensive list of all the Seniors Discounts available at fast food and chain restaurants.

🍞STOP OVERPAYING FOR SUBWAY!

If I’m ever in the position where I can’t make my own lunch, one of my favorite go-to’s is Subway.. with a catch (as I cannot stomach paying their full prices).

Here is a live shot of what it looks like when a coupon drops my total by 50%

I frequently find myself in line behind many people who have paid full price for their sandwich which hurts my frugal heart. If you are willing to spend a few moments on Subway’s website or with their app, their is likely a coupon code to reduce your sandwich price to something a little more budget-friendly.

Here is a list of my favorite Subway coupons right now:

🏷️ FLBOGO – BOGO Footlong Subs

🏷️ SIXINCH499 – Get any 6” Sandwich for $4.99

🏷️ 699COMBO – Get any 6” Meal for $6.99

🏷️ 899MEAL – Get a Footlong Meal for $8.99

🏷️ FTL699 – Get a Footlong Sandwich for $6.99

🏷️ FTL799 – Get a Footlong Sandwich for $7.99

🏷️ FTL1299 – Get Two Footlong Sandwiches for $12.99

🏷️ SWEET – Get a FREE Cookie w/ ANY Purchase

🏷️ SNACK – Get a FREE Bag of Chips w/ANY Footlong Sandwich

It is important to note that these coupon codes may not work at every location. So if you find one above doesn’t work at the store closest to you, try out different locations or a different coupon code until it does.