How many days do you eat out or buy lunch? I am trying to work on our food budget and I know a big part of it is my lunch expense.
If I eat at the cafeteria here, I spend about $7. If I go out to lunch its more like $10 (plus gas).
I just need easy lunch ideas that I can bring to work (I have a fridge and microwave). I love salads but don't have time to prep them at home and I end up throwing bad lettuce out!
GOLD / pineapple / 12662 posts
All of the days during which I remember to eat, or leave myself enough time to eat. So, on a good week, 5. 
coconut / 8234 posts
I subscribed. I am trying to stop spending money on breakfast and lunch, I need something quick, too. And I hate salads in the winter I try to bring leftovers when I can remember.
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
I try and bring my lunch Mon-Thurs and then either go out or eat at the cafeteria on Friday's. Some weeks I end up only bringing 2-3 times. I try and bring more cause it is cheaper and healthier. But sometimes the thought of fries from downstairs is too hard to pass up.
I bring sandwiches, leftovers, salads. I would bring tuna salad but I am afraid of the smell, since I eat at my desk and don't won't to bother anyone else with it.
One thing I find helpful is on Sunday night, I chop up everything in snack ziploc bags for salads for the week. Then in the morning I just have to throw the lettuce and bags in a tupperware container and I am good to go.
coconut / 8861 posts
Everyday. Lately, I've been so tired when I get home that packing my lunch and making my breakfast is the last thing on my mind. I feel bad about this, but I'm hoping once the wakeups get better and LO sleeps longer, I'll be more functional to think ahead for the next day.
persimmon / 1408 posts
Every day, in the same boat as @cascademom. By the time I get home, all I want to do is spend time with LO and then it's time for bed and I just can't stay up later. Sighhhh, I really need to work on it though. Maybe try on the weekends to get stuff set up.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
I bring breakfast and lunch about 4 days/week. Fridays I go out to lunch. I try to keep it to $5 in the cafeteria, though...sandwich, salad...nothing exciting. We have "value meals" for $3.50 but they're always crap like cheeseburgers. My lunches are always leftovers from dinner, though...I'm hoping to keep it going once I go back to work. I probably spend about $50/month on lunches.
honeydew / 7488 posts
I buy my lunch at least 3x a week. I work close to home, so if I don't like my options, I will go home and eat leftovers. It would be so much easier if I would just bring those leftovers to work and eat them at my desk, but somehow it is too hard for me to pack my lunch on top of everyone else's? I know it makes no sense. I also eat a lot of Lean Cuisine's and Amy's meals, which I'm not thrilled with.
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
I eat out maybe once a week, otherwise I bring soup that I heat up in microwave, sandwich, leftovers, or Lean Cusisine meals with a piece of fruit for dessert.
persimmon / 1361 posts
I am spoiled and usually get a free lunch at work these days, but I used to always bring my lunch. I would pack carrots and bring a big container of hummus that I would leave at work. I'd bring mixed nuts (usually a mix of cashews, almonds, and dried cranberries). Both give you lots of protein to help keep you full. Then I used to always have a sandwich (turkey on wheat). Kinda boring but it made me feel full for the afternoon.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
I WOH 4 days a week and usually buy lunch out 1 or 2 days.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
@Amelieisme: great suggestions, Thanks!
I bring a greek yogurt and a banana or something small for breakfast so that takes care of that!
For lunches, I try on the weekend to make up about 6 sandwiches for DH and I to grab throughout the week. I will then grab a small side of leftovers to go with it. I would like to cut the lunch carbs out though if I can!!
Our cafeteria has a great salad for $7 (10WW points) and I love it! But I just can't justify spending $7 on lunch 5 days a week.
coconut / 8279 posts
I eat out most days. I need to stop.
For a while I was doing the green smoothie thing. I would have one in the morning and one at lunch. In between I would have a kashi bar, hardboiled egg or almonds. I felt great and I was full. And saved a ton of money in addition to calories.
