Enjoying our free coffees at Burnside Garden Centre last week.
We tend to go about once a month so it made sense to join the loyalty scheme and, occasionally, qualify for two free coffees a month and money off our shopping. We just managed to get there on the last day of the month to claim October's free drinks, lets hope we aren't so last minute this month. 😊
After yesterday's post you just knew I would have to check up on what the £3.50 challenge shop of 2023 would cost me right now didn't you. I did, and while the grand total was £3.48 back in March of 2023 ...
Yesterday if I had been going to Sainsbury's to do the exact same shop it would have cost me £5.41.
Now that doesn't seem to be a huge amount of money, but, as Nelliegrace pointed out on yesterday's post, we should bear in mind that these are the most basic of foods and usually bought by people that can't afford to splash the cash on just anything that they fancy. So a £1.93 rise can be the difference between riding out a full week of eating or scrimping even more than usual.
It was an eye-opener, but sadly one that I expected.
Looking at price rises and wanting to do everything that I can do for myself to keep eating well on a budget is one of the reasons that I now find myself rescuing every available freebie that I can. Bringing leftovers from any snacks or meals that we eat out home with me to use in future meals and recipes.
I realise how very lucky I am that whenever we go out Alan pays for coffees, snacks and meals. If it were left to me I would rarely eat out as I struggle to find things that are suitable, and while I realise that the prices include the premises, staff etc etc as well as the cost of the food, I still baulk at the prices of something as simple as a toasted teacake and in my head there is the thought that I could have bought a pack of four for that price and a jar of jam. But Alan has always really enjoyed eating out so it is something that we do.
But claiming the free coffees, and rescuing the bits off mine ... and now occasionally other peoples trays ... help me to rationalise things for myself. I'm doing whatever I can to keep myself sane at the moment.
What have you rescued recently or claimed for free, or is it something that you just don't do?
Sue xx
We rarely eat out. Our philosophy is that we can eat the same or better cheaper at home. If we need or choose to travel further afield, we take refreshments with us. My husband spent so much of his working life 'entertaining' potential customers that he lost all interest in it. Dull, but there you are.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly how I feel, I eat so much better at home. I've been better recently at just having a coffee while Alan tucks into something that he fancies, but I am happy to keep him company. I have stopped taking 'packed lunches' with us when we are up and down the motorway visiting Mum, I used to for the first year of her hospital stays and care home, but then I decided that putting more pressure on myself to get up early to make them was too much, so it's usually a sausage roll and a coffee these days ...and then something nice and homemade for tea.
DeleteDuring covid in Michigan, we ordered take-out twice a week to try and help out the restaurants in our small town. Lately though, we have been eating out far, far less. Partially because of the cost (which has gone up a lot in our area), but more because the food quality seems to have gone down as well. I can make a lot of the food at home with better results. When we do eat out it's Indian, Korean or Middle Eastern - types of food I'm not good at and that we love. Plus those types of shops give such a good portion that it's two meals, which works for my internal mathing.
ReplyDeleteThat all sounds very well worked out, and that's what we have to do don't we. It's a balancing act having a treat every now and then and trying to support the local economy and managing to stay within a reasonable budget.
DeleteWhen ever I eat out, I cannot justify the cost of a tea, for two reasons.
ReplyDeleteOne - the tea is never hot enough, so the tea is a bit insipid and Two - I could buy almost a half of a 72 bag box of tea when it is on special, for the price of one cup. I only have one cup of coffee a day, so that is not one I drink in a restaurant. Some fast food places have added a few cents to their price of coffees and expect others to do the same. I usually have a glass of water, and wonder how long that will free of charge.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that sits doing the maths on what the price of my coffee or my teacake could buy me if I didn't have someone else making it for me in a café. :-)
DeleteA black Americano, which is my drink whenever we go out is around £3.35, I could buy a 200g jar of Sainsbury's instant coffee for £2.85, which would keep me in coffee for two or three weeks.
Hello Sue,
ReplyDeleteIn these challenging times, we think it important to ensure that no food is wasted. It seems the right and moral thing to do as well as , hopefully contributing to the saving of the planet in the process.
Living between the UK and Hungary, it is interesting to make comparisons. An important difference with regard to food is that all food in Hungary is taxed at the full rate of 27%. This is a significant and, in our view, obscene way to collect taxes when everyone has to eat and this makes it even more difficult for the poor to live comfortably. However, given this and the fact that there is no tax on food in the UK, the prices in the UK are still very much higher than in Hungary. So, why should this be?
