Jake from Save the Student told us that, in his opinion, the best McDonald’s hack would be to create your own Big Mac for £1.49. 

“All you need to do is go to the self-service kiosk and find the £1.49 Double Cheeseburger. Then customize it by adding shredded lettuce, onions, pickles, mustard, and mayonnaise. It isn't too far off the taste of a big mac. As an extra tip, make sure you save the receipt and follow the instructions to fill out a survey. This will give you a voucher for a big mac and fries for £1.99 the next time you eat at McDonald’s.”

However, Bored Panda wanted to find out about homecooked alternatives to fast-food in order to save money. While it might sound obvious, the best way to save on fast-food and takeaways is simply not to buy them, said Jake. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to resolve to live a life of just healthy and nutritious food from now on.

“The good news is that you can easily recreate your favorites at home for a fraction of the price. It's much healthier this way too. Google is definitely your friend here as you can find fakeaway recipes from a number of sites. During the lockdown, McDonald’s even released instructions on how to make their famous breakfast egg McMuffin at home,” he said.

“The good news is that the ingredients for most of these recipes aren't too pricey and you can still hunt for bargains to make the dish cheaper. Buying in bulk is always a winner too when it comes to saving money so it's a great idea to get together with friends and maybe take it in turns to make your favorite fakeaways.”

Jake pointed out that seasoning is essential when creating a fake takeaway. “Salt and pepper won't break the bank, but they can make or break a meal. Don't forget that sugar can take a dish to the next level too.”

It's always cheaper and healthier to cook at home when you're on a tight budget. However, you sometimes get a craving for fast-food that you just can't ignore. So you head on over to your local Mickey D's (or Macca's, or McDo).

We're sure that fast-food restaurant employees do their best to make sure that the food's high quality and fresh. But let's be realists—fast-food is fast-food and you shouldn't expect Michelin-star level nosh when you order a cheeseburger at 5 in the morning on a Sunday. However, there are some things that you can do to ensure that the food is as fresh and tasty as possible.

One hack that a lot of you Hungry Pandas out there know is to ask for french fries (or chips if you're on the British side of the Atlantic pond) without any salt. That way, you should get a fresh and hot serving of fries, especially for you.

You can achieve the same result when you ask for a burger without an ingredient. Say, without pickles. You'll get a fresh burger made by the chef and not one that's been sitting there for a few minutes, waiting to be eaten by the next ravenous customer.

If you're feeling especially courageous, you can always be upfront and simply ask for a fresh batch of fries or a new burger without any mind games. Sometimes, the best hack is straight-up honesty.