• frostysauce@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    If you have a Braum’s nearby you can get a bomb-ass burger with two quarter pound patties, crinkle cut fries, and drink or shake for about $9.

    But you probably don’t have a Braum’s around unless you are in the US and in one of like two shithole states.

  • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
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    6 hours ago

    When I was in high school, we’d split a gram of weed four ways and go to Wendy’s for the $4.20 meal. For less than ten bucks, you got stoned, a junior bacon cheese, four nuggets, small fry, and a small chocolate frosty. This was in the mid oughts so not that long ago!

      • 0ops@lemm.ee
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        2 hours ago

        True. Even ignoring that though, chic fil a is fine at best but overrated if you ask me. Their best menu item is the shakes, everything else is mid. Not bad just mid.

        • SuperSpruce@lemmy.zip
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          2 hours ago

          It’s definitely overrated. Where I live a solid meal will set you back $12-$14, and it’s always super crowded and hence slow. Instead, I can just walk a few minutes, and get better chicken for cheaper ($10-$12) and faster at the local place.

        • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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          2 hours ago

          This is sadly not news, the feud between the LGBT and Chic-Fil-A is pretty long

          It goes like this

          -2011-

          Chic-Fil-A: Our money goes to Christian charities

          LGBT: Well that’s fine, you are the Jesus Chicken place, pass me some waffle fries my man

          Chic-Fil-A: Sure, that’ll be a dollar, a dollar that prevents gays from getting married

          LGBT: Wait, I thought you said charities

          Chic-Fil-A: We lied

          -2015-

          Chic-Fil-A: Okay Gay Marriage is legal and Caitlyn Jenner + Lavrene Cox seem to be getting the ball rolling on trans rights. I guess we have no choice but to abandon “Traditional Marriage” and other such causes and just stick to charity work…

          Caitlyn Jenner: I’m the worst human being alive, I hate all other transpeople, the only moral transition is my transition, and I am literally guilty of vehicular homicide but am too rich to be charged with it!

          Chic-Fil-A: Okay just Lavrene Cox then… So you hungry my rainbow friend?

          LGBT: Oh thank God, I can finally have a decent chicken sandwich, God what is your secret?

          Chic-Fil-A: Why the lies we tell about what we fund go into every mouth-watering bite of our Homophobic Chicken!

          LGBT: What?

          Chic-Fil-A: Shit, did I say that out loud? Fuck, okay you got us, we’re still funding Anti-LGBT causes we’re just trying to be quieter about it, also we don’t think abortion should be legal and are lobbying to have that banned to.

          LGBT: WHAT!?! I’M PROTESTING YOU SO HARD!

          Left-Leaning Americans: And we’ll help!

          Fox News: Chic-Fil-A, which is not homophobic at all, is being protested because Democrats are mad that a store is closed on Sundays because they hate the bible! No really, this is a spin we actually went with to demonize our political enemies!

          Right-Leaning Americans: I believe that whole-heartedly because I have no ability to question any information that sounds like it’s even remotely true unless it comes from a Democrat. I always knew that gays hated Jesus and will now give all my money to Chic-Fil-A.

          -2025-

          Chic-Fil-A: So uhh now that we’re all being mask off, can I interest in you a lemonade, you must be very thirsty after playing in girl’s sports you filthy degenerate.

          LGBT: Oh fuck off, you know damn well we don’t and that you don’t care about women’s sports anyway, how are you still in business?

          Chic-Fil-A: Actually we’re making record profits because of those guys

          LGBT: What guys?

          Left-Leaning Americans: We know it’s homophobic, but we’re addicted to fast food and it tastes just so fucking good. Your suffering is no reason for me to be slightly inconveinced, even though everyone from McDonalds to KFC has a chicken sandwich just like theirs…

          Right-Leaning Americans: MAGA! MAGA! MAGA! GOTTA PWN THE LIBS! WHITE LIVES MATTER! I’M ORDERING EXTRA SANDWICHES JUST TO SPITE THE DISGUSTING FREAKS… cut off by the munching of fries WHO… slurping coke ARE COMING FOR OUR KIDS!

