Ja-NEW-ary 2013 - Take your lunch to work thread

mineallmine

No problem Shortie

I got up and made hubby his sandwiches in record time! It really is becoming habitual now. Today was my pub lunch day so no savings today but a good week overall.

Someone on here said some really good ideas to help make sandwiches less boring - like using sauces from your supplies. I've got an indian spice flavour ketchup from B&M Bargains and think that will be come in useful. Also have some wholegrain mustard which is lovely with sausages.

I really like how some posters are add bits of chocolate supplies from xmas, that's a good idea.

I've got one of those Thermos food flasks so I guess you could put anything in it. Not just soup (but I love soup!).
You could heat up and put in a tin of sausage and beans, a tin of ravioli/spag bog, you can sometimes buy things like stew or curry in the supermarket own brand tins too. Of course that can be a bit of a faff in the morning but you can be poodling around doing other things in the kitchen while its cooking.

FatVonD

mineallmine wrote: »

I really like how some posters are add bits of chocolate supplies from xmas, that's a good idea.

Today I bought... wait for it... 60 of the Quality Street purple one bars reduced to 7p in Waitrose, that's 12 weeks of after lunch sweetness for £4.20 (Much as I love a cheese and pickle sandwich I really don't want the taste lingering all afternoon so I like something sweet to cleanse the palate as it were.)

RE the people that don't like sandwiches, how about vegetable samosas? That's my lunch plan for the week after next, ie to buy a big pack frozen, cook and freeze and take some out each morning and keep a jar of tamarind chutney in the drawer (mango chutney would be cheaper but I don't like mango chutney!)

mineallmine

FatVonD wrote: »

RE the people that don't like sandwiches, how about vegetable samosas? That's my lunch plan for the week after next, ie to buy a big pack frozen, cook and freeze and take some out each morning and keep a jar of tamarind chutney in the drawer (mango chutney would be cheaper but I don't like mango chutney!)

I've not seen frozen samosas, where do you buy them?

I've had supermarket chilled samosas and they're lovely. Not sure if some of them come ready cooked, so you can freeze them without cooking first.

For anyone who likes it Home Bargains sell Sharwoods Mango chutney for about a £1.

FatVonD

mineallmine wrote: »

I've not seen frozen samosas, where do you buy them?

I think Mr T do them in the world foods section.

kittiej

Hi Naomim, I wouldn't worry too much about one little blip, I'm sure we will all have one at some point maybe make your lunch the night before or have supplies in your desk/ bag/ car/ pockets :rotfl:

I have to say I am intrigued about the work desk drawer supplies. Mine has tea, different kinds of tea like value tea, cherry and cinnamon tea, Earl Grey and builders tea can you tell I like tea!

We seem to have some new friends so welcomes to Trim my Budget :j for joining and Carcluster, Mrsporridge, and quantic for your very useful contributions :T

A big BIG thank you for all of the great comments and tips you are sharing and an even larger woo-hoo for everyone who has made their own breakfasts, lunches or other meals and for the amount of money saved.

Everyone should be really pleased with yourself :dance:.

To anyone working over the weekend, keep making those lunches. You know it makes sense (Del Boy)

Betty_Crumble

Betty is sad
Betty took soup and trifle and mince pie
Betty no like soup so bought a small tin of peppa pig spaghetti (:p) to have on toast (was 49p as opposed to the 55p the small tin of beans would have bean < see what I did there :rotfl:)
All was well with this and trifle, then.......

......then, as a raised the mince pie to my lips I just couldn't do it, the thought of posting another 'mince pie' lunch was just too much :cool:

I jest of course but seriously I did think of you guys when I ate it, dont worry there are only six left lol :j

I'm going to count today as half a day as it was half successful

love this thread btw :beer:

kittiej

Hi Betty, you bad girl Betty no you are forgiven if only for the fact you had Peppa Pig spaghetti. You've got to be commended for buying and eating it :rotfl:

Well done on your half day success and avoid that type of soup in the future

juno

Shortie wrote: »

Oh no! That was gutting about the Rumbler!

I bought 3 of them today that were reduced to 30p each

Shortie wrote: »

Hey, does anyone remember around 10-12 years ago there were things called (I think) snack pots? I rememebr them as I worked in Mr T at the time while I was at Uni... they were dried mashed potato with dehydrated bits added to them. Not healthy I realise but quite tasty, especially if you needed food to travel with that just needed hot water.

Asda still do the snack pot things. They're sometimes on offer at 4 for £2, but normally they're a bit more than that. Still, could be good for a change occasionally.

mineallmine wrote: »

I've got one of those Thermos food flasks so I guess you could put anything in it. Not just soup (but I love soup!).
You could heat up and put in a tin of sausage and beans, a tin of ravioli/spag bog, you can sometimes buy things like stew or curry in the supermarket own brand tins too. Of course that can be a bit of a faff in the morning but you can be poodling around doing other things in the kitchen while its cooking.

We have a microwave at work so I can heat my soup up there and don't need a food flask.

AFK_Matrix

mineallmine wrote: »

Ditto!

How about making a cooked breakfast a once a week routine. So you still get to enjoy it but say on just a Friday instead?

How much does a cooked breakfast cost and how much that work out roughly each month and over the year? *I am of course applying the MSE demotivator here

Well I usually have a cooked breakfast on Fridays with my work mate, its become something of a weekly thing. Then the rest of the time buy the odd stuff lol. But I may well stick with the Friday breaky thing and then the other days do the toast thing. But I have been good this week as the only thing I did by is a bottle of diet coke for £1 as I forgot one from home. SO I would say I have saved around £7 odd quid from what I have worked out my sandwiches cost me to buy all the ingrediants.

I was actually very proud of my self today as I usually get a sneeky mcdonalds on the way back from work as I only do half days on Friday but didn't today and made a sandwich at home.

Also as another aside I have a really bad bad habit of buying take aways for dinner even though I have food in the house!! :eek: But all this week I haven't had one take away which is a miricle for me lol. So not only am I doing the lunch thing I am trying to stop having any take aways at all this month as well. It is harder than it sounds when you have become used to them (read probably addicted to them )

So on a real mission at the moment lol :rotfl::T

kittiej

AFK I think you are doing really well. I know what the take away addiction is like, it's the convenience as well when you've been at work all day and just can't be bothered.

Hey if you can do it for 1 month then you can do it all year, well done you :T