Turning Straw into Gold: Creating Long Term Security & A Solid Home

MillQueen

Darn it, I forgot to use Sprive when I ordered the shopping delivery. Missed out on £1.50!

MillQueen

I have just prepared lunch to take tomorrow as one of my friends wants to eat lunch together at work and it will be £7 if I buy something from the canteen and I will probably have to pay for my friend's food too. So I have got sweetcorn, broccoli and edamame with a tin of sardines in chilli oil, and a pot of cottage cheese with vanilla and frozen blueberries. I will bring that to the canteen to still eat together. My grocery delivery is coming on Wednesday evening, so I will survive on bits I have got and not spend anything until then. I got a free water bottle at a work event, so I will fill that with water at the cooler all day for free drinks…

MillQueen

Well financially the lunch worked out well as my friend said it was her turn pay for lunch, so I got free chips. I picked the cheapest thing as I felt a bit bad about it. So a free lunch, and I still have the lunch I prepared already, which I can now eat for tea. I put petrol in the car and I wasted a few quid buying some sweets at the petrol station. Must be more vigilant about this next time and pointedly LOOK AWAY from the sweets.

ellenvan

Or keep a pack of inexpensive supermarket sweets in the glove box , for emergencies.

They are definitely usually cheaper than the petrol station.

Well done choosing cheap chips. I don't think you should take advantage when someone else offers to pay.

MillQueen

That's a good idea about the glove box @ellenvan.

I've always wanted to be someone who has one of those metal tins of travel sweets in the car, so I will have a look and see if those are anywhere for cheap. It will be good to then refill it. I love a refillable tin 🤣.

I can really live out an ambition with this and whip out my tin to offer passengers a sweet. I'm always really impressed with anyone who does this, so I too can now be that person with in-car sweets 🤩.

I agree on the not taking advantage of people who offer to buy things. Thank you for your comments and sensible suggestions. You always have positive things to add on here.

ellenvan

Oh you will be posher than me with travel sweets tin.

I just have a small plastic tub. It's mainly sweets for the grandchildren and they are not bothered about the container. Saves loads if I don't have to bring them in a shop. Also have a pack of tic-tac mints as they don't seem to go off

MillQueen

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82061980#Comment_82061980

Oh yes, tic tacs are indestructible and also would survive a hot day ok wouldn't they.

It's always a good idea to avoid a shop!

Annoyingly my food delivery just came for my meal plan and the salmon has had to go in the bin as the pack isn't vacuum sealed properly and the side is open. Not safe to eat. Going to ask for a refund but now I will have to go to the supermarket and the whole point was not needing to go anywhere I may spend money.

Smudgeismydog

Sorry, just going back to your comment about picking up sweets when you go to the petrol station, I realised this was also becoming a habit for me too. I now do ‘pay at pump’ whenever possible to avoid the temptation altogether, but I also really like ellenvan’s suggestion of a tub of sweets in the glove box.

MillQueen

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82063330#Comment_82063330

That's a good point about pay at the pump - I perhaps ought to go to the petrol station that offers that, as it's also a few pence cheaper, but I tend to go to the one that's next to my house and on the way to or from work.

I've had to come to work yesterday and today even though I could have worked from home, as the internet isn't working. I ended up spending in the canteen yesterday to appease someone who wanted to go for lunch (I hadn't been intending on having any lunch so hadn't brought anything). I've begun my meal plan today and brought chicken and broccoli, so I must make sure I eat that and don't spend money if anyone asks to eat lunch with me. I had the weetabix as planned and brought some greek yoghurt with cherries and blueberries. I'll stuff myself with eggs and low fat cottage cheese when I get home. I need to get salmon for tomorrow.

If I can get into the routine of doing this and stick with it every week, I can swap out anything I don't end up liking and then just automate all of my meals and get a repeat delivery so I don't have to think about it.

MillQueen

Who would have thought the damaged salmon in my grocery delivery ended up being a good thing. I got £6 from that refunded, so I went to the shop on the way home to replace it. I am horrified at the price of salmon, so I went and had a look at the reductions and spent my £6 on yellow sticker items instead.

I got protein bagels, veggie sausages, strawberries, sweet potatoes, two packets of mini battenburg cakes, raspberry kvarg, organic kefir, mushrooms, and peaches. For the same price as the salmon.

So I'm now making tomorrow's food, which is veggie sausages, instead of salmon, with asparagus (possibly a side of salad and mini pitta pockets or whatever else I can find that might go), but as the sausages were only 99p I am calling that a money saving win. I think next week instead of salmon I will swap that out for sardines and spinach. Sardines are only 60p a tin with tomato sauce and are much easier to store.

Once I'm more comfortable with doing the same thing every week, I could probably prepare it all ahead at the weekend and just label the boxes with the days, but just need to develop a routine first. Had a good day at work, ticked off a task I've been putting off for ages and had some good feedback on a project.