It's time to start digging up those Squirrelled Nuts!!!!

jimpwarsop

Ganga said:

I have been following the later part of this thread and it seems a lot of people do not want to spend their money on eating out but you cannot take it with you and i know it is peoples choice but what is the point of having an over average pension pot and not getting any enjoyment from it.

Being frugal is a hard habit to break, as is living within your means.

We live on £18k pa, our income is £25k, you cant take it with you I agree, however to maintain our lifestyle that £18k needs to be £21k, so we can take the current problems in our stride, and dont have to make cutbacks.

Had we been living a £25k (or god forbid) a £26k lifestyle, we would be looking for serious savings in our budget.

Audaxer

A few months ago we went to an upmarket pub/restaurant for a two course lunch which cost us around £60 for two of us, including one drink each. The meal was not that great and the starters were miniscule for the price. More recently on the way back from a morning walk we stopped at a nice looking cafe and treated ourselves to two delicious Full English breakfasts and pots of tea at a total cost of £25. That is what we intend doing in future as much better value and more enjoyable.

Anonymous101

Audaxer said:

A few months ago we went to an upmarket pub/restaurant for a two course lunch which cost us around £60 for two of us, including one drink each. The meal was not that great and the starters were miniscule for the price. More recently on the way back from a morning walk we stopped at a nice looking cafe and treated ourselves to two delicious Full English breakfasts and pots of tea at a total cost of £25. That is what we intend doing in future as much better value and more enjoyable.

Absolutely agree. We have found those upmarket (but not high end) type places least value.
For us its either really upper end (which we are unable to replicate at home) or good quality cheap eats.

For pure value, there's not much better than enjoying a fish and chip supper sat on a bench with a sea view.

Sea_Shell

Anonymous101 said:

Audaxer said:

A few months ago we went to an upmarket pub/restaurant for a two course lunch which cost us around £60 for two of us, including one drink each. The meal was not that great and the starters were miniscule for the price. More recently on the way back from a morning walk we stopped at a nice looking cafe and treated ourselves to two delicious Full English breakfasts and pots of tea at a total cost of £25. That is what we intend doing in future as much better value and more enjoyable.

Absolutely agree. We have found those upmarket (but not high end) type places least value.
For us its either really upper end (which we are unable to replicate at home) or good quality cheap eats.

For pure value, there's not much better than enjoying a fish and chip supper sat on a bench with a sea view.

Absolutely!!!

We plan to do this soon.   Hunstanton here we come! 😎


Unless it's raining. ☹️😉

MallyGirl

We are high end or things I can't (easily) cook so that is Indian/Thai/other Asian or Oriental/Sushi or nice fish/seafood/fork to plate with minimal miles.
I can't remember the last time I paid for standard pub food - it would have been on a holiday. Just not our thing.

zagfles

cfw1994 said:

Albermarle said:

Yup, the one I was talking about is in Longsight, Manchester. It's not that local to me now but it's worth the trip

I suppose you just have to hope your car doesn't get nicked, whilst you are enjoying your £5 kebab  

Ah yes….DD had her Fiesta stolen from Parrs Wood car park after living there for only a few weeks…..recovered completely knackered 3 weeks later, with 2k miles on it, stinking of weed (used for ‘county lines’).  

Meant her year in Manchester was somewhat soured 🙄
Still, onto Edinburgh soon: a lovely City!

We enjoy eating out and takeaways…..& hope to continue to try to help keep those places in business.  Time will tell how much belt tightening we undertake, of course.
One way to also lower costs (generally, at home as well as dining out) is to go veggie….our offspring chose to many years ago, and are decent cooks too.  We try to join in when we can 😎

Wetherspoons are often in very historical and interesting buildings….& the beer is reasonably priced 🍻. Does, however, mean it sometimes attracts some….interesting customers 🤪

Just take a peg for your nose so you don't have to smell the stench of all the rubbish that's not being collected Oh and have you watched Trainspotting?

Seriously though - bad things happen in all parts of the country. Personally I feel far safer in Manchester than when I lived in London, I only lived there a few months and got attacked on the street, lived in Manchester over 3 decades and nothing like that's happened.

