Perhaps you’ve entered into the thrifty journey. You’ve mastered being thrifty in the kitchen. Here is the case for a brown bag lunch. When it comes to the weekday lunch rush it’s easy enough to think of your convenient dash to the deli or pizza place as a negligible expense. After all you’re not sitting down to a three-course meal! But deep down, you know it’s no good for your wallet. Perhaps you just need a little convincing.
Everyone’s got a different lunch preferences, but let’s start with a plain turkey sandwich. Packing a no-cook lunch costs only as much as the bread you buy and the cost of sliced turkey breast purchased at the store. Add a little lettuce, cheese and some mayonnaise and you’ve got a sandwich that is probably costing you no more than $4.00. To buy that same sandwich from the deli will probably cost you twice that. If you make your own bread you can save even more money!
Might sound like small change but over the course of a year it adds up! Brown bagging may not sound glamorous but how do you like the sounds of an airline ticket to a tropical sandy beach? You could also pay your cellphone bill for the entire year or take a chunk out of your car insurance payments.
Once you get good at making your sandwiches each day you can get creative with your lunches. If you have access to a microwave at work bring leftovers that you can just heat up for lunch. Go onto Pinterest and look up lunch ideas, you’ll be amazed at the ideas you can find.
There are many people that will prepare whole weeks worth of lunches on Sunday night. That will not only save you time but it will save you money. Your brown bag lunch will be the envy of your fellow workers!
Take small steps. Start packing your brown bag lunch and see how much you can save!
Nancy on the Home Front 
Buy brown bag it about four days per week where I work. I’m lucky that since I have basically a hospital cafeteria available we get fairly good deals with an employee discount. I try to pack leftovers but I have found some Frozen high protein organic entrees. I get those for about $3 each at the grocery outlet and I usually pack and apple with it. It’s probably a little bit more than what I could do with plain old leftovers at home but I like the variety. I have a reusable lunch bag I bought a year-and-a-half ago with my own fork and knife and just wash them. Works pretty well for me.
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Nancy,
Sounds like you do very well with your lunches!
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Brown bagging, definitely helps the budget and our health too! Great ideas. – Amy
http://stylingrannymama.com/
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I love this! I’ve just returned to work after being out with a long (read as l-o-n-g) injury. It has been hard to find my brown bag rhythm again. I do fine on the nights there are leftovers to take, but I have a hard time getting a sandwich ready. Probably, because I’m not really a big cold sandwich fan. I’m now inspired to get off my tookis and put a more organized plan into practice. Thanks, for the motivation!
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Anne,
Glad you have recovered from your injury and glad to be an inspiration!
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Yes, taking my lunch is definitely a nice boost to our budget. I think I make much better food choices, too! Thank you for sharing your post at Tuesdays with a Twist! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
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It was one of my New Year’s Resolutions to bring my lunch at least twice a week. I was doing it mostly to save on styrofoam and plastic usage, but it can be healthier and cheaper too!
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