How I saved money (and the planet) this week with Too Good to Go….

If you’ve been around here a while, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Too Good To Go – the clever little app that lets you rescue perfectly good food from going in the bin, all while saving a few pounds at the same time. It’s basically a win-win for your wallet and the planet.

For anyone who hasn’t come across it before, here’s how it works..

Local cafés, restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets list any unsold food on the app at the end of each day and you can browse the app to see what’s nearby. You pick what you want, pay through the app (usually just a few pounds), and then pop along at the collection time shown to pick up your Magic Bag.

The only twist is that you don’t know exactly what you’ll get until you open it – it’s all about rescuing what’s left, so every bag’s a bit of a surprise.

You might get sandwiches, pastries, fruit, or even full ready meals depending on where you order from. Collections are usually in the late afternoon or evening, and the app tells you exactly when to go so you don’t turn up too early. It’s all really simple, and once you’ve used it once, you’ll be hooked.

The app will tell you how much the bag will cost you and then how much the contents of the bag will actually be worth so you know that you’re getting your money’s worth even if you don’t know what’s in there.  If the contents in your bag don’t equal the value quoted, you can contact Too Good To Go and let them know and they’ll give you a credit or refund (or they have the twice I’ve reached out to them anyway).

I’ve had everything from bakery bags stuffed with croissants to surprise dinner boxes from a restaurant in our village – and it’s almost always been great value. This week, we decided to try a couple of Subway’s Too Good To Go bags, and thought you might like to see what was in our bags.

So here you go, have a little look at what we got (and what we thought of each bag)…

Save a Spud bag – £4 paid / £12 minimum value

We got two large jacket potatoes, a pot of butter and when we collected, we got to choose a topping each so my partner went with cheese and beans and I went for tuna. Reading the listing, you’re also supposed to get a small side salad with it but we didn’t get ours. Possibly because we ended up buying a few bags so the poor guy was running about all over prepping them for us. 😁

Bread and Cookies bag – £3.50 paid / £10.50 minimum value

We bought this one as my partner was just starting his four shifts at work and we thought this might be good for his packed lunches. We got four foot long subs and six cookies which I think is the standard amount as the guy who was serving us shouted to someone out the back to ask how many of each he was supposed to put in each bag. 

Snack Surprise Box – £4 paid / £12 minimum value

So the value of this box should have been £12 according to the app and I am pretty sure that this doesn’t add up to £12 worth. They added in some crisps and the sauces as they could see that it wasn’t up to the value that it should have been but I still don’t think there’s £12 there if you look at the full selling price of everything in this one. 

Salad Saver Box – £3 paid / £10 minimum value

I mean, it’s OK. 😁 This is another one that I don’t think was worth the value that it should have been as the box is advertised as containing £10 worth of salad and I don’t think it is as it wasn’t a full salad and didn’t include any toppings – maybe if it had a filling included but as it is, it’s not worth £10.

I actually don’t think the value of the bags I got matched the minimum value that it should have done but… I think we got great value for what we actually paid so I won’t be complaining and asking for any money back.

I’m pleased with the food we got and it did tea for one night easily and the bread, cookies and one of the salads were used for packed lunches over the next few days with a few additions. 

I honestly think Too Good To Go is one of the easiest ways to save money and do a bit of good at the same time.

It’s such a simple idea, but it really makes you think differently about food waste – and there’s something quite fun about not knowing exactly what you’ll get until you open the bag.

I’d definitely recommend giving it a try if you haven’t already – you might just find a few new favourites along the way. 😊

I’d love you follow me on Twitter and it would be amazing to see you over on my Facebook page and on Instagram. If you’re interested, you can find out more about me here and while I’ve got your attention, if you’re wondering why some of my posts lately are a little bit less frugal then have a read of this post. 😉