As the cost of living crisis crunches down on our spending habits, it’s up to us Brits to explore new ways of saving money. 

But does that conflict with our desire for luxury spending?

Among the top spending categories of our disposable income, you’ll find a vast amount goes on takeaway foods. 

But mouth-watering meals aside, how much is this eating into our finances?

Courtesy of Online Betting Guide (OLBG), we have a detailed Discretionary Spend Index showing the spending habits of disposable income of the average UK adult. 

According to the OLBG research, the average Brit spends £644 annually on takeaways, landing itself in the top five spending categories for non-smoking Brits.

So, it would seem takeaways are taking more of a bite out of our finances than we might think. 

But what can we do to box-up our spending on takeaways amid this budget-straining crisis?

Read on to find out.

Sniff out the best deals

One of the easiest ways to save money on takeaways is to find the best deals and offers.

With such a vast range of options to choose from, whether it’s your local chippy down the road or your favourite burger house on Deliveroo, you’re bound to find some great deals.

Some restaurants offer special deals on weekdays to tempt spending on these days, rather than peak weekend times. 

Some deals include special student or occupation-related discounts. Then of course, you have your random 50% or 25% off deals, which bring a welcoming surprise to your usual spending habits.

By searching for takeaways with the best deals, you’ve got a sure way to cut down your spending, without even having to alter the food on your plate.

Get your sauce from the source

You can also cut down your takeaway spending by getting your food directly from the restaurant, as opposed to through takeaway delivery apps.

Delivery apps can be a real benefit to those looking for easy, swift takeaway service that gets the food right to your door. 

However, the downside is that these apps come with their own additional charges on top of your dish prices.

By simply ordering straight from the restaurant, you can avoid these extra fees, and gain that little bit of extra saving. 

Also, when you order from the restaurant, opt for collection over delivery if you can, to save on the delivery charge.

Take out the middle man and collect your food yourself, and watch your standard takeaway expenses lower massively.

Trade your takeaway for a fakeaway

Have you heard of a fakeaway? 

A concept taking the public by storm recently, this mimics your favourite takeaway foods, but is made at home, by you, using your own ingredients.

Regular takeaways can often come at the cost of big spending, but when you trade the odd takeaway for your very own fakeaway, you can save on the large prices of takeaways, without compromising on the delicious cravings you have.

As they’re becoming more popular, there are now endless recipes online designed to replicate the taste of your favourite takeaway dishes as closely as possible. 

You never know, you may even find some innovative recipes that are virtually inseparable from taste of the original takeaway.

By swapping a few of your takeaway days for a session of homemade fakeaway creativity, you’ll save big on your takeaway budget, whilst also enjoying a meal you’d consider a real treat. 

You may even sharpen up your culinary skills in the process.

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Giving up takeaways is something none of us Brits would enjoy doing. 

Luckily, with these simple saving money tips, you can successfully navigate the challenges of our current cost of living crisis, with your favourite takeaway dish in hand.