I recently noticed that McDonald’s stock is at an all-time high. They are clearly making a ton of money off our fast-food love affair, so I figured it was time to come up with some McDonald’s menu hacks that can actually save us money on our next trip to the golden arches. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, these tips can definitely save you some cash. McFlurry anyone?

1. Order the “Budget” Big Mac

Did you know that you can order any McDonald’s burger to come with “special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun”,  just like the famous Big Mac?

Apparently there’s even a button on the register for this request at many golden arches locations.

All you have to say is “Like a Mac” and you’ll get hooked up – minus the 3rd bun in the middle of course, but you can live without that strange invention.

Turns out this is a great hack to get a Big Mac for a lot less money.

For example, order a “McDouble – like a Mac” and you’ll essentially get a Big Mac for about $4.29 after the add-ons, compared to the original Big Mac which comes with a price tag of $6.99 at most locations.

Also, if you’re simply craving a double burger, just order the McDouble instead of the Big Mac and easily save a couple bucks as the McDouble remains a steal at $2.89.

2. NEVER Order the 10 Piece McNuggets

Okay, so this tip is awesome if you love yourself some chicken nugs.

The next time the craving hits, ALWAYS order the 20-piece McNuggets.

Why? Well, a box of 10 is priced at $4.89 ($0.49 cents a nugget) while a box of 20 will ONLY cost you $5.19 or $0.26 cents a nugget.

So you get twice the nuggets for only 30 cents more.

In an odd twist of fate, the 20-piece box is approximately the same price, per nugget, as the 40 piece box.

So…if your local arches has the 20-pack on the menu, order them up like crazy as you’re only spending 26 cents per nug.

3. Ask About Discounted Chow

I use to do this in college and it almost always worked.

When ordering, I’d simply ask if they had any burgers or fries that were “going begging”.

Meaning they were made but not bought, often they are custom made, or perhaps they’ve been sitting under the heat lamp a little too long.

Nothing wrong with them!

I use to get Big Macs for $1.25, Quarter Pounders for $0.75, and fries for $0.50.

Hey, I was a starving college student and I DID NOT care what anyone else thought.

4. Over 55?  Get a Free Cup of Coffee

If you’re over 55, did you know you’re entitled to a free cup of coffee every time you enter a McDonalds?

You must dine-in to be eligible for your free coffee, and not all restaurants participate, but it’s definitely worth asking about.

Also, it appears that some golden arches offer the choice of a free coffee or a cold beverage.

5. Egg McMuffin Hack

The next time you enter a McDonald’s jonesing for some breakfast, consider ordering a simple Sausage McMuffin (without the egg) along with an ala carte “round egg” and create your own Sausage Egg McMuffin on the cheap.

According to the clever folks at BuzzFeed, by ordering it this way, you’ll get it for only $2.58 instead of $3.19.

Not a huge savings, but a fun McDonald’s secret menu hack that’ll stick it to Ronald every time.

6. Want Hot and Fresh Fries?

Nothing worse than luke warm and soggy French fries.

To avoid this, be sure to order them with “No Salt” and Mickey D’s will fry up a fresh batch just for you.

You can then add the salt yourself if you want.

While this won’t save you any money, it will definitely get you some deliciously amazing French fries on your next visit.

This tip also works for the Filet O’ Fish – order it “no cheese” and you’re guaranteed to get a freshly made fish sandwich.

7. Don’t Ignore the Value Menu

Not all “Value Menu” items are created equal as some are much better deals than others.

The best value menu items at McDonalds are as follows:

– McChicken Sandwich: At an affordable $3.29, this is the best buy on the ENTIRE menu by far.

It weights 5.10 ounces and will fill up your stomach more than other burgers and sandwiches.

– McDouble: At $4.29, as mentioned earlier, the McDouble is a great value menu item.

Order it “Like a Mac” and get it with all the Big Mac trimmings and you’ve essentially order a Big Mac and saved a couple bucks in the process.

By Kyle James

Photo by Mike Mozart

Amazon has removed their price adjustment policy in recent years, stay tuned to see if this new Amazon policy sticks. Because Amazon changes prices so frequently, they have gotten a lot of backlash for changing their policy. Bottom-line, these days there only seems to exist a couple workarounds to get the lower price. Here’s how it works.

