Fast food - like other edibles - is more expensive these days. In order to save money when I get a hankering for a burger and fries at my favorite fast food joint, I collect their coupons. Burger King sends out mini coupons in the mail at least three times a year. They have two-for-one offers and free deals.
I generally don't bother with their coupons, and instead go for the dollar menu most of the time. I also keep my own bottled drinks in the car with me, so I don't have to order the combo meal with a drink. Some of these places can be rather sneaky too with their prices and menu items. For example. McDonald's has a $1 menu, but if you order a "small fry" with your $1 McDouble, they are actually charging you about $2.25 for the "small fry" which is different from their "$1 menu fries". Volume-wise, their small fry is no where near twice the size of a $1 menu fry, so it's not even worth it. Steak & Shake often has coupons for $3.99 "combo meals" until you get there and discover that they already sell "combo meals" for $4 - meaning that coupon is literally only saving you a penny. In addition, neither their coupon deal, nor their regular "combo meals" come with a drink - meaning the total cost of a "combo meal" there is around $7 or so, once you include a drink.
I don't try to save money on fast food. I'm strictly a dollar-menu girl. That's the main reason I eat fast food - I'm currently broke at that moment in time, not because I really really want a combo meal. I usually never spend more than $4 on fast food at a time. If I have the I also usually have my own drink with me, so I rarely order a drink with my food.
I avoid fast food like the plague. Which, now that I think about it, I can't remember the last time I avoided the plague. Hmm... Anywho, when I did eat fast food I would always find out the price of adding things to sandwiches. Back when a lot of things were free. So, let's say you order something from the dollar menu at McDonald's. You can ask them if adding lettuce and tomato would cost anything. I know getting extra pickles/onions is free. See if you can build a sandwich with more healthy options on the cheap. My guy, when sneaking for fast food at work, always gets a side salad to put directly on his sandwich. Because he knows I will murder him.
I do occasionally eat fast food and I found that ordering online for a take away can actually get me pay less because of their promotion. I collect coupon as well so I can give it to my friends who love going to fast food restaurants more often than I do. If I wanted to eat in the restaurant then I make sure to order a combo instead of the single because I get more extras that way such as free drink and fries.
Coupons in fast food restaurants are unfortunately not very popular nowadays here except for a few choice occasions like Christmas and New Year, but even then, I don't usually use them since after roughly calculating, I don't really get to save that much and the savings are only substantial when you compare it to individual orders instead of the combos, so I'd just opt to purchase as I would regularly. Some of the smaller items like sundaes and shakes do sometimes make for a pretty good deal, though, and I do use those. If I'm feeling more frugal than usual, I just order the individual sandwich and skip the fries and soda altogether because that adds a lot to the total cost and they're not that healthy anyway.
We do get coupons sometimes for Bojangle's, Hardees and Burger King. We'll use the coupons sometimes, but we'll normally get something on the dollar menu. I've also found that there's a local place that does subs, fries and drinks for $5.99, and they're huge. Sometimes the BF and I will actually share it because the subs are so big.
Generally I do not do fast food places. I will take my grandchildren out as a treat because they like this type of food and I will look for coupons because these guys can eat and fast food is no longer the cheap place to go. The last time I took the guys out it cost me more than $15 and I had a coupon for one free sandwich.
The best way to save on fast food here in Europe is to just.. not buy it. It's ironic, but fast food is actually one of the more expensive options when it comes to money..
I eat pizza so if that counts as fast food we usually use the circular they have. If we're low on money, we go for the cheapest pizza place because I'm not picky when it comes to pizza. You gotta pay attention to the deals online pretty regularly. Also it's only one day a year but every little bit helps. Some places give better discounts for your birthday and a select few you can get free stuff. I had got a free burger from Ruby Tuesday's. You may have to sign up for the email club depending on the place.
You're right when you say that fast food has gotten expensive. What I do when I get the hankering, is actually go to a casual fast food place and split my meal with my husband. Most places have $5-6 lunches, that come with a huge hamburger and a plate full of fries, more than enough for two. I noticed the other day, that McDonald's didn't have a single "meal" for under $5, and you're only getting half the amount of food as you do at the fast casual places. Plus, their food is soooo much better than fast food!
Combo meals in fast food restaurants are actually cheaper. I buy those kinds. I don't pretty pay much attention to coupons. Here in the Philippines, you can actually just buy a full-course meal for only $2, depends on the cost of living of a country, I guess.
I'd probably opt for the dollar menu. That said it's common knowledge that too much fast food is bad for your health, and it's actually cheaper to make your own food, so to save money on both food and potential medical bills you should start now. There's plenty of recipes out there, and simple ones such as sandwiches can be easy, quick, affordable and healthy meals.
Well to save on fast food, I do like others I go to the dollar or value menu. These can give you some good food at a fraction of the cost. Those coupons in the OP still had me laughing because just for one sandwich listed there, with a value menu that is almost enough to feed two people give or take a few dollars. The funny thing about the value menu though is I remember back when Taco Bell first implemented it, many fast food chains thought they were crazy in doing so because it would cost them money. Instead it had the opposite effect and gave them more business, to the point where other fast food chains followed suit and did their own. Too bad more companies don't learn this secret they think in order to keep from losing money they need to raise their prices, when just the opposite is true, want more customers lower your prices.
I'm more of a dollar menu kind of gal if I'm going to eat at a fast food restaurant, too. I don't drink soda, so combo meals are a waste to me. I can get several small burgers and fries for the same price as a full combo meal, so I skip those entirely. If you ARE the type that eats out more often, check out your receipt after a purchase. McDonald's, for example, will print a survey code on every receipt. It's valid for one free quarter pounder with the purchase of a quarter pounder, so that's a nice little savings if they're up your alley.
I save money on fast food by picking from the dollar menu when I go to Burger King. I also do like coupons and I've used them before. It's nice to get a free sandwich when you purchase one which is what I like about coupons. Right now I buy from the dollar menu. It's great that today there are more healthier options at fast food restaurants.
I don't usually go to fast food restaurants often, but when the chance comes that I need some quick food on the go, I won't hesitate eating from one. Especially in the holiday and Halloween seasons, I like to buy the little coupon booklets from Wendy's. They cost one dollar and they have ten coupons for a free small ice cream treat. I always love using these and getting a quick snack for my kids if we happen to pass by!
I have Mc Donalds once a month and it's always a cheeseburger and fries from the pound menu. It's the only thing I can afford. I sometimes get a coupon booklet through the door and might use one if the savings are worth it.
