When Alan was feeling a bit better by Friday lunchtime last week and he said he fancied a bacon bun, so we drove round to Booths as they do an all day breakfast sandwich there.
He really enjoyed it and I kept him company with a bowl of chips, and of course the obligatory cup of coffee. There's not actually much that I can eat on the Booths menu, so chips with mayo is a good standby.
I sat looking at the receipt, and thought to myself I'll check out what I could buy for that amount once I'm home. Well of course I didn't do it straight away, but yesterday spotting the café receipt on the worktop I pulled up the Sainsbury's website and filled my shopping trolley with everything I would need to make the exact things that we had eaten and drunk for lunch.
It was a bit of an eye opener. 😐
So if I made the lunches that we had both eaten, I would have left over - virtually all of the spread, most of the mayo, three quarters of a bottle of dandelion and burdock, three quarters of a bag of frozen chips, six slices of bacon, three bread rolls and virtually all of a jar of coffee.
I do love a good comparison.
But it's also nice to go out for a simple bowl of chips every now and then, and Booths is looking very festive with all their garlands across the main door and all around the store and café. The front door is looking even better now with stands of wreaths and Christmas trees on the left hand side. 🎄🎄🎄
Sue xx
I was really tired on Wednesday after delivering a card making class to about 50 older ladies but we really needed to do a big shop. Husband and daughter were keen on going to Costa for coffee and a goodie. I declined so we all just raced round and got the shopping done. We save £30 on Tesco offers and around £20 by not going for coffee! We also were home before the rush hour really kicked in and enjoyed a coffee and scone at home and put all the shopping away and I put my feet up for half an hour. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThat is the perfect result isn't it. It's oh so easy to cave in a say yes to a coffee and cake made by someone else, but when you get home and think of the money you have just saved it makes that surge of willpower even more powerful. And of course you can afford to get so many more scones, even if you buy them at the supermarket and eat them at home.
DeleteA great comparison. I love to see the Stores all done up for Christmas, we need plenty of cheer at the moment don't we....x
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
We really do. Worryingly though, I find myself humming Christmas tunes as I walk around!!
DeleteI'm glad Alan is on the mend. I quite often decide not to eat out and just wait a bit longer till I'm home, even when I'm quite hungry, because food is expensive ordinarily, when eating out it can feel like a waste of money. Occasionally it's nice because it feels like a treat and people watching whilst you're sitting out is always good value. I feel if you have a good experience overall and the food is good it's worth it.
ReplyDeleteYes exactly that, I would prefer to wait until we get home to eat, but a cup of coffee and half an hours people watching is fine by me.
DeleteHello Sue,
ReplyDeleteIt is, of course, difficult to make fair comparisons as there are so many variables in this situation. However, sometimes it is a real treat to go out and about and have someone else do the cooking and the washing up. When the event is coupled with delicious food and friendly service, then any extra can definitely seem worth it.
What constantly amazes us is the price of a cup of coffee [and many other things]. Not so very long ago, this was an inexpensive treat that could be repeated without counting the cost. Nowadays, it feels as if in buying the coffee one is putting a down payment on the entire café. !! Now, when did this happen and at what price will people stop paying...
Oh it's always difficult to make comparisons, but that's just the way my brain works after years of challenges and frugal living. Coffee beans have shot up in price now, so I see the rising prices continuing until no one can actually afford to grab a coffee. Sadly then lots of small businesses will go under. :-(
DeleteI have been checking out the location of Booths Stores. There is one which is half an hour from my daughter's house. I may feel the need to visit when we next stay with them! [just for comparison purposes, you understand...]
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing this is the Knutsford store, as the Hale Barns one closed a couple of years ago ... much to my brother's dismay! Comparison is good. :-)
DeleteI'm glad Alan's on the mend!
ReplyDeleteOur two breakfasts in Spoons (with coffee) come to £7.58 - the Lavazza coffee is endless so we could sit there all day and not spend another penny. I was tempted to do that today as the weather was so dreadful! xxx
Spoons is fantastic value isn't it, of course everything is cooked by 'Mike', so they can keep their costs down. :-)
DeleteI think I would be well over-caffeinated if I went to Spoons regularly.
We save ££ because I can't go into most cafes for a coffee and cake as I need to avoid catchi g and respiratory infection. But I do miss the buzz and sounds and peiple all around - I guess that's what you pay the extra for!
ReplyDeleteYes, I can understand that a café environment would not be good in that instance for you, being careful is much more important. So many of the elderly people in our town go for a morning coffee, to read the paper for free and sometimes have a breakfast, and it's obvious that they are there as much for the company of people as the food and drink.
DeleteThat was a very interesting price comparison. You'd be able to have at least a couple of other meals for the amount you paid and still have items leftover!
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun little exercise to do, it kept me out of mischief for a while. ;-)
DeleteProviding a visible comparison in the way you just did should be the way ‘money managers’ show their ‘clients’ how the cash they are trying to budget will stretch further.
ReplyDeleteIt’s easy for someone to say - don’t spend it…….life doesn’t happen that way…..but seeing how several ‘simple’ lunches could come from that same amount of cash could be an eye opener (for some)
And…..who on earth puts mayo (or red sauce or even gravy) on hot chips. It’s vinegar all the way 😊
It is much easier to picture how to do something or how something works with images isn't it. I have to admit to like seeing things in black and white or in a photograph, to be able to 'set it' properly in my brain. I also always found it easier to train people with images rather than just waffle on at them.
DeleteNormal people put mayo (or occasionally other sauces if they HAVE to) on chips. Bitter, tangy, sour people put vinegar on chips. Haha ... can you tell I HATE vinegar!! ;-)
Oi, that’s not very nice. Remember the old idiom ‘never judge a book by its cover’…..good job my mum taught me ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me’.
DeleteBet you like kale…..only weird people like that😊😊
Haha ... I was only joking. 😄
DeleteKale is okay, but spinach is better. Kale stays a bit too tough for my liking, but I'm good at growing it. 💚
That was an interesting comparison! We went to Maldon on Saturday and had lunch at Mrs Salisbury's and I thought about what I could have boought for the money. But, we had such a lovely time and it felt really special and cosy so I am glad we went!
ReplyDeleteIt is an educational exercise working out what you could have bought isn't it. I do find that sort of comparison fascinating.
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