What do you do for lunch?

[GREENBACK]

I just ate a portion of the meatloaf leftover from a couple of nights ago and got to wondering what others lunch habits might be. I know this has been a question that has come up to those who are trying to figure out where all their money goes. I used to spend probably $50 bucks a week eating lunch at restaurants. I gave that habit up in the 90's when I finally realized what I was spending. I now mostly eat leftovers( I hate throwing food away). If I'm in a hurry I usually will make a sandwich or grab something that doesn't need to be heated. I'm on call so this is important.

I know I have saved a bundle of money over time by being a lot more frugal about what I do for lunch. I still eat out for lunch occasionally but it's usually work related when I do and I get some of that reimbursed.

What do you do for lunch and has it saved you money?

[momof1in150]

I am lucky that I am usually home for lunch. I do pack my children's lunch and my DH's lunch everyday. I rarely go out but if it is I go with friends because it is easier for us to get together for lunch then in the evening.

[PrincessPerky]

Husband usually packs leftovers, but if we haven't any he takes ramen noodles, or something of the like.
He usually eats out once a month or so, but not that often (and always with gift cash, not out of our paycheck.

The kids and I eat leftovers, or oatmeal, or sandwiches, or something.

[mommyof4]

90% of the time I bring left-overs from home for lunch. Occasionally, I do dine out with my coworkers, but we hit the cheap places and only spend a few dollars for lunch- nothing expensive. It saves me tons of money bringing left overs, and not eating the school lunches, which are usually pretty icky, anyway.

[MonkeyMama]

Generally leftovers or sandwhiches. LEftovers more than anything.

Before kids we ate out a lot more (more expected for our jobs) but also got reimbursed a lot and paid a lot more. So, it's kind of a wash really. Not that we ever spent an extraordinary amount on eating out.

BUT what we did notice was our waistlines shrinking when we changed over to eating in, when we first had children. We are pretty moderate eaters and I often turn one dinner into 2 more meals of leftovers. BUT my husband who is stick thin anyway lost about 10 pounds when we had kids and switched to eating in 99% of the time. (I haven't exactly lost weight, but I have been making babies). These days it's inevitable - if I gain one or 2 pounds, I notice we spent more money eating out for the month. IT's really eye opening.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Leftovers. Occasionally depending if we have chicken I'll make chicken salad, but mostly I make large dinners with leftovers for the next day. My DH complains if he has to use his "allowance" for eating lunch that "should" hvae been provided.

[GREENBACK]

Originally Posted by MonkeyMama

BUT what we did notice was our waistlines shrinking when we changed over to eating in, when we first had children.

Beyond the money saving aspect I began to see that the fat and sodium in most of the things you eat while dining out is a bit excessive. The men in my family have a history of high blood pressure and this was another reason to cut back on some of this stuff even when dining out for dinner.

I'm not overweight but I've definitely seen how the wrong restaurant food(mostly what I used to get) can put the pounds on you.

[kork13]

I generally will make dinners fully intending to have extras for lunch the next day. However, I do tend to go out for lunch once or twice a week... Never spend a whole lot (less than $50/mo), but those are basically the days that I forget or am too lazy to make and bring something for lunch. Also, it's partly for social reasons--I'm in a 9-month training course with a dozen of my peers, so I have no problem spending some money to go out for lunch together.

As to the health issue, I think that's almost undisputable. You never have any idea what restaurants put in their food, whereas if you make it yourself, you can completely control what you're eating. You can keep fat, sodium, and sugars down, and also have better control over portions. Bringing food from home will almost always be healthier for you.

[Russell]

I'm bad with lunches, I lived off of commercial food i.e. pizza, fast food etc throughout my college years and I just got into a bad habbit of eating out. DW is a vegetarian and cooks healthy stuff which I've recently started to like but I've always had a hard time with the taste. If copious amounts of grease and salt is not in the food it doesn't taste the same...now you guys might be imagining me as an obese person but I'm surprised myself that I'm actually underweight (160lbs and 6ft tall) for my height as well as I have a slender built. I eat ice cream and candy without even taking the wrapper off LOL

Back to the question...I eat out, typically one meal out of the week is on the vendors that want to sell me their stuff.

