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

MillQueen

I have just been to pick up my TGTG. I like getting these on a Sunday, although it's mostly treat food today rather than realistic things to cook with. It was good value though. For £10, I got 2 chicken breasts which have gone into the freezer, 2 huge pork loin chops that were meant to be £5 each (straight in the oven, and I will pull these apart to put into work lunches all week with rice and peas). I also got a pack of blackcurrant and apple pies, a raspberry bakewell cake, a sourdough loaf, a pack of crumpets, 2 coffee renoirs, a macaroni cheese microwave meal (going in the freezer), blue cheese, 2 x pain au chocolat, 2 x vanilla crown pastry, garlic bread (going in the freezer), and a big pot of coleslaw - which I will have with cheese on jacket potatoes over the next couple of days for tea. Won't need to do a big shop until next weekend (by which point I will be sick of pastries and wanting vegetables). I don't actually like pork but I won't really notice it if I spread it out over the week with a bit in my lunch each day. Maybe a boiled egg in each lunch too, since I have 12 eggs that need using as they are past their use by date.

I have had a tidy up of the cupboard and chucked away a few things that were old or out of date.

ellenvan

That's a great haul for £10!

jwil

Great bargains on TGTG!

MillQueen

@ellenvan and @jwil, I was so impressed with the amount I got. I haven't had these in a while as my favourite supermarket stopped doing them, but this has renewed my enthusiasm. It's good when you want a low spend week as you get such random stuff it makes you use what you have in creative ways.

I've just shredded the pork and for the next 2 day's lunches I've mixed that with a bag of precooked wild rice and some broad beans (closest thing I had to peas). A while ago I got these little lunch boxes from TK Maxx that have compartments in. So I put that in the main compartment and a couple of boiled eggs in one and a handful of frozen cherries in the other. The little compartments bring me joy 🤣

It's amazing how productive I can be when I have got work that I'm avoiding, as I've done food prep, cleaned the kitchen, washed all the dishes, done all the laundry, sorted the recycling and bins.

Dakota_Rose

I’m inspired by your work lunches and how well you’ve used what you had in!

MillQueen

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135359#Comment_82135359

Thank you, it's fun being creative and I like simple food. I had made a list of horrible time consuming work tasks, which made me super motivated to do things that weren't those 🤣.

MillQueen

In work today for a full on day and a late one, but at least I won't have time to spend anything. I have had my weetabix breakfast and brought my lunch with me and I am about to pop my headphones on and do 1.5 hours of intense task focus before the meetings start. I have brought a water bottle to refill so I don't have to buy a drink, but the plastic makes it taste weird. I've decided to invest in a pure stainless steel water bottle, which will be good for both money saving and sustainability, as it can… in theory… last me the rest of my life and that's appealing. Although the most likely outcome is that I will misplace it.

Lots of frugal wishes to you all as we start another week of hanging onto our cash.

foxgloves

Agree about taint from plastic water bottles. I have a glass one which was quite expensive but have had it a good few years, use it regularly & it still looks brand new.

Dakota_Rose

🙋‍♀️ I’m here to second a glass water bottle. No others I’ve ever had manage to stay smelling fresh. They’re not as durable perhaps as a metal one that can be chucked about everywhere, but I much prefer drinking from them and the thing that went on mine was a bamboo lid, so I’ve purposefully looked for one with a metal lid this time.

MillQueen

@foxgloves and @Dakota_Rose, right, a glass water bottle it is then, the experts have spoken!

It's been a mad rush of a week and I haven't eaten well but I haven't spent much money either.