How to save $$--work lunches, etc.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
How to save $$--work lunches, etc.
13
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 1:53am
Hi, everyone. Read the posts on eating out and how sneaky and expensive it can be. I spend about $45-$60 in two weeks, eating out at work. Nothing fancy. Salad, soup, yogurt, etc. However, I have no idea what DH spends when he goes out. He does it to get "out of the office" type of thing, as they have no cafeteria. Sooo---Chinese buffet; ribs; KFC; Japanese food and sushi. Sodas! (not for me--DH). I know it has to be about $50/week he spends. I want to try eating (or taking) breakfast items now---carrots, hb eggs, yogurt, etc. Any ideas on saving on this appreciated. Do you just pack lunches, or just breakfasts? Most people I eat with get those Lean Cuisine things, but those can add up! I need ideas. Thanks. Whiz.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-20-2004
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 3:42am

Most of the time I pack my lunch. Sometimes, I will buy turkey, bacon , cucumbers, and croissants and be happy all week with my fancy sandwiches (for just under $10, total.) Other times, I will buy a cheap frozen dinner (I bring soda and water to work everyday regardless of whether or not i pack my lunch), and bring snacks from home. Pretzels, veggies and dip, snack pack bags of cookies, whatever. (Snackpacks, by the way,are a ripoff, but not nearly so much as the vending machine!!) Once you are successful for a week (and maybe make yourself a deal that you can go out once a week), it gets easier and easier. I would much rather bring food I like from home than have to deal with the hassle of going out looking for something that sounds decent every day!! Sometimes, the trick is to pack as much as you can the night before, and just make your sandwich in the morning, so that packing your lunch doesn't become another thing keeping you from getting out the door on a busy morning.

I used to use the vending machines $1-2 at work evey day, and I gave it up as my New Year's resolution, and I bet I haven't spent more than five bucks in there all year. After the first week, I didn't miss it at all. Good luck, heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-11-2005
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 4:13am

I take my lunch to work with me as well. A lot of times it is left-overs from dinner from the day before. Today I have wraps that I made myself. We are really really restricted in the amount of money we have each week and so often I just cook noodles and put margarine, garlic-salt and pepper in them. Since we have a microwave at work I can either heat that up or eat it cold, which ever. I either drink tea or tap-water at work. Sometimes, very very rarely, when I can't handle my chocholate craving anymore, I go to the vending machine and spend 50 cents or 1 euro on sweets.

I have found a whole website once with ideas for brown paper-sack lunches... I think I printed them all out. I'll check when I get home and let you know the URL.

Sushi

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-25-2003
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 1:49pm

Dh likes:

sandwiches
hardboiled eggs
cereal in a bowl shaped container
crackers and cheese
homemade muffins (he likes them better homemade because I make mini ones, which he likes to snack on)
chili with biscuits
wraps
apples
granola bars
trail mix

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-13-2003
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 2:47pm
I try to take what ever we might have leftover in the fridge that way Im cleaning out the fridge and not spending any money at the same time!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 4:32pm
Hi, Heather, and everyone. Thanks for tips. I guess I am just lazy. I am not much of a sandwich person, although I would like ideas for "wraps". My weakness is going to the cafe or out to eat and getting iced tea, and those granola bar things. I also tend to eat late, so that doesnt help the diet (or my mood) at all. And, when we order things from a restaurant or pizza place, it gets expensive! Do you just cook on weekends and freeze? Whiz.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 4:35pm
Hi, Sushi. Thanks for ideas. Can you send me the web sites on brown paper bag (sack) lunches and crockpot stuff? BTW--how do you make wraps? Do you put everything in lettuce? Buns? Thanks. WHiz.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-20-2004
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 5:01pm
Do you like salads? Rice? Potatoes? Noodles? What is your staple? I cannot live without bread. croissants, kaiser rolls and the like. I would happily eat sandwiches for lunch every day, no problem. But I also like things like cheesy potatoes with broccoli, or ham, or turkey, etc. You can make a big batch and then put them right into individual containers as you make it. There's lots of ways you can spruce up rice and noodles, too. When you go out to lunch, do you find yourself going to the same place, and buying the same things over and over again, or do you really enjoy the variety? If you can analyze your habits, you might be more successful breaking the habit. And think, if taking, say, and average of 5 minutes to pack your lunch, saves you sa, $4, then you can thinkg of it as giving yourself an hourly rate for making lunches of $80/ hr. Not too bad? (My mind thinks in crazy ways like this...hey, my mind games save me money!!)
Anyway, this is what I do. I do go out for lunch once in awhile, too, but it definitely is an improvement. Good luck, heather
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 7:14pm
Hi, Heather. I am a salad/casserole type person. Your idea of thinking like saving $4/hr is what I am going to do. Thanks. Whiz.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-15-2005
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 7:35pm
I like to take salads because it helps to add veggies to my diet. There are lots of yummy frozen vegetable combinations available, so I start with one of those. I thaw the veggies under hot running tap water and let them drain well. Then I add other stuff like beans, chick peas, sometimes chicken, ham, tuna, or surimi, and then add an appropriate salad dressing (I like Italian or another vinaigrette-type dressing but one that does not contain corn syrup, which I find too sweet--but whatever dressing you prefer will do). Sometimes I take a small salad of just the veggies and dressing along with a or whole-wheat crackers and hummus, or maybe chicken salad or tuna salad to go with the crackers and veggie salad. The veggie salads are quick and easy to prepare. I try to vary the frozen-vegetable combination I get each week so they don't get boring.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
Wed, 10-05-2005 - 11:09pm
Hi, clairestj: Thanks for salad tips. I will definitely try the veggie thing for salads. I used to use the prepackaged salad greens, but found they wilted too easily or went bad too soon, so the frozen thing is great idea. Whiz.

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