Eating like a king at the weekend, pauper during the week

In answer to your question, op, I work two long days and one short day per week out of the home, so those days are easy meals like pasta with a sauce or sausages and microwave mash/vegetables. Cba meals that are done very quickly!

Goodness me! Your user name says it all!!

Step into the present, my love. This isn’t the 1950s.

It's not a money thing for me, but a time and energy thing. I have less of both in the week so cook easier meals. Have more time at weekends and like to eat wtih my dcs so I spend more energy cooking. I don't see a takeaway as a treat and would never buy one, but might go out for something to eat with a friend at weekends. During the week I don't eat much at all really.

Friday night and a meal with extended family at some point in the weekend are maybe a bit more? Friday night is usually takeout, if not it is delicious processed garbage because I’m done with the week.

We’ll see someone in the extended family at some point in the weekend and do a big meal, but I might host or a sibling/in law or my mum, rarely an aunt. So we don’t have a cost for it every week. Definitely a bit expensive when we do it because we want everyone to feel spoiled and we’re all on budgets. The rest of the weekend is lots of snacky food usually on the go. We’re staying home today so it will be leftovers supplemented with takeout or making just one more bit.

During the week I do filling hot family meals, half veg and some meat and fish. We have kids so lots of pasta and curries and tray baked which isn’t a lot of work or money. Adding in soups but 2yo doesn’t agree it’s food. At least once a week it’s something on toast which I just found out doesn’t count as a meal.

We tend to have “fancier” meals at weekends but due to time mainly. I don’t work Wednesday and will often do something like a curry then which will last Thursday night too. During the week there will be at least one night of something like a supermarket quiche and jacket potato/salad, and one easy pasta thing.

No, and sometimes it can be the opposite due to buying convenience pre-prepped stuff for mid-week meals to compensate for little time. It is different priorities though, as we rarely eat out or buy takeaways these days, but prioritise freshly cooked meals every day where possible (the 'convenience' money will be on bags of stirfry veg, frozen chopped onions, cuts of meat/other protein that cook quickly, tinned pulses over dried etc). 10 years ago we ate out most weekends and 5 years ago was once or twice a month, but having DCs to feed too plus the ever-rising costs of everything has meant we can no longer eat out very often.

We do cook more elaborate meals on the weekend or on week days when I'm not working (self-employed so get random days off between jobs), but this doesn't necessarily mean more expensive.

I also wouldn't count takeaway pizza as eating as a king TBH (it's good for a night off cooking, but doesn't leave me feeling like I've had a fantastic and luxurious treat), nor eating out for the most part any more. The latter I have found increasingly disappointing as restaurants also feel the pinch and cut corners/reduce quality to make ends meet.

Yes a mixture of cost and time, tonight is lasagna and tomorrow a roast but then it will be soup, baked potatoes, beans on toast, pizza, pasta pesto

Yeah definitely like a treat on a Friday night like steak, Saturday something more time consuming like a nice lasagne, Sunday a roast dinner. Would usually have wine on two of the weekend nights too. In the week it's quick and easy all the way as we are all out at work. Usually have a couple of freezer nights, a veggie pasta dish, stir fries, sausages etc. takeaways aren't often and eating out less so sadly

We don’t have takeaways but occasionally eat out. We don’t really have different meals during the week or weekend. We work from home so we can cook whatever we want on any days.

Friday evening is usually a takeaway (if we're on an early shift), or I'll make enchiladas/curry/burrito from scratch if we're on a late shift (before I get the "why can't he make it?" comments, I finish 2 hours earlier than him on a late shift and I'm fucked if I'm going to wait until 9.30pm before eating). Monday-Thursday it's whatever we can be bothered to make, or else it's something from the freezer that has been left over. We tend not to eat much at all over the weekend, we just "graze".

I’m a sahm so proper hot meals during the week but this is often things like curry because we have clubs and then have to eat as soon as we get in. Then tbh weekends we are usually out for lunch and dinner. However if I were working everyone would be lucky to get a sandwich.

Can I come round for the weekend?

I'm good with reasonably behaved children and I'll even do the washing up 😊.

its just me and my 9 children, baby up to 17.

Is that you Jemerrill Stewart?

Why don’t the men in your life do the cooking then? They can have exactly what they fancy - and cook some for you while they’re at it.

This is how I eat when I am in control of the menu. It’s not driven by food costs so much as time. I don’t like spending a lot of time in the kitchen on weekdays. I want quick, fast meals.

i don’t cook for picky eater DH anymore though, so he is in charge of meal planning and cooking most nights and won’t settle for anything simple.

We're all pretty food-focused in our house, and I absolutely love cooking so there's always something on the go. We probably eat more big pot things during the week as the DC will be in and out to various activities, so a scoop of curry or chilli is easy.

At the weekend, we have a chat about what we want to eat. It will take more time, there might be more buying of special ingredients, and we usually have meat (don't eat meat during the week). I'll open wine and make a pudding, which I never do during the week. When I was a kid, Saturday night and Sunday dinner were always really special and my parents would spend the day buying and cooking food, so its a bit ingrained.

We don't have the capacity for elaborate home-cooking during the week and with both parents working fulltime (or more) and three teenagers with their own stuff going on its just not feasible.

There is nothing wrong with a something-on-toast dinner.

So midweek is basic and quick, and at weekends more ambitious. Though TBH I am massively over cooking and haven't any enjoyment in it any more - thankfully DH loves it.

You’re a single parent to 9 children??

Please give us your weekly meal plan as you must be incredibly organised!

I eat like a pauper in the week and a Queen at weekends to keep my weight down 😆. I’m all healthy food and fruit for pudding during the week then pizza/wine/cake at the weekends. I’m still slim at nearly 60 so it works for me.

Maybe they could cook themselves?

if anyone ones cooking for had ‘a fit’ at what I served them, I wouldn’t be cooking for them again.

Not consciously but I will make more complex food often which means often it costs more, or we'll fetch fresh fish which means it cost more

Literally so glad my husband doesn't rely on me to be fed. Where did this expectation come from?