Austerity measures

Over the weekend, slightly terrified by what I was seeing on the credit card statement, I instituted a handful of Austerity Measures for the Cheung Household. One of the biggest budget offenders is Going Out For Lunch and instead of throwing a little hissy fit about it (because you know it is not ME going out for lunch) I decided I would try to help a dude out. And that meant cooking. 

My husband is not big on, say, sandwiches. When he deigns to make himself a sandwich, which he only does after determining that there is nothing left in the house, he stacks it super high, Dagwood-style, so much so that one package of deli meat produces MAYBE two sandwiches. And then he complains about having to slice cheese. SUCH A BABY ABOUT THE SANDWICHES. 

No, what Phillip wants to eat is Leftovers. And I... hate leftovers. There are very VERY few things I want to eat the next day, I almost never want to take my food home from a restaurant, and it never occurs to me to make so much food that we have leftovers on PURPOSE. I am the person who LIKES sandwiches. Actually, just give me a loaf of bread. Maybe a cup of yogurt. And I'm good! Cooking is for high maintenance people!

My poor husband, huh? Now his MOM would spend her entire weekend making all sorts of nice Chinese dishes and she'd put four or five cups of rice in the rice cooker and he'd be set for the week. But Phillip chose to marry a white girl who cannot stirfry beef to save her life. IT'S HIS OWN FAULT. 

But I thought I would TRY, you know? I make this [ridiculously easy] baked pasta thing that he likes, so I thought I would put that together this afternoon and he could bring it for lunches. Then it ALSO occurred to me that I knew how to make something else that leftovers well - fried rice. I don't make GREAT fried rice, but even amateur fried rice is yummy. So I went grocery shopping with Leftovers in mind and set out the ingredients and felt better about the whole austerity thing. 

The kids stayed with Phillip's parents this weekend [there was a local Chinese school performance for Chinese New Year - Jack and Molly were smitten - am I going to have to send them to Chinese school? - A POST FOR ANOTHER DAY] and P's parents only planned to stay a few minutes when they brought them home. But! Phillip was busy trying to attach his new television (SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE. WE NEED THE AUSTERITY MEASURES.) to the wall and I was trying to not look because THAT IS MY WALL. Anyway, it ended up that MIL hung out with the kids and FIL helped Phillip hang the TV and then I decided to suck it up and just ASK my MIL how she makes her fried rice. Because MIL's fried rice? Like everything else she makes? DELICIOUS. 

Turns out the only difference between my fried rice and MIL's is, well, SHE makes hers. That somehow infuses the tasty magic? I don't know. And then without me suggesting it or implying it or anything, MIL waltzes into my kitchen and takes over the fried rice-making. After they left Phillip asked me if I was okay with that and I was all, "IT WAS THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED ALL WEEKEND."

So now I have a giant vat of fried rice in my fridge in addition to a giant pan of baked penne and I have high hopes for the budget. Is this a problem/issue/item of concern in your house? How do you combat the siren call of the lunchtime Indian buffet on 4th avenue? 

 

 

Comments

[Amy J]

I, well, don't. I am the offender. I no likely sandwiches and I despise leftovers. Not much left after that. I pack the child's lunch, I pack the husband's lunch (who will eat both sandwiches and leftovers) and I am done with the lunch packing! So, I eat out, a lot.

[The Sojourner]

My husband and I are both currently unemployed, so I don't really have to deal with this. (That is not meant to be some kind of misfortune Olympics, by the way. It's life and we deal.) But he eats like a goat, so I seriously doubt he'd mind if I send him to work with a lunch meat sandwich every day.

I, on the other hand, am with Phillip. I don't eat sandwiches unless there is NOTHING ELSE. And now I control the grocery budget, so there is always something else. *rubs hands together with glee* I almost never eat cold cereal either. When we were very small my mother used to make breakfast for us almost every day, and then she went to work and we went to school and she tried serving us cold cereal and we were all, "WHAT IS THIS GARBAGE, WOMAN? MAKE US PANCAKES!" And then a few years later she quit work and started homeschooling us, so behold! No more sandwiches in lunch bags! It was the best thing ever. And then in college I was the person who kept the 19 meal plan right through graduation because HOT! BREAKFAST! (And lunch, and dinner.)

That was longer than it needed to be. Point: I can put myself in other people's shoes and feel your pain (the older I get, the more I feel for my mother). But I am with Phillip on this one.

