Cooking for one (Mark Three)

PasturesNew

I think part of the lunch overspending issue is Meal Deals. I hate those words.... oh how I hate those words.

A meal deal ... sounds like you're getting a great deal.

When I see those I think to myself "what did I really come in here for?" - the answer would usually be "to have a bit of food to tide me over, to pick up a cheap sandwich to keep me going".

In many supermarkets that cheap sandwich might be found at 90p to £1.10. Egg/cress, cheese, maybe tuna if you're lucky.

90p to £1.10

Then people spot the meal deal.... For £3 you can have a sandwich AND a pack of crisps AND a drink.

Fact is, you didn't go in for a drink or crisps. If you're habitually in there for crisps/drink why not buy a multipack (especially when on offer) and a multipack of crisps?

A drink in a multipack might be, say, 30p/can or bottle. A pack of crisps from a multipack might be 20p/pack.

So if I wander in and get that cheap sandwich, £1 .... and grab a six pack of drinks (£1.50) and a 6 pack of crisps (£1) ....

For a week that's £5 on sandwiches and £2.50 for the other, £7.50 instead of spending £15/week on a "deal".

Yes I know the other sandwiches sound more exciting.... but, with the cheaper drink/crisps you could treat yourself once a week or on payday to the "nicer sounding sandwiches".

When I see "deal" I see "selling you stuff you didn't want or need, wrapped up to sound like a bargain, when, in fact, you didn't come in here for any of that".

caronc

Brambling wrote: »

I had my first mortgage at 23 at 16%+ so the habit set in early to take my own lunches, we were broke :rotfl: but i do have to bite my tongue to the complaining about being broke and spending £5+ a day or more on lunch and snacks, i don't care if you want to always buy lunch just don't seem surprise and complain about being broke :cool:. The feeling old also came from explaining how banks work!!!

24 here with the16% rate and not long after a baby on the way.... Broke didn't even start to describe it!!

PasturesNew wrote: »

I think part of the lunch overspending issue is Meal Deals. I hate those words.... oh how I hate those words.

A meal deal ... sounds like you're getting a great deal.

When I see those I think to myself "what did I really come in here for?" - the answer would usually be "to have a bit of food to tide me over, to pick up a cheap sandwich to keep me going".

In many supermarkets that cheap sandwich might be found at 90p to £1.10. Egg/cress, cheese, maybe tuna if you're lucky.

90p to £1.10

Then people spot the meal deal.... For £3 you can have a sandwich AND a pack of crisps AND a drink.

Fact is, you didn't go in for a drink or crisps. If you're habitually in there for crisps/drink why not buy a multipack (especially when on offer) and a multipack of crisps?

A drink in a multipack might be, say, 30p/can or bottle. A pack of crisps from a multipack might be 20p/pack.

So if I wander in and get that cheap sandwich, £1 .... and grab a six pack of drinks (£1.50) and a 6 pack of crisps (£1) ....

For a week that's £5 on sandwiches and £2.50 for the other, £7.50 instead of spending £15/week on a "deal".

Yes I know the other sandwiches sound more exciting.... but, with the cheaper drink/crisps you could treat yourself once a week or on payday to the "nicer sounding sandwiches".

When I see "deal" I see "selling you stuff you didn't want or need, wrapped up to sound like a bargain, when, in fact, you didn't come in here for any of that".

I do every month or so order the Tesco £3 lunch meal deal and get a prawn pasta salad bowl + scotch egg + "posh" juice. It is a treat but more or less covers two lunches as I have the pasta and half the juice one day and the scotch egg/rest of the juice the other. But I agree £3+ every day for a basic lunch soon mounts up, but as an odd treat it's lovely:) .

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

24 here with the16% rate and not long after a baby on the way.... Broke didn't even start to describe it!!

I do every month or so order the Tesco £3 lunch meal deal and get a prawn pasta salad bowl + scotch egg + "posh" juice. It is a treat but more or less covers two lunches as I have the pasta and half the juice one day and the scotch egg/rest of the juice the other. But I agree £3+ every day for a basic lunch soon mounts up, but as an odd treat it's lovely:) .

I think when they first came out, too, they were confusing (to me) as to what they were actually offering, which sandwiches were in the meal deal, where are the crisps? where are the drinks/which drinks? It wasn't always laid out side by side, you had to hunt for things and work out what they were saying... and, to some extent, I still think there's a lot of confusion (for me) and ambiguity as to what the deal is and what it is not. Often it's not all drinks, all drinks in the cabinet, but one of three they've picked, which they've then tucked away at the back.

I need simple instructions in order to be able to follow what's going on.

