I found a way to feed the family for as little as $8 a meal

Reducing waste and scoring a cheap meal? Yes please!

At a time when the price of food feels like it’s going up every day, finding an affordable alternative feels like finding a needle in a haystack.

But, once you do find it, it’s a secret you simply can’t keep - as much as you might want to.

I’ve found a way you can feed your family dinner for as little as $8, and that’s just one of a long list of wins.

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A Bakers Delight Too Good To Go bag. Image: Supplied / Cassidy Pearce.

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It’s called Too Good To Go

If you’ve been on TikTok lately, chances are you’ve seen someone showing off their haul using something called Too Good To Go.

Too Good To Go is an app founded in Copenhagen 2016, aiming to fight food waste by enabling people to buy leftover food from eateries at the end of each day, to avoid them being thrown out.

But, what it’s become is a global company with partners across 19 countries - including Australia - saving over 400 million meals from being wasted, and instead getting them into the hands of consumers.

Of course, I had to see what all the fuss was about, so I downloaded the app, and started on my hunt for a bargain.

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How does it all work?

The way the app works is simple.

Once you download it and put in your location - which can be easily changed if you’re travelling or going to different areas for work - all of the cafes, restaurants and supermarkets near you who use Too Good To Go will pop up for you to see.

The app only launched into Australia late last year, with certain states coming on board later than others, so you might not find a tonne of options near you - but that just makes the anticipation so much more exciting.

Most of the bags on the app sell for between $8 and $15. But, the more the bag costs, the more it’s going to be worth.

Once you see a bag you’d like to pick up, you can reserve it and pay online, so all you have to do once the pick up window comes (which is generally within an hour or two of a store closing), you just have to show the staff a barcode on your phone, and you’ll leave with a hefty bag of food, with each item sometimes more than 50% off.

A Jamaica Blue Too Good To Go bag. Image: Supplied / Cassidy Pearce.

My experience with Too Good To Go

My first Too Good To Go bag was a classic - Bakers Delight. Most, if not all, of the Bakers Delights around me participate in Too Good To Go, and for good reason. Their whole thing is that their products are baked fresh that day!

The bag itself cost me $9.99, and when I went to pick it up at 4pm that afternoon, I collected just short of $30 worth of food - a huge win as far as I’m concerned!

My bag was pre-packed when I arrived, and consisted of a raisin toast loaf, a multigrain loaf (which you could easily freeze for a later date), and a bag of delicious assorted pastries.

That weekend, I picked up another bag from a Jamaica Blue cafe.

This one cost me $8, and came to a $24 value, including a ham and cheese toastie, a ham and cheese croissant, and two quiches which the staff packed straight off the shelf - enough to feed the family for lunch the next day.

While I haven't had the opportunity to go yet, there are also sushi places near me that do Too Good To Go, and a Roll'd which I'm really holding out for.

Should you try it?

Short answer, absolutely!

Too Good To Go is a win-win-win initiative - it reduces food waste, brings in some extra cash for businesses, and you get some delicious and affordable food out of it.

In saying that, it isn’t perfect. Given that not every food outlet is involved (yet) you can’t always guarantee what will be available each day, because someone else might nab it first. You can also only pick up food within a specific window at the end of the day.

However, the app tackles this by allowing you to nominate someone else to pick up a bag you reserve. This means that if your whole family is on board, chances are that someone will spot a bag that you miss, and one of you can go and pick it up.

Another potential con is that you aren’t able to make any sort of choice around what’s included in your goody bag unless the store offers separate versions (for example, groceries or pastries).

While this may not be ideal for someone with dietary restrictions, if you’re not too picky it’s a great way to find some new favourite restaurants or menu items from places you already love - I will be returning to get another Custard Danish Lattice from Bakers Delight ASAP.

Originally published as I found a way to feed the family for as little as $8 a meal