Eat well for less - series 4

JackieO wrote: »

I don't have £14k a year to live on let alone waste on junk food

Like for like would mean £3.5K for one person a year. That is a lot of money.

My OH and I don't spend that on the both of us for food and non alcoholic beverages. I could add in the chinchilla food, hay and treats, cleaning products, toiletries and alcohol and might get to that amount for one person but for us as a couple.

So much money wasted but the food waste is abhorrent.

I was shocked at the amount they spend and waste.......my hubby has just returned from tesco with enough food for 3 adults to last 3 weeks for £15.60.i hate paying full price for food.

JackieO wrote: »

I enjoy budgeting and using my skills at eating well for less, mostly is just common sense really and eating sensibly

It is exactly that! I could be a multi-billionaire but if I have space in the freezer I'm unlikely to pass up on a bakery item adorned with a yellow sticker!

Case in point: yesterday at bought a couple of packs of TTD cheese and black pepper muffins RTC at 29p each at Sainsbury's, that's not even 8p each. I'll take a pack out when my mum next comes to stay, top with pesto, cherry tomatoes and cheese / an egg and voilà: a quick and easy snack / breakfast dish. Or serve warm and buttered with some spicy butternut squash soup, yummy!

It's only going to end up in the big yellow sack otherwise, so why not? The amount some people spend on food is just nuts. I reckon Mr Caan lived with a bit of scarcity during his childhood or perhaps went without sometimes, there's got to be a psychological explanation for his fridge-has-gotta-be-full-at-all-times syndrome. I quite liked Mrs Caan, she was a moderating influence on his profligacy.

:o:o:o:o

Crikey I feel a bit embarrassed now VfM4f I've never been called a doyenne before :):), a few other things over the years as I said its just common sense which I feel most women have in abundance .

I could spend more than I do ,but I would rather spend carefully to get the best value for cash that I can, then enjoy being with my adored grandchildren and having fun.This morning we are going off to the beach, my DD and three of the boys. She will probably go crabbing with them and I will happily sit on the front with all the bags and bits and pieces with my book and watch the world go by with a cold drink or a cuppa .

I talk to anyone I see who wants to chat (again free )do some knitting,and our day out will cost very little, the boys will probably go in for a swim as its going to be a scorcher today.We don't need theme parks to enjoy ourselves.

I will take along a pack of cards, and when its too hot we grab a bit of shade and probably play cards or just natter.

To me this communication with my family is worth its weight in gold, and DD who works long hours gets to natter to the boys, and we talk about anything under the sun.
I shall take some of my Happy Cash Stash with me and we will all have a cornet to cool off.

Simple things that please us all and don't cost the earth.My lovely son-in-law has revision to do for his exams later this month, so he will be at home with the dogs ,but will fire up the BBQ around 6.p.m. in time for us getting home They haven't got a BBQ that is all whistles and bells, its a very simple one which cost under £20.00 but it cooks things just as well as the more expensive jobbies, a big bowl of salad, and some bangers and burgers and you have a recipe for three hungry lads when we get back home .

As a family we appreciate the more simple things in life, and the boys have all grown up with the knowledge that they are loved and cared for and that money isn't the be all and end all of life .

8 weeks next Friday we all go off to our beloved Isle of Wight where, as we do every year have quite an old fashioned sort of holiday, which is usually mainly beach based (depending on the weather ) or the boys will go fishing with their Mum and my son-in-law and I will be at the holiday house in the garden reading or playing chess or cards, waiting for them to bring (hopefully ) some supper that they have caught

The boys enjoy the technology just as much as anyone and they have their computer games, but they also enjoy playing french cricket on the beach, or flying a kite they have made with the help of their civil engineering Dad.

Budgeting carefully throughout the year gives us these precious couple of weeks with the boys, and we do all get along pretty well.

I shall take a flask of coffee with me this morning and some biscuits for elevenses, but there is a nice reasonably priced cafe on the beach where we go for lunch.I doubt if today's day out will come to much more than £15.00 for 5 of us which by many standards is trifling, we will all enjoy it though and a swim in the sea is free :):)

JackieO x