What's For Dinner Today ???

Private_and_Confidential

In my attempt to become Debt Free, I'm cutting back on the money I spend at work, whether it be Coffee & Tea, Chocolate & Crisps or just the dreaded canteen. I used to easily spend £4 + per day.

I'm proud to have reduced my spend to around £1 per day, and somedays I spend even less than that (sometimes I spend nothing at all).

So, how am I doing it?

Well it involves simply being organised, and cobbling together a decent packed lunch at home the night before, normally from leftovers or fridge stragglers. A decent lunch, low spend and reducing waste. It's a win win win situation.

This thread (if it's takes off) should be a forum for all Packed Lunchers to share what delights they have cobbled together and to report how much they have spent that day (or indeed saved).

I'll start...


Todays Delights:

Lime & Cortriander Rice with Oven Baked Salmon (all leftovers or potential waste from fridge)
1 litre Bottle of diluted Apple & Blackcurrent
Yogurt (Goes Oot Of Date tomorrow so potential waste)
Chopped Orange and Melon Medley

Todays Spend = 50p

1 cup of Tea = 50p.

Don't intend on spending another penny today. I'm full to bursting of nutritious food and on my way to being Debt Free.

Thanks all - Hope this becomes a useful thread.

Rich.

MrsPorridge

I've been meal planning for several months now (thanks OS board) and I am eating healthier and spending at least half what I was spending before:

Lunch home made sweet potato & butternut squash soup. I also made up half a packet of cous cous I found in my desk drawer:eek: and added that to the soup - result - delicious:j

My pudding is a small tupperware box full of pineapple chunks (pineapples were £1 in Tesco on Saturday so I bought one and chopped it up and put it in tupperware boxes all ready for my packed lunches).

Today will be an nsd for me.

I deliberately don't carry money with me to work any more so I am not tempted by canteen or vending machines.:A

ElizabethJH

Today is a NSD for me too

I brought a whole chicken reduced yesterday for £2 - Cooked last night and am using the breast meat for Sandwiches for the week. Brought 12 Wholemeal Rolls for £1.20 so total lunch spend for week = £3.20 (hopefully!)

I also buy digestive biscuits (Value) to keep in my locker for those days where I'm so hungry and am tempted by the vending machine...

Other snacks are flap jacks that my friend brought me round at the week Yum Yum

luckily tea and coffee is free at my work So I've had a latte and two plain coffees.....

Oh also - free dinner at Sisters tonight

I love threads about food ......

cookie_monster

I've stopped using the work canteen for atleast 5 years, always take my own sarnies or make some pasta.

Kippaxmum

Ooh, I like this thread.

Today is a NSD for me (as will Wednesday, thursday, Friday & Sunday)

For lunch, I had some soup that I made at the weekend with left over veg & some home made bread.

Tea is a casserole that is in the slow cooker.

Snacks - fruit (apple, banana & grapes)

I love cobbling meals together - great to see what comes out at the end!

cookie_monster

ElizabethJH wrote: »

luckily tea and coffee is free at my work So I've had a latte and two plain coffees.

We have to pay for our teas/coffees so I take my own teabags. Also take my own crisps as the vending machine sells them for 45p a bag ( got 14 hula hoops for £1.47 from sommerfield today). Can't understand how people at work can use the vending machine everyday for drinks and snacks, rather go without then to pay over-inflated prices.

fluffyb

Lunch is home made butternut squash soup that I bulk made last week and froze a load of, with some wholemeal bread and a piece of fruit.

Probably about 60p in total :j

Private_and_Confidential

fluffybishop wrote: »

Lunch is home made butternut squash soup that I bulk made last week and froze a load of, with some wholemeal bread.

Ummm - Sounds delicious. Can you post the recepie?

fluffyb

Private_and_Confidential wrote: »

Ummm - Sounds delicious. Can you post the recepie?

I am not one for weighing and measuring :rotfl: but basic recipe is -

1 large butternut squash - diced
1 large onion diced
garlic [optional]
vegetable stock
herbs [optional]
salt and pepper
olive oil

Heat the olive oil and 'sweat' the diced butternut squash to soften it. Add the onion/garlic and cook that until onion is transparent.
Add the veg stock and [extra herbs if required] and simmer for half hour or so.I am not good on times either !!! :rotfl: I go more by appearance and taste testing a lot :rotfl: Add salt and pepper as required, then blitz in a blender to give a smooth consistency. Yummy and very easy. Is great with hot crusty bread and loaded with nutrition :T

natsplatnat

Lunch was a bowl of shreddies and a bag of crisps. I have a yoghurt and a pear to snack on this afternoon. All brought from home - 2 days in a row now!! I am aiming to do this ALL WEEK! As I never seem to manage it!!

Dinner will be fish from the freezer and some veg and potatoes of some sort! I want to clear 'stuff' from my freezer so I can fill it with more meaniful food!

Olderbutnotwiser

Oooo I have a thing about home made lunches, I work in a business park where the only option really is a sandwich van that comes round, or a trip into town (a treat we manage occasionally went last week armed with strada 2 for 1 vouchers:D )

In four years I've used the sandwich van twice, I hate the horrid white bread the nasty cheap margarine (real butter is my :heartpuls and I have the figure to prove it) the manky mayo....fussy me? :rolleyes: But in my defence I'm easy to please last week had leftover chicken casserole for two days then rivitas and cheese with yogurt and fruit. This week I'm on tiger rolls (60p for a week supply) with tuna or beef and yog/fruit.

Luckily we have very nice coffee and tea free, but I work with a colleague (yet to have her LBM:p ) I claimed £4k bank charges back for her from Barclays after I'd got mine back from Lloyds, but she is still in a mess but buys an expensive takeaway coffee everyday for £3 on her way to work and then spends a min £2.50 on carp sandwich from van.
She is always broke I tell her that is over £1100pa she is wasting, and the difference between bringing her own in or buying is a two week all inclusive Caribbean holiday
Sorry rant over:D