Two years ago, I was 25 and finally living my teenage dream – I had an apartment in the city centre of Manchester.

I’d put everything on the line so I could live my Carrie Bradshaw-esque fantasy – being close to the hustle and bustle of independent coffee shops in the morning and packed out clubs at night, all the while writing away on my laptop.

I couldn’t have been happier… if it wasn’t for the hit to my bank balance.

Freelance life is precarious, and before long, I was staring at an empty fridge, wondering what on earth I was going to do to sustain myself.

‘Have you tried using Too Good To Go yet?’ my friend asked as I groaned about the unfulfilling endless instant noodle packets.

The answer was no.

As soon as she pulled up the app on her phone, I was interested – and genuinely very surprised more people weren’t talking about it.

Too Good To Go is incredible – an actual solution when life is littered with money problems and an environmental crisis.

It’s an app that allows you to reserve a bag of food that would otherwise go to waste from restaurants, cafes, bakeries, or supermarkets for incredibly low prices.

All it takes is downloading the app, entering your location, choosing where you’d like to collect a ‘Magic Bag’ from, finding an available time slot, and going to collect it.

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You can order for later the same day, or in advance for the following morning or lunchtime.

What you get in your bag is a complete lottery – but I have found all of the food I’ve picked up to be great quality, tasty, and obviously, a great deal. I am yet to see a single Magic Bag that costs over £5 – and I have always received a bag worth at least double the value. Usually, it’s triple.

As I was using the app mainly due to financial strain, I was initially apprehensive about walking in and announcing I was waiting for a Too Good To Go bag, but often there are others doing the same – and regardless, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.

You’re doing a good deed, and a sustainable one at that – without your order, all of that food would just be thrown away.

Who can argue with that?

Myself, and my bank account, are forever grateful to my friend for telling me about this brilliant app

Those couple of years ago in my flat, I used it religiously and would have seriously struggled without it.

Greggs saw a lot of my custom – I’d spend a couple of quid to find a filling potluck of sausage rolls, pasties, and occasionally cupcakes.

Sometimes, I’d order from Morrisons, and receive fresh fruit and veg: some freezable, some to whack in a pan later that night and make a comforting pasta dish.

When I’d invite friends over for the evening, I’d order a couple of Magic Bags from restaurants and open them to see high quality main dishes, side orders of rice, salads and sauces.

One of my favourite things about it was walking to collect it. I could get my steps in on the way there and back and I had time to think – it felt like a nice change to Deliveroo and UberEats.

When I’d sit down with my food, I felt like I’d earned the bargain.

Obviously it’s hard to determine the exact value, but I’ve worked out that compared to paying full price I’ve saved myself almost £500 in the two years since I started using the app. For a freelancer, or indeed pretty much anyone, that’s a massive amount of money.

With the cost of living crisis, I still find myself counting pennies and wincing at the rising prices on supermarket shelves and restaurant menus.

So, I still use Too Good To Go, but even without the economic horrors of life today I believe I’d use it regardless. It’s convenient, easy and cheap – those three things will always be invaluable to me.

I no longer live in the city centre, so my Too Good To Go orders these days usually revolve around the nearby convenience stores and supermarkets for Magic Bags of hot and cold foods and base ingredients.

Due to the randomised aspect of the contents, I’ve had to make pretty quick decisions when it comes to recipes, and it’s a huge relief to know I’m armed with more cooking knowledge than I had when I was relying on noodles.

I plan to move back to the city centre later this year – and I know Too Good To Go will be there for me, whether I want to whip something up at home or indulge in delicious restaurant food – or maybe I’ll just want more of old faithful: Gregg’s. What else?

Myself, and my bank account, are forever grateful to my friend for telling me about this brilliant app.

There might not be any guarantees about what you get in your bag, but I can safely guarantee this: If you give it a try, I have no doubt you, too, will be spreading the word.

The Tech I Can’t Live Without

Welcome to The Tech I Can’t Live Without, Metro.co.uk’s new weekly series where readers share the bit of kit that has proved indispensable for them.

From gadgets to software, apps to websites,  you’ll read about all manner of innovations that people truly rely on.If you have a bit of tech you can’t live without, email [email protected] to take part in the series

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