I love food. I don’t love the prices. Tell me why takeout, fast food, or a sweet these days costs me my whole paycheck, my retirement fund, and the deed to my house? (At least it feels like it!) Boba costs $7-8 and Baskin Robbins charged me $7 for an ice cream cone. My family and I went to Carl’s Jr. the other day… and the total was $40! The fact that fast food—which is supposed to be cheap—is SO pricey these days is befuddling to say the least. Especially as a college student who wants something quick and cheap to eat, eating out or getting takeout can drain your bank account.
With this in mind, let me introduce you to the app Too Good to Go! Too Good to Go was founded in order to help reduce food waste by buffets in Denmark and encourage sustainability. Since its launch in 2016, they have saved more than 350 million meals. This is a big deal; according to the USDA, food waste amounts to 30-40 percent of our food supply.
This app allows you to choose your location and select from a variety of restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and grocery stores, where you can purchase their surplus unsold food placed in ‘Surprise Bags.’ These ‘Surprise Bags’ contain a meal or assortment of goods that usually cost between $4-$8 (so cheap!). As per its name, you won’t know exactly what’s in the bag until you pick it up. But hey, if you like surprises, you’ll love this. Remember those surprise toys in Mcdonald’s Happy Meals? Same feeling.
I’ve used Too Good to Go to buy multiple yummy baked goods from Pete’s for a total of $5. There are quite a few treats in each bag, so I would say that’s a steal. I’ve gotten Boba drinks for $3 and oftentimes I’ll get bagels, pizza, soup, and burritos. Each day is different so you get to try a variety of foods!
How do you use it? In order to get the food, you must reserve a bag on the app and pay. The app will state the pickup time that you can come, which is usually around the end of the day, ranging from 5-10 pm. You MUST pick up during the pickup window period—otherwise they’ll close! I also recommend reserving as soon as possible because many businesses sell out quickly. If you need to cancel because you don’t have time to pick up or you’re too lazy (like me) you can do so up to 2 hours before pickup. Pretty convenient, right?
Too Good to Go is a great app that allows you to get a sweet treat or a meal on a budget, especially if you don’t have time to cook or want to pay crazy prices, while also allowing you to support your local shops and help reduce food waste. Plus, the app is free!
And even if you don’t want to use Too Good To Go, I encourage you to be mindful of your own food waste by donating any extra food, freezing perishable items, storing your fruits and vegetables properly, and planning your meals.
Using the app empowers students to make mindful choices, especially in regards to helping reduce food waste. Food waste is a huge issue and shouldn’t be ignored. It impacts the environment and significantly contributes to climate change. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the largest category of material placed in landfills is food, where it emits large amounts of greenhouse gasses. In the U.S. alone, solid waste landfills make up the third largest source of methane emissions by humans. That’s insane!
So give it a try and see how small changes can make a huge difference—for your wallet and the planet.