Brown Bagging it

[jodi]

Everyday, which is three days per week for me. On occasion, I will meet a friend out for lunch or order in with a coworker (less than once a month). I keep a frozen dinner in the office fridge just in case I forget or don't have anything to bring. I used to keep snacks (nuts, oatmeal, etc.) in my desk drawer, until I discovered that a little mouse was sharing with me. EWWWWW! Now if I want snacks I bring them in with me that day.
There are people in our office who order in every day from the restaurant next door. I would go crazy spending that type of money.

[PrincessPerky]

We eat lefotvers for lunch, we have a few frozen pot pies, and ramen noodles for my husband if dinner didn't make enough, but he rearely eats out. Now the office sometimes treats, which is nice, and some of his coworkers treat, which is nice, but 90% of the time it is one giant lunch box (brown bags are not big enough!)

[lynclarke]

My husband brown bags it 6 days a week- leftovers, cookies, pretzels, jerky, one fruit, two sodas- in the summer 2 sodas and one flavored tea. Maybe three times a year, they have a party and everyone brings a dish. Maybe twice a year they order in chicken.

[sakigt]

Usually 4.5/5 days a week (I eat out about once every other week)

Usually if I ea something from the cafeteria its a burger and fries for $2.99. If I eat that its on a Tuesday at 2pm because I have lecture/lab until 930pm so that food needs to last!

[Daylily]

I'm not working now but for the past nine years, I brought my lunch every day.
I usually had leftovers or on Sunday I would make a casserole of some sort and would make that specifically to fill in the days that I didn't have leftovers.

If only I could get DH to do the same. He travels so it is not always possible for him to take a lunch. He left for an overnight trip this morning and I packed him a sandwich - a small step.

[Lonewolf]

Seems, like the running theme on a saving friendly message board, 5 times a week here as well. Everyonce in a while, based on the Corporate environment, I go out to lunch to discuss career with mentors, but for the most part, its brown bagging for me.

Wolf

[fairy74]

Every day. once or twice a month I get sick of food from home and go buy a sandwich at the courthouse cafe.

[Fern]

Nearly always. It helps to work close to home.

Once in a great while, like every other month or so, i'll eat at the local chinese place.

[MonkeyMama]

Reminds me I used to go home for lunch every day - but nothing frugal about that. LOL. Though I guess I did find that easier than taking the time to pack lunch. With gas prices these days there is just no way - I tend to mostly work through lunch now so I can get home earlier instead.

I am impressed with everyone's dedication to 5 days a week. I really eat out more just to get away from the office for a bit more than anything. I also rather meet friends for lunch than dinner for many reasons, but a main one because it is cheaper. I sometimes meet the kids and hubby for lunch too. We pretty much never go out for dinner, it is a way to see them during the day and eat out for a little cheaper than dinner - just thought of that too.

[Ima saver]

My husband just works so far away from any place to eat. He would lose a lot of hours if he went off for lunch every day. I use to eat at burger king when they had a 75 cent hamburger. I could eat lunch for 79 cents a day. but the burger got smaller and smaller.

[frugalmomof1]

I take my dinner to work 4-5 times per week. Mostly leftovers, but I have some emergency frozen Lean Cuisine dinners and cans of soup for days without leftovers.

I used to try to get together with my sister for dinner once a week, but we are down to about 2x's a month.

My coworkers have pizza parties on birthdays.....about 7 or 8 times/year, and we have potlucks every 3 months or so.

[project15]

I would say 4.5 on average. I normally take it unless I'm running late in the mornings.

[crow67]

I say 90% of the time I take lunch...but just on occasion, you have to get away and get something new to eat

[ThisTime]

I would say that I try to take a lunch about 4 days a week. There always seems to be that one day when I just don't want to bring something. But going out the most I spend is $3.73 so it's not a huge deal.

[T_I_N_A20]

I'm trying to bring my own lunch to school everyday. So far, I spend four days without buying my lunch at the cafeteria.

[Elgin526]

Up until recently, I'd bring a frozen diet entre (ie Lean Cusine) from home and then get a cup of soup or a small salad from the building's cafe to round out the meal. But lately I've just been having the soup, I haven't been that hungry at lunch time. It's just a $1 a day, and it comes out of my weekly allowance so it's no big deal. On Fridays, I do go to the local grocery store, they have a sushi chef there durring the week and I'll pick up a sushi combo for lunch. It's my Friday treat, and again comes out of my allowance money. Plus it's healthy!

Occasionaly I'll go out and grab fast food for lunch, maybe once every two months or so. Sometimes you just want some french fries!

[Ima saver]

I use to buy the frozen dinner, but dh doesn't really like them. He makes a sandwich or has soup almost every day. If he gets a big dinner out, he saves half for his lunch. When we cook out on the grill, we cook extra for his lunch.

[pretty cheap jewelry]

Almost every day. Fast food lunch is a treat! My favorite is Taco Bell (cheapest too), but my DH encourages going out more :[

Add a poll when you write the post, notice near the bottom is a thingy to 'Add a poll', it will step you through 'how many choices' for your responses (you might have 3 or 4 here), and word the responses (ie 'Always', 'Once/week', 'More than once/week', 'Never'). I don't think you can add a poll once you have started the thread.

[rob62521]

So, of all of you who brown bag or take your lunch, anyone know of a good site or sites that gives ideas for menus for lunches? I often take leftovers, but would like to have some ideas for those times I don't have leftovers.

[Ima saver]

We also brown bag our own liquor and set ups when we eat out at dinner time. That saves us a fortune not buying mixed drinks. (We live in a dry county)