In short: For somebody like myself, with limited brain processing capacity, they're too complex. Additionally, the technical term is "executive function", I lack the executive function, which means I struggle to make decisions.... too many sandwiches and I don't know which one to choose, so opting for a £1 egg/cress is easier.

Brambling

Actually I lied Caronc I was also 24 just trying to knock a year off

caronc

PasturesNew wrote: »

I think when they first came out, too, they were confusing (to me) as to what they were actually offering, which sandwiches were in the meal deal, where are the crisps? where are the drinks/which drinks? It wasn't always laid out side by side, you had to hunt for things and work out what they were saying... and, to some extent, I still think there's a lot of confusion (for me) and ambiguity as to what the deal is and what it is not. Often it's not all drinks, all drinks in the cabinet, but one of three they've picked, which they've then tucked away at the back.

I need simple instructions in order to be able to follow what's going on.

In short: For somebody like myself, with limited brain processing capacity, they're too complex. Additionally, the technical term is "executive function", I lack the executive function, which means I struggle to make decisions.... too many sandwiches and I don't know which one to choose, so opting for a £1 egg/cress is easier.

Yes it's a minefield though easier online

Brambling wrote: »

Actually I lied Caronc I was also 24 just trying to knock a year off

Actually thinking about it so did I was 23 and 11 months :rotfl::rotfl:

Farway

Welcome greenappleandmilk:hello:

Into town for the Thursday mooch, the jackpot YS turned up in Iceland, half price @£3 gammon joint, not ethical product but it was super YS and should last some of the weekend:money:
Rest of shopping was mundane but necessary stuff, one thing I did want was more split peas, seems they have gone out of fashion in my town, plenty of quinoa & puy lentils to be had:mad:

No doubt I'll find them somewhere as I CBA to go in every shop

Brambling wrote: »

Farway I think you may have to make your own jam, I've heard you can make it in the bread maker

Great minds;), making my own was just what I thought, in fact I was looking for YS strawbs, but as is often the case, loads when not wanted. I don't think my BM can make jam, but I've no problem with jam making, especially with a dishwasher

Brambling wrote: »

but when she said she would have to ask her mum 'if she would borrow her some money' I found myself correcting her . I can only hold my tongue for so long:rotfl:

I hate that, borrow me, grrrr, :mad:

When I started work lunch was a cream doughnut from the bakery opposite, the same one I used to spend my school dinner money in, plus a Rotham's splurging my new wealth and starting my life long healthy diet:p

After I left that job it was a Civic / ex British Restaurant for lunch, showing my age here

Lunch today was cheese & cuc sarnie
Dinner, ham in there somewhere. I've popped the YS ham in the cast iron pot in a low oven, so could be anything that goes with pot roast ham

greenappleandmilk

Thanks for suggestions, and welcome - veg roasting for dinner and tomorrow's lunch right now!

PasturesNew

Brambling wrote: »

I had my first mortgage at 23 at 16%+.... we were broke

This is why I didn't have a mortgage at 23... you did a switch there... from "I" to "we". If I had been a we I'd have got a mortgage at 23 But I've never been a "we".

PasturesNew

It's cold, it's dark, I've nothing here that I fancy....

As it's cold and it's dark, I also don't fancy going out in the car to drive round and look for takeaway food. It'd help if I had somewhere in mind, or even a type of food to look for.... but I've no idea what I want.

I'm hungry. I did have a pouch of rice earlier and half a dozen sweeties, but I need something else.



I'm guessing .... in a bit I'll just give up and go out

Brambling

Farway wrote: »

Great minds;), making my own was just what I thought, in fact I was looking for YS strawbs, but as is often the case, loads when not wanted. I don't think my BM can make jam, but I've no problem with jam making, especially with a dishwasher

I did briefly wonder how you made jam in the dishwasher :eek: I had to ask in W8itrose for the split peas as they weren't in a logical place :cool:

I've harden my heart and ignored the kitten sitting on my kitchen window ledge crying whilst I fed his lordship, his lordship was looking far too smug :rotfl: I knew they were in so assumed they shut the window so he was waiting for them to open the door :cool: Caronc has your visiting cat got over the new arrival?

I spoke to my colleague in Shanghai this morning and wished her a happy new year as they're off now for a week, she said her family wouldn't be going out to celebrate as they were worried about the virus, had I heard about it? I know she is still on chemo so I imagine they are even more worried due to her immune system. My Chinese colleague who lives in London is considering whether she wants to go home at the moment as planned. So hopefully your LL won't change her mind PN

Lunch was the last wrap with chicken and salad followed by fresh pineapple and mango. I'm not sure about dinner as I currently cba, it could be bacon and egg or jacket potato with something but as lunch wasn't until 2.45pm I'm not that hungry yet