Ask the Readers: How Often Do You Eat Fast Food?

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Elena, scoutmaster, and Patrick for winning this week's contest!

Fast food is a convenience item that can save you time but cost you money. Many people opt to avoid the drive through in order to keep money in their pockets while others will hit up their local fast food joint if they are short on time in order to not have to spend time in the kitchen cooking because their mantra is "time is money!"

How often do you eat fast food? If you eat it frequently, what compells you to spend money on fast food? Do you have any tricks to save on fast food? If you try to avoid it, what keeps you from hitting up the drive through?

Tell us how often you eat fast food and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Win 1 of 3 $20 Amazon Gift Cards

We're doing three giveaways — one for random comments, one for random Facebook "Likes", and another one for random tweets.

Mandatory Entry: 

  • Post your answer in the comments below 

For extra entries (1 per action):

  • Go to our Facebook page, "Like" us, and leave a comment on this article telling us you did, or
  • Tweet your answer. You have to be a follower of our @wisebread account. Include both "@wisebread" and "#WBAsk" in your tweet so we'll see it and count it. Leave a link to your tweet (click the timestamp for the individual URL) in a separate comment.

If you're inspired to write a whole blog post OR you have a photo on flickr to share, please link to it in the comments or tweet it.

Giveaway Rules:

  • Contest ends Monday, August 20th at 11:59 pm Pacific. Winners will be announced after August 20th on the original post. Winners will also be contacted via email.
  • You can enter all three drawings — once by leaving a comment, once by liking our Facebook update, and once by tweeting.
  • This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered, or associated with Facebook.
  • You must be 18 and US resident to enter. Void where prohibited.

Good Luck!

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Guest's picture
Nick

Maybe once a month.

Guest's picture
Angela

I eat fast food about twice a month, but it's always something cheap.

Guest's picture
Miguel D.

I would say I "Drink" fast food more than I Eat it. I get Starbucks one in a while but I get Mcdonald's Medium Iced Coffee way more than I should for $2.05 every time. I tend to eat fast food more on the weekends and I usually get something like a big mac meal at mcdonalds or a burrito from my local mexican restaurant. I usually opt for the burrito if Im hungover.

Guest's picture
harmgb

I eat fast food about 3 times a week. Once I'll have breakfast,
and twice lunch, on average.....

Guest's picture
Susan P.

There are a couple of times a week when I have a late meeting or class and I'll stop and pick up something from a nearby restaurant. Half the time it could be from a "fast food" type restaurant and half the time it will be from a better restaurant.

Guest's picture
Susan P.

O like you on Facebook, like the post and commented on the FB post.

Guest's picture
Susan P.

I follow you on Twitter and tweeted about the giveaway.

https://twitter.com/orchidlady01/status/235647591591854080

Guest's picture
Dayla

Maybe twice a month, and it's usually for convenience sake.

Guest's picture
Jason

Only when we are traveling. About once a month

Guest's picture
Kathleen S.

I try NEVER to eat fast food. The situation has to be dire for me to put that junk in my belly. I have to eat gluten-free, so a lot of it is off-limits anyway.

Guest's picture
Sara N

Once a month when I am craving it!

Guest's picture

I eat fast-food (mostly Subway) once a month or less. We've just gotten into the habit of cooking at home. Saves money, yields leftovers and most importantly, keeps us healthy.

Guest's picture

I like Wise Bread on Facebook!

Guest's picture
Patrick

If the defining characteristic of fast food is having a drive-thru window, maybe once a week at most across the entire family. If it includes Panera, Chipotle, pizza or fast casual food, definitely at least once a week. When you're out, it's convenient and it generally tastes better than most things I can make.

Guest's picture
KelR1

I used to eat fast food quite often but, in trying to improve my health and finances, I've pretty much stopped. I would rather prepare something quick and easy at home. I've lost my taste for fast food. If I'm going to bother spending money at a restaurant I would rather make it a GOOD one, a relaxing sit-down affair.

Guest's picture
KelR1

Like you on FB.

Guest's picture
Alexis Boudreau

I pretty much try and only eat fast food on road trips--i don't need the grease or the emptying of my wallet! I find it just as easy and wuick to make a turkey sandwich at home, saving money and calories.

Guest's picture
Jennifer B

I eat fast food about twice a month or so!

Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance's picture

Don't eat out much period (once per week). Only once or twice a month at fast food. Like Ilse Berg, I usually pack a snack if I'm out for awhile.

