Cheap Eats: 5 iPhone Apps for Frugal Foodies

Being two weeks into the new year, maybe it’s time to stop downloading all those iPhone diet and calorie-tracking apps. It’s time to embrace a good, hearty meal again. And every meal tastes better when it’s free (or really cheap), right?

These days, entertainment and going out can be expensive — and we appreciate all the help we can get. That’s why we sought out these free food and restaurant discovery apps to help you get the most for your cash. You’ll never believe the great meals you can have on the cheap, discovering other great foods all along the way. Think Cuban grilled corn smothered with cotija cheese and chili mayo, Ethiopian seasoned chickpeas with berbere sauce, rosemary olive oil ice cream (not as bad as you think) and let’s not forget the pumpkin ravioli with parmesan fondue and caramelized balsamic sauce. Salivate.

Now, wipe the drool off your face and download your very own stash of frugal foodie iPhone apps that will help you find great food and discounts.

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1. Scoutmob

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Scoutmob is the first on our list of iPhone apps for frugal foodies. Eat for free or try new restaurants in your area using 50% off deals. Every restaurant we’ve been to per ScoutMob reviews has been a delicious experience.

What we like about the app: This application gets points for its funny and well-written content, but also for its consistent, daily 50% off deals. Sometimes you’ll even find a 100% off deal or two. Past free deals we have taken advantage of include free belgium fries from Pommes Frites and a free hot dog from Crif Dogs — both NYC staples. Another bonus, you don’t need to pre-pay for the deal before eating your meal.

Extra features: Within the app, Stache Cam lets you pick a mustache and smile for the camera.

Available cities: Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C.

What is available: 50% off and 100% off deals.

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2. BlackboardEats

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What we like about the app: BlackboardEats has some real classy deals. Plus, it’s well-designed and easy to operate. BlackboardEats emails and delivers deals for “hot spots and hidden gems” in your city. The app’s reviews and deals are by food editors and writers who know what they’re talking about. One of this week’s deals was one of the most expensive we’ve seen on the app: a very exclusive pre-show dinner at ellabass and a sold-out floor seat ticket to Coldplay’s concert at the Meadowlands.

Extra features: The Tip Calculator makes the arrival of your (discounted!) check a little less stressful. Enter discounted total, pre-discounted total, tip percentage you want to leave and how many people will split the check.

Available cities: Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

What is available: Free deals, for instance, a complimentary bottle of wine and guacamole alla toscana at Matilda. Plus, regular 30% off restaurant deals, access to secret menu items and pre-fixe package deals.

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3. Poggled

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What we like about the app: We love Poggled drink and food deals. You can search deals with the geolocation feature and view the most popular deals of the day. You’ll find $10 for $20 beverage deals, $15 for $30 food and drink deals and classy wine tasting packages.

Extra features: Through the All Events tab, you’ll be able to search by day and deals by category — bar night, bottle service, brunch drink deals and more. Yelp reviews are also available.

Available cities: Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee and New York City.

What is available: Daily drink and food specials. Plus, pre-admission packages to parties and events.

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4. Tweat.It

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Tweat.It is the coolest thing we have ever seen. If you love food trucks as much as we do, download this app now. It will track your location and tell you which food trucks are closest. Right now, my options are: Milk Truck, The Treats Truck, Taim Mobile, along with a couple others. The best part? You’ll know about the secret discounts and daily specials first.

What we like about the app: It sends real-time food vendor locations, which are very accurate, to your phone. The trucks appear as little labelled square icons on an interactive map of New York City.

Available cities: Manhattan

What is available: Food Truck tweets and illustrates locations on a handy map of NYC so you can find your lunch easily.

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5. Daily Gobble

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What we like about the app: The Daily Gobble‘s graphics are funny, and the app makes the process easy to understand. Daily Gobblers made this app for people who hate using coupons for fear of presenting the coupon and receiving inferior service. So, they completely remove that step. Find a deal you like, eat your meal, then upload a photo of your check to get your money back afterward — whether it be 10% to 50% off via PayPal, within the hour. There are literally hundreds of deals available at a time.

