By justchickenfeed | Leave A Comment
Chances are, someone in your family is buying lunch on a regular basis. It may be you, your spouse, or your kids during the school year. Sure, you know that packing your own lunch is cheaper, but who wants to eat peanut butter and jelly everyday? The good news is, brown bag lunches don’t have to be boring or childish. Here are some tips on packing a tasteful, inexpensive lunch.
Sandwiches- Tuna salad, egg salad, or lunch meat can be tasty alternatives to PB&J. Or try a honey-roasted peanut butter sandwich with a raspberry or pomegranate jelly. Of course, gourmet items can get pricey. Look for weekly sale items, or check your local farmer’s markets for unique jellies.
Leftovers- I used to be tempted to scrape small amounts of leftovers into the dog’s bowl. But I’ve found that what seems to be a tiny portion left in the pot, is usually the perfect portion for tomorrow’s lunch. Reuse inexpensive "disposable" storage containers for added savings.
Snacks- Saving five dollars on your lunch doesn’t make much sense if you spend that money on snacks throughout the day. Pack a few bags of veggies, chips, fruit or nuts to tide you over between meals. Skip the pre-packaged individual snacks. They are far pricier per unit. Instead, buy the larger sizes and portion them yourself.
Beverages- Bringing your own drinks could be the single largest money saver in a day. Sodas and bottled water from machines are super expensive, and buying coffee on the road can cost more than a fast-food meal. If you are a soda/water drinker, buy your cans/bottles in bulk at your local food warehouse. Make your own coffee and invest in a good thermos. Or, for the cheapest option, bring a cup to work and drink tap water!
Make Ahead- Slathering Jif on white bread at 6:30am is not too difficult. Creating a nutritious and delicious alternative at 6:30 am can be. Plan your lunch menu a week ahead, and put together lunches the evening before. If you do not have access to a fridge or microwave, be sure to pack ice packs or use a thermos to store hot foods.
Most homemade lunches can be made for $2-4 each depending on the type of food used and area grocery store prices. Compare to a $5-10 fast-food or restaurant lunch and the savings really add up. You could save between $300 and $3000 a year just by bringing your own lunch to work or school!
What are your favorite brown bag lunches? What do you typically spend per day/week? Comment and let us know.
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Thank you for using Twitter. I saw your post mentioned and came over! People talk about whether to use Twitter for that purpose but I love it.
I am on a Frugal Living quest and I totally agree on the lunch thing. I think you hit the bulk of them. I like to boil eggs and take one to peel and eat with salt along with some other small item (like dark chocolate peanut M&M’s). If you focus on protein items you save both money and calories since it keeps you satisfied for longer.
The planning ahead is key. My husband will NEVER take a lunch if he has to make it at 4 in the morning.
DH almost always takes leftovers to work for lunch…but like Miss Britt said, He won’t pack it for himself early in the morning. I always make sure to make more than is necessary for dinner the night before and pack the leftovers in two containers – one for him and one for myself and the kids during the day.
If we don’t have leftovers, chances are there is something in the freezer…or if all else fails, he likes a sandwich with cut veggies and a hard boiled egg. I save the little packets of salt and pepper that I get with takeout and include them in his lunch.
Very rarely do we get lunch out anymore. It just takes a little planning ahead.
Great post!
I agree on the drinks! We buy cases of soda on sale and then I send them to work with my husband. Whereas we can sometimes buy a 12 can case for $2.00 or $2.50, he would have to buy them at $.50 each at work.
Oh…and now I’m hungry for tuna salad! Ha!
I too agree that the key is making your lunch the night before. Because I can eat the same thing day after day forever, when I find something I really like on sale I stock up. I found boxes of Hamburger Helper Singles for $1.25 (6 packets each – usually closer to $3-4 a box), I literally cleaned the shelves out and had HH for lunch for MONTHS. Easy to pack, inexpensive, add a salad and you’re good to go.
D isn’t so much a same thing everyday kind of guy but for him keeping (canned) soup that he likes on hand and deli meat for sandwiches, frozen pot pies (with salad) or quick to cook the night before pasta on hand makes it relatively easy to keep him happy and save $$.