Use This App to Save Money on Restaurant Food and Fight Food Waste

This mobile app gives consumers and businesses a simple way to keep food waste out of landfills.

If reducing food waste is important to you and you like to save money, we have an app you'll appreciate.

The company Too Good To Go is connecting customers with local businesses to help easily sell surplus food, which is helping to limit food waste. You can place an order to pick up a bag full of delicious food and pay a discounted price. Find out more about how this app is changing the world for the better.

Too Good To Go wants to help the planet one Surprise Bag at a time

Every day, one-third of the food produced in the world goes to waste. That's a lot of food! Too Good To Go wants to empower more people and businesses to fight food waste. Their app hopes to make it easier for brands to sell their extra food at a discount before it gets wasted. This benefits both businesses and consumers. Plus, it's good for the Earth, too.

Various stores and eateries are featured on the app -- from supermarkets to restaurants and everything in between. The app features for-purchase "Surprise Bags" from local eateries that have extra food to sell. The contents of each bag can be different from day to day and will depend on what the business has a surplus of that day.

Here's the best part: Each surprise bag is priced at a third of the retail value, which makes for a great way to save money on the cost of your next snack or meal!

The app is available for iOS and Android devices.

How the app works

Do you want to make a difference and order delicious food at a discounted price? Here's how:

• Download and use the app while in a participating city
• Browse participating eateries and stores
• Reserve and pay for your surprise bag in advance
• Pick up your surprise bag at the designated time and location

It's a fun way to fight food waste while supporting local businesses.

The Too Good To Go app is now available in 10 U.S. cities

If you want to start using the app, you'll need to be in a participating city. Currently, it's only available in select cities, but new locations continue to be added as the company grows.

For now, the app is available in these 10 U.S. cities:

• New York City
• Washington D.C.
• Chicago
• Seattle
• Jersey City
• Portland
• Philadelphia
• San Francisco
• Boston
• Austin

The app is also available in many countries outside of the United States. This includes:

• France
• The United Kingdom
• Austria
• Belgium
• Spain
• Sweden
• Denmark
• Germany
• The Netherlands

Too Good To Go is making a difference

Too Good To Go recently released a report outlining the positive impact it has made. Here's a look at some notable achievements:

• The app is available in fifteen countries
• Over 50,000 stores joined the app in 2020
• More than 11.5 million people downloaded the app in 2020
• The app helped to save over 28 million meals from waste in 2020

Food waste matters. As wasted food sits in landfills, it begins to emit harmful greenhouse gases. Too Good To Go estimates that by buying one surprise food bag through the app, you can save the same amount of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions it would take to charge your phone 442 times.

Other ways to save on food costs

Using an app like Too Good To Go is a great way to save money while making a difference. But there's more you can do to save money on the cost of food.

It's no secret that food costs continue to rise and can negatively impact your personal finances. If you feel like your grocery bills are getting too high, here are some tips to save on grocery spending.

If you're not yet using cash back apps, you're missing out on earning cash back rewards. These apps reward you for making grocery purchases, shopping online, dining out, and buying gas. You might as well get rewarded for all those takeout and delivery purchases you make.

Another way to get rewarded for your spending is to use cash back credit cards. All you have to do is charge purchases on your card, and your rewards will add up over time. Look at our list of best cash back credit cards to pick the right card for your spending needs.