Guest's picture
Gay France

On ocassion if I've forgotten my lunch. Subway sandwich works best

Guest's picture
Jen

I will admit, I eat more than I should. I also prepare homemade meals, but once or twice a week while I am at work I will go through the drive thru. I have coupons in my purse so I usually don't spend more than $3. I know the politically correct answer is "never! I eat homemade organic food all the time and it's so much more delicious!", but I will honestly say I like the taste of fast food! And obviously I am not the only one because these restaurants make billions of dollars.

Guest's picture
Selene M.

We eat fast food maybe once a month, some months not at all.

Guest's picture
Selene M.

I like you on Facebook as Selene Montgomery

Guest's picture
Guest

I try not to eat out very often (fast food included), but sometimes it feels nice to just relax and not worry about it. I take a night off from cooking about once a week. When I do go out I like to hit up some of the local restaurants (they usually have better discounts/frequent buyer cards/etc.). I am a big fan of the McDonald's Monopoly game, though.

Guest's picture
Heather

Prior to having my son I ate fast food a couple times a week. And then when he started eating solids I became very aware of what is in our food. So I dropped down to once a week and the less I eat it the better I feel. I find myself encouraging us to eat at home rather than eat on the run. Or to finish our errands so that we can be home in time for lunch or dinner.

Guest's picture
Caitlin

I used to get it once in awhile, usually late at night when I had gone straight from work to a rehearsal and never got the chance to eat more than a snack. Now, I really try to plan and bring something I can eat, and I succeed perhaps 98% of the time!

Guest's picture
Gwenavyre

The amount goes up considerably if both my husband and myself are working full time.

Guest's picture
Kelly

Once or twice a week.

Guest's picture
Nancy

I eat fast food maybe once, possibly twice a month. Sometimes I just really crave fried chicken. *Guilt*

Guest's picture
Matt

I eat fast food about 3 times a month, but I used to eat it much more. My waistline has improved as a result!

Guest's picture
Happy Love

The only fast food that I can stand any more is Subway. I usually eat there 1-2 times per month, usually when I'm out of town and travelling.

Guest's picture
Lisa

I rarely eat fast food...maybe two to three times per year. I prefer cooking from scratch.

Guest's picture
Amy

When I forget to pack a lunch for work, my fast food choices around here are Chipotle, Panda Express, Chick-fil-a and the like (not many Taco Bells or McD's around here)... So I would say that I eat fast food anywhere between 0-3 times a week. They do taste good, but they're not so great on my wallet. :(

Guest's picture
Dianne

I eat fast food 2 or 3 times a month but I usually stick to something healthier like salad or baked potato from the value menu.

Guest's picture
Dianne

I liked Wise Bread on FB.

Guest's picture
Guest

Maybe once or twice a month for fast food.

Guest's picture
Elizabeth

I think the last time I had fast food was a small Frosty from Wendy's about a year ago. I never eat fast "food"; I really enjoy cooking farmer's market vegetables and meat: I feel amazing and have saved incredible amounts of money. It takes me less time to steam or sautee some fresh vegetables with some fish than it ever would to go through the drive-through.

Guest's picture
Guest

I never eat fast food. It makes me sick.

Guest's picture
Sue

Maybe two or three times a month, mostly due to poor planning on my part.

Guest's picture
Conrad Zutavern

Rarely.

Guest's picture
Michelle

I'd say I eat fast food once every week, but trying to cut down!

Guest's picture
Guest

very rarely

Guest's picture
Uma Selvam

We seldom eat fast food. Whenever we have a long distance travel (not very often), we stop at a McD and get a fries. Nothing more than that. I'm limiting fast food content in my family's meals.

Guest's picture
Anne

Occasionally. I'm vegan so eating fast food, while do-able, is not very tasty.

Guest's picture
Julie Clark

I eat fast food every friday morning with my aunt, we live about 45 minutes from town so we only go shopping once a week.

Guest's picture
Jenn

my husband and i don't eat fast food, we rarely ever go out to eat. when we do, we prefer to splurge on a nicer restaurant. once every few months we meet our parents at chipotle.

Guest's picture
kristina

Almost never. We cook at home mostly.

Guest's picture
Whiskers

We never eat fast food. It is too expensive compared to cooking at home and making sandwiches to take with us. Fast food is also not nutritious and is loaded with HFCS and chemicals we don't want to put into our bodies. The only eating out we can afford on occasion is a trip to our local Chinese Buffet Restaurant where we can pick and eat all we want of some good food.