Too Good To Go
Downloading Too Good To Go is one of the best ways to begin your budgeting journey. Actually bringing yourself to download the app is the main struggle of the process, everything sounds too good to be true until you try it.
When I first brought myself to download the app, I had low expectations. I was expecting there to be 3 restaurants no where near my house, I was admittedly wrong.
Working your way around the app is easy, you put in your location and 10 shops pop up with cheap prices to buy a box from. The variation ranges from a panini in a coffee shop, to a grocery food box, to a meal from a restaurant. This offers you something for every mood. Prices usually range from £2.50 to £5 depending on the company. You select what you'd like, pay and collect!
The collection process was quite daunting to me. The fear for me is that I would arrive, not know where to go or who to speak to, and simply embarrass myself. My first order from Too Good To Go was Bar Burrito, I had spent all day craving a form of takeaway, so before work I scanned the app and saw Bar Burrito offer a veggie Too Good To Go box (Bar Burrito are one of the select places that offer a meat and veggie option). I paid £3.00 and received a delicious meal, it was a rice bowl with red cabbage, sauce, cheese and plant-based meat. The portion size was surprisingly amazing!
The main flaw I was eating in mystery. This was my first ever Bar Burrito so I had no clue about the menu, I didn't actually know what I was eating - to be honest I'm still not 100% sure! To add a description would've added value to the experience.
Another flaw was the pickup time, I picked up from the Trafford Centre. There is also such a wide range of places that offer Too Good To Go there, which is nice to see for the reduction of food waste. The pickup time was around 9:45pm, if I wasn't working I wouldn't have done this but the experience was lovely, the people were nice and the food was beautiful.
As someone without a car, late pickups are not really an option for me - convenience is key!
Restaurant pickup times are later than others, when put in perspective this does make sense, the purpose of Too Good To Go is to give out remaining food to avoid wastage. My Aldi offers their collection time between 7:45-8pm. My experience with Aldi has been less smooth, my first box was cancelled due to lack of food which was disappointing but fair, my second box the time was pushed back to later on in the evening.
The entire system is a gamble, you aren't guaranteed food, and you can't pick what you get. In hindsight if you're a picky eater unfortunately you might struggle.
The app also gives you that feel good factor. Sharing with you your money saved with what you paid vs the original value. It also provides you with CO2e information, telling you how much you have avoided with fun pieces of information like how many full smartphones charged you have with that.
Clubcards
My Tesco Clubcard is my favourite thing in the world! Whenever I go to Tesco I scan the shop searching for yellow tags on the price looking out for clubcard deals or reduced section goods.
One of my personal favourite deals is the 3 for 2 clubcard deal on vegetable box selections. You can get a veg filled stir fry box, tenderstem broccoli, mangetout, baby sweetcorn and more for such a cheap price!
As every uni girl does, I love a sweet treat, having a clubcard and shopping in the reduced section really validates me - which may not be very good - but getting a sweet treat for cheaper just adds to the delusion.
Special Mention - Olio + Dusk
Olio is a community app where people share there goods for cheap or even free. Locals to your area share unneeded and unwanted things, allowing you to pick up what you need.
Dusk is an app I would recommend to all uni students! It allows you to search for bars in your area to find your vibe, whilst offering rewards. You can gain points by sharing the app with others - the more points the better offers! The app tracks your spending on drinks at there bars and offers you points accordingly. There are great offers like a free bottle of Prosecco if you pre-book so get booking!
Maia x
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