Bill Dalton: Free stuff!
"With inflation running rampant and the price of everything going up, up, up, if you can save a few bucks here and there, why not?" columnist Bill Dalton writes.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not of Ottawa News Network.
Who doesn’t love free stuff?
With inflation running rampant and the price of everything going up, up, up, if you can save a few bucks here and there, why not?
Well, I’m going to let you in on a little secret — totally legit, nothing dishonest — that saves you money the next time you crave fast food.
Who doesn’t love fast food? OK, sorry, but with the costs of eating out at a sit-down restaurant going through the roof, every now and then you’ve got to eat cheap, right?
McDonald’s.
I know, their hamburgers sometimes taste like microwaved cardboard, but here’s how you get even by scoring free food at Mickey D’s, without the indignity of Dumpster diving.
But you’ve got to follow my instructions carefully.
1) Drive through your nearest McDonald’s and order a "senior" coffee for you and your significant other. Guess how much that costs? $1.18. That’s right, 59 cents each. Try that at Starbucks or Dunkin’. With tax, my total came to $1.27.
Here’s the secret: When they ask, “Do you want your receipt?” you scream YES! (OK, you don't have to scream, but it gets their attention.)
Most people today don’t want their receipts; don’t ask me why. But if you look at the top of the receipt, you’ll see these magic words: Buy One Get One Any Sandwich (equal or lesser value) by visiting mcdvoice.com.
2) Go online to that website and answer some simple questions, like: Did you use their app, yes or no? Was your order accurate, yes or no? How much money do you make (I NEVER answer that one because I'm embarrassed to admit I'm on Social Security and someone might suspect I'm a socialist) but they allow you to click “prefer not to answer.”
It takes me about 2 minutes and 30 seconds to do the survey.
And what do you get? A validation code that entitles you to a free sandwich (if you buy one at the regular price). Just write that code on top of your last receipt and hand it to the drive-thru person the next time you buy a couple of burgers and one will be free.
Big deal, you say? OK, maybe not if you’re a billionaire, or if when you were a kid McDonald’s burgers cost only 15 cents.
But today a quarter-pounder with cheese costs $7.49 on average, with prices ranging from $5.29 to $9.49 depending on location. A Big Mac, meanwhile, costs $5.91 on average, with typical prices ranging from $3.99 to $9.50 depending on location.
That’s right; a fast-food hamburger in America now costs about $7 to $9 — thank you very much, Donald J. Trump, aka the Hamburglar.
But if you follow my instructions, you can get a decent cup of coffee for 59 cents (if you’re a senior citizen) and a free sandwich.
Bon appétit, Bill "free lunch" Huizenga!
Here’s the sweet part: You can do it over and over, as long as you save your receipts and get new validation codes. (A maximum of five per month at the same restaurant.)
All you've invested is about 2 and a half minutes of your time, which, according to my calculations, is the equivalent of earning roughly $192 an hour.
Not too shabby for a retiree.
Now, some of you might think I'm cheap, but I'm not — I'm just thrifty. Remember when Meijer used to be called Meijer Thrifty Acres? Well, their stores still take up acres of land, but whatever happened to the "thrifty" part, hmmm? Thanks again, Donald J. Hamburglar.
Here’s another thing that’s free, and it won’t raise your cholesterol levels or your BMI (body mass index) or require a quadruple bypass.
My column. Like and subscribe!
— Bill Dalton is a former reporter and editor for The Kansas City Star and worked for several Michigan newspapers. He spends summers on the family farm near Fennville. His novel “The Bank Game” is available from Amazon along with “Dalton’s Bend."
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