Man spends just $200 A YEAR on food
A California man has used an unusual “hack” to spend only $USD 150 ($NZD 210) on food for an entire year – saving his money to pay off student debt, get married and buy a home instead.
33-year-old Dylan’s savvy spending saw him purchase an unlimited, year-round pass to Six Flags Magic Mountain, which entitled him to parking and two meals every day.
“You can pay around $150 for unlimited, year-round access to Six Flags, which includes parking and two meals a day,” he explained to Mel Magazine.
“If you time it right, you could eat both lunch and dinner there every day.”
The theme park offers a “premium season dining pass” which includes lunch and dinner items, a snack, and unlimited drinks during every visit on regular operating days.
Dylan has been taking advantage of the deal for the last seven years, after finding out that the deal was being offered minutes away from his internship in 2014.
“One of my coworkers said she spent $1500 a month on eating out. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m not going down that road!’,” he said.
The electrical engineer estimated that he’s eaten about 2000 meals for around 50 cents each at Six Flags over the last seven years.
“That entire first year, I don’t think I ever went to the grocery store,” he said. “I timed it so I was able to go there during my lunch break, go back to work, then stop back for dinner on my way home.”
As a result, Dylan was able to save his money for other things.
“It was crazy – I was saving money, paying off student loans,” he claimed.
But, he did admit that the menu “wasn’t healthy” until the recent introduction of some healthier options.
“The first year, the menu was kind of lame – all you could get was a burger and fries, or a pizza and breadsticks, or this pathetic sandwich and a refillable soda cup,” he said. “It wasn’t healthy at all, which was rough.”
“They’ve got decent options now,” he explained. “Still a lot of bad food, I mean it’s a theme park so you can’t expect too much from them. But you find the options that aren’t terrible – stuff like tri-tip sandwiches and vegan options like black bean burgers and meatless meatball subs.”
He has also taken to countering his theme-park meals with 5,000-step trips from the Six Flags parking lot to its water park division.
But since meeting his wife six years ago, Dylan has scaled back his thrifty eating and has started eating three or four lunches at the park each week.
“My wife moved in and I stopped doing dinners and weekends, too, since she’s not as big into roller coasters as I am,” Dylan said.
His savings also helped the young couple purchase a home in the area, which he said means, “I’m not really going anywhere”.
“As long as they keep changing the menu I’m happy.”
Image: @sixflagsmagicmountain / Instagram