Available cities: New York and San Francisco.

What is available: The app has a built-in camera and “My Gobbles” tab to track your meal deals.

Honorable Mentions — We also think Yelp — a social networking and review site available in most of the U.S. states and Puerto Rico — is a convenient way to look up restaurant addresses, dining details and really great deals. A lot of the time, you can find discounts to unlock once you check into a place. Same goes forFoursquare — a popular location-based social networking website — which also lets you check-in at different venues, earn points, badges and deals!

Now, start downloading! All these apps are free.

Let me know details about your latest food tour — or meal — in the comments section.

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Via:Mashable

Stop Emotional Eating

Ever have a frustrating day at work, a fight with your boyfriend, then end up cozying up with a nice cold pint of chocolate-chip ice cream? (We thought so.) Try this exercise designed by guru Jean Kristeller, Ph.D., cofounder of The Center for Mindful Eating and a professor of psychology at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Once you take a breath and realize that there are other solutions to stress besides rampant snacking, you're on your way to overcoming emotional eating for good. —Paula Derrow

Triggering event:Skipped previous meal

Thoughts: I'm RAVENOUS. Since I didn't eat breakfast, I can pig out at lunch.

Emotions/body sensations: Excessive hunger

Actions: Eating twice as much as usual to make up for the meal you skipped

Grab a piece of fruit as asnack or a handful of nuts 

to take the edge off. Wait 15 or 20 minutes, then eat your next meal as usual.

Triggering event: Social gathering where you don't know anyone

Thoughts: Why isn't anyone talking to me? I might as well occupy myself here by the snack table.

Emotions/body sensations: Anxious, shy, heart palpitations

Actions: Eating when not hungry

Step away from the snack table, look around for someone who is standing by herself and introduce yourself. Or ask the host to introduce you to a few folks.

Triggering event: A birthday at the office. Can you say red velvet cupcakes?

Thoughts: I've worked hard all day. I deserve atreat.

Emotions/body sensations: Excited, happy

Actions: Scarfing down a cupcake (or two!) though you've just had lunch.

Split a cupcake with a colleague. Enjoy it. Then seek out your favorite person at the office and distract yourself with good conversation until the party is over.

Triggering event:Everyone else around the table is having seconds. When you refuse, your mother asks, "What—you don't like it?!"

Thoughts: I can't believe this is happening again! I guess it's better to give in than cause a scene.

Emotions/body sensations: Guilt; the desire to fit in

Actions: Resentfully agree to another helping, followed by a double helping of regret.

Tell your mom you loved it, let her know you're really full, then change the subject with a smile.

Triggering event:Ongoing problem at work

Thoughts: I feel out of control.

Emotions/body sensations: Heart pounding, anger

Actions: You go out with friends to vent—and eat and drink way too much.

Make a point of leaving work on the early side for a few nights running, take a walk or head to the gym, then curl up on the couch and get engrossed in a novel or your favorite TV show. Or join a good friend later for dinner and one drink.

Triggering event: You had a bad date. A very bad date.

Thoughts: I'll never find anyone to love!

Emotions/body sensations: Sad, lonely

Actions: Can you say chocolate?

Call your most soothing friend to vent, then do something creative—write, knit, draw or whatever floats your boat. Remind yourself that you wouldn't have time to nurture your strengths if you were constantly catering to someone who didn't get you.

Triggering event: Your boss drops a last-minute project on your already overloaded plate.

Thoughts: I'm totally overwhelmed. I'll never get all this done.

Emotions/body sensations: Tense muscles, pounding heart, resentment

Actions: You stay late at the office, skip dinner, then make up for it by eating half the contents of your refrigerator when you get home.

Bring some work home so you can leave at a reasonable hour. Before you have dinner (plan on something you really love, that feels luxurious but that's reasonable calorie wise—say, a fresh salad topped with grilled or broiled shrimp), then turn up the music and dance around the living room tode-stress. Don't you feel better?

Via: Self.com