[HereWeGoAJen]

I used to have to make Matt a sandwich and a salad and two bags of chips and various other things in his lunch because he just ate THAT MUCH FOOD for lunch. And it was killing me. Then he and his friend started going out to lunch every day and it was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Lunch is not my problem any more! Of course, when we look at the budget again, I'll probably have to start coming up with lunch ideas again, but he refuses to take anything that needs to be refrigerated or heated up and I AM OUT OF IDEAS.

Apparently I am very annoyed by Matt's lunch. Who knew?

[Lacey]

I'm with Phillip on this too. I will only eat a sandwich if it's the only thing around. OR, if it's a warm sandwich. I think that's the key factor here: warmness. A warm lunch is better than a cold sandwich/yogurt lunch any day, and that's why I (and presumeably Phillip) prefer to eat out or have leftovers to heat up. I'm a big fan of making a casserole on Sundays that lasts a few days for lunches. Pinterest has lots of yummy casserole ideas!

[Karen]

My husband is a leftover eater. He will also eat a sandwich if there is nothing else. I guess I got lucky in the No Picky Eating Husband department. I think it's because his mother is such a dismal cook (No Lie, she once served us GRAY HOTDOGS and had no idea they were not SUPPOSED to be gray) that any food that is recognizable and not rotten is delicious.

Anyway. My husband comes home for lunch nearly every day unless he has meetings or we are having company (we homeschool). He PREFERS to come home, I guess. All the other professors buddy up and go out for lunch, or bring their lunches and eat with the department head, but he doesn't politick well either. So he doesn't eat out hardly at all, unless he has people coming in from out of town and has to take them out for lunch. We used to pack up lunches and meet him at his office for lunch, and the kids loved it, but then we started BUYING lunch there, and ice creams, and it was killing me. So we stopped that.

Point is, I totally see Philip's point. My husband is the same way. Me too, mostly. I love good leftovers. If there was a vat of fried rice in my fridge right now I'd be a happy camper.

[Life of a Doctor's Wife]

My issues with Husband's Lunch are legendary. Okay, in my own head. But I haaaaaaate thinking about his lunch. And, admittedly, I usually DON'T.

But I did want to comment that I am 100% WITH YOU on the leftovers thing. There are SO FEW things that I will eat the next day. SO FEW. But ew. Food was meant to be eaten, not stowed in the fridge in a plastic container.

[AmyRyb]

My husband and I both work outside the home. I've always been pretty good about bringing my lunch with the exception of once a week when I go out with friends. I only seem to like sandwiches in the summer, and only with interesting bread and good leaf lettuce. I can eat them at home, but at work I need something more enticing most of the time. Most days I bring a frozen meal (whatever's on sale that week), baby carrots, and a piece of fruit. I do eat leftovers, however, so those fill in the blanks here and there. My husband, on the other hand, insists he's willing to bring his lunch but never does, no matter what I provide for him. It drives me NUTS that I try to be economical and he's spending at least $6 every day on lunch. Kills me. I've given up trying for now.

[Jessica]

I love eating leftovers! I will eat a sandwich if where are no other options, but I'd prefer to eat up something. Chris does not like leftovers for the most part and would prefer a sandwich. Luckily, he will eat pretty much anything I put in his lunchbox without complaining.

His mom makes the best lasagna, if she would give us a pan every time she made it, I would be so happy!

[Anette]

I am seriously so bad I don't even make my kids lunches! But I do use my recently retired mom to take my kids grocery shopping (she has access to my household account for just this purpose)and get proper lunch time food and help them prepare them.

I should say she retired young to take care of my disabled dad so we pay her a "pension" to do this and a few other things like drycleaning runs and chauffering of the kids to some activities.

Also about the cheese slicing thing - did you know most grocery stores if you pick out a block of cheese and bring it to the deli they will slice it for you? Even slices - pretty package its fabulous!

[Jesabes]

We're both Lean Cuisine lunchers, but I loooove leftovers. Leftovers are a fancy lunch for me! I do get fast food (Jimmy Johns, mainly) once a week.

[Christina]

Oh my gosh Zeeb would be the happiest 8 year old on earth if there was a giant vat of fried rice in the fridge for him to take to school every day for a week. But then, he'd have to wrestle me for it, cuz I love fried rice leftovers too. Can you send your MIL this way? :)