From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

rtandon27

ooo - yes - and those of us who work in the big smoke can tell you all the cheap/free things there are to do!!!!!

Greying_Pilgrim

Blackcats and rt - thank you. I don't know how I feel about visiting London. I don't think I have been in this century,

I have put a workwear wash on. We've intermittent showers, so I suspect it will got straight in front of the dehu, but I've little choice - the weather forecast is rain, rain, and more rain. Perhaps not as constant as the beebeecee would have you believe, but it's not laundry drying weather either.

Tea last night ended up being veggie hot dogs and potato 'lumps' rather than wedges. I used some of the "dirty" maris peer, big bag tatties. It was only when I came to wash them that I remembered they were very scabby 🫤 I used the less scabby ones for tea - everything else will have to be peeled before use. I have to say, in hindsight (and ain't that a wonderful thing), buying big bags of tatties from the Farmer's mercantile has proved a poor choice this year. Whilst tatties were expensive (especially little washed bags of them from the supermercados), before Christmas, once the 'veg wars' started, clearly tatties were affordable. They have been around YS'd and in 'green boxes' throughout January, and I saw in MrM yesterday, that their equivalent of the 'supa6' 'picko t'week' had 1.5kg bags of tatties ('Valour', produce of Scotland), for 37p a bag. For the amount of waste/not particularly good tatties in the first place, I got in the sacks, they were not worth the initial purchase. Still, it would be too easy to just chuck those 'dirty' tatties and call it a learning curve, but I'll stick with trying to use up everything edible, that is left.

I wondered why the opening match of the 6 nations was on Thursday, and then realised that the prized TV spot was taken up with the opening of the Winter Olympics. This morning, Blue Peter sent their presenters to have a go at some of the winter sports, Joel got the bobsleigh run. I was trying to remember who's done it before - John Noakes? Simon Groom/Peter Duncan? The presenter remained unscathed, but the TV cameras didn't survive the run 😬

DH is going off in search of bike parts this morning - 🙄 LG will accompany.

I'm not sure what will be for tea yet. We've reached the end of the month, and I don't need to go shopping. We are short-ish on cheese, but that could be managed to provide snap butties until I next got shopping. My nectar prices 'reset' this week is just as disappointing as it has been all throughout January. They keep on giving me discounts on stuff I rarely buy, or is an occasional purchase. And they've gone all out - with prices and points on stuff that I bought from there for the Christmas foodbank donation. I haven't bought those products before or since. Next time I shall get them from MrAl, or MrL, somewhere where my purchases aren't recorded and used against me for posterity…… We are able to give to the foodbank because of marshalling resources/making use of discounts/YS'd goods etc. We won't have spare capacity if discounts are only applied to luxury items/branded goods that we don't buy.

Greying X

beanielou

You seem to be unlucky with your Nectar points and prices. Mine are usually not too bad. Famous last words!

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81861752#Comment_81861752

Ahem… nudge… V1nted 😉🐎🐎🐎

Greying_Pilgrim

I was thinking this year as to whether we could incorporate a 'meal out' or perhaps takeaway into our life. Whilst LG is very well behaved, they haven't had much experience of dining out and I can't remember us having had a takeaway that they would remember eating.

Now clearly we've got this far in life without it being a familiar feature - so is there any need to change? I'm pretty sure we went out for lunch twice (that we paid for), and once that our friend treated us to, last year. I can remember the first lunch out - the food was indifferent, but the occasion was special, so…… But I can't recall the second lunch out - even though I seem to think it was not long after our first lunch out, by quirk of fate. When our friend paid, it was a good, tasty lunch and the company was great - I don't know how much it cost, but with hot drinks, etc it can't have been less than £40 - £50 for the 4 of us.

On Thursday evening, LG and I had to run an errand, and we passed an Indian restaurant that I'm aware of, but keep forgetting about, as I don't "think" in terms of places to eat out at. So I looked up the menu - they do eat in or take out - and although the veggie options aren't extensive, there were some, and particularly if you had a selection of the 'veggie sides' you could actually make quite an interesting curry plate……. like we have at home. There's my dilemma. We eat "made from scratch" indian meals. I'm claiming absolutely no authenticity what-so-ever, but I do use whole spices/ground spices etc. Taking the 'plates' approach, we could easily be talking about £50 for a meal for 3 - which is probably cheap for eating out. I wouldn't have to do any of the work, just sit down and eat. DH wouldn't have to do any washing up. Do you think I can persuade myself that this would be a good endeavour? I split the frozen veg pack that I bought yesterday into carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and put them in separate bags, and containers. My thought for the cauli is curry……… A homemade 'curry plate' wouldn't cost £50 for the 3 of us. We could probably eat….. 5, 6, 7? or more times for that investment in ingredients (which I know is not the only consideration for a restaurant/cafe). Ironically, the take-out prices were all £1 a dish dearer - which perplexed me, although I think we would be eligible for 'free' delivery to our home, so I guess the food has got to yield the petrol money - rather than the washing up/crockery/tablecloth/heating costs.

