May is a busy month for our family.  All 4 of us are tied up with the end of school.  My husband and I are on the teacher side of things, while trying to make it to all the events taking place at our kids’ schools.  The evening practices, weekend activities, and other things we’re involved in don’t let up either.  As I cleaned out my purse a couple of days ago, it was a bit mortifying to find all of these fast-food receipts.

YIKES!   Not only is that a lot of processed food, but it’s also a huge money-suck.  We don’t set aside a huge amount of “eating out” money so it’s really taken a dent in our budget this month.  The summer months tend to cost us a lot, too, for several reasons.  It’s the time that most of our out-of-town family and friends visit.  When my husband’s nieces visited last summer, we spent several hundred dollars on meals for that week.  Those teenagers eat a lot!  Luckily my brother-in-law pitched in and gave us part of the money for the food. We also take advantage of our Dollywood season passes; that trip results in at least one drive-thru visit most of the time.  Could I pack snacks in the cooler?  Yes.  But eating out is part of the fun.  And then we have the lazy factor.  Sometimes I’m just tired and don’t feel like cooking….or going to the store to get ingredients.   So we make a detour, get a burger, and life goes on.

As I cleaned out these receipts, I noticed that there were some great coupons on the back of them.  Now, I’m no stranger to coupons on receipts; I use them all the time at local businesses.  But I rarely take the time to do the surveys on the back in order to get the coupon.  Most of the coupons require a purchase but, hey, we’re already there making a purchase, so no biggie.   When I realized that the Chick-Fil-A’s coupon offered me a free chicken sandwich, I was on board.  My son gets that on every trip and it’s pretty pricey!  Taking a few seconds to do that survey was no problem.   Here are the coupons I had on receipts from my purse.

We drive through Dunkin’ Donuts on most road trips to get coffee or hot cocoa, so why not get a free donut with it?  My kids would love it and it will save me some pocket change!

When we play at Warrior’s Path, it often ends in a trip through Sonic to get a sundae or a 1/2 price drink.  Normally I don’t get anything because I’m not an ice cream fan.  But a Route 44 Cherry Limeade would make my day!    With this receipt, my drink will be free!

My daughter recently made the transition to the adult menu instead of kid’s meals.  If we go to McDonald’s, both of us get a Quarter Pounder.   This way, I’ll get one free!   We can get a drink at home and share the fries to make it cheaper.

Some surveys give you a chance to win instead of free product.  For those of you who enjoy a sweepstakes, this might be a good option!  Hardee’s makes it easy to access with a QR code.

My sister goes through the drive-thru, too, but told me that she never really hassles with the survey coupons.  And I get that.  It’s not for everyone.  But since I don’t mind answering a few questions in order to get free food, I’ll do it.  I’m keeping these receipts in the car so that in the next moment of drive-thru weakness, I can still save a bit of money!

Do you answer the survey questions in order to get free food?   If not, is there a restaurant or offer that would compel you to do so?