OS treats

Glad

Lalaladybird wrote: »

That is a really good idea... do you make it yourself?

we use the microwave popcorn, it's always there if we fancy something but doesn't go off

Larumbelle

I think I actually have more treats since I went OS :eek: but by and large they aren't expensive ones.

I cured myself of chocolate cravings by reading about the conditions the cocoa farmers live in and how little money they earn from their crop compared to the price the distributers and manufactures do. Now, nothing would compel me to buy chocolate that isn't fair trade, but I don't feel as though I'm doing without because it was a conscious choice to do without.

But I make my own popcorn, I have a popcorn kettle that I got for Christmas years ago, and it now gets used on a semi-regular basis. I'm still experimenting with flavourings but it's nice even on its own, and tastier and more healthy than shop-bought! I also have a microwave crisp maker that my mum bought from betterware or somewhere. I use my food processor to get the slices of potato thin enough, and have tried doing carrots with it too, although I've not used it for a little while now cos my microwave broke down and I can't afford a new one yet.

I also make cakes and biscuits for other half, I was never tempted by the shop bought ones but I do eat my own sometimes! I make HM shortbread, twinks hobnobs and jam tarts using HM jam.

I homebrew, and that's always a bit of a treat - makes 'doing without' so much easier

I get books secondhand where I can, and when I've read them I sell them on green metropolis. I get magazines on 3 for £1 trials where I can, and I am also part of a book and magazine circle that's organised by some of the ladies on my Avon round. Incidentally, I also get a lot of pampering goodies from doing the Avon, by ordering cleverly - I got a delivery on Friday and so much of it was mine it felt like Christmas :rotfl: although some of it will go as gifts for people.

Things that I used to take for granted feel like more of a treat now - 'proper' coffee that I keep in the freezer and only tend to drink on weekends, I used to drink the same stuff day in, day out, but once I weaned myself off my 4-cups-per-day habit I found I didn't miss it at all, then on Sunday it always feels a bit special. I don't drink the instant that OH has the rest of the week.

It's also nice going to the local country park and foraging for the afternoon. It costs us the grand sum of £1.20 (for the dinky donuts by the exit!) but it always feels like we've had a special day out, and we come back with 'treasures' every time, even if it's just a few chestnuts or something.

To be honest though, I think I'm more fortunate than a lot of people here in that OS was a conscious lifestyle choice that we made to let me give up full-time work. So it all feels like a bit of a treat, being able to give up the 'need two incomes' life, and OH feels pampered because I am about to cook 'proper' food and all the rest of it. So I don't know how far my treats would go if I had no choice, if you see what I mean.

Pitlanepiglet

silvercharming wrote: »

I think I actually have more treats since I went OS :eek: but by and large they aren't expensive ones.

Me too...now I bake I often take a small piece of cake to work for the afternoon to keep me away from the vending machine. I never bought shop bought cake but I often ended up with a 50p kit kat :eek:

I buy books from the charity shop (£1.49 each) or I get them from the library. I've taken to buying cookery books (I'm a bit of an addict!) from the second hand book shop or from the charity shop and now I'm being much more careful about what I spend I really do value the little treats that I have.

My friend at work buys coffee from our canteen at least twice a day but it has become normal to her so she doesn't really appreciate it. Because I only buy coffee once every couple of weeks I tend to savour it as it's special (IFSWIM)

I used to buy loads of stuff, magazines, books, food without getting a kick out of it, these days I appreciate it so much more and feel better about it.

halight

Lalaladybird wrote: »

I am doing well at money saving and living the OS way :j but I have a bad habit of wanting to treat myself with the odd bar of chocolate, a magazine or a toy for my dd etc etc. If I am honest with myself I probably waste about £40 a month on treats! Things I can't even remember buying a few days later:rolleyes:

What OS treats do you indulge in? Did anyone out there break this sort of habit in their pursuit of money saving?

Hi try keeping a spending dairy. simpley write down in a note book how everthing that you buy and how much you spend!

You soon learn were your money goes and what waste there is in your spending

All the best

foreign_correspondent

I buy books from a charity shop (oxfam and scope have excellent book sections here) and try to return a few there too - I cant really afford to give to charity regularly, so I am more than happy to spend a fiver a month on books from there a nd then I feel like I am killing two birds with one stone!

I also love lidl chocolate and I am going to start slicng cake and freezing it so I can get a slice every now and again without it going stale!

sunflower76

Mine is probably the food van that comes to work in a morning. I don't need anything from it but I was often nipping down for a butty or some chocolate. Now I make sure that I have some breakfast every day and fruit and lunch are always packed up so that I have no excuse. I do sometimes have a butty on a Friday but thats it as I was simply wasting money.

metherer

Our treat is usually desert as we don't normally have it. I make use of the discounted cabinets for this.

Today we had a rolo chocolate pudding each. Pack of two reduced to 30p in the co-op today.

I also bake buns and biscuits. The 'everyday biscuit' recipe from this site is a favourite as we can make a big batch, freeze the dough, and just cook a couple when we fancy them. Its lush with peanut butter instead of the vanilla extract.

JenPup

I have just bought an extremely expensive bar of chocolate and have just had a small, but blissful, square.

My thinking was, if I buy something really lovely and indulgent like this chocolate, I will savour every tiny morsel rather than wolfing down everything and not really appreciating it. Therefore, it will last much longer, I will get way more pleasure from it and can still feel decadent and self-indulgent.

So was just a little post to say that even though these are tough times, a little first class treatment goes a very long way.

Not the most exciting or helpful of posts, I'll admit, but I thought I'd share it nonetheless.

powershopper

hot bath + scented bubbles + gin and tonic

anniestar

COSTCO mince pies:A :A (£3.99 for 11-worth that for 1!!)
LEVEL 42 LOUD!
and did I mention COSTCO mince pies.........................:T :T