          LGBT: Okay yeah that sadly tracks…

          And that’s basically the whole story

  • thatradomguy@lemmy.world
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    5 hours ago

    Me when I go to my local hangry chicken and order the chicken + fries nachos only for them to give me dark meat.

    • FPSXpert@discuss.online
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      3 hours ago

      Dark meat at least tastes better and is more desirable where I’m at. Now you just get less meat in general for however much you’re spending.

      Give it five years and the taco bell quesadilla is probably gonna cost $10 and use the small tortilla instead of the big one. They may have won the franchise wars in fiction but reality is stranger.

  • AA5B@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    It’s been a long time since fast food was any good. It’s addictive, maybe comfortable, but definitely not good. Break your addiction, especially now that you could save so much money

    • boonhet@lemm.ee
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      8 hours ago

      It’s comfortable, but also the salt they sprinkle on there must be a narcotic substance of some kind.

      That said, McDonald’s vs an OK sit-down restaurant are roughly the same price here. The latter is going to have better food - generally - but Mickey D will be more consistent, have the ability to order without talking to anyone, has a drive-thru, can order home (SOME restaurants don’t do it here for some reason, most do luckily)… Basically, the fast food will win in all factors of convenience, but you won’t feel as satisfied after eating it.

  • goldenoreo@lemm.ee
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    14 hours ago

    I switched to mostly cooking for myself sometime last year, really just trying to save money, but I feel significantly less fatigued day to day and more focused and don’t wake up with random stomach pain anymore.

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      I’ve done that most of my adult life and yeah even just pasta with jarred sauce is so much cheaper, better, and healthier than fast food.

      Your next big level up may be realizing that exercise doesn’t suck nearly as much as the feeling of being out of shape

  • 2ugly2live@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Honestly, it’s been a great help reducing take out. It’s such a gamble, I’d rather spent nothing on a sure thing (even if it’s boring) than nearly $40 for a meal I may not even finish.

    • 𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖞 𝕿𝖚𝖓𝖆@lemmy.world
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      14 hours ago

      I’m a spreadsheet nerd. Not a guru by any stretch, but I love to make spreadsheets. They help me plan and organize things in a way nothing else does. Despite all the websites and apps out there that make budgeting simple, I do ALL of my budgeting and spend tracking in an odt file. It’s been a rolling development for the last five years and I think I’ve got it to its ultimate stage. I’m really proud of my work.

      I think what’s really helping me stay on top of it this year is the fact that in December, I spent about a week planning the year in painstaking detail. I built a whole paycheck estimation tool that automatically calculates tax withholding. I cross-referenced employee handbooks to determine pre-tax withholdings like retirement and insurance. I found the 2025 tax brackets and standard deduction. I understand now how our taxes are withheld for the state side. I actually determined my wife is taking out way too little for tax. January is an awesome time to make that catch. By the time I was done, I determined four paycheck numbers we might experience in the year based on various circumstances. I planned out how much I think each of our 26 paychecks will be, when they will occur, and how we will spend them with a high degree of confidence. I gave us a set amount of fun money each time. Most importantly, I found a way for us to make regular deposits into our savings account. I have a plan in place to save $2,000 and pay off a couple of credit cards this year. It ain’t much, but it’ll be a start. And if something goes wrong, having some money stashed away will be a huge help.

      So far, I’ve squirrelled away 300 bucks. I feel really good about that.

      I also track all of our spending in that file. I spend 5 minutes each night before bed reconciling it to the bank. That’s been a major step forward, too.

      More to your point, eating out is hella expensive. I opened a second checking account to give us that kind of money. We buy books and music and games and makeup and food from out on that. If that card runs out of money, it ends. Full stop. At least, it should. I got lazy the last few months of last year and we spent way too much on takeout. But I’m motivated to be better this year. I make myself go grocery shopping. And then I make myself cook even when I don’t wanna. And I put the dishes away and clean the laundry, even when I don’t wanna.

