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

lunar

Ok panda, i was deleberatly ignoring this thread until i returned from the chinese buffet we went to today. now that i am stuffed and bloated i feel up to joining this challenge! Im not a bad cook and neither is my oh, so really we have no excuse.

tomorrow i plan to make a winter vegatable soup in the slow cooker. not sure how it will go as im not to good with recipies, i just tend to chuck stuff in and see what happens. If its any good i can let you know what i put in.

I make a really nice fresh pizza so i have no idea why i keep on ordering them, my oh was so shocked when i first made him one last week he threw all the pizza menus away. im obviously just to lazy to get on and cook so this challenge will be a great motivator for me.

thanks fo rthe spending diary link, i will now see if i have the guts to fill it in!

pixiedust_2

I normally only lurk round here, but....

I'm a full time student, plus I'm working 15 hours a week, as well as fitting in helping at my local scout group one night a week, and playing rugby at weekends... All thats fine... But I'm getting so lazy with cooking! It's not like I'm some 18 year old, first time away from home, unable to look after myself, can't cook student... I've been looking after myself for a while, and used to cook the meals for the whole family when I was at home! I still normally cook dinner, but I have started to either buy lunch in the canteen, or nip into town and buy sandwiches... Roughly £3 per day on lunch = £15 just for Monday-Friday! Without adding on my food shopping, which is normally another £10-£15... I need to start over cooking in the evenings again, so I can take left overs in for lunch!!

sampa99978

Now this is my type of thread!

I'm getting better at avoiding takeaways, especially after starting to plan my meals in advance, but saying that, I had one last night and went out for lunch today! Clearly theres some work left to do...

Aside from making your own takeaway style food, the supermarkets do pretty cheap indian and curry bags, I noticed earlier that Morrissons are doing a BOGOF on their Indian Meal for One (about £3.40?). Not a bad way to start weaning yourself off them

pandapaws

But don't you find that the supermarket versions just aren't anywhere near as good?! We've bought supermarket curries in the past and they just don't do it for me at all. Don't know why, but there's something about food that arrives in little foil tubs that just tastes so much better!!! I think I really need to learn to cook proper curries myself - not like the ones you get in recipe books, as they're just not the same! Elantan - was the Chinese recipe from your own experience or do you have a book?

Great that so many other people also want to try and cut out their eating out - this website has DEFINITELY made me cut back on other spending, so I'm hoping that trying to tackle the take-aways this way might succeed too! Just had some pasta for dinner (admittedly it was with a jar of Loyd Grossman sauce, so not exactly home-made, but babysteps...) and DH had a tin of soup at work, so definitely a saving on the usual Chinese.

Having a giggle at all the people who are friends with their take-aways: I'm exactly right there with you! (although I'm always too embarassed to ring, so it's my DH they know!). We often find (no - FOUND!) ourselves driving 20 miles to go to a different McD's just because we were too embarassed to order from the same staff again!

angchris

asda`s curry pot is fantastic!! their takeaway indian/chinese really are to die for, def the best tasting supermarket takeaway imho...just slop it on a plate, lob it in micro...bing done

moz86

Resisted the urge to buy a takeaway this evening which saved me £12! I can't believe I actually managed to avoid spending that! Im very proud of myself.

pandapaws

Put the cheque for £12 straight in the post to your credit card co now - then you won't be tempted tomorrow 'because of the money you saved last night' - which is what I'd end up doing! Every penny we don't waste is going straight towards the debt!

hypno06

Morning guys! Well, we ate out as arranged yesterday but spent £21 for 4 of us, so can't be bad as that included our drinks.

Today I have got a chicken casserole all prepared which just needs re-heating, and will make some colcannon mash to go with it. I have loads of cabbage so will make enough mash to freeze and then we can have it later on without any hassle too!

Have a yummy day, everyone x

reesla

Hurrah - no takeaway for use last night!! :j Saving ourselves about £15 (£15 we haven't got this month!)

Panda Paws - great idea of paying what you would have spent straight into the debt! I am definetly going to try that one!

Burlesque_Babe

PasturesNew wrote: »

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.

I didn't eat it all on my own!! :rotfl:

OH has a bottomless pit of a stomach. All in, I ate about 1/3 of it all. OH ate tonnes. There was 1/2 tub rice left , a spoonful of the chick pea dish and 2 spoons of bombay potato which I microwaved up for my lunch yesterday. He ate the rest!!!! :eek: