Day 5: Standby for beer

The weekend approaches so time to start cranking up the spending - and perversely therefore the savings!


Friday's are usually pretty good as there is a bar at work - it opened today at 3.30.  Coupled with the array of savoury snacks and cakes assembled for a colleague's birthday, I can leave the office a couple of bottles of Staropramen and a mildly lined stomach to the good.


The plan is to head to a pub for a former colleague's leaving do (read someone's card must be behind the bar) before meeting up with the partners' friends (when the spending starts). 


Weekend will be full of blagging my way onto guest lists, trying to persuade people to drink in Wetherspoons (you can still have efficiency savings even when ringfencing ale spending) and sponging off my partner's mum who lands in the UK on Sunday morning. 


But on reflection, is too much sponging really in the rules?  


This is about cuts, not being a student again. And the coalition government is trying to avoid going cap in hand to anyone.  


But then, the principles of the Big Society seem to be don't spend money on something you could get someone else to do for free.


So, when is it sponging and when is it just civil society doing its duty?


Anyway, it's probably wise not to blog when drunk, so until tomorrow... 

Day 2: The tragedy of a Baked Camembert

Today was meant to be a day of triumph. 

Oh how I was going gloat on my successes of having friends round for dinner and thus saving them and me money.  "40% a doddle" or "cuts are simples" may have even been the headline.

But then I failed to go to Sainsbury's (note the Morrison's option is not being deployed yet) and so had hungry friends sat expectantly on the couch, pining for food.

So off to the Oxford.  And, avoiding the £17 steak (is inflation now running at 6.3% as compared to the other week?), I went for a £12 lamb (saving 29.4%) and a couple of pints of Deuchars IPA (VERY ring-fenced).

This is a problem as that saving is nowhere near where I want to be... 


In fact, it is obscene. Waste if you will.  Why should such fancy goods be allowed.  We must get tough and abolish all excessive consumption.


So, I will have to go to the lowest cost item on the menu at these Gastropubs.  Today that would have been a Baked Camembert at £10 (oh those poor PRs having to make do on Camembert, I hear you cry)... well it would have been a 41% saving based on a steak.

And while there are no real savings today, there is a new pledge... At all gastropubs only the cheapest item on the mains menu may be purchased. And no more than two trips a week to such establishments.

Day 1: The Coffee Chronicles

So day one of my cuts challenge is here.

It's not been a good day to be fair.

100% of my voluntary spending has been on coffee and alcohol.

First off £3.85 for breakfast: One Soya Latte (yes, yes, very PR I know) and one pain au raisin.

Then £2.00 for a Nero's during a meeting.

Frankly, I think this caffeinated extravagance should be cut.  

This, really, is similar to the axing of 'think pods' or slashing the pot plants budget of mid sized government department.

So from tomorrow, I will eat toast and honey and brew my own coffee in the morning. It just means having to get up 15 minutes earlier... I know this is a sacrifice, but that's the cutting business for you.

Obviously I feel sorry for the employees of Nero's who will see their takings reduce by at least £19.25 a week, but I imagine that other areas of the economy will replace this sad loss.

The alcohol consumption was £2.95 for a pint of Well's IPA.  I see no need to cut this as I have decided that spending on real ale is ring fenced. A sort of NHS I guess.

I also spent an involuntary c.£4 on tube fares.  This spending may also need to be ring fenced as I can't really cut TfL. I almost have an obligation to use it, so let's assume that has a DfID status.  Of course, it may get axed if things get really tough.