# urban 'foraging'



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

the thread title might be misleading, as could the location of this thread... :dunno:

I got the idea when someone posted how cutting out the non-essentials gradually was a spiraling slowly into oblivion position & they had cut out even going out for a burger... that dismayed me

I thought we all could share a few tricks that we've picked up over the years, to have a little 'frugal splurging'

many restaurants (and stores) have advertising on their receipts for anything from discounts off the next order, to free items, to contests to win $$$ or store credit.

a surplus of receipts can be found in parking lots or on tables in many of these establishments

none of my examples are 'quality' restaurants to be sure, but it beats ketchup sammiches... or a sharp stick in the eye

Burger King: call number on receipt, fill out survey, get a 7 digit (2 letters followed by 5 numbers) code that can get you a free whopper or chicken sandwich with purchase of drink & fries... a value fry is $1 & a *senior* soft drink (order tea, even if you want soda pop, because there is no tax on tea) is $0.69... depending how much they like you you can get enough "heavy" lettuce & onions to make a small salad as well 

P.S. BK is now buying at least some of their meat from US framers & wherever they get it they make sure (?) it is grass-fed

Arby's: call number on receipt, fill out survey, get 5 digit (numerical) code for a FREE roast beef or beef n' cheddar sandwich, no other purchase necessary, but I usually buy a value menu item because I feel a little guilty  I just had lunch for $0-$1

P.P.S. Arby's buys only US Beef

Hardee's: has many BOGO promotions and a txt-based discount promotion (just show mssg on your phone) that stack with special pricing so that you can get lunch for <$2/person generally (your mileage may vary  )

P.P.P.S. Hardee's is owned by Arby's now but always used US beef & they still do

Taco Bell: FREE soft drinks for seniors & the value menu is OK $1-$2 lunch

KFC: back of receipt has coupon for 16pc chicken (mixed, 4 of each piece) for $9.99

Church's Chicken: Tuesday Two Piece (leg & thigh) for $0.99 & they will give you a STACK of coupons for any other day 2 piece (leg & thigh) mashed potato & biscuit for $1.99... not too shabby... receipt also has various coupons

many other places have daily specials, 'happy hour' FREE food (with drink purchase, but happy our domestic beer is usually $1-$1.50)

find out what days the local Sam's club/supermarkets have 'sample days'... 1 of each thing can fill you up quicker than you would think

You'd be surprised how well you can do without some of the necessities provided you have the little luxuries. 

feel free to add anything to the list, please


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I have done some of the things on your list and there is nothing wrong with it! 
Plus if you are still hungry at Sam's their food court has some of the best deals going- a huge slice of pizza and a drink(that has free refills as long as you are still in the store) for about $2.88(that's with the tax added).
I always ask for extra of the packets of Arby sauce when I go thru the drive thru and the horsey sauce. And Taco bell sauces come in handy too at home.
But our local taco bell has a web site that(well I think it is ours or maybe just the towns) where you can go and print off a whole page of coupons for taco bell.
Our local grocery/big box store Meijer has those little coupons that come out of the register and many folks use them but it seems just as many toss them on the ground- the last few weeks I have picked up several that I could use--$2 off name brand sausage links that ended up being on sale that next week for $2.50 so I ended up with one breakfast's worth of nice sausage for the three of us for .50¢!
I also picked up a $6 off your next grocery bill of over $50 We often spend that much so it ended up paying for a nice package Angus steaks! All because I was not embarrassed to bend over and pick up a coupon off the parking lot. I now have hubby looking at the coupons on the ground! Sure many of them are just ads and not coupons but then I am also picking up trash that would be littering our planet! 
But thru the years I have found all kinds of jewelry and cash because I am quite clumsy and tend to trip on things so I am always watching the ground-it certainly pays off.
To date- over $500 in cash(and this is just the last 10 years or so) and two unclaimed gold bracelets and one unclaimed diamond ring. Several silver hoop earrings(only one pair that matches) and about 6 or 7 gold earrings. Three squashed cheaper gold rings that I am sure could be sold at the gold places-two of them are the 10kt and one is a black hills gold ring. 
My mom says that I must have been a crow in my last life! I love all that sparkly stuff!


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## 41south (Dec 4, 2010)

I always ask for any condiments I can get at the sliding window places, never use them, but put them up in plastic containers, seasonings go in one and the forks, napkins and the like in another.


