I set out to find FIVE hearty takeaway meals under $10 in Australia right now – these are my top picks (and you won’t believe my $5.50 number one)
A budget-conscious Aussie mum recently set out to find the best fast food lunch options under $10 – and her top pick ended up being from a chain that no one would’ve predicted.
Lou Gibson, best known for sharing money tips for parents on her @thatmoneymum Instagram platform, set out to find a range of readily available takeaway meals under a tenner.
At the outset, she thought it would be an ‘impossible’ task to find takeaway meals under $10 at the major food chains around Australia – but, to her surprise, she managed to find five.
Accordingly, she decided to rank them from first to fifth place, based on how filling and tasty each meal was and, of course, its value for money.
After trying under-$10 meals at major nationwide outlets like McDonald’s, Subway, Sushi Sushi, GYG and Red Rooster, Lou had one clear standout.
‘No one is more shocked than me that GYG isn’t ranked number one,’ Lou said in her recent video, before making the big reveal.
The source of her top pick value meal? Red Rooster.
‘They have a lunch special that’s only available until 4pm: it’s a quarter chicken and chips for only $5.50.’
Lou’s top pick for a fast food lunch under $10 was the excellent value Red Rooster Quarter Chicken & Chips combo for $5.50
Lou exclaimed that the lunch deal offered ‘so much food for such a cheap price’
Lou was surprised that the retro fast food chain offered not only the best value meal, but also the most bang for buck. She even joked in the video caption that Red Rooster must surely ‘be losing money’ on such a low-cost meal.
‘I don’t know, it’s just a childhood nostalgia, but this is so good. So much food for such a cheap price.’
Coming in a very close second place was a Mexican meal option from Guzman y Gomez, more often referred to as GYG.
‘I was dead set this was going to be number one: the mini chicken burrito bowl from GYG, which is about $10 on its own.’
‘I get this all the time – and it is glorious, tasty, amazing.’
However, Lou noted that for a mere $2 more – although technically breaking the $10 rule – the mini bowl could be upgraded to a full meal that included a small chips and a small bottle of soft drink, which she felt offered exceptional value.
‘In this particular instance, I paid the extra $2 to get it in a meal.’
In third place, Lou highlighted Subway, noting she could get both a six inch sub and a cookie for less than $10.
A very close second was Mexican chain GYG’s mini chicken burrito bowl, which can be purchased on its own for just over $10. It can also be upgraded into a meal for an additional $2
Subway’s Value Range of $7 six-inch subs also caught the savvy mum’s attention – although she splurged and ordered a honey mustard leg ham sub, which cost $8.45
Even with the addition of a cookie sweet treat, the Subway meal still clocked in under $10
Subway offers a Value Range of six inch subs, priced at $7, with filling options including the BBQ southern style chicken, turkey on rye, pizza melt, vegie delite with avo, and tuna mayo.
However, for Lou’s order, she went with a honey mustard leg ham sub, which was slightly more at $8.45.
With the addition of a $1.50 cookie as a sweet treat, the total price still clocked in at $9.95.
In fourth place was a classic Aussie food court favourite, with Lou visiting a Sushi Sushi chain outlet.
‘I got two Crispy Chicken rolls for $8.60,’ Lou said, noting that the rolls were individually priced at $4.30 each.
‘This is super tasty,’ she confirmed. ‘However, it’s lower on the ranking because it’s not particularly filling.’
Rounding out the top five bargain fast food picks was Macca’s, with Lou noting that their $6.95 McSmart Meal offered ‘insane value’.
‘You get a cheeseburger, a small fries, a small drink, and a side – I chose three nuggets and sauce – all for only $6.95.
Two rolls from food court staple Sushi Sushi were also among the top five budget takeaway lunch options shared by Lou in a video to her @thatmoneymum Instagram account
Lou noted that a Macca’s McSmart meal priced at $6.95 offered ‘insane value’
‘It’s the same price as a Happy Meal, but you get more stuff.’
Lou added that the only reason the meal ranked in fifth place for her was because McDonald’s simply wasn’t her favourite food outlet – but she couldn’t fault the exceptional value of the meal.
Posts on Lou’s @thatmoneymum page are usually centred around making the most of your grocery budget and championing homemade meals.
But this video, which has been viewed over 103,000 times, was welcome advice for those odd occasions when eating out was inevitable.
‘Abstaining from takeaway altogether isn’t always realistic, so having cheap options is a lifesaver,’ Lou explained in the video caption.
Comments on Lou’s video seconded her budget takeaway picks – with a surprising number supporting her number one selection, the Red Rooster meal.
‘Justice for Red Rooster,’ read one reply.
‘Doesn’t surprise me that RR wins!’ added another.
Many declared their favourites out of Lou’s options in the comments.
‘GYG is surprisingly good value,’ read one reply.
‘Love the McSmart Meal,’ agreed one person.
Another added that their go-to for this Macca’s meal was to swap the nuggets and instead add a second cheeseburger as the side, exclaiming that it was ‘crazy good’ value.
One sandwich fan chimed in to say: ‘Definitely loving the Subway $7 Value Six Inch as well.’
One mum was simply happy that Lou helped her better understand the range of budget options for meals on the run.
‘I know your Insta is all about making food at home, but you are keeping it real and saving dollar bucks at the same time. Love, love, love it!’