One answer may be that in general the markets and supermarkets are filled with seasonal rather than imported goods.....something to consider.
Not wasting food is the thing I strive the most for, I think that everything we buy should be because we want to eat it or use it in some way, so any wastage is like putting your money straight into the bin isn't it. I turned into the queen of leftovers a long time ago and anything left on my plate, whether at home or when we are eating out is saved to be used in one way or another.
DeleteTaxing ALL foods is so wrong isn't it. In the UK only foods classed as 'luxury foods', such as ice-creams, desserts, takeaway foods and the food we buy from cafés and restaurants are taxed, all at the usual rate of 20%. Anything that is a basic ingredient is zero rated for VAT. So buying ingredients and cooking at home means that you are rarely paying any tax on the food.
I love to eat with the seasons, and if the shops did this a lot more than they currently do food would be so much cheaper. Home grown vegetables and fruits are so much better, not just 'home' but also UK grown. Oh, and once again I spotted 'Luxury Hot Cross Buns' in Aldi last week. How much nicer they would be if they went back to only being available around Easter time.
Norrie and I have been chatting quite a lot recently about how our eating out has diminished. I had lunch out as part of a group on Tuesday and found the food unbearably salty, too much and very overpriced-£43 for a three course lunch with a glass of wine (I don’t drink alcohol). There was such a pained face to get me a veggie dish which was tagliatelle, tomatoes and fennel seeds with no veg or cheese. I enjoy a cheese scone and a nice Decaff cappuccino as a treat but like you, Sue, I keep thinking that I could do it for much less at home. I felt so guilty about the lunch that I have donated the same amount to the food bank! Catriona
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could eat a three course lunch these days, and thankfully I don't have to eat out in groups anymore so the pressure to do that has gone. That's a lot of money for one meal isn't it. I would be going straight home to see what I could buy for that amount, possibly enough food to feed at least one or two people for a whole week.
DeleteI don't think there's any need to feel too guilty about such an occasional splurge, but I bet the food bank were very grateful to get your donation. :-)
I do as much as I can with claiming free 'stuff', it's one of the ways I make money s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Like you I get quite a buzz. Lidls are very good for that sort of thing. I can't find everything I need in Lidls, so I top up with shopping at other local supermarkets. Lidls has a system of rewards, as you spend with them you're entitled to free items. Sometimes fruit and veg, sometimes something from the bakery, or even toiletries. The coupons on your app are normally valid for seven days, but I put my shopping in my car then immediately go back in and claim my frees stuff, that way the coupons never expire. I pay for my free bits through the self service so it only takes a minute or two .
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great way to do it. Sadly we don't have a Lidl close to us, but maybe it would be worth us making a special trip every now and then. 😀
DeleteI do exactly the same! Go straight back in. Also, when I get the "free veg" reward, I choose a sack of potatoes rather than something smaller/cheaper. Last summer I chose a £4 punnet of strawberries for free.
DeleteIt's a really good way to do it isn't it. So many people choose the free sack of potatoes as their 'free veg reward' ... they must go through a LOT of sacks of potatoes. :-)
DeleteLike you, I struggle to find suitable food to eat in cafes and restaurants, so these days we rarely eat out (and like Jabblog my husband spent so much of his working life in hotels that eating out is no longer something 'special' for him). Which means I don't get the opportunity to rescue anything . . .
ReplyDelete£3.50 -> £5.41 = 55% increase.
Which is in keeping with our own monthly food bill that has increased by the same amount since pre-Covid.
I think Alan likes eating out so much after spending so many years cooped up in submarines and eating quite basic foods. 😄
DeleteIt's a huge increase for those who can least afford it.
We both have membership at Dobbies Garden Centre for £12 a year. For that we get two hot drinks each a month, a birthday hot drink and cake for two, and 10% off most shopping. 50p for a good cup of coffee is fair enough, it is a pleasant afternoon treat.
ReplyDeleteFor all other outings I take a flask and mugs.
We have a super three course lunch, monthly in term time, at the local college restaurant, cooked and served by the enthusiastic students. It has gone up to £18.50, but the portions are generous and the food is outstanding.
