Saving Money at McDonalds

Even though value menu items are creeping up in price, it is still very easy to save money at McDonalds.  It's not everyday fare for us.  However, on a recent stop at a McDonalds in the Atlanta suburbs, my wife and I bought -

2 McDoubles
2 Cheese Burgers
1 Hamburger
2 Large Iced Teas
1 Cup of Ice Water

Our entire total was just less than $9.  Our dog ate the meat from the hamburger.  That little meal held all of us pretty well for over 4 hours.  If you want to save money, don't mindlessly order a Big Mac combo.  Change it up some and explore the world of the Dollar Menu-aire!

A McDonald's Restaurant - by Bidgee (Own work) [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Saving on Fast Food - Just The Burger Please

Fast food restaurants are always trying to increase the average ticket price.  They want to sell more food to each customer and get more revenue.  But, you can subvert their efforts.  You can bring your own beverages and you can bring your own side item.  For example, if you bring your own chips and a soda or a bottle of water, then all you need is the burger.  That saves money. 


If you are on a diet, you can also save calories.  A couple that uses this strategy might spend $6 to $8 at a fast food window instead of $12 to $15.  If you stick to the value menu, you could save even more.
 

By Ildar Sagdejev (Specious) (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

If you want more than a burger, Steak-n-Shake has lots of meal deals that omit a drink and cost only $3.99.  That makes your fast food costs predictable and affordable!  Plus, you get fries!