In a city where the cost of living crisis is spiraling, I’ve noticed that some of my friends are starting to use some unconventional tactics to save money.
On a recent occasion, I was having breakfast at a cafe with my friend Sofia* on Sydney’s Northern Beaches when she pulled out her pre-made overnight oats and started eating them like it was completely normal.
She had even been careful enough to bring her own spoon.
The Overnight Oatmeal Trial
“Ummm.. what are you doing?” I asked, annoyed, though a little envious of her money-saving hack.
Meanwhile, I had just inadvertently ordered a $30 breakfast, somehow oblivious to the economic crisis we find ourselves in.
“Oh, I’ve started doing this all the time,” she replied matter-of-factly, “no one ever has a problem.”
But as she continued to speak, I noticed the barista throwing a dagger at our table as if we had just taken money out of the wren.
And in a way, that’s exactly what my husband had done, wasn’t it?
Finally, a waiter came and politely asked her to put it aside, and she obliged… even though she had LOT of inflation and inflation involved.
Fascinated to learn more about her strange habit, I spoke with her a little later in the week.
“I just didn’t want to spend $20+ for breakfast, I wanted a coffee from a coffee shop and that was it,” she said. baby pot.
“I thought it wasn’t a sit-down restaurant so I could get away with it because it’s such an informal setting, but I definitely won’t be going back there.”
Instead, she’ll be taking her oats elsewhere because she doesn’t plan on giving up her cost-saving hack anytime soon.
“I’ll continue to BYO breakfast in the cafe,” she said. “For sure.”
“Everybody is doing it. I went out to a coffee shop the other day and my friend had brought their dark water bottle and was drinking an iced coffee that they had made at home.”
It may seem unethical, but Sofia says it’s clear why some people, including herself, do things like this.
“People are paying more attention to what they eat and drink these days, but they still want to go out and socialize. So bringing your own food means you can do both, but still know exactly what’s in the stuff you’re consuming because you’ve made it. It’s just cleaner,” she said.
“Also, the food in the cafeteria is so ridiculously expensive,” she added. “It was like $15 for a bircher pot, but it takes $2 to make my own oatmeal at home.”
For anyone who wants to try this budgeting strategy for themselves, Sofia advises you to “order your coffee in a grocery cup.”
“That way, if they ask you to stop eating your food, you can just grab your coffee and go, or move somewhere nearby in nature.”
The DoorDash Dilemma
That same week, I witnessed another friend’s approach to avoiding expensive menu items.
My partner and I joined one of our couple friends for our local brewery’s trivia night and anticipating the poor menu, I ate before I came.
But our friend Oliver* had a more… creative solution in mind.
Halfway through the second round of questions, he discreetly pulled out his phone, making sure the quizmaster wouldn’t think he was Googling the answers, and ordered DoorDash.
“I’m a vegetarian and they only had one vegetarian thing on the menu, which was a little mushroom burger, which I didn’t want. It would probably be too greasy, so I wanted to get something that fits my diet and my health goals,” he told me a few days later.
“I knew I was being sneaky, but the risk was worth it to get a dinner I would enjoy and it wouldn’t cost a bomb,” he explained. “The subway I ended up getting was only $5 a foot long because I took advantage of a special offer. The burger was about $25 and it didn’t even come with fries.”
He says judgment from the bar staff wasn’t a concern for him because “it wasn’t a formal enough place to warrant them making a scene.” But if one of them had approached him, he said he “might have been a bit embarrassed” at first but “would have told them they needed a better menu”.
“Of course, it’s their right to set their own rules for their business, but at the end of the day, the price of their menu is an indictment of the increasingly unbearable cost of living in Sydney.”
And like Sofia, it’s not the first time she’s pulled this stunt, and it won’t be the last either.
“Every once in a while, I might bring a Fishbowl poke bowl to a cafe if I don’t like the food there, but my friend really wants to eat at a certain place,” she said.
“If you’re going to do this, just make sure someone at your table buys something, don’t have visible packaging, and make sure you sit somewhere visible!”
Hospitality workers weigh in
To get another perspective, I asked a waiter I knew if they had noticed an increase in this type of behavior.
“I’m definitely starting to see it pop up a little bit more,” they said. “Whereas my manager would come right out and tell him, I try to be a little more understanding.”
“Times are tough and people are doing whatever they can to get by, so who am I to shame them?”
But another cafe worker said baby pot she had a “no tolerance” policy for this sort of thing.
“It’s rude,” they said. “You wouldn’t do it in a fine restaurant, so why do you think it’s fine in a coffee shop? We’re still a business trying to make money, and it’s also difficult for us in this economy.
“When that happens, I tell people, ‘I can see you’re eating food that’s not from our restaurant. We have a wide range of food on the menu and we’re happy to accommodate any dietary requirements if needed.’
“To clarify, we never have a problem with parents bringing food for their babies and toddlers. They bring their own dishes or use ours, which we accept. If that means adults can enjoy their meals, then so be it. But anyone else, no way.”
#Cheap #eateries #bring #food #cafes #moneysaving #trend #Times #tough
Image Source : nypost.com