Brown-Bagging VS Going out to lunch

williewonka, you said you would bring leftovers when you had a family and were cooking dinners.  Do you do ANY from scratch cooking now?  When I was single, I would always make enough for 4 meals.  I'd eat one that night, take one the next day and freeze 2 that I could use to take for lunch or have two more suppers.  By doing that, I really cut down on my food budget and didn't go out more than twice a week.  Just a thought.

Kim

I am a teacher so only work during the school year.  I bring my own lunch from home 4 days a week, and have lunch out with a friend once a week.  We usually go to fairly inexpensive places and we often have a coupon for "buy one, get one".  (Subway, Cousins, etc)

Mostly, I bring leftovers or just a salad made with whatever I have on hand.  I do have a friend who eats out every single work day, and I tell her all the time that she is wasting a pile of money!!!

I'm voting with the brown bagger contingent as well.  For years I ate out almost every day for lunch and after running the number it became clear it was just money out the window.  And besides,  the food I was getting wasn't the best for me.  My husband and I both brown bag 4 days a week and treat ourselves to lunch out 1 day.  I would say that 1/2 the time we eat leftovers and the other 1/2 of the time a Lean Cuisine.   Lean Cuisines aren't always that cheap!  But we watch the sales closely and clip coupons.  Often we can get them for around $1.50 (considering sales and coupons) and we stock up!  Thankfully we have plent of freezer space.

 The other thing to consider is that many folks may not be in walking distance to get lunch out, so the price of gas needs to be factored into the equation as well.

Kim--I do very little "cooking" in the summer but have started doing more during the winter months and will be doing much more this winter.  I am starting to collect recipes for 4---I am not very good at trying to cut down a recipe so it doesn't make as much.

I guarantee that the payroll deduction thing was a real eye opener for me---I just never paid that much attention to how much I was spending but that won't happen again.  I like the idea of cooking for 4 as that will be about right.  I don't like to leave things like that in the freezer too long but don't want to eat the same thing all week either--

willie

When I worked as was single I took my lunch.  We only got 30 min and were too far out to be able to go out and eat without shoveling it down!  On Thursday nights when we would get paid we could take an hour lunch if we wanted so we could cash our checks and get dinner. I didn't want to give up that extra 30 minutes of pay though.  I think I only did it about 2 or 3 times!  After I got married I did the same and took my lunch.  Just a lot cheaper and you know who is handling your food (other than say the butcher or whoever).  I also took my drinks and snacks for breaks.  It is costly buying from the machines!  It adds up quick.

For the kids I also send snacks that they can buy at school at a cheaper rate!  Every now and then I would let them get ice cream (couldn't figure out how to keep that one contained!) LOL 

This year I'll be making lunches for 4 of them!  One in 6th, the twins in 2nd and our youngest boy in Pre-K all day.  Stocking up on my containers.  I have been buying the plastic containers of baby food with the lids.  They have rectangle and round ones.  Well, the round ones are cheaper and are perfect for Ritz crackers, grapes, cut up celery, baby carrots, peanut butter and crackers etc.  Even the lunchmeat that you buy comes in like a sandwich container.  I save those too.  We don't heat them up so I don't guess it will hurt.  They look just like the other plastic containers that I buy for sandwiches.  I also use those little ones for jello, pudding, crushed pineapple, fruit salad, ketchup, ranch etc.  I would rather use a plastic container like that than buying so many plastic baggies!!!  That adds up!

Love the topic!

Hi guys:)  I was just stopping in and saw this great thread :P  What a great topic, and very interesting to see what we each do!!

