Fries and a coke, that’s the classic marketing pitch when you visit a fast food restaurant. Now that food prices are through the roof, should it be? In my opinion, absolutely not.
I won’t get into the health benefits of not drinking soda, although there are many. We’ll leave that for a future health column. I will discuss the need for a majority of Americans to cut out soda and other sugary drinks from a purely dollars and cents perspective.
Fast food is pretty terrible for you, we all know this. Having said that, it can sometimes be a necessary evil, especially on road trips. We’ve all been there. You’re driving, it’s lunch or dinner time, and everyone in the car is starving. This isn’t exactly a time when you’re making your best decisions health wise. Rather than get into that, let’s focus on what you can do to cut down on the cost you’ll incur for the unhealthy meal you’re about to devour.
We’ll take my favorite fast food restaurant, Arby’s, as our example for this exercise. If you’re looking to feed a family of four, get ready for some sticker shock. As is the case with most food items at the moment, the prices for just about anything are through the roof. It’s not all doom and gloom though, good deals can be had if you know how to buy.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is purchasing the “value meal.” It’s neither a value nor a full meal in my opinion. You will most likely receive a sandwich/burger, fries that are way too big for one person and a sugar laden drink that will neither quench your thirst nor help your expanding waist line. The Arby’s classic roast beef sandwich “value meal” with fries and a drink will cost you $ 8.89. Wow!
Now, let’s say we don’t go for the meal presented to us and instead order a-la-carte. I mentioned we’re ordering for a family of four. In my family, that includes myself, my wife and two daughters. I will concede my daughters eat less than I do and did as a boy so that helps, but you can mix and match based on the appetite of your kids and spouse.
When we order, we forego the drink and order 1 sandwich each. We then order 2 large fries, my wife and I split the one order while my kids split the other. Water is our “go to” drink so we always have it on hand. Even if we don’t, we order a bottle of water and refill as needed. As long as you can remove the need for a drink, you’re able to save a ton on the actual food itself. Let’s do the math:
Value Meals: Family of 4
- 4 Classic Roast Beef Sandwich Meals/$8.89 x 4
- Total: $35.56
A-La-Carte: Family of 4
- 3 Classic Roast Beef Sandwiches/$2.00 x 3
- 1 Double Roast Beef Sandwich/$6.19 x 1
- Curly Fries: $2.89 x 2
- Total: $17.97
By removing the drinks and splitting the fries, we were able to save $17.59. This takes into account that I ordered a double roast beef sandwich, so I’m actually getting more food. I receive less fries of course, but a large fry is more than enough to share with someone anyway. The “classic roast beef” sandwich is on sale at the moment for $2, but even if they were $5 each, you’d still save money in the end.
This is one example at one fast food restaurant, but you can do this pretty much anywhere you go and save money. I would also recommend packing snacks for the road. Better yet, pack your lunch/dinner and snacks and save the money on food altogether.
Everything adds up. They don’t call me Mr Penny Pincher for nothing.
