Making savings before it's too late

I am fortunate to get free tea and coffee and mineral water at work (there's hot choc and Bovril too, but I don't like them).

From Tues I intend taking a packed lunch everyday. I am bad at remembering and though there's a cheap(ish) canteen on site it's a got a limited menu and not overly healthy and when buger and chips at £3 is cheaper than a salad at £3.50, it doesn't encourage healthier choosing. I will still support the canteen though and have their special (around £3.50) on a Friday, as it's more convenient to me to have a hot main meal at lunchtime that day. DH says he also wants to take his lunch in.

One of DS's Christmas presents from us was a Stanley food flask. The idea being that at college and when/if he goes to Uni, it is something he can use then to keep meals cheaper for him. I chose the Stanley brand as it was recommended by my Dad who takes his stanley flask when he goes clay pigeon shooting.

I agree pub lunches that are frequently on 2 for £x, are cheaper than a coffee and snack, but I'm becoming very aware how many are frozen and just either microwaved or put in the fryer. My fav coffee shop to visit is an Independant closest to me. They have a loyalty card which means every 7th maybe 8thhot drink is free. At the same time they have a daily happy hour where al take away hot drinks are £1.50, so sometimes on my days off I get one of these and let the loyalty card build up and then use the freebie for a sit in more expensive drink.

We have family and friends round tonight as it's our turn to host a NYE party, so we have done extra grocery shopping today, but just topped up what we already had in on both the alcohol and mixer drinks as well as the food.

I've been reading the thread and loving all of the ideas, particularly flasks and pic nics, a passion of mine. I have three flasks, one thermos food, one small supermarket drinks and a larger drinks. I use the small drinks one at work and tend to take in an herbal tea, made in a heated flask at 6:00 and usually still piping at 2:00. I've never waited longer to drink it. The food flask isn't quite as effective. I think it works better with liquids like soup rather than things like pasta bake. I do sometimes use our canteen, but this term only bought lunch once.

We generally take a flask if we're going on a NT adventure, not only to save pennies but the cafes are usually rammed and hectic and the coffee not as nice as ours. I take pack ups as well--we're planning one next week and I've already been plotting the lunch. A sweet potato and butternut soup we ate last night has plenty left over for the flask and I'll make a spinach quiche tomorrow and half of that will go. I'll also bung an apple cake with cinnamon topping in the oven and we'll have that. I may put hot choc rather than coffee in the drinks flask for a change.

We do buy some things out--lunches/coffees etc. particularly when in town. Sometimes we need the break and I often need the facilities after bringing my own water with me and those that are publicly available can be few and far in some places.

FROZEN CHEESE HAM: (sorry to shout, didn't want it to be missed in my rambling) if they don't come out as nice as you'd hoped you could always turn them into toasties, should rescue them nicely!

lessonlearned wrote: »

I am going to join the NT after my holiday. I will take a flask for if I’m just walking around the estates or parks but when I visit the houses I will probably treat myself in the cafe......

I:

Hi folks. I am loving this thread, and picking up a few tips. LL - Don't forget my tip for joining the National Trust, you don't have to live in Scotland to join the National Trust for Scotland for £38 a year by Direct Debit - and they have reciprocal arrangements with National Trust for England and Wales.

Organising myself well so far
I'm still drowning in laundry, hopefully the last will be cleared away by this afternoon.
Making use of the best ever gift my mother gives me each year of a calendar with all the families special occasions written in, half the time I don't know what day it is never mind the date, so I rounded up all the odd cards I have brought stuck in a safe place and promptly forgotten and had to repurchase.
These have been written out cash added where required and filed with the stuff I go into regularly to remind me I'm covered to May and will pick up the rest of the years cards this week and do the same.
Finally talked DH into changing his contact sim card into PAYG saving £5 a month we already run quite a tight budget but the saving covers his Evo magazine subscription a year or a weeks shopping so I'm more than happy.
Happy New Year everyone, hopefully not too many hangovers from using up all the alcohol