The Cheap Lunch Wins Out

Posted on September 2, 2007 by Eric
Filed Under Frugality, Groceries, Relationships

My favorite! I’ve been bringing my lunch to work with me for about a year now. It was a tough transition initially because I had gone to get a lunch with my co-workers every day for years before that. Years. Literally. When I think of how much I spent on workday lunches over the years, it makes the new me cringe a little.

Anyhow, so the other day I was sitting down to lunch at my desk when “the guys” starting gather for lunch. Although they don’t invite me as often anymore since I haven’t gone much in the last year, they still invite me on occasion to make sure I don’t want to go.

“Hey Eric, wanna go to lunch today?” I replied - “Not today, thanks. I brought my lunch”.

“What have you brought for lunch that will be better than what you can get by going out with us?”

This made me pause. The old Eric would have put his lunch in the fridge and gone with the guys, easily spending $10-$15 for a delicious restaurant lunch. The new Eric, however, has a goal and a mission. I’m on a tight budget now because Melissa and I are saving money for the move to a new house by the end of the year. This had been a particularly tight month, so I stuck to my guns.

I proudly showed off my lunch :

One ham and cheese sandwich, made with the ends of the bread (Melissa calls them the “butts of the bread”)
Some leftover macaroni and cheese with cut up hot dogs (It was dinner the night before - we “class it up” with caramelized onions, sauteed garlic, and some leftover cheddar. Hopefully Melissa will write up a post with the recipe - it’s really good!) (Update: - the reducipe is up!
Some crushed up jalapeno flavored tortilla chips from the end of the bag (there was a special on them at our local grocery store)

Immediately, one of my friends said “Dude, what the heck? Are you doing alright? It sounds like you’re living back in college!”

I laughed. He knew I was saving, but seeing the sandwich made with the ends of the bread, he thought something more severe was up.

There wasn’t. Admittedly it was a tight month, but we were determined to stay within our budget, so we used up anything in the house we could before going to the grocery store. It was easier to do than it sounds! Melissa is really creative with meals, and can make something that sounds bland and mundane taste like it’s from a gourmet restaurant.

Next week I plan on showing off our “gourmet meals on a budget” at lunch (Melissa is going to make her chicken divan which is just fantastic and super cheap!) Maybe then my friends will worry a little less about me…

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Comments

6 Responses to “The Cheap Lunch Wins Out”

Tight Fisted Miser » The 25th Carnival of Money Stories on September 11th, 2007 6:57 am

[...] presents The Cheap Lunch Wins Out posted at A Penny [...]
Andy on September 17th, 2007 8:14 pm

Eric,
I see this is fairy a new site and its looking great, keep up the great work. I stumbled the site through the carnival of money stories and enjoyed your article. It was a great read. Motivated me to go back to making my lunches again like I used to.

Melissa,

“Butts of the bread”, thanks for the laugh.

I will be back for more. Thanks
Carnival of Money Stories Edition #25 « Carnival of Money Stories - Read About Personal Finance on September 17th, 2007 8:46 pm

[...] A Penny Closer with The Cheap Lunch Wins Out. [...]
Means No Cents on September 17th, 2007 9:04 pm

I work in a high school with greatly subsidized lunches for faculty / staff. It almost (and I stress, almost) makes the idea of purchasing lunches at school a fair deal relative to shopping.

However, I have to concede I could probably make better– and certainly make healthier — food from home and bring it in! Great post!
Eric on September 17th, 2007 9:10 pm

Andy,

Thanks for the comment! I’m really happy you found the site and enjoyed the story! If you’re going to start bringing your lunch to work, I highly recommend you find that sandwich that you really like and can have *all* the time. It can really save money if you like sandwiches. Good bread, ham or turkey, some cheese, and some spicy-sweet mustard. That’s all I really need everyday. Supplement with a salad and some chips and it’s a good lunch that saves us money. Thanks again! Eric
Eric on September 17th, 2007 9:17 pm

Means No Cents,

Welcome to A Penny Closer! I’m glad you enjoyed the post!

It’s going to be tough to compete with a subsidized lunch, unless you view it from the health angle. When you bring your lunch, you have more control over what you are eating, but depending on how cheap it is, I think I’d be tempted to buy that subsidized lunch too…