We'll be on the road in a little while. DD#2 slept at a friends and we are just going to swing by and pick her tired body up and she'll probably fall back to sleep in the car. She wants to be able to weigh in on the apartment her sister picks, so didn't want to stay behind. She has some idea that once she gets her drivers license she will be road tripping herself to visit. DD#1 helped her cousin cook, serve, and clean up from a little dinner party last night, and just slept there as well, so I'm waiting for her to get home, hop in the shower quick before we leave. When my niece was briefly on her own, she hosted one last year. A series of issues, had her moving back home with her parents when her lease was up, but they are on vacation, and were fine with her hosting a grown up dinner party. I'm hoping DD brings leftovers home, because DH is on his own tonight for dinner. I took a look at our food stock and we are pretty full, but cooking is required. I'm glad there are little to no convenience foods, other than maybe a couple cans of soup, in the pantry. I've been trying to get the salt and preservatives out of the house.
Earlier in the week I took stock of my emergency reserves in my desk at work. Unlike home, my cupboards were bare. I've picked up more take out coffee's than I should in recent weeks, and Target is too convenient for a midday run. To break the habit, I replenished Thursday morning after dropping DD#2 off at school. Here' my list:
16 count Good Earth Spicy and Sweet Tea(My ffavorite)
22 count Bigelow Early Grey (My second favorite)
22 Count Maxwell house instant coffee sachet's (For emergencies)
4 Fig and Blueberry bars (Normally close to a $ a piece, but on special 4/$1.00-wish I bought more)
6 count package of Peanut butter crunchy granola bars
Box of Wheat Thins
Box of Triscuits
I think I spent just shy of $23.00, so not that thrifty in and of itself, and I know a lot of carbs. It stopped me twice on Thursday from succumbing to expensive beverages and snacks though, once on route to work, and then when a coworker walked over to Target before a meeting and offered to get me a cup. There are Starbucks in Target now-I still can't get over that. As if Target was not already a money suck, they had to put coffee bars in there as well. I'll add some other things the next time we do a real grocery shop-simple items like soup or tuna packets.
I'm pretty good about grabbing a piece of fruit as I head out the door even when I don't carefully pack a lunch. I go in streaks where I remember, and when I don't, I rely on my drawer. When it is bare, I eat very expensively, or skip lunch, which then sends my blood sugar crashing. If you work outside the house, what are your tricks for meals, snacks, and beverages during your day?
Merely tangentially related, I follow a slew of Londoners on Twitter, like the Londonist that posts cool free and low cost things to do in London. If you live in or near London, please tell me you do these cool things! Did you know there is a coffee house that does free classes on how to make coffee cup art? I would love to take a class to turn my cup of Joe into a milky swirly topped creation. I haven't found a Minneapolist site yet.
I'm lucky - we get free food at work. It's part of the whole SF/spoiled millenials/tech scene. ;-) I personally would be happy with a per diem/extra money & packing my own snacks & lunches again. But, since that's not an option, I'll happily munch away.
ReplyDeleteI try to stay away from the carbs & focus on the fresh fruit. I get in before almost anyone else, and grab a few pieces of fruit - one for breakfast, one for a snack later in the day. I also sometimes have hummus & carrots. And, if I choose not to eat breakfast, I'll add a string cheese & call it a meal.
I thought it would make a huge dent in our grocery bill, but . . . nope. ;-) That said, maybe our grocery bill would be ENORMOUS without this benefit.
That's a terrific benefit. I am sure it keeps people focused. We can't have any perks so up to ourselves.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if you are going to be busy!!! Safe travels!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I think stocking up on your work goodies is a great way to save money. Sounds yummy to me!
We found her a place and she'll move in next Sunday and start Monday. I won't be that busy but she sure will. March (and April and May) need to be savings months. February earnings were abysmal.
DeleteIt takes just under 30 minutes from where I live to get to Marylebone and then London is your oyster lol. We try to go in reasonably regularly the most recent in Jan to see Bill Bailey ( see post). We tend to stay over even tho it's not far and we spend a lot of time doing the markets Borough market and Portobello being our fav at the mo. The next event we have booked is Katherine Ryan at the Hammersmith Appolo in May. My newly married son and his wife live in London but as they only have a one bed apartment at the mo we don't stay with them lol. I can't wait to start our trip because there's lots of the states I want to do.
ReplyDeleteI'm such a geek, I'll watch Youtube videos on the markets-love them! We really only saw Camden, but did see lot's of fruit and flower and clothing stalls out an about. It might get pretty cramped in a one bedroom with four adults, so understand why you might not stay. I suppose like anything, what is someone's norm, seems exotic to others and vice versa. If your stop in the states inlcudes the Twin cities-give me a hail. I would be happy to play tour guide.
DeleteI ate better lunches when I was working as I would always make a pot of soup on Sundays and then put it into 5 lunch containers. Now, i don't bother since I'm usually at home at lunch time. But I find myself eating peanut butter on toast instead of a healthy bowl of vegetable soup!
ReplyDeleteI have better intentions than execution in planning ahead for the week. I love a bowl of soup for lunch, hence wanting a few cans for my reserves. I'm a fan of PB toast as well.
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