Journal Sax Maniac's Journal: Cheapskate tricks #1
Many times, I find myself on the run between work and gigs. Traffic around Boston can be insane, so inevitably I have to choke down some fast food. Not for price, but for speed.
If you do the obvious thing, it will cost you about $7 for one of those so-valued "value" meals. Surely, we can do better. If you're going to suffer the insult of eating crappy food, why overpay for it? You can get a dinner for about $2. Here's how:
First, I usually have access to soda at work or at home. Before I leave, I usually just grab a soda and bring it along. You might pay $1 or so for a soda at Burger King, but soda is a high-profit item for them. You can get soda in a store for less than $3 a 12-pack in convenient can form. Or skip it altogether- though admittedly this is hard to do at McDonalds, as their burgers seem to lodge in your throat and require a drink.
Most fast food joints have a value menu. Know it and love it! Burger King and Wendy's have the better ones, and you can get a small burger loaded with toppings for 99 cents each. Pick two items, three if you're really hungry.
Skip the cheese. Why does cheese cost 20-50 cents a slice? Because most people will say "sure" if you ask if they want cheese because it seems small, not realizing that you are paying a lot for that.
Skip the fries, too. Another entree is more filling for the same price.
Keep an eye on the menu, and never order without reading it. This menu changes from day to day, hoping to catch the unwary. Things move in and out of the value menu all the time. That same Whopper Jr. might now be $1.59 this week, based on some biz guy's profit maximization plan.
There you go. Dinner or lunch for $2 plus tax, and you get to clean up all those pennies sitting in your center console.
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Cheapskate tricks #1
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