Fiver Week: Thursday

Yesterday was the most difficult day of the week so far, because it was the most sociable. The plan was to meet friends for food and a drink, and then go on to a club where some bands were playing. How did it go?

The working day was fine, with a quick lunch of bubble and squeak (the king of all leftovers) and a fried egg, plus tea and toast. Not quite the same as meeting a friend for lunch, but it was mighty tasty, and it used some more ingredients up before they went off.

I did some window shopping online during my afternoon tea break, which was a big mistake because I then had to walk away from the things I’d found, knowing fully well that they probably won’t be there on Monday when this experiment’s over. That was silly, but should have known better really.

For my thrifty chore of the day, I looked up how to freeze some of the veggies that are nearly ready to pick in the garden (there’s too much to eat all in one go, and want to avoid waste), and started planning a menu for next week.

Then I quickly got changed and put some lipstick on, before rushing out in the rain to meet some friends at Belgo in the centre of town for an early dinner. They’re still running their Beat The Clock offer between 5pm and 7pm, where you can pick one of six main courses from a short menu and you pay the same price as the clock reading at the time of your order. That makes a meal of moules frites no more than 6.59 if you turn up in time.

The last time I went out with a certain friend I picked up their food and drink tab, and they offered to return the favour for me when they heard about the Fiver Week challenge I was doing. So I had moules frites and a half of Belgian beer, as I felt that ordering more on someone else’s tab would be taking the mickey somewhat.

While we were there, I noticed that other people in our party were just having chips.  If I hadn’t been offered a free/return dinner then I think I’d have done exactly the same thing. It’s too difficult just staying in all the time to conserve funds, and although I like dinner parties and cooking for people it’s also nice to get out as well sometimes.

Then, on to the gig. I didn’t count this as part of my fiver seeing as the tickets had been prepaid in advance, and part of this week’s challenge was about using things up that I already had. It was a great night out watching bands warm up for the Vintage at Goodwood festival, although I had to leave slightly early before public transport finished for the day. Two people bought me drinks while I was out (people I normally buy drinks for too), and again I didn’t have any more than that because I didn’t want to look like a complete sponger.

It was great to see some friends and really let my hair down, and if we hadn’t already had tickets for something then I would probably have suggested going out to a free event instead. Not drinking so much turned out to be a good idea too, as I felt more refreshed when I woke up this morning. Meanwhile I have £4 left after buying some milk, and this cash has to last for the rest of the weekend…

Are you having a fiver week of your own? How are you getting on and do you have any good ideas to share?