I must get Pizza Hut Coupons in the mail nearly every single day. In college, I used to think what a great service this was, bringing me deals on pizza right to my door. If you wanted to order pizza for takeout, you just checked your mail.

In truth, the price of pizza has risen like crazy. And at the same time the SIZE of pizza has shrunk like crazy. And never mind those boring commercials that tout a $5 price for each pizza after the first one from Domino’s Pizza. It’s all about buying in bulk nowadays and screwing customers over with redundant sides (breadsticks? Why would I want extra bread when I can just tear off the crust and eat it!)

Continue reading “Pizza Hut Coupons” …

It’s nice to see other people talking about Cheap Eats. Matt Helms from the Detroit Free Press wrote a short piece on the Tim Horton’s doughnut and fast food chain. This must be another one of those East Coast things (akin to something like the love for Dunkin’ Donuts that I experienced in Boston) because I’ve never heard of Tim Horton’s. It seems as if the chain is actually part of Wendy’s International Inc. and there are currently over 500 locations, though none near me.

Continue reading “Tim Horton’s” …

Man, Burger King really brought it when they decided to make this breakfast item. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a crazy looking fast food sandwich, it has just about everything in it that your average Meatasaurus would want to chow down on. It is just enormous, sort of reminds me when Carl’s Junior first came out with the Western Bacon Cheeseburger. I just couldn’t believe you could put hamburger, bacon and onion rings together. Is that, like TWO layers of scrambled egg loaf surrounding the meats? Makes me salivate a bit, I’d really like to try it when it comes out.

The No. 2 fast food chain debuted its Enormous Omelet Sandwich Monday. The sandwich has one sausage patty, two eggs, two American cheese slices and three strips of bacon … That works out to 730 calories and 47 grams of fat — more than a Whopper sandwich, which the Burger King Web site said has 700 calories and 42 grams of fat.

Continue reading “Enormous Omelette Sandwich” …

Before going out and buying either bulk canned drinks or two litre bottles of soda to save a little, you might want to consider dry flavor drink mixes like Lemonade. Most markets sell large canisters of drink mixes like Lemonade and Limeade. And of course there is the old standard - Tang.

While I certainly dig Tang (the astronaut’s drink of choice of course) it can tend to be a little more expensive. In any case, if you can get one of the really large canisters at Costco, Target or any other bulk food store you can really rack up some savings. The one I got, weighs in at a whopping 5 pounds and costs about $6. It comes with a convenient plastic scoop inside so you don’t have to measure; just scoop and mix.

Continue reading “Lemonade Mix” …

I’m somewhat looking forward to the premiere of Good Deal with Dave Lieberman on the Food Network channel on April 16, 2005. The Yale graduate hosted a food show at his alma mater and is the author of a book called “Young and Hungry: More Than 100 Recipes for Cooking Fresh and Affordable Food for Everyone”. I don’t in particular expect it to be anything close to real Cheap Eats because it’s a TV show after all (Rachel Ray, though sometimes cute in $40 A Day, often brings shame to the theories of cheap eats. Come on. FORTY dollars a DAY? Some people could probably make do with $40 a month…) From the Food Network website:

Dave Lieberman is a young man with a mission: teaching people how to live, eat and entertain like a king or queen, even if they have the budget of a commoner. In Good Deal with Dave Lieberman, Dave keeps things quick, easy and inexpensive, giving viewers practical tips on keeping quality up and costs down. Whether preparing a buffet dinner for an ever-expanding party guest list, helping a love-struck best friend pull together a romantic dinner or throwing an indoor bbq party for the space and budget challenged, Dave always guarantees fabulous food in a way that won’t break the clock or the bank.

Still, I’m intrigued by the possibility of converting some of the recipes that may be offered on the show to true Cheap Eats. I often find myself successfully using a recipe or idea from a Food Network show by doing a reduction in the cost of ingredients and the methods used.

Denver Post columnist Kristen Browning-Blas wrote up something on a place called Fontano’s in Denver that sells cheap subs. Apparently they are really authentic or something. Here is a quote:

For those who haven’t experienced the squishy wonder of oregano-bathed roast beef and grilled peppers on a jus-soaked baguette, Fontano’s offers an authentic introduction … With prosciuttini, capicola (gabagool, if you’re Tony Soprano), Genoa salami and provolone, the Wiseguy keeps it in the family ($5 for a 6-inch, $6.35, 8-inch, $7.85, 10-inch, same for almost all sandwiches on the menu).

Authentic sub eating? Maybe. Cheap Eats? Probably not. Sounds like another syndrome of “homestyle” sandwiches for yuppies. You can get a 6-inch sub for much cheaper at Quizno’s, Subway, or any number of family owned Italian Delis. Some places will even throw in the drink.

Cheap Eats Score: 3/10

Source:
Denver Post Article
Cheap eats: Fontano’s Chicago Subs

I saw a news item on this sort of interesting food program in New York where they buy a huge amount of food in bulk and then let local residents buy it at discounted prices. A pretty good discount they’re getting, about $5 of food for every $3. I don’t think there is an income requirement which is sort of cool, and they didn’t offer only junky food. They actually offer stuff like sausage and steak fries!

Food Sense Helps Stretch Grocery Dollar