Lunch - Bring or Buy

**paelthom** · 01-20-2005, 01:53 PM

For those that work and have a lunch or dinner hour, do you bring from home or buy?

If we have anything leftover, I will bring from home and reheat in the microwave at work. I don't especially like sandwiches and will only bring them when I am broke. I do buy lunch out more than I bring but I have found a way to make it as frugal as I can. Me and one of the bosses always split lunch and we both prefer veggies. There is a tiny little diner near our office and for $2 each we can get swiss steak, mashed potatoes, navy beans and 2 pieces of corn bread. This is what they put on 1 plate and we just bring it back to the office and separate it onto 2 plates. Plenty for both of us. The place changes the menu daily so there is always something we like. Some days it's just a cup of green beans and some cornbread. Sure it's not as frugal as bringing from home but it beats both of us paying full price for more food than we need.

**Dedlered** · 01-20-2005, 02:12 PM

I usually bring my lunch, soup or leftovers. I will go to subway perhaps once a week.

**AmyMCGS** · 01-20-2005, 02:19 PM

I only work two days a week, and generally eat out with my friends at lunch on those days. We usually eat fast food, but we also purchase meals made at the facility (nursing home) for only $2.50-- and believe it or not, their food is usually really good.

**sunshine** · 01-20-2005, 02:25 PM

I almost always take mine (with the exception of holidays and my birthday when the hospital provides us with a free meal).

We only get 30 minutes for lunch (unpaid), and by the time I run to the cafeteria, wait in line to get served, wait in line to pay- my time is up. LIttle or no time to eat.

I keep some cheap TV dinners in the freezer for those rare times when I don't have leftovers to take.

**Katybird** · 01-20-2005, 02:35 PM

I try to take mine as much as possible. My hospital is just like Denise's, we only have 30 mins for lunch and by the time I go from the 7th floor to the basement and stand in line for poor quality overpriced food and then stand in line to throw my money away my lunch time is over. We subcontract out and the company that we have now is horrid, their quality is bottom of the barrel and the prices are astronomical, I literally could go to a regular sit down restaraunt and eat for less than they charge.

I try to always keep some .90c TV dinners in the freezer for lunches when I don't have anything else to take.

**Peaches** · 01-20-2005, 02:36 PM

I'm frugal with lunch! Everyone has to take one duty per week (before school, morning break and bus duty) so for our trouble we each get a free lunch. It can be a salad, the meal of the day, a sandwich, whatever the cafeteria has on offer. In addition to that, I do two lunchtime duties, for which I get paid and fed, so that's another meal out of the cafeteria. The other two days I brown bag it, usually some soup I've made, a sandwich, or leftovers from the night before.

**mustang80** · 01-20-2005, 09:17 PM

I also have access to the hospital cafeteria, and only have 30 minutes for lunch. I find I am inhaling my food. My co worker and I take our bagged lunches to the cafeteria to eat just to escape from the office for a few minutes.

Once a week, we walk across the street to McDonalds.

I've been trying to bring my lunch, as the cafeteria has changed hands again and is getting all fancy, which is fine, but the prices are getting fancy too. It was costing me $20.00 per week for lunch.

I buy a half gallon of Wawa iced tea once a week for $1.49. It lasts me all week.

This week I brought homemade soup, and next week I plan on chicken salad.

**nodmicks** · 01-20-2005, 09:33 PM

I 99% of the time bring my lunch the 2 days I work. Alot of times I only have a few minutes to scarf it down so it needs to be handy.

**seadream** · 01-20-2005, 11:31 PM

I work 2nd shift and dh works 1st so I make a meal while I'm home and I eat it before going into work and dh eats his after he gets home.

Sometimes I take a ziploc bag full of pretzels to snack on if I get hungry or I wait till I get home and then have a snack while surfing the net or watching tv

**matt&roxy** · 01-21-2005, 02:25 AM

When I worked, I never bought my lunch. I have always been to "cheap" for that!!! Matthew and I do not even buy soda's out of the machine, cause a 12 pk or a case is much cheaper!!! Right now, Matthew gets to come home for lunch, which is great! The new job he will be taking his lunch, like he has any other job where he didn't get to come home!!!

**baxjul** · 01-21-2005, 06:21 AM

I get to come home for lunch Mon. - Wed., I get an hour. Thurs. and Fri. I take a lunch, only get half hour on those two days. Usually I come home, let out the dog, do the dishes or vacuum. Usually eat leftovers.

**AmyBoz** · 01-21-2005, 10:12 PM

Bring everday...both Rob and I. I only get 20 minutes for lunch, so it would take too long to buy, first of all. Second of all, it just saves us so much money. If I bring, Rob brings, and he is where the lunch money would be spent, so I bring to motivate him to bring. We either have leftovers or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

**Mom23boys** · 01-21-2005, 10:39 PM

We take our lunch....either leftovers, sandwiches or frozen dinners. Sometimes I do get lunch from the school cafeteria if it is really good!

**Telephus44** · 01-22-2005, 04:28 PM

I bring my lunch probably 9 days out of 10. Usually its leftovers or TV dinners - I buy them when they're on sale just to take to work. Once in a while I'll order out or, since we have an hour for lunch, I'll go out with a co-worker.

**Isabellasmom** · 01-27-2005, 02:54 PM

I tend to buy lunch out once a week atleast (sometimes up to 4 days/week) and it costs a bundle. It runs an average of $13 for each lunch out. My goal now is to stop eatting out so much and bring my lunch everyday and hopefully save some $