Yes, I have a Dobbies card too, the birthday treat alone makes the yearly payment worth it. It really is worth finding these offers when we have time to visit the places that have them isn't it. 😀
DeleteAfter all the years of not eating out - even for coffee because there just wasn't the spare cash - I now enjoy treating the family to meals out now and again and coffee out when I'm on my own.
ReplyDeleteMorrisons do a OAP breakfast for £6 - thought I'd give it a try - oh dear - won't bother again!
It is really nice to have a treat, and to treat family isn't it. I don't think we have ever had anything nice in a Morrisons café, it's always a last resort place for us. Burnside garden centre do a lovely breakfast for just £6.50 each, it's small but that's all we need these days. They also have a meat and a veggie version, so we sometimes have that when we go for our free coffees.
DeleteMy idea of "eating out" these days is a supermarket lunch deal eaten in the car!! I look at the prices of some of the stuff on offer and just cannot justify it. I went cold recently rather than pay £2.50 for a cup of tea. Ridiculous! Like My Piece of Earth, I work out how many teabags I could get for that price (even drinking Earl Grey as I do, it's half a pack of 80) and think, nope! I have been told I am not allowed to scrimp on main meals on my middle week in NZ - e.g. no just having a starter instead of the main course, as they know me! It's just once in a lifetime, and I'm not buying groceries at home . . .
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with a 'meal deal', we had a few of those when Mum was first in hospital and we had to just get in the car and dash to Manchester.
DeleteYou have to listen to the ones that know you so well ... after all you will have the equivalent of your usual housekeeping money, plus maybe a bit extra for treats. It really does have to be the holiday of a lifetime if you are travelling that far.
I try and rescue all the food bits from our meals here at home. We only go out for brunch once in awhile and really there are no sachets available to pick up and they only give you one napkin.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
In a way that is refreshing, although you are gathering in no free bits while you are out and about, you have the peace of mind knowing that nothing has been wasted by the various establishments.
DeleteI was most interested in the price comparison and how much the same groceries would cost now. I don't eat in restaurants anymore, but, I do like a take out every so often. Back when I used to eat out, I would bring home any leftovers; most restaurants here will give out containers to take the leftovers home.
ReplyDeleteOne thing we have virtually stopped now is having 'take outs'. Alan used to be terrible for opening the cupboard, seeing 'nothing to eat' and going out and getting a Chinese takeaway instead. That seems to have stopped over the last couple of months, and I'm very relieved. 'Doggy bags' seem to be available virtually everywhere now, which is a very good thing, especially as portions seem to get bigger and bigger.
DeleteWe do visit Costa once a week, and with their loyalty scheme get free coffees, and also Dh's daughter always gives him and me vouchers.. It might seem costly to go out for coffee, but we don't visit pubs, and we like it!
ReplyDeleteWe used to visit Costa regularly when we lived in Wales and took the dogs walking on the prom, these days it's a rarity as thankfully there is no Costa in town here, and we discovered that Greggs coffee was cheaper and much nicer, and with a comparable free coffees scheme.
DeleteWe rarely go into pubs these days, I wonder is it a sign of age when garden centres replace pubs in your life? I think it must be!!
Our choices about how we spend our money have such an impact on what is available to us. The ease and often much cheaper prices of shopping on line have already killed off many high street businesses and often doesn't contribute much to our economy or jobs. Sadly, many businesses in the food and drinks industry have also closed and others are suffering. That 50%+ increase we have seen in food prices will also have been seen by the owners of restaurants, bars etc. Staffing costs have increased enormously as have the utilities and all of these costs have to be paid even when there are no customers. I tend not to go out for coffee but will for a meal although I know I can do it better and more cheaply at home. I am lucky enough to be able to do it occasionally and look at it as a way of supporting the local economy and keeping jobs. I do think the government needs to give more support. Maybe we need the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme brought back to encourage us to get out and about.
ReplyDeleteIt's a quandary isn't it, while we struggle to pay for some things, if we don't make the effort we will actually lose the ability to have them for much longer. That's why I think is is important that if you have the ability to pay for coffees and some meals out it is good to support the businesses local to us as they really are struggling thanks to recent Government NI and wage rules changes.
DeleteWe are in the fortunate position that we can do that, it just doesn't sit that well with me. I will always be the person that sits and works out how much I could have bought for the price of my chips and coffee.