By: Ashley Bergeron
Staff-Writer
With tariffs, trade wars and President Trump not ruling out that the United States is heading toward a recession, here is a list of resources to help you save money on food (that don’t involve buying a chicken).
Unity Gardens
Unity Gardens is a collection of collaborative gardens where people can pick out fresh produce for free. It is run by volunteers. At the main garden on Prast Boulevard in South Bend, there is a store where people can buy local honey, jams, hot sauce and more. On their website, they have a satellite map of their gardens and orchards so you can find the closest one to you.
Flashfood
Flashfood is an app where you can buy selected groceries for 50% off. The grocery stores that have Flashfood are Meijer, Martin’s and Dashmart. Only Meijer Flashfood accepts EBT. Each store has its own pick-up instructions, so make sure you read them before entering the store. Usually, the items are discounted because they are overstock or they are nearing their best-by date.
Available items vary depending on the store and the day, but common items are dairy products, mixed produce boxes (each is $5), meat, condiments, snacks (like chips and cookies) and box mixes. Each person with the app has a referral code where if someone uses their code and spends at least $7 on their first purchase, they get $5 off their purchases and the person with the code receives $5 as a reward. My referral code is ASHL3FADM if anyone wants to use it!
Too Good to Go
Too Good to Go is an app where people can buy surprise bags from restaurants before the restaurant has to throw out the food. There is a time limit as for how long a restaurant can serve a food item before it is considered a health risk. This causes a lot of food waste, as the restaurants have to predict how much product will be bought, but also throw away anything that is considered a health risk. Too Good to Go was made to combat this issue. Everything in the bag is safe to eat.
The price varies depending on the restaurant, but bags are typically less than $10. There aren’t a lot of options in the area (at least compared to Chicago), but there are some restaurants that are offering bags: Krispy Kreme ($6.16), Jack’s Donuts ($5.99), East Race Market ($5.99), Whole Foods (Bakery Bag – $6.99, Prepared Foods Bag -$9.99) and Ben’s Soft Pretzels ($6.99).
I used this app in Wheaton, IL, at a place called County Farm Bagels. I spent $5.36 and got 13 bagels. According to their website, a dozen cost $14.99, so I saved some money.
Food Pantries and Titans Feeding Titans
Food pantries are a prime example of helping people with food insecurity. They give free food to people in need. Some pantries will ask for your ID to verify that you live in the area, but the vast majority don’t require you to prove your need for food at all. Foodpantries.org gives a list of food pantries in your local area. Scan the QR code to find food pantries in the South Bend area or wherever you need one.
Titans Feeding Titans, our campus food pantry, is also a resource for nonperishables, pantry items, produce, frozen and refrigerated items and household products. Their hours are posted in the Daily Titan each Monday, and they are typically open every morning and most afternoons. Students can show their Crimson Card and take home up to eight pounds of food for free each week.