It's just the prep of the green smoothie I couldn't commit to. I should try that again though.
grapefruit / 4136 posts
I pack my lunch every.single.day. It's VERY rare if I go out to eat. Our budget doesn't allow for it, plus it's healthier to pack my lunch. I eat small meals all day though, so I don't pack a big lunch. I'll have a smoothie and a hard boiled egg for breakfast. Around 10am I have either a cup of fruit or veggies. 12 is lunch and I'll eat leftovers or a packed salad. Between 2:30 and 3 I'll have my afternoon snack, usually a cheese stick and crackers. It seems like a lot but I keep my portions small and I pack everything up the night before or on Sunday night for the week.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
@rachiecakes: How were you prepping them? I would love to know how to get them at lunchtime!
grapefruit / 4311 posts
Eat in vs bring food is about half and half. I know the sodium is bad and blah blah blah, but my ear in lunches are usually lean cuisine, Amy's, or Cedarlake frozen meals, plus fruit or veggie on the side. Apple and almond butter is my go to afternoon snaxk
coconut / 8279 posts
@Thehistoryofus: I would do a big batch every 2/3 days. It was spinach, green beans, apple, banana, strawberry, lemon juice, water. I'd freeze half the batch in water bottles and have a pitcher of it that I'd pour into a bottle for the mornings. By the time lunch rolled around the frozen ones would thaw.
pomegranate / 3414 posts
I bring lunch everyday but usually go out once a week. I pack my lunch along with DH and DD's when prepping DS' bottles right after dinner each night. Lunch is mainly leftovers of what we cooked earlier in the week; however every once in awhile we have "freezer surprise."
kiwi / 640 posts
I bring every day, only buy about once every two weeks and I also pack DH's lunch - healthier and cheaper (and neither of us has a cafeteria at work). For breakfast I pack yogurt & kashi crunch or oatmeal (i just bring the whole box into the office). For lunch, i have salads (I buy bagged lettuce, chop up the veggies on the weekend, and leave a bottle of dressing at work) or canned soup (bad, i know!) or sandwich (turkey on wheat) or a lean cuisine (i know, also bad!). Then i pack a bunch of fruit or veggies as snacks. I also keep the 100-calorie almonds at work, so if I'm extra hungry those are a good snack.
I make lunches either as I'm cooking dinner or cleaning up from dinner, and it doesnt feel so much like a chore (although, it does make the cleanup process longer!). And I try to prep on Sunday nights - putting baby carrots in baggies, measuring out kashi crunch, bagging soy crisps or triscuits for snacks, etc.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
DH and I try to take lunch everyday we work. I usually would just pack a sandwich, chips, fruit, and yogurt. He has that, and then a few other snacks too.
pomelo / 5132 posts
I take lunch to work every day. I make sandwiches or bring soup or leftovers.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6581 posts
I take lunch 4days/week and DH and I meet up for lunch on the 5th. I always bring a Lean Cuisine of some variety, a yogurt, granola bars, and sometimes chips. It's boring, but cheap! I could save more by making my own sandwiches, but frozen meals are easy to throw in my lunch bag!
honeydew / 7303 posts
I pack my lunch everyday! I usually take leftovers or a lean cuisine dinner from the freezer. I hate making sandwiches 
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
We try to pack lunch as often as possible but I end up buying lunch probably 2 times a week (I work 4 days a week). Here are some ideas for those times I don't pack dinner leftovers:
- keep a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter at my desk for PB sandwiches
- lean cuisines
- frozen breakfast sandwiches (I love Jimmy Dean Delights)
- soup from a can or one of those single serving ones-- you can get them for less than $1 if you coupon!! This is one of my favorite lunches because it's nice and warm and filling, but I end up getting hungry later.
When I'm at home on my days off I try to stock up on something the night before so I can eat it that day and pack it that week. Usually a Costco rotisserie chicken or Costco pinwheel sandwiches.
cherry / 101 posts
i pack for hubby and i everyday. usually cook dinner planning on packing leftovers. and sometimes i reinvent leftovers to another meal. for example, this week i roasted chicken pieces with potatoes, grapes, olive oil, thyme, s&p and we had that for dinner. then i took all of the meat off of the bones chopped whatever potatoes were left smaller and mixed it with light mayo to make a chicken salad. and now i'm having chicken salad sandwiches with arugula on multigrain bread yum~!
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