Cheap canteen V packed lunch? What would you do?

BEAT_THE_DEBT

Hi all great replies thanks. No I have a family but my dh eats earlier than me when he is afternoons so then i have just a sandwich or beans on toast. so on these days canteen fits in, I am going to do a mix canteen on day I like the menu and I am having a light tea. I am happy with this decision. Thanks op's x:T

LV_Sue

That is really cheap for a hot meal. At my grandson's Infant School they pay £2.05 per day! That does include a pudding though, but how much do 4 - 7 year olds eat compared with an adult?

pricew1970

JIL wrote: »

Do you only have yourself to think of?

If yes, i would eat in the canteen every day. Then at home I would have a small tea such as beans on toast, cereal etc. Save cooking til the weekend.
I would even plan around the menu.

If you get a good variety and its good quality and not repetitive and its as cheap as its subsidised then why not? Saves on fuel costs and washing up.

Totally agree, I used to have main meal at work canteen and then sandwich or salad when I got home when I was youngster....many many years ago

kboss2010

I'd still take my own as I make my meals for much less than that.

My lunch usually consists of a cheap 17p pack of value noodles and a handful each of frozen broccoli/peas/sweetcorn/carrots/peppers/kidney beans - basically whatever I've chopped up and frozen from my 'almost out-of-date' veg in the fridge. I sometimes add some tinned mackerel in tomato sauce for protein (not everyone's taste though, it is a bit stinky!)

I've started freezing all my leftovers, I got tired of buying expensive beans and then throwing away half a tin because it sat in the fridge for a week so now anything that I don't use gets frozen.

terra_ferma

I too would mix and match.
Your time is worth money too, and if you have all the spare time in the world, spending time cooking all lunches from scratch is fine, if not you could be using up precious time that could be used to more efficient time-saving or money-making activities.
Also once you've taken out the cost of fuel for cooking, washing up, food containers etc (all very small but they add up) savings may not be as good as they look

purpleivy

it's not so much the food as the cost of the labour.

DigForVictory

I'd love to have such a choice. Our canteen was converted into office space years ago. Enjoy the hot meals on cold days & think of us huddled around our cupasoups!

gayleygoo

Wow that is cheap canteen food! I wish RM had such a thing for DH to take advantage of. He will easily spend £5 each day on a couple of supermarket sandwiches, bars of chocolate and cans of drink for his lunch, and still come home starving, expecting a big dinner. I do sometimes make him a packed lunch while I'm making my daughter's as it saves us a fortune in Tesco sandwiches.

However if he had a super-cheap canteen I'd try to convince him to use it more often and then present him with his sandwiches we he got home

In your situation, I'd do mix and match too. With a bit of planning you can save yourself money by eating cheap, nutritional meals in work and light meals at home, and also making packed lunches for days when you're planning a bigger dinner at home.

Any

For that price I would definitely eat in the canteen or mix and match.

It is all very well saying if you batched cooked etc you can make it cheaper... but do you do that? What does that time cost? Would you really do it? Do you do something that has more value to you in the evening??
So yes, they COULD be cheaper, but even if saved half of that cost, ie £15, would it be worth the hassle to you??

I HAVE to have home lunches for work. There is no other option here, unless I want to drive to shop first thing in the morning/evening and that takes time.
Some days I wish I could just walk up to an open window in the factory and buy something, when I was at one of my courses the night before and had no time to prepare anything, have no left overs or bread gone stale...
Constantly think of ideas is not easy either.

Though home lunches ARE cheap. I agree with mix and match and plan your home meals plan for leftovers/fresh ingredients for the days when you don't fancy the canteen menu...

BEAT_THE_DEBT

Great replies thanks all x