When I was working, I tried to take my lunch every day... usually it was leftovers, in the winter (and it was ALWAYS FREEZING cold in there!) I would splurg sometimes and buy Progresso Soups and have those.  We only had 30 min. lunch (oh, and if you weren't working the whole day, it was a 15 min. break!!!!!), too, and it was NOT long enough to do more than inhale your food and run back.  Occasionally some of us would go together and order pizza if it was a really busy or bad day (I was a teller at the bank), and sometimes we would all pitch in and have a "carry in".  Anyways, just for curiositys sake, I just figured up about what it costs for DH's lunch every day:

2 slices of homemade multi-grain bread: $.18

Miracle Whip Light: $.04

Great Value brand Mustard: less than $.01

LandOFrost Sandwich meat: $.39  (this is a guess, it's a 1lb. pkg, and I guessed that it lasts 10 days, not really sure, it probably last longer.  LandOFrost is the cheapest brand @ W/M)

Iceburg lettuce: probably less than $.14

Cheese - I didn't figure this up, but I buy GV brand "bricks" (WalMarts "store brand"), and it lasts a long time

Pepsi - $.18/can (sale)

Coke - $.25/can (sale)

Cheetos (the most expensive "chip" I get for him, so most of the time it would be less): about $.39 or less

Gatorade: $.62

Total: $2.20

I pack his sandwich is a fold-top baggie - containers have trouble making it back home!, and put all his lunch in a plastic grocery bag, which he then just puts it all into his lunchbox (which almost never makes it inside, either).  It also helps keep his lunchbox stay cleaner longer, and then he uses the empty gro. bag to put his trash in, so we're getting 3 uses out of it before it goes in the trash. 

I also figured up what my from scratch muffins cost, since I send those with him, or pumpkin bread, banana bread, cookies, etc.  Blueberry muffin: $.14 ea, Banana Nut: $.17 ea, Apple Pecan: $.15 ea.

 DH doesn't eat fruits or veggies very well while he's working, so I don't pack them since it usually just goes to waste.

I agree that the TV show would've saved alot more on their lunch ingred. if it had been a woman.  And duh, the smaller pkg (like the mayo and mustard) are more expensive, not to mention the pre-sliced cheese!!  That really wasn't a true test at all, if they were trying to be the most frugal.

Hi!  I just stopped in and saw this thread, cool.  My husband takes his lunch everyday, my son is home for the summer and taking his lunch.  So now I have 2 to pack.  We have 2 thurmas  each and I make sure I make extra supper, and just heat it up in the mornings and send it with them.  I put in fresh fruit, or canned fruit, cheese crackers ( for breaks) and some times cookies.  I work everyday also but I drive a rural mail rt.  so it is hard to eat, drive, and deliver mail at the same time.  I take frozen water bottles, and sometimes yogart.  I don't eat or drink much because there isn't any where to stop for a bathroom break for at least 4 1/2 hours.  I don't think it cost to much for them to take left over meals. I have never sat down and looked at the cost.

tkayf, unless you plan a leftover dinner, you are saving money by not having to buy special foods to go into the lunchbox.  I have noticed a great increase on lunch box items (for me that would be pbj sandwhich supplies, ham and cheese sandwhich supplies (ham, cheese, lettuce, mustard, mayo and bread), chips, etc.).  

You all are doing so good with the way you save on lunches.  It inspires me to do more with my family.

Kim

Brown bagging is the way to go!  I almost never eat out and enjoy a simple meal like a sandwich, veggies, and yogurt with granola.  I buy the large containers of yogurt and put them in small containers each day.  I also make my own granola to top it off with.  It's very economical and healthy...I know exactly what's in it! 

I work for a small company and there are only a few of us in the office. We take turns bringing something for lunch each week. It saves us money and we can avoid the greasy fast food places. Work actually bought us a hot plate, pans, and a grill so we can eat here. They figure if we eat somewhat healthy it saves them by not having so many call-ins!

I always go to the store (meijer's) every week on monday and purchase what ever frozen lean meals they have on sale.  I usually spend about $1.67 per meal on average for 5 meals then I bring a small salad from home every day to eat with it.  This gets me through the week.  But if I had to eat out every day I would eat at wendy's buy the small chili and a value sandwich and drink water all day long.