Finding secret bargains is something of a thrill for most people - especially as costs continue to rise.
Personally, I'm a sucker for cut-price food, which is exactly why I decided to try out a popular free app that lets you pick up leftover food for less.
The Too Good To Go app has been gaining a bit of popularity recently, with some users getting huge bags of food for less than a fiver from top-rated companies.
The app - which was formed in Denmark back in 2015 - uses your location to help you find services near you that has some leftover food at discounted prices.
Each 'magic bag' that you get contains a variety of different food items that would otherwise be popped in the bin at the end of the day.
With such interesting reviews on different purchases so far, I decided to download the app for myself to see what was on offer in my area.
I will admit, that there was a lack of options to choose from in my local Aberdeen area, as most of the bags on offer were from coffee chains and smaller local stores.
In the end, I decided to opt for one of my favourite coffee hot spots - Starbucks.
I'm quite the fan of Starbucks hot drinks and food, which is exactly why I jumped at the chance to snap up a 'mystery bag' that only cost me £3.59 - it couldn't go wrong, could it?
Despite being under £4, I did find that it was one of the more pricier options on the app, with bags from Costa and Pret going for as little as just £3.
Considering the prices you find in Starbucks at the best of times, I decided it was still worth it.
What I got
After placing my reservation I headed down to my local Starbucks in the middle of the city at 2 & 4 Upperkirkgate to pick it up when the collection was ready.
The first thing that took me by surprise was just how quick the service was and how many other app users were in the store at the exact same time as me.
I was asked to confirm my order and handed my mystery bag of goodies all within the span of five minutes - meaning I could quickly run home to unwrap the contents.
Heading home with my little brown bag of discounted goodies, I admit that I was buzzing with excitement to see what I would get.
Considering my enthusiasm for the coffee chain's cakes, paninis and lattes, I really didn't think that this could go wrong at all.
As soon as I got home I unwrapped the contents to see what I had officially managed to snap up - two five-cheese toasties, a cookies and cream muffin and a signature breakfast roll.
On first thought, I'll admit that I was slightly underwhelmed, as I had seen many reviews from other users who had managed to get bags filled to the brim with leftover food.
Nevertheless, I still couldn't complain, as it was still a decent haul of decent quality food that cost less than a fiver - if I was in-store, I would pay way more than that for just one of those items.
I decided to take a quick peak at the Starbucks prices online to see how much these would have cost me on a usual weekend trip. The answer was £16.90 - I had managed to snap up almost £20 worth of food for less than a fiver.
What's more, is that the coffee-chains staff had kindly placed in a sheet of instructions for you to properly heat your food the way they do.
First up for a taste was the Signature Breakfast Roll, which I'll admit to never having had before, so this was definitely going to be an interesting start.
I fired up the oven to 180 degrees - as per the instructions - and decided to pop in the roll for about 10-15 minutes to give it a bit of a warm up.
It may have possibly been a bit too long, as I ended toasting the brioche roll a bit more than I expected, but you live and you learn.
Despite being a little too toasted, the inside cooked really well and the cheese melted nicely enough, so it wasn't a total disaster.
Next up was one of the five-cheese toasties. This one I was really happy to uncover, because I tend to nab one of these as a lunchtime staple when I pop in at the weekend.
With its toasted bread that oozes creamy bechamel cheese sauce, it's always a winner for me.
The five-cheese toastie is described by Starbucks as "Starbucks signature cheese topped sourdough filled with a blend of 5 cheeses with bechamel sauce and American style mustard."
Again, I decided to fire the oven up to 180 degrees, and I found that this one toasted a lot better than the breakfast sandwich - it also made my house smell amazing.
This was arguably the best of the bunch - and not just because it's a staple order for me - as it came out of the oven pretty much exactly the same as it would from Starbucks.
It was creamy and warm, the cheese melted amazingly and the sourdough bread was toasted to absolute perfection within 12 minutes.
I had read reports that some other customers found that the toastie fillings didn't warm up as well and I can safely say that this was not the case here. Full points from me.
Last on the list - and I was feeling pretty full by this point - was the cookies and cream cheesecake muffin. I had also realised how much cheese was in my order.
Let me tell you something before I describe the cheesecake - I have a huge sweet tooth. Always have and always will, so I'm always happy to fling down a muffin.
This was also another item that I had never tried before, so it was another delightful surprise to try out and see if I would order it next time I am.
The muffin is described as a "classic chocolate muffin with a twist, packed with a cheesecake filling, white chocolate chunks and topped with crumbled cookies."
Sounds nice, right?
Out of all the items, this is the one that I found to be bit of a mixed bag.
Taste wise, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it and there was a decent amount of cheesecake filling, chocolate chunks and cookie pieces to be enjoyed. They certainly didn't skimp on any of it.
The only downside that I found was that it was going a little bit on the staler side. Which, I wasn't really too fussed about, because I appreciate that the bag is made up of items that are nearly passed their prime.
That being said, it was just a little bit on the cardboard texture style for me to fully enjoy, but I think I would like to try a fresh one next time I am store to get the full benefits.
Overall thoughts
All in all, I have to say that my first Too Good To Go order was a pleasant surprise - especially as I technically made a saving off £13.31.
Despite being one of the more ' expensive ' bags on the list, it still came picked with enough good quality food that would have otherwise being thrown in the bin.
Not to mention that my bag came with two of my favourite paninis and a couple of items I had never tried before.
I can see why the app is continuing to grow in popularity and I think that, based off this experience, I would be willing to give it another go and maybe even try a supermarket next time.
Not only are you getting a good bargain on some food, but you're also helping prevent food from being wasted - which is a double win in my books.
It really is worth checking what is available in your local area and giving it a go, you may be surprised by the amount of discounts you could make.
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