      I know that’s just regular adult shit, but I’ve been a hot mess for a while lol

      • 2ugly2live@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        I’m trying to get myself together too (though not nearly as impressive as your method). I’m writing down everything I spend, from a soda, or groceries, to rent. I quickly saw I was spending, like, to the penny of my check, and saw I wasted a good $200 on just bullshit. I’m trying to put on my big girl panties and get it together. Whenever I saw no to something, I’ve been putting it in a savings account. Like, “eh, I can make dinner at home.” Okay, then that $15 for the cheeseburger that you were okay with is now going into savings.

        My goal is to end this year without debt. School, credit card, all of it. Tired of it lol

      • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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        13 hours ago
        1. Bump up your employer’s withholding by 5%
        2. Get that overpayment back from the IRS
        3. Immediately dump that into a retirement thing that reduces taxable income; like, same-day
        4. Next year you have another 5% windfall and a little more back from the retirement contribution. Put both back into same deal
        5. Repeat forever
        6. Slow win
        • Furbag@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          Why would I give the IRS an interest free loan? Taking that same 5% from your paycheck directly and setting up an automatic transfer to a high-yield savings account or an IRA each month would give you better dividends over the same period of time.

    • Alenalda@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      When I can buy like a large 5 top pizza for as much as a single fast food combo, i know which I’ll choose.

      • Furbag@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        Pizza is also ridiculously expensive where I live. For something that is comprised of almost entirely dough, cheese, and tomato sauce, it’s kind of criminal that some places are charging $20 or more for a large pie. It probably cost them $1.50 worth of ingredients to make when you factor in bulk pricing.

        • FPSXpert@discuss.online
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          2 hours ago

          Where I’m at it’s definitely very restaurant dependent. Papa Racist’s (Papa John’s) and Pizza Butt (Pizza Hut) I avoid like the plague because their decisions have been jack up the price and nosedive the quality. Meanwhile Little Ceasar’s is doing a $6 lunch combo and most pies I get there are usually $6-10.

          I get it it’s Little Ceasar’s, but I got one thing to say to the LC haters

  • JadenSmith@sh.itjust.works
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    16 hours ago

    Hey now, those poor businesses need to make up for their profit situation! Even though they have all made record profits year after year… After year…
    We will be in a recession once they decide it’s time for one.

    • FPSXpert@discuss.online
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      2 hours ago

      Their burgers are bomb AF, I’ll admit that, but my two complains from them are 1) they’re small, we’re used to big Whataburgers here so I practically have to get two of them and 2) their fries, yes it’s oversaid but their fries are just different and not always in a good way. Though I will say they do taste better if you get a salt packet and pour it on.

            • Loss@sh.itjust.works
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              11 hours ago

              Not in the West Coast. Both are about ~7 for the base burger and cap out at about ~12 for the highest menu item without extras.

                • Loss@sh.itjust.works
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                  8 hours ago

                  …about $30, you mean. I mean if you’re trying to go for 2k+ kcal per person you’d hit 50+,but a normal person would have a hard time eating more than 15$ of five guys.

          • dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world
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            11 hours ago

            Ah yes, Five Guys. Where the fries turn into a pile of greasy mush if not eaten within the first five minutes your order is ready. But you’ve completed that task, you’re now full-up on fried potato, but now your burger is cold or at best half eaten. Nobody should have to eat with the gusto of a professional contestant just to make the most of things. It’s a meal that conspires against itself, every single time.

            If you skip the fries, the burgers are actually pretty good and can enjoy it at any pace.

            /rant

            • Loss@sh.itjust.works
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              11 hours ago

              I’m sorry you’re too used to frozen preserves potatoes from Sysco or other manufacturers of potato-like rectangles to appreciate real fries.

              • Soggy@lemmy.world
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                6 hours ago

                Fresh-cut, single-cooked fries are the worst kind. Soft, greasy, unsatisfying.

      • dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        Yes, but to be fair, it’s peak mid. Most other chains do a worse job on burgers, and to do better, you have to go substantially upmarket.

  • bassomitron@lemmy.world
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    23 hours ago

    Dude it’s insane. I don’t understand how the hell these places stay in business anymore when the quality still sucks ass and it’s all so expensive now. Like even taco bell, who used to be the king of cheap, costs a fuckton these days.