Can you actually get monetary savings with Too Good To Go?

Can Too Good To Go prevent cash on meals? Right here’s the way it works, real-life ideas, and what to anticipate in a Magic Bag: the nice, the dangerous, and the questionable bargains.

For those who’ve ever seemed in your fridge and thought, “I have to do a meals store, however payday’s days away,” you’re not alone.

Too Good To Go is an app that allows you to purchase low-cost “shock” luggage of leftover meals from retailers, supermarkets and cafés at knockdown costs.

We’ve used it a great deal of instances now, and whereas it’s not excellent, it may be an excellent little trick to stretch your funds and cease meals from going to waste.

Right here’s the way it works, what to anticipate, and the little ideas that make it really price doing.

What’s Too Good To Go?

Too Good To Go is a free app that helps you rescue unsold meals from native retailers and eating places on the finish of the day.

It’s known as a “Magic Bag” since you received’t know precisely what’s inside, bbut it’ll all the time be price greater than you pay.

You’re saving cash and serving to cease completely good meals from ending up within the bin.

How does it work?

Utilizing the app is absolutely easy. Very merely:

• Obtain the Too Good To Go app (free on iOS or Android)
• Enter your postcode or activate location
• Browse native retailers and cafés with Magic Baggage obtainable
• Reserve one and pay (often between £2.50 and £6)
• Head to the store on the set time to gather
• Take your bag dwelling and see what you’ve received!

That’s it. No vouchers, no haggling, no awkwardness.

What sort of meals are you able to get?

It relies upon the place you go, however right here’s a tough concept of what’s inside:

• Supermarkets: combined groceries like prepared meals, meat, bread, fruit and veg
• Comfort shops: these are usually the most effective, in our expertise, with a great deal of snacky bits, fridge bits and even the odd deal with
• Cafés (like Starbucks or Costa): sandwiches, wraps, croissants, muffins
• Bakeries: recent bread, truffles, sausage rolls and pastries
• Eating places: typically supply leftover dishes or elements, although they’re much less frequent; a couple of motels supply breakfasts

Vital to say: it’s pot luck.

Some luggage are wonderful. Some are…okay sufficient. Some are a little bit of a let-down.

Professionals and cons of Too Good To Go

The good things:

• Low cost: luggage are sometimes price 3x what you pay
• Thrilling: it’s a little bit of a fortunate dip, particularly for teenagers!
• Handy: straightforward to make use of, fast to gather
• Eco-friendly: helps reduce meals waste and helps native companies
• Versatile: good should you’re not too fussy and like a mixture of bits

The not-so-good stuff:

• You don’t select what you get: this may be troublesome should you don’t like sure meals
• Not allergy-friendly: if in case you have intolerances or allergic reactions, these luggage received’t be for you, as you don’t get to decide on what’s in them
• Assortment instances might be awkward: you get a two-hour time slot, however that is often simply earlier than closing, which can imply going out at rush hour or late at evening
• Some luggage might be disappointing: you’re getting greater than the meals’s price, however would you even eat it?
• In style luggage promote out quick: it’s first come, first served on the app, and there’s solely a certain quantity of meals they offer away every day
• Use it quick: the entire level of the luggage is for the retailers/cafes to scale back their meals waste. Most will include a really brief shelf life or a use-by date of the day you purchase them (you possibly can nonetheless make use of your freezer by means of)

Our expertise utilizing the app

We’ve used Too Good To Go many instances over time, and right here’s what we’ve discovered:

• Starbucks luggage: Bit underwhelming. Normally the identical sandwich and one candy factor. Tremendous, however not thrilling. Because the meals is pricey to start out off with, you don’t get loads to make it as much as the bag value.
• Small retailers and bakeries: Combined bag, however typically good.
• Comfort shops: Finest by far. We’ve had luggage stuffed with groceries price over £20 for simply £3.

Right here’s a YouTube video of one in every of our experiences in order for you a glance.

Extra about Aldi and Morrisons becoming a member of the app:

Prime ideas and hacks to get higher luggage

Wish to get the great things? The following tips assist:

• Verify the app late at evening or early morning: that’s when most new luggage seem
• Coronary heart your favorite retailers: it’s simpler to regulate what they submit
• Be fast: good ones (like Greggs, Morrisons and native bakeries) go quick
• Deliver your individual bag: not all locations present one
• Go for comfort shops: they’re extra beneficiant and different than chains
• Don’t anticipate miracles: deal with it as a discount bonus, not your full store

Saving cash and lowering waste

Whereas the massive attraction is saving a couple of quid, there’s a much bigger win behind it too.

Every bag you gather stops good meals from being binned, which is nice for the atmosphere. Plus, it helps native companies reduce waste with out shedding cash.

You get an affordable dinner. They don’t waste inventory. The planet breathes a bit simpler.

Closing ideas

Too Good To Go isn’t going to interchange your weekly meals store, but it surely’s a useful instrument should you’re versatile, curious, and need to reduce prices with out slicing corners.

You received’t all the time get a winner, however whenever you do, it’s a correct good feeling, particularly whenever you’ve solely paid a few quid for what ought to’ve value a tenner (or extra).

I believe it’s undoubtedly price a go.

And should you’ve already tried it, we’d like to know: what’s the most effective (or weirdest) factor you’ve ever had in a Magic Bag?