GazzaBloom

Sea_Shell said:

Anonymous101 said:

Audaxer said:

A few months ago we went to an upmarket pub/restaurant for a two course lunch which cost us around £60 for two of us, including one drink each. The meal was not that great and the starters were miniscule for the price. More recently on the way back from a morning walk we stopped at a nice looking cafe and treated ourselves to two delicious Full English breakfasts and pots of tea at a total cost of £25. That is what we intend doing in future as much better value and more enjoyable.

Absolutely agree. We have found those upmarket (but not high end) type places least value.
For us its either really upper end (which we are unable to replicate at home) or good quality cheap eats.

For pure value, there's not much better than enjoying a fish and chip supper sat on a bench with a sea view.

Absolutely!!!

We plan to do this soon.   Hunstanton here we come! 😎


Unless it's raining. ☹️😉

I love fish and chips at Hunstanton, we live not far away and I like to park in the north promenade car park, which is right next to the sea wall, there always seems to be spaces as not many tourists seem to know it's there, and is just a hundred yards from the green. We walk up the green, get the chips and go back and sit on the sea wall. My favorite time is on a warm evening when the tide is in!

zagfles

Anonymous101 said:

Audaxer said:

A few months ago we went to an upmarket pub/restaurant for a two course lunch which cost us around £60 for two of us, including one drink each. The meal was not that great and the starters were miniscule for the price. More recently on the way back from a morning walk we stopped at a nice looking cafe and treated ourselves to two delicious Full English breakfasts and pots of tea at a total cost of £25. That is what we intend doing in future as much better value and more enjoyable.

Absolutely agree. We have found those upmarket (but not high end) type places least value.
For us its either really upper end (which we are unable to replicate at home) or good quality cheap eats.

For pure value, there's not much better than enjoying a fish and chip supper sat on a bench with a sea view.

Yes I've found there's often an inverse correlation between price and quality. The only time we go expensive places is when friends arrange it, and I've never had food that was significantly better than standard or cheap priced places.

Last year we went to Italy as our only proper foreign holiday of the year, so we didn't do our usual of looking for good value places, we ate whereever we fancied at whatever the price. The expensive places were always worse food, worse service, the cheap places were excellent food and friendly service!

Mind you, I have a friend who raves about a Michelin star restaurant near him, the food does look good, so I will probably try it one day. I'll probably kick myself for having not learnt the lesson, but it'll shut him up at least

Sea_Shell

GazzaBloom said:

Sea_Shell said:

Anonymous101 said:

Audaxer said:

A few months ago we went to an upmarket pub/restaurant for a two course lunch which cost us around £60 for two of us, including one drink each. The meal was not that great and the starters were miniscule for the price. More recently on the way back from a morning walk we stopped at a nice looking cafe and treated ourselves to two delicious Full English breakfasts and pots of tea at a total cost of £25. That is what we intend doing in future as much better value and more enjoyable.

Absolutely agree. We have found those upmarket (but not high end) type places least value.
For us its either really upper end (which we are unable to replicate at home) or good quality cheap eats.

For pure value, there's not much better than enjoying a fish and chip supper sat on a bench with a sea view.

Absolutely!!!

We plan to do this soon.   Hunstanton here we come! 😎


Unless it's raining. ☹️😉

I love fish and chips at Hunstanton, we live not far away and I like to park in the north promenade car park, which is right next to the sea wall, there always seems to be spaces as not many tourists seem to know it's there, and is just a hundred yards from the green. We walk up the green, get the chips and go back and sit on the sea wall. My favorite time is on a warm evening when the tide is in!

Which is your favourite Chippy?

We used Fishers last time and it was lovely.  Massive portions which beat us.   But then we had been for tea and cake in the Coffee Pot cafe!!

Love the "treasure trove" shop opposite...they sell all sorts!!!   It's like a whole shop of "Aldi middle aisle" 😁

Staffordia

Just waiting for the children to go back to school so we can pop up to Norfolk again for the day.