To be annoyed that DH has just spent £25 on dinner?

[SnappyHorse]

We’ve just had our usual Saturday night ‘what shall we have for dinner’ conversation. Me not wanting to cook because I cook every night because I’m home earlier than DH, and DC’s wanting takeaway fish and chip which costs £30 every time. We compromised on fish and chips from the Co-Op round the corner which I can just chuck in the oven.

DH said he’d nip out. He’s just come back from M&S having spent £25 on Gastro fish and chips. I’m sure they’ll taste lovely, but I’m annoyed that he’s spent £25 on 1 dinner. We haven’t really got £25 to spend on 1 dinner and if he was going to spend that, why didn’t he just get takeaway?

Slightly light hearted, but I am annoyed with him.

Yes it is but M&S isn’t shit food.

I think pp is wondering about the bigger picture. OP already does all of the planning, cooking etc but for just one day, DH can't go out and grab the thing that they agreed on? That's all he had to do and he can't even do that.

To me, it's more bonkers that other pp are telling OP to plan for yet another thing when really, it isn't hard for her DH to just get what they agreed on or even better, get off his arse and take a turn at planning and cooking for once.

I'm not at LTB yet but I would absolutely be refusing to cook or even think about dinner on a Saturday from now on if I was OP.

@Pandora55 good job our DH’s don’t live together!

I'd be frustrated too. When you're trying to save the pennies and then he goes and splashes the pounds. No point being mad now. Have a proper honest chat though.

YANBU. DH and I have only had 'a meal' from the chippy 3 or 4 times in about 2 years. We have a cone of chips between us when we're out in the day, if we're hungry. Costs £2.00. Probably have one 5-7 times a year.

One portion of chips with one large fish, and mushy peas or curry sauce (that does me and DH with a piece of bread and butter,) is now costing about £11.50. Not paying it. (Was £6.50 pre 2012.) I now do my own chips in the oven, (a bag that gives 10-12 portions costs £2.00,) I open a tin of mushy peas, (59p from Aldi,) and get 4 battered cod for £3.50 in Aldi too. And we have one each as they are a bit smaller. So for around £6.00 we get 4 meals. (And plenty of oven chips left over.)

It's fucking batshit to get a chippy tea now (from the chip shop,) OR a takeaway regularly. Had DD and her DH around a few months ago, and we all had a Chinese takeaway. Chicken curry and egg fried rice and 1 bag of chips and some noodles and prawn crackers for me and DH. And 2 vegan curries, 1 boiled rice, and some salt and pepper chips for DD and her DH. Also 8 mini spring rolls. Cost £45.00 3-4 years ago, that same order was £28.

Needless to say we rarely do it now. Me and DH used to have a takeaway every other week that cost about £13..., (pre 2021.) We had chicken curry, rice and chips, some noodles, some prawn crackers, and half a dozen chicken balls. It now costs £26 for the same order. We only have it 4 or 5 times a year now. We get takeaways (Indian and Chinese) from Tesco maybe once every 3 weeks. Costs £8. Feeds us both.

The takeaway prices are fucking exorbitant now. Yeah, I am sure they need to charge that much because of rising costs of everything, but we are still not going to pay it. Everything has risen for us too!

A neighbour of mine - woman with four kids aged 5 to 15, and a boyfriend who lives there half the week, has a takeaway 3 or 4 times a WEEK. Chinese, Indian, kebab shop takeaway, pizza etc... And at least once a week, she goes to McDonalds to get an order for the 5 of them. Must set them back £30 to £40 each time. How the fuck they afford it is beyond me. Even if we COULD afford this, I wouldn't spend it. DH has a theory that she can't have a cooker! He is joking, but even if she hasn't, it would make more financial sense to get one, instead of wasting £70 to £80 a week on takeaways!

Well considering a proper no effort takeaway would be only £5 more.....and when all is said and done it is still "cook it yourself" food.....yeah its shit food.

And I have to say that M&S pre prepped are not all that. Lots of people say that its better but it really isnt. Its not as crap as some of the others, but it is still crap.

Co op had that freezer deal for a fiver, 4 battered fish fillets, scampi, wedges mixed veg and a tub of ice cream! Not sure if it was last week though

We had large fish and chips plus saveloy for DP with curry sauce last night between the two of us. Was £11. What you e got for 4(?) for )25 sounds reasonable.

Lolol

FFS

I've been surprised recently by how reasonably priced M&S is if you buy either their deals or their basic range. This isn't based on any proper comparative research, but it feels as if they've put their prices up less than Sainsbury's.

Totally not the point of the thread but the fish and chips feom
Morrisons cafe is almost as good as from the chip shop and much cheaper. Unfortunately they don’t make their own chips but the fish is great. £5.49 for a mini and £6.99 for a regular (actually quite large) plus kids can eat free

I think you mean nice not naice.

In your opinion. From where I’m sitting M&S food is far better than any other supermarket including Waitrose.

YANBU you could have had actual chippy for that!!
What was he thinking!!

What’s done is done though and I’d forget about it.

You have given me a great idea for what I can have for tea tomorrow though (not M&S version though) 😁

I'm surprised fish and chips for 4 would only be £30 at the chip shop. It would be about £50 here, so M&S would be cheaper.

If you're struggling for cash and didn't budget £25 for the m&s meal though, I can understand you being annoyed. Talk to him, it shouldn't just be you that is worrying about money and him messing up the budget for one meal. That's selfish.

No, she means naice.

I've been surprised recently by how reasonably priced M&S is if you buy either their deals or their basic range. This isn't based on any proper comparative research, but it feels as if they've put their prices up less than Sainsbury's

You're right.

Basic sliced bread,, mixed free range eggs, big blocks of Cheddar, basic veg fruit and veg like potatoes, carrots, onions, iceberg lettuce, bananas, flour, biscuits, milk, canned beans, tomatoes and soup all amongst the cheapest in supermarkets. Plus larger packs of chicken, bacon and sausages OK priced. Add in good yellow stickers and fakeaway deals and you can do quite well there.

We probably buy 50/50 in Aldi and M&S for all our groceries, with very little coming from elsewhere and it gives a good balance of quality and price and probably costs less than Morrisons and Tesco.

My husband always shops in Waitrose ‘because it’s a nicer experience’ on the rare occasion he does a food shop 😤 drives me mad.

Are you new around these parts….?

Oh dear God! You’ve made yourself look like a bit of a fool haven’t you? look up “Mumsnet naice ham”. “Naice” is MN lingo for fancier than usual.

To me, it's more bonkers that other pp are telling OP to plan for yet another thing when really, it isn't hard for her DH to just get what they agreed on or even better, get off his arse and take a turn at planning and cooking for once.

Agree with this! ^^

We can afford £25, but it just seems a waste for 1 meal. I generally shop in Aldi, then either Sainsbury’s or Morrisons for the branded bits or the bits I can’t get in Aldi.

We have a big M&S food hall about 5 minutes drive away, so I do often go in there but I wouldn’t do a full shop there, or buy a gastro meal deal for £25!!

If you normally do all the planning, shopping and cooking then your husband probably doesn’t understand how much effort it is.

I would just buy some extra freezer food for days like this. Frozen fish, frozen pizzas, have some tins of mushy peas in the cupboard etc if you don’t want to plan the extra meal. But if you’re already planning the other 6 meals it would be easier to just plan for this meal too but ask your husband if he will cook it to give you the night off.

That's really tight

It's £12 a portion for fish and chips here, but we usually share one. Supermarkets ready to go type food is more of a waste in my opinion because you still have to cook it and it doesn't taste that good.