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## Riverdale (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks the Blob. I am going to have to remember these. With 2 kids, every little bit helps, and as the places put the ads out there to be used. If they did not want them used, they would not print them!


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## SurviveNthrive (May 20, 2010)

The irritating thing about some places is when they're so tight with condiments when you need them for the food. For example, at one of the McDonalds they try to give you three tubs of sauce with a 20 McNuggets, which is actually two 10 piecers, which is for two people for us, and they'll charge you for any additional tubs. Then they look at you as if you're odd if you want catsup with your fries.* Thank goodness I've relatives who either use little dipping sauce or no dipping sauce and order McNuggets periodically.

On the flip side, Taco Bell will give you a handful of whatever level or flavor taco sauce you ask for with your order, mild, hot, fire, some other red one, and green salsa. Goes good on scrambled eggs and McDonald's egg burritos, which is good because those McSOB's are tight with their salsa as well.

Since I'm going there...

They ought to sell bags of some of the condiments at _reasonable_ prices because some of the stuff is useful.

The Jack in the Box sweet and sour dipping sauce (and the limited run in my area McDonald's Hot and Sweet dipping sauce) goes well in some ramen.

The McDonald's Hot Mustard tub goes well on Jack's chicken sandwiches.

The McDonald's BBQ sauce goes well on most burgers, if you like BBQ on burger.

The Jack's Ranch dipping sauce is convenient for peeled baby carrots.

I've never found an additional use for the tons of Horsey and Arby Sauce that's left in the bottom of the bag once I've use what I need.

This sort of reminds me of the concoctions we came up with when eating the older MRE's.

I'm fortunate. My life is so easy, I've very little to complain about so it's fun to vent early in the morning when I need to get my blood up enough to do something, so...

*The coffee thing irritates me at McDonald's. They're charging us for condiments to pay for the consumption of others.

They sold coffee-for-life cups at sometime, back in the 1970's or 1980's, they even had a TV ad and showed which cup at the time. I can't remember if the one shown in the ad was a ceramic or plastic cup, which I think is more likely, but I remembered lots of folks bought them, but few used them and they got thrown away in most cases. I don't know if it's local, but it's so dang long ago, I can't even find an Internet reference, but darn if one of the McDonald's here honors that.

If you go in to one of the local McDonald's you'll see a group sitting around drinking their free coffee and that's cool, it's a promise kept, but man, there's a point when folks become parasites. They have the cups held together with packing tape. OK, that still meets the standard. One doesn't even have a real cup but rather taped part of the old one on another plastic cup and suspiciously, so does another of them.

So...if you hit it at the wrong time, there's no coffee left, so you wait for them to brew some more to fill those counter dispensers. While you stood in line, a paying customer, you saw the parasites go up and load up on the coffee as promised, which is cool, you noticed that each time they'll grab handfuls of creamer and sugar and stuff them in their pockets and I do mean _handfuls_, then they'll empty the napkin dispenser, shove the napkins in their pocket and ask for more. It'd be a matter of that's their business, except for the fact there's a reason they're charging me .30 just to get another d*mn little tub of hot mustard to go with my McNuggets and they balk at giving a few packs of catsup with the fries.


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## 41south (Dec 4, 2010)

Arby's horsey sauce is good on balogna sandwiches, not much else. Don't know if it brings flavor to the balogna or covers it up, but it works for me.


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## SurviveNthrive (May 20, 2010)

I learned one thing...heat bologna even if it's in the microwave for just several seconds, it's better and easier to eat.


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## brucehylton (Nov 6, 2010)

Heat makes good bologna better. Recently I purchased some for $.30 pound for cat food. It was really good cold and better yet fried. My cats will vouch for that.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

41south said:


> Arby's horsey sauce is good on balogna sandwiches, not much else. Don't know if it brings flavor to the balogna or covers it up, but it works for me.


I love Arby's horsey sauce on my breakfast sandwich that I make at home - an egg (poached or fried) placed onto butter'd toast with a slice of cheeze and maybe some left-over meat from the night before (beef, pork, chicken, whatever) ...

It is also great on a toasted tomato sandwich for lunch or even mixed into homemade stew as I am putting it into bowls ...


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

On Christmas eve we have Chinese food for dinner (and watch "A Christmas Story", my husbands favorite movie). If we order it in the evening it would end up costing us $50 or more. We order our dinner from the "lunch special" menu/hours and cut that cost in half, plus get free cans of soda with each meal. We just put the bag in the refrigerator and microwave when we are ready to eat.