What am I missing that would make the restaurant visit/takeaway an option. At the moment, I can't see the justification for £50 (excluding drinks/tips). Perhaps this restaurant is a poor choice, in as much as it cooks food - but isn't necessarily "starred" or famed for it's cooking. It's been around for a few decades, so they must be doing something right. Another Indian restaurant that was highly recommended and we'd been there once (pre LG), didn't re-open after c'vid, and went to takeaway only. I did look at their menu. Again, there wasn't over much for veggies - without combining 'sides', and it would easily cost £50 for a takeaway - which is probably what other folks spend routinely - I've never got in the routine, so I don't know if that's super cheap, about right, or pricey.

Am I missing something, or do we just plunge ahead. I get too hung up on the potential for 'buyers remorse', that's my problem.

Greying X

KajiKita

I think there is another aspect here that you are not ‘pricing’ in - the experience of eating out for LG. What that’s like, how to speak to staff, leaving a tip (if that’s what you decide to do) etc.

We went out with some friends of Mr KK’s to a curry house for a meal who were in their 50s and they literally didn’t know what to do. I had to help them navigate the menu (the difference between starters and mains), how to ask for sides, what cutlery to use (on one level this doesn’t matter of course but they were stressing about it) etc etc. Very strange and probably not something you’d want for LG.

KK

Greying_Pilgrim

That's a good point KajiKita. When we went out for lunch with our chum, I was helping LG navigate the menu, simply because they took one look at it, and said (thankfully out of our friend's hearing), "there's nothing l can eat". Because of course, the varied menu had plenty of meat options, and so it looked like there was nothing to eat. But by actually reading the menu, and knowing what a panini is, there was, of course, an entirely suitable option - which LG chose (as did I), and it was scrummy - mozzarella, tomato and pesto panini - c'mon, what's not to like. Our friend told me off - in front of LG (😡) - because they thought I was "coaching" LG to pick a cheap option, and they wanted it to be a treat, and the cost wasn't a concern. I know this about our generous, generous friend, but LG did need help to navigate the menu. In that instance, we were having lunch, so starters/main course wasn't such an issue. But the menu was divided up in such a way that LG perhaps….. felt intimidated(?) by it? They were more comfortable in the restaurant we went to when the menu was meat heavy, and they knew they would be looking for a veggie section - which had 4 options I think - 2 options were chillified, and another option was not appealing, so a plant-based burger it was! iirc the children's menu (which of course is another layer), didn't have any veggie/vegan options - I think it was just meat or fish(fingers). So yes, whilst I have no fear that LG couldn't handle eating out etiquette in terms of not racing around, screaming the place down or spitting food all over the floor; they have had limited experience of menu navigation (and some are easier than others), and I can't recall if they've been anywhere (foodwise) where physical tipping is a thing, and included in or added to the bill tipping is something of which they wouldn't be aware - and I'm not sure young children would be?

Greying X

badmemory

I am sure LG can manage to use cutlery in a normal fashion which seems to put them ahead of the game these days. I don't think there is any difference in their young world between takeaway & fakeaway, except maybe to taste something which you feel unable to try. But "dining out" is something different & they are maybe a little too young yet to fully appreciate but there will be a time when it is really to their advantage to experience.

VintageHistorian

I think dining out also just gives them an opportunity to try something they might not normally have at home, and gives them the chance to exercise a choice. At home children are generally just eating whatever their parents have chosen to cook (sometimes they can have a choice of what they want on their pasta), but when you're out and there's several things on the menu that look nice then it can become a good lesson in how to make a decision (would this be too large for you to have pudding after, have you tried this sauce before, do you want to try something new or go for a favourite you normally have at home etc).

And as you already highlighted, there is also just the relief of not having to do the cooking and washing up. You arrive, you sit, you pick, you eat, you pay and go home!

beanielou

Why don’t you maybe just go to a local garden centre or similar for a wee lunch. No pressure. No need for fancy drinks. I usually just have water! I usually have one course and if my friends want more then they do.