CAN COOK, MUST COOK! My challenge: Stop Eating Out! Anyone else?!

wok_boy

pandapaws wrote: »

Mmmmmm...pie....!!!

I have also started using spendingdiary.com, and filled in every penny since 1st Oct, and considering that I don't think we've spent much at all this month, we're £571 down out of a total monthly budget of £800 (half of the budget is for fuel, rest for food and all other householod spending). If you click on the 'custom report' link, you can get graphs and things as well (no pies to tempt you!) It was the size of my Eating Out slice of pie that scared me - it was as big as the one for fuel!

Very good this morning - OH went to Tesco last night and bought loaf & eggs, so instead of the usual Sat lunchtime McD's or worse, we had eggy bread! So therefore a no-spend day so far - hooray!

Good luck everyone else - think of the waistlines if not just the bank balances!

oooooo eggy bread

spud30

Thanks sooo much for that El.

We've had a try at fried rice before, but it wasnt very good. Hopefully your recipe will save us a fortune.

The special fried rice has gravy in it, but we can soon make a bit of gravy up (I'm thinking gravy granules with maybe a bit of 5 spice )

Burlesque_Babe

When I was with my ex, the number of takeaways we had was shameful. There was a pizza place I would call. He would say hello, and then reel off exactly what I wanted........ahem......he recognised my voice.......

Now I have one about once every 6 weeks or so. Bought one this week as it was OH's birthday. Went for Indian - It came to £27 :eek: :eek: :eek:

2 starters, 2 mains, 2 rice, 2 side dishes, 1 bread........gulp.......won't be having one for at least another 6 weeks at that price!!!

I'm saving my piggy points for another £10 pizza hut voucher at the moment, but still got another 400 points to go :rolleyes:

Although I have to confess I could murder a Chinese tonight - I'd love it if my OH phoned up and said he was going to his mates to watch the rugby or something similar - I'd be STRAIGHT on the phone for my chicken balls!!!

cat4772

What perfect timing?

DH and I used to enjoy at least 3 takeaways each week and then a meal at a restaurant on top - no wonder we'd end up spending £150 a week on meals out just for the two of us:eek:!

Nowadays, we tend to have a takeaway once every 2 or 3 weeks and have a meal at a restaurant 4 maybe 5 times a year!!! Ideally I want to be in a situation where we have 1 takeaway a month.

I still find the lunch at work a bit of a problem (on a rainy day a cold sandwich won't do it). I discovered the toaster and microwave at work last week, got them plugged in and enjoyed spaghetti hoops on toast, cheese on toast and cheesy beans on toast (over three days, I hasten to add:D) and I reckon it cost me about £1.50 in total rather than the £4 a day on a sandwich and drink:o.

so spending diary, meal planning and motivation from here is the plan! Good luck everyone.

Cat.x

PasturesNew

keren29 wrote: »

2 starters, 2 mains, 2 rice, 2 side dishes, 1 bread

However do you put away that much??!! Well, half of it.

If I order 1 curry + 1 rice I'm stuffed and forcing it towards the end.


The only way I can have a naan bread is if I am sharing it with somebody - and still know I will have to waste some of the curry/rice to fit it in. Or, as a takeaway as then I can split everything in 2 and have the 2nd half of everything the next day.

catlover1_2

hiya,

Does anyone mind if I join in as I have just read this thread and thought what a good idea it is .... I spend a fortune on eating out having done my spending diary for nearly a week now I have already spent over £100 on sandwiches etc...:eek: :eek: :eek:

But not going to go cold turkey instead will aim to keep it below £20.00 per week for the rest of October.

xx

Ches

I have stopped the takeaways even though we only use to have them once a week and OH used to pay. Now I get housekeeping money instead of him paying for the shopping so won't buy them at all. My downfall is having a coffee and snack in town when I shop with friends or have to pop to the bank. Today was a case in point as I popped into town to put soem money in the bank. I was so hungry I had soup and a roll and a cuppa. Cost £3.50. Not a lot but un-necessary. My friend and I take it in turns to buy lunch on the day we go for our walk (we have to bus to and from the place where we are walking that day as neither of us drive and we always end up in town). Another £10 of un-necessary spending. Doesn't sound much but it all has to come out of the cash I am given each week by my OH. I pay all the other household bills out of my money and he pays for going out/car/entertainment and the only money I have 'spare' each week in what I 'make' out of this housekeeping money so you see its in my best interests to make it stretch as far as possible.

molit

not a regular on this board but did anyone see take on the takeaway on bbc2 earlier this month - they gave recipes for takeaway meals. If you go to www.bbc.co.uk and do a search for it, ti should pop up

HTH

Rain_is_Insane

The only problem i find with trying to "copy" the take away menu is that because i have never had all the odds and sods of spices and stuff in the cupboards, by the time i've bought all the ingredients, it costs as much if not more than ringing up and ordering it

My vice is flame grilled burgers from the local burger house...having said that...3 double cheeseburgers and chips come to just under £9 so i guess thats better than £20-30 on a chinese etc.

elantan

spud if it's any help at all i can look out the recipe honestly just let me know