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A smart person on a budget has to figure out which food items in fast food restaurants are free and how to exploit them. For example, say a certain person on a low budget enters a local area McDonalds. They walk up to the cash register and order a sandwich off of the dollar menu. What that person did not realize was that the sandwich, burger or otherwise, could be added on to for absolutely no money at all. It differs depending on the location, but most fast food restaurants (McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys, etc.) let one add such things as lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles for no extra charge. Roy Rogers, although possessing less locations than the restaurants mentioned above, offers a full bar of additions for one's sandwich, letting customers add as many topping to their sandwiches as they want. Using the free lettuce, tomatoes, and onions in the bar, a smart customer can easily make their own salads at no cost to them. Olive Garden, Fazolis, Logan's Roadhouse, and most every Mexican restaurant offer a variety of free items from peanuts and bread sticks to chips with salsa. The restaurants tend to get angry when the customers only eat the free food and don't order anything, but as long as one isn't a frequent customer, it shouldn't cause too much of a problem.

In addition to the free food that can be purchased at low cost food vendors, drinks can also be acquired at a relatively low one time fee. The key to this trick is to purchase a cup from the prospective establishment with it's logo on the side. Splurging on a plastic cup is better in the long run, because paper cups tend to break and fall apart a lot faster. Once a cup is purchased, drinks can be acquired for free and used indefinitely. Another easier solution is to just order water from the restaurant. Almost every restaurant in the United States allows one to receive water for free, although some restaurants like Dairy Queen and Zestos require one to make a purchase before the drink can be obtained.
The poor people of the present need to possess a variety of skills in order to survive in today's fast paced world. Life today is a challenge for everyone, especially those that aren't prepared for the task. With a little bit of ingenuity and some imagination, anybody can learn to penny pinch and save as much of their hard earned money as possible.

Learn more about this author, Brad Zimmerman.
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