If you still want to try and get a price adjustment here is how you go about it.

From blog reader Roxanne, she tried the following steps and didn’t get a price match but Amazon did give her a $40 credit to her account.

So bottom-line, the following steps are still worth a try, especially on expensive items.

How to TRY to Get a Price Adjustment:

1. Originally, You Had 7 Days From Delivery to Request Adjustment

The 7 days started when the item got delivered to your doorstep.

2. Keep an Eye Out For a Price Drop

Nobody has the time to check daily if the Amazon price drops on something you bought.

So use the free site CamelCamelCamel.com and they’ll do all of the leg-work for you and email you when a price drops.

3. What to do When a Price Drops Within 7 Days

You can either call Amazon customer service at 1 (888) 280-4331 or start a live chat session to get the ball rolling on your price adjustment.

SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE…SOMETIMES

Sometimes if you’re willing to argue your case vehemently with an Amazon customer service representative, they will refund you the price difference. There are many cases of this happening, both with commenters on this post as well as on various Reddit threads. The one thing all success stories seem to have in common is politeness, you’ll surely catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

How to Start a Live Chat Session

Starting a live chat session on Amazon can be a bit confusing but I feel it’s by far the best way to get a price adjustment.

At the bottom of this customer service page, select “Help with something else” then select the product in question, then select “I need more help”, then select “Start chatting now”.

Then once the chat starts, type “talk with a person” and you’ll quickly be connected to an actual person and can ask them politely for a price adjustment.

Does the Item Have to be Sold Directly by Amazon?

Officially, yes. But if you’re a loyal customer, the answer is surprisingly “No”.

I recently ordered a product from a 3rd party seller and the price dropped by $23 the day after I received it.

On a whim, I started a chat session and low-and-behold they gave me the $23 price adjustment anyways.

They explained it this way, “However since you are a loyal customer for one time exception I am refunding the difference to your gift card balance.”

I had the $23 in my account gift card balance within 2 hours.

Interestingly, this wasn’t a “one time exception” as they did the same thing for me back in December when I requested a price adjustment on a different item sold by a 3rd party.

PRO TIP: THE RETURN AND REBUY SCENARIO

It’s amazing to me that Amazon is telling shoppers that they need to return the item, then rebuy it at the lower price. In most cases, this is the only way to get “price protection” on your Amazon purchases these days. They’re clearly counting on us not going through with the “return and rebuy” as it’s a hassle and a time suck, especially if it’s a product you need right now. The frustrating part is they call themselves a company concerned with the environment, but just think of the carbon footprint they are leaving behind with all of these packages needlessly being returned and shipped out again.

Moral of the Story?

Always politely ask about a price adjustment, no matter if Amazon shipped it to your directly, or you bought it through a 3rd party, ALWAYS ASK.

Whether you’re a new or longtime Amazon customer, the worst they can say is “No”. Unfortunately, this is the answer almost everybody is getting these days.

If you get a “No” then you can decide whether it’s worth the hassle of returning the item and rebuying at the lower price.

PRO TIP: WATCH THE PRICE RIGHT AFTER YOU BUY

I recently had a price drop within minutes of me placing an order for an Western Digital external hard drive. I had gone back into my account about 45 minutes after my purchase to make sure I got the correct size hard drive and noticed the price had dropped $45. I immediately cancelled my order, verified that it had been cancelled, then rebought at the lower price. This hack works especially well in the evenings, and on weekends, when it takes longer for Amazon to process your order giving you more time to check if the price has dropped.

See Also: 6 Brilliantly Slick Ways to Get Amazon Prime for Free

Back when they were doing price adjustments, here’s how my Amazon chat session went down (BTW, in case you were wondering, my wife is Aimee and our account is under her name, haha):

Ask The Reader: Have you ever requested a price-match from Amazon? Was the item sold by Amazon or a 3rd party? How did it go?

Happy savings.

By Kyle James

A while back I talked about the clever ways you can shop at Costco without a membership. The article was very popular and made me realize I should write the same article for Sam’s Club. Maybe you’re on the fence about dropping $50 for a standard membership, or you know you won’t buy enough in a year to make it worth it. Whatever the case may be, there are clever ways to get free access to the Sam’s Club warehouse throughout the year. Here is what you need to know to make it happen.