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## 41south (Dec 4, 2010)

Being from the South, yall know I love FRIED baloney, U know make the little slit cuts to wtithin a inch of the center so it don't hump all up in the middle. 

I tell you a good way to cook beans too, cheap. let them soak overnight of course, don't waste heat cooking pintos, drain them and add clean water back to them, and use a can of potted meat in them for flavoring, and salt of course. Yes I know it don't sound good, I thought the same thing when lady told me, but I tried it and the potted meat does well in beans.

I use a two Lb bag and two cans of potted meat, cook all day in crock pot on low, make cornbread when we get home. Aint nothing better, than beans, cornbread, fried potatos and buttermilk.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

OMG!! I love Potted meat and that deviled ham in the can! The family all look at me like I am a dork and might as well eat cat food!
But that and some cheese whiz on saltine crackers! yummy!
Now when folks ask you what the worst thing you have ever eaten is you can say with a straight face--Tripe, Beef Tripe as that is the main ingredient in potted meat! And I do not care, there are times I just gotta have that little can full of Who knows what else on a cracker! lol:2thumb: Or better yet, smeared on a nice hot bagel with a bit of cream cheese.. YUMMY!


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Emerald said:


> Now when folks ask you what the worst thing you have ever eaten is you can say with a straight face--Tripe, Beef Tripe as that is the main ingredient in potted meat!


I love eating tripe! There is nothing wrong with it when it is prepared properly. Everytime I go out for Chinese DimSum I always order a dish of it. Those with me always give me a look of horror when it shows up, but, I don't care, I don't need to share :congrat: :2thumb:


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

41south said:


> Being from the South, yall know I love FRIED baloney, U know make the little slit cuts to wtithin a inch of the center so it don't hump all up in the middle.


I love fried bologna! We never do the little slits though we let them curl, then put a fried egg in the center and have "Mexican Hats" to eat!!!

Potted meat is great on soft white bread with mustard! Of course I also like the potted ham and SPAM!!!


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I have a really good spam recipe--
Take one can spam and mash it up with one finely diced onion and two different types of shredded cheese and then put little mounds of it on trisket type crackers and lightly broil it--sound awful but is really yummy!


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## SwampRat (May 31, 2010)

We have beef farmers here laugh when they see one of the fast food places saying they serve only US "grass fed" or Angus beef. They say it's BS. IF the big chains were REALLY selling Angus or "grass fed" beef, you would see farms ALL OVER due to the demand....AND the beef market would be MUCH better for the farmers then it is. I gotta think they are right (they are in the biz of putting meat on your table...)

Taco Bell got into some hot water recently for NOT having enough beef in their beef product. There ain't much good for you at any place with a drive-up window!

Just my thoughts...


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## SwampRat (May 31, 2010)

*Gleaning after harvest????*

I read on one of these Forum boards where someone mentioned "farms, 10-15 miles out of town" where it is suggested an urban dweller might engage in "gleaning after the harvest"....I couldn't find the EXACT post to quote but y'all get where I am coming from....

I think "city people" really NEED to understand that taking from the "Country People" is NOT an option! And plans of "bugging out" and living "in the woods" isn't a great plan either. Someone owns the land you would be squatting on and will NOT be inclined to help you. They won't care if you have kids. You WILL be asked to leave....maybe at gunpoint. Your "camp" might be in the middle of my hunting grounds, hunting that I will need to feed MY family. And squatters presence screws up me putting meat on my table.....so move along.
I have also heard city people say "I have guns, I will just take what you have". Hmmm....Another bad idea. We don't care how much time you were in the Military, Police Dept, etc..... going up against a large group of "HillBillys", protecting their own with an AR or Mini-14 you just pulled out of your Prius is NOT smart!
Alot of city folk in my area have cabins "up north". We know. We know when you are there and when you aren't. Any supply's you leave here won't be there IF you are lucky enough to get there. You may have owned your cabin for years....doesn't matter. To us, you are a "shacker" and therefore a target.
In my opinion, don't "bug-out". Just stay in your cities....


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

SwampRat said:


> Taco Bell got into some hot water recently for NOT having enough beef in their beef product.


Taco Bell totally dropped the PR 'ball' on that fiasco... by using TVP they could've promoted it as a 'healthier' alternative to all that evil evil evil red meat   they would've increased market share and their stock price.


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