[whitestripe]

well, DF and I work mon-fri. DF usually takes leftovers, or a salad and a can of tuna & canellini beans, or some 2 minute noodles with a can of tuna. he used to ALWAYS eat the salad for lunch but has gotten lazy and started taking the 2 minute noodles which is why i now try and make enough for dinner for there to be leftovers for him. myself, i work at a bakery mon/thurs/fri, so i can make myself a salad sandwich while i am there. i work at my parents business home-office tues/wed so i will either try and make leftovers for myself as well on those days, or get something from the fridge (thanks to the parents!). usually it's just toast and a coffee.

[GREENBACK]

Originally Posted by Russell

I'm bad with lunches, I lived off of commercial food i.e. pizza, fast food etc throughout my college years and I just got into a bad habbit of eating out. DW is a vegetarian and cooks healthy stuff which I've recently started to like but I've always had a hard time with the taste. If copious amounts of grease and salt is not in the food it doesn't taste the same...now you guys might be imagining me as an obese person but I'm surprised myself that I'm actually underweight (160lbs and 6ft tall) for my height as well as I have a slender built. I eat ice cream and candy without even taking the wrapper off LOL

Back to the question...I eat out, typically one meal out of the week is on the vendors that want to sell me their stuff.

I still have a college appetite at 43 yrs. old. I love pizza, burgers, wings, etc.. I've had to just discipline myself to avoid this stuff(some). I won't eat bad tasting food if I can help it. I appreciate healthy but it has to taste good which fortunately it usually does.

[My English Castle]

DH gets free lunch at work, and I'm usually done teaching by lunch time, so I normally eat leftovers. Or leftovers on salad. Or leftovers on toast.
Or leftovers standing in front of the fridge.

[poorgradstudent]

Typical day for me is peanut butter and banana sandwich around 11 and a turkey, spinach and cheese sandwich at 2. Also keep an apple and trail mix with me if I get hungry. Same thing everyday. Making your lunch is so much cheaper and healthier than going out to eat everyday. But, I do cave in and go out to eat 1-2 times a month, usually after a test. If I had to cook dinner for more than myself then I might consider cooking extra for lunch the next day.

[arthurb999]

Brown bag it everyday.

[sandyandry]

I bring lunch from home [sandwich,salad,etc.] so never go to eat outside

[disneysteve]

I pack lunch every day. What I bring varies. We make pizza at home every Thursday night so Friday or Monday, I usually bring the remaining slices for lunch. Sometimes I bring deli turkey and stuff to make a sandwich. I bring a can of tuna and some stuff to go with that (cheese, applesauce). I also will buy the healthier frozen meals (Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine) when they are on sale for $1.99.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I don't go to work, so I have all the choices of home. Sometimes leftovers, sometimes a combination of leftovers and freshly prepared (especially now with garden), sometimes sandwich maybe with something else. Often a bit of yoghurt with whatever else, sometimes an omelette. Today it was spahgetti squash left from last night's bolognese, but I chopped it up, seasoned with curry and olive oil. On the side I had some some dark leaf lettuce, green onions, mint sprigs and a 1/4 cup or so of yoghurt. Husband is often here for lunch and that might affect what we fix.

[My English Castle]

My lunches are leftovers or sandwiches or salads made with leftovers.
I'd like more exciting lunches, but I feel obliged to eat what's around.

[Ima saver]

My husband brown bags his lunch and that saves a ton of money. None of his workers do that, and they are broke all the time. I eat leftovers and seldom go out for lunch unless meeting a friend.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

My husband brown bags his lunch and that saves a ton of money. None of his workers do that, and they are broke all the time.

Funny you say that. My wife used to work with a bunch of people who were always broke. I mean broke to the point that on payday, they'd run out at lunch time to cash their checks so they could afford to eat lunch that day. My wife brown bagged her lunch and had direct deposit. Half the time, she didn't even know when payday was. It never occurred to all of her coworkers that maybe if they didn't buy their lunches every day, they wouldn't be perpetually broke.