1. Use a Free 1-Day Pass

The easiest way to get into Sam’s Club and shop without a membership is to Print This One-Day Pass for free.

Be aware that you’ll be charged a 10% fee on all purchases and the 1-day pass cannot be used on Black Friday. If you live in California or South Carolina you won’t have to pay the 10% surcharge.

This is a great way to get in and check out Sam’s and not have to shell out $45 or $100 for an annual membership.

See Also: Sam’s Club Return Policy: Your 12 Burning Questions Answered

PRO TIP: SAM’S MEMBERSHIP COUPON

Visit the Sam’s Club official Coupon Page and they have a couple great membership coupons for new members to take advantage of. The first one is for $40 off a Plus Membership (brings it down to $70) and the other is for $25 off a Club Membership (brings it down to $25). They both expire on 1/31/25.

2. Shop Items That Don’t Require a Membership

Here are the items at Sam’s Club that you can buy without an active membership:

Alcohol: According to Glamour Living, “Because of a law that prohibits the sale of alcohol through members-only arrangements, all Sam’s Club stores will sell beer, wine, and the hard stuff to nonmembers.”

Prescription Drugs: From the Sam’s site, “You do not have to be a Member to buy your prescription medications from Sam’s Club. For pharmaceuticals with a script there is no fee for non-members.”

Optical Services: Also from the Sam’s Club site, “A Sam’s Club Membership will be required to purchase optical products.

However, a Membership is not required to see the doctor of optometry.”

Do you know of any other items you can buy at Sam’s without a membership? Let me know if you do.

PRO TIP: COLLEGE STUDENTS GET FREE $15

While not a free option, you can join the Sam’s Collegiate Membership and get a free $15 eGift card when you sign up for the $50 annual membership. Also, if you’re active or former U.S. military, you qualify for their Military Membership which scores you a free $10 eGift card when you renew or join for the first time. This offer is good for the spouses as well and expires on 12/31/24.

3. Shop During an Open House

Several times throughout the year, Sam’s Club hosts an open house event where all non-members are invited to shop the warehouse.

The best way to be kept in-the-know of upcoming open houses is to sign up for email alerts (look at bottom of page) from Sam’s or follow them on Facebook as they always let folks know in advance when an open house is in the works.

PRO TIP: SAM’S MEMBERSHIP HAS ZERO RISK

Similar to Costco, your Sam’s Club annual membership is completely refundable. So you can always buy it, then decide later if the saving the warehouse club provides is worth the cost. They’ll actually let you get a full refund on day 364 of your membership. You can request a refund in-store at the customer service desk, or call them at 1-888-746-7726.

4. Have a Member Add You

If you have a family member who has a Sam’s membership and is the only person on the account, they can add you to their account for free.

You’ll get a separate membership card in the mail and be good to go (and save).

Important note: You must be the primary account holder to add a complimentary cardholder.

5. Shop at Sam’s Club.com

Another smart way to take advantage of Sam’s Club pricing and selection is by shopping their website.

You DO NOT have to be an active member to shop on SamsClub.com, BUT you’ll be charged a 10% surcharge on your online purchases.

If you’re making a significant purchase from their site, and you’re not a member, consider asking a friend or family member (who is a member) to make the purchase for you.

See Also: Find Value With the Brands That Make Member’s Mark Items at Sam’s

6. Shop With a Friend

Avoid the 10% fee you’ll get charged with a 1-day pass, and simply shop with a friend or family member that is a paying member.

They’ll use their card at checkout and you can simply repay them for your purchases. This tip seems fairly obvious but is often an overlooked way to shop at Sam’s without paying for a membership.

7. Earn Cash Rewards That’ll Pay for Your Membership

Okay, before you holler at me, this final tip does require you to buy a membership, but….it could easily allow you to get if for free in the end.

It works by you signing up for the Sam’s Club Plus membership ($100/year) which earns you 2% cashback on all purchases. The 2% back can easily pay for your membership if you spend $420/month on average.

While that number might seem big, if you’re buying all your groceries and household items for your family at Sam’s that number is fairly easy to reach..

Ask the Reader: Do you think a Sam’s Club membership is worth the money or is it worth the effort to try and get an annual membership for free or cheap?

By Kyle James

Photo by Walmart.