Experimented with a food waste app for a week: Costed only half compared to regular grocery shopping, yet presented a substantial disadvantage
In the quest for affordable and sustainable dining, the Too Good To Go app has emerged as a popular choice for food enthusiasts across the UK. This innovative platform offers a variety of surprise bags filled with wonky veg, restaurant leftovers, and grocery items at bargain prices.
The app's dynamic pricing system means that the price of surprise bags drops as the collection time approaches. This strategy encourages users to pick up their bags later in the day, ensuring they get the freshest possible leftovers from participating establishments.
To maximise the chances of getting good quality surprise bags with desirable collection times, it's advisable to focus on stores with high ratings (above 4.2), use the app's favourite and notification features, and aim to buy bags released later in the day or close to the store's last pick-up window. Collection windows for surprise bags can vary, with some establishments requiring users to arrive to collect their order cooked or packed.
A £3.99 surprise bag from The Laundry, a popular restaurant in London's Brixton, contained a generous portion of lasagna with a side of carrots and roasted butternut squash. On the other hand, a £4 surprise bag from Petit Village contained an assortment of cherry tomatoes, larger tomatoes, avocados, a head of lettuce, a green pepper, four red chillies, seven carrots, and beets.
While the app offers a good variety of food, it's important to note that it can be inconvenient due to collection hours or location, and may not be suitable for people with allergies or dietary requirements. Each shop offers a surprise bag or box of surplus goods that are about to go off, with a pick-up window for collection.
The app allows users to set a location radius from 1km to 30km to find options in their area. It includes options from a variety of shops, bakeries, cafes, restaurants, and supermarkets, including well-known names like Aldi, Morrisons, Co-op, Budgens, Londis, Nisa, M&S, Greggs, Pizza Express, Fireaway, Costa, Starbucks, Pret, Cafe Nero, Gail's, Yo Sushi, Carluccios, Harvester, Toby Carvery, and many more. There are also tons of independent cafes, restaurants, bakeries, and delis available on the app.
In five days, the author spent a total of £13.19, averaging £4.40 per day, which is nearly half the usual daily spending on food. Users won't know what they've got until they open their bag, but the app provides a rough guide of what to expect. The app is not just a platform for saving money, but it also pushes users out of their comfort zone, offering a cheap way to try local restaurants and reduce food waste.
However, it's worth noting that the vegetables received were sometimes limp, some avocados were squishy, some carrots were bendy, and the lettuce had seen better days. This is a reminder that the surprise bags contain surplus goods that are nearing their expiry date.
In conclusion, the Too Good To Go app offers a unique opportunity to explore a variety of food options, save money, and contribute to reducing food waste. By following the key insights provided, users can ensure they get the best options and collection times, making their dining experience more enjoyable and sustainable.
- Embracing a lifestyle that combines healthy cooking, food-and-drink, and travel on a budget, the Too Good To Go app serves as an instrumental tool for finding delicious and sustainable meal options.
- While using the app, it's essential to optimize purchases for quality surprise bags, such as focusing on highly-rated participating establishments, utilizing the app's favorite and notification features, and targeting bags released closer to the store's last pick-up window.
- The app not only offers a diverse range of food types from well-known shops, like Aldi and Costa, but also caters to budget-travelers seeking local dining experiences while reducing food waste, thus fostering a healthier and more eco-friendly food-and-drink lifestyle.
