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New Challenge: Lunch for a week under £10?
Oh dear. It’s come to this. I’m being challenged to spend no more than £10 for my lunch meals next week.
I must admit I’m of the lazy sort - I don’t spend much time thinking about what’s in my fridge at all. Not even on the weekends… An empty fridge is all fine with me! The only thing I stock up on is dog food - otherwise, I’ve been a classic type happy-go-lucky coffee bar lounger who haven’t worried much about dropping my hard-earned moola on the counter in return for a cappuccino, a sandwich or a salad and an interesting people watch. Question is - are people like me being punished for our sins?
You bet. I’m spending £35+ on lunch every week. Ouch. £35 a week is £140 a month.. which is £1680 a year!
Well, obviously, if this sounds like you too, then you and I really have got to do something about this… So I am cooking up a plan for next week. How does the following menu sound:
Monday: Lemon rice and Chickpea salad
Tuesday: Chicken Couscous salad
Wednesday: Dinner leftover day! Could it be…. Lasagna..?!
Thursday: Running out of inspiration. I might pick something from this amazing Flickr “Brought my lunch” group…or maybe you’ve got some ideas?
Friday: Surely, I’ve been a good girl if I’ve still survived by now. That’s gotta be rewarded by a Cuban Sandwich -the ultimate lunch for hardworking people. Yum.
Cuban Sandwich by star5112 at Flickr
Now the next step is to get to the store and find the ingredients. The Cuban Sandwich is bound to threaten my budget, but I’m not willing to let it go!
Got any tips and advice? Know of any useful sites for lunch ideas? It’s not to late to let me know:)
Posted in Food
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“Between soup and love, the first is better.”
… goes an old Spanish saying. Is there’s some truth to this? Maybe that’s why Molière famously said “I live on good soup, not on fine words”…
Day 1, £10 Lunch Week Challenge. Well, as much as I love quirky old quotes, I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve completely forgotten about my carefully planned lunch menu for this week. I’ve just blown away £2.75 of my £10 budget, on nothing but… you guessed it, soup.
Budget killer soup
How could I leave home without preparing lunch today? Pretty dumb, no? It wasn’t until I found myself waiting in line over at Pret’s that I suddenly remembered my lunch challenge. Fabulous. I really do have to begin writing notes on the bathroom mirror..
Horrified at all of this, I dropped the pricey salad I was carrying and asked for soup instead. “Want some bread to go with the soup?” the man at the till offered. “No thanks,” I answered quickly. Everything has a cost, I’m learning! I carefully counted my coins, paid up and hurried out of there. Although this rescued some of my budget, the remainder of my week is now looking pretty meager. And I’m still very hungry.
Spent so far: £2.75
Budget left: £7.75
Sigh. Will I survive this week?
Posted in Food
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Treasure hunting in the kitchen
Day 2, £10 Lunch Week Challenge
To make up for yesterday’s failure, I was determined to spend absolutely nil moola on lunch today. So I hurried back home for a quick peek in the fridge, fearing an empty sight followed by a distinctive, sour odor… I don’t usually stock up on much and if there’s anything at all to be found, it’s usually way past the expiry date.
Time is money, but I think that the most important lesson I’ve learned from my Oola Moola challenges it that Planning = Moola! A number one rule for being clever about money is always plan ahead.
Thankfully, my fridge was not completely empty. I found:
4 small cherry tomatoes
1/4 full box of feta cheese
A little bit of lovely, leafy & still edible spinach (does it make you think of Poopeye too..?)
1/2 avacado
1/2 red onion
Some grilled chicken pieces
A nearly empty bottle of Honey Mustard salad dressing.
Perfect! “Many brooks make a great river” says a Norwegian proverb, and the same is true for food - my small leftovers have become today’s lunch meal.
In no time at all, I put together a salad. I put the dressing in a separate little container to avoid the salad from being soggy by the time it’s time for lunch.
More treasure hunting: I couldn’t believe my luck when I found two, lonely and forgotten pieces of chocolate in a bowl, and a can of diet coke left behind by a friend this past weekend.
That’s lunch all set for today, with dessert:) And I’ve spent absolutely £0 of my £10 budget.
I’m back on track!
Spent today: £0
Spent so far: £2.75
Budget left: £7.75
Posted in Food
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You like potato and I like potahto!
Baked potato hiding under melted brie
Had to resort to buying lunch again. Been so busy lately - there’s just no time for shopping! Came home from work around 22:00 last night - missing the little convenience store at the corner by seconds. Argh. No food anywhere - and I used the last leftovers for yesterday’s salad.
I decided to have lunch at my desk and headed towards Coffee Republik for something cheap & cheerful. Read full post
Posted in Food
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Day 4: The return of the open faced sandwich…
Sometimes, I forget that I am a Scandinavian. I have lived abroad for something like a million years and this means that my memory of sharp cheese slicers, thin sandwiches with one layer of toppings only, brown cheese and 30 min lunch breaks in a tiny staff room towards back of the office has faded.
The minimalist Scandi lunch culture is perfect for my moola challenge, though. It all came back to me yesterday when browsing the cheese selection at Tesco. What’s up with all these thick, pre-sliced cheese packages? They’re so fat you’d think they’re meant to compete with bread. Read full post
Posted in Food
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Day 5: The Cuban Sandwich
The Cuban Sandwich
There’s a special reason why I’m such a fan of the Cuban Sandwich. Years ago, when I was studying in Cambridge, Boston, Chez Henri, a French bistro with a Cuban twist was my local - my favourite bar/restaurant ever. I used to go there in the evenings to meet people in my neighborhood - so often that my bike is even pictured outside the bar on a photo on their website.. But apart from being a calm, safe haven for us locals it was also the best, most romantic place in Boston to go for a date - the reason for this being the Cuban Sandwich. Priced at only $8 (in my time!), this massive feast served with delicious plantain fries (banana chips) in romantic surroundings was ideal for sharing. Read full post
Posted in Food
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Total moola spent/saved
- Spent:
- 7326.17
- Saved:
- 16823.69
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