One of the simplest ways to save money is to bring your own lunch to work everyday. It is easy to make excuses, “I don’t have time to pack a lunch,” “I get sick of sandwiches,” “I hate leftovers.” Enough already! There are a ton of lunch foods outside of sandwiches that are just as easy to bring to work. There are also many ways to kick your standard sandwich up a notch. Many foods even taste better the next day and are especially easy for cooking newbs!

Chili, Soups & Stews

These meals do not take long to put together. The most time consuming aspect is letting them simmer for 30-60 minutes but you can just watch TV or do pilates while you are waiting.

Chili is nothing other than tomatoes, meat, beans and spices! Put it all in a pot and walk away. Leave it in the fridge and bring it to work the next day. It’ll smell great and taste even better!

Chicken noodle soup is just as easy! I’ve already posted my favorite super-easy chicken noodle soup recipe. It’s simply chicken broth, chicken and veggies. Again, just boil, simmer then eat. Soup reheats perfectly and the flavors usually blend together to taste even better when reheated.

Similarly, beef stew is just beef bouillon, beef, water and veggies. You can season it to your preference. This will be a super easy dinner and an even yummier lunch.

Chili, soups and stews work so well when reheated because it completely eliminates the “soggy food” complaint. It is also very filling and not too messy to eat for lunch. In fact, you probably already purchase soup or chili for lunch at that overpriced cafe down the street!

Salads

Another easy lunch option is a salad. This involves a little bit more prep, but it is pretty easy to tear up some lettuce and put some chopped up veggies in a plastic container, then a side of salad dressing. There’s a zillion different veggies you can add to keep your salads from getting boring and redundant.

Sammiches

Lastly, we have sandwiches. Wait! Hear me out! One very easy way to punch up your sandwiches is by turning it into a wrap! Easy, right?

You can also change up your meats, cheese and, most importantly, the condiments. Instead of buying ham, try prosciutto. Put down the cheddar and try muenster. Also, using a spread like pesto or hummus adds a lot of depth to a lil’ old sandwich!

In Desperation…

Hey, if you’re really crunched for time, just throw a can of soup in your bag and you’re good to go!

Readers, I ask you… how do you keep your “brown bag” lunches from being boring?

Every weekend, I will detail my activities and expenses to provide an example of how to implement a frugal mindset while still having a fun and active life.

Since this was a long weekend, I’ll start by detailing Wednesday night (the 25th) through Sunday (the 29th).

Wednesday

I left work around 3p then went home, snacked on some vegetables and spent the rest of the afternoon beating Ratchet and Clank!

I made a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner then met up with a friend at a local bar to chat and listen to a cover band. She bought a round of shots and I bought myself a White Russian ($6 including tip). I lounged around some more at home after the bar then fell asleep.

Wednesday Total Cost: $6

Thursday

I slept in Thanksgiving morning and casually made myself some seasoned diced potatoes for breakfast. I watched the parade on tv, then went for a run in the early afternoon. It was pleasantly quiet and was a perfect temperature for running.

I spent the afternoon making cornbread stuffing then went over to a friend’s house to eat dinner with their family.

Thursday night I watched Battlestar Galactica: The Plan and played some more video games until bedtime.

Thursday Total Cost: $0

Friday

I went for a run Friday morning then came home and made pancakes. I spent the rest of the day lounging around. I played some Little Big Planet with a friend and baked some cookies.

Friday night, I met up with some friends at their house and hung out there for the rest of the night. I brought a 2 six-packs of Yeungling ($12.18) and the cookies. The host ordered pizza for dinner. Then we played some Magic and just chatted for the rest of the night.

Friday Total Cost: $12.18

Saturday

Laziness overcame me on Saturday and I didn’t run. I worked on creating a Little Big Planet level, did some laundry, made some phone calls, and just general lounging stuff.

My Friday run was pretty darn chilly, so I started browsing around the LL Bean website and purchased myself some ear warmers ($20). This is a relatively necessary purchase, plus LL Bean has an excellent return policy.

I also started playing the first Uncharted and didn’t like it at all. So after a few hours I just gave up.

My boyfriend came over Saturday night. We went out to dinner at Stuff Yer Face, where I ordered a baby original boli and a salad ($6.50). Instead of ordering a $4 beer at the restaurant, we decided to pick up a six-pack on the way home. He covered dinner and I bought the beer. As a treat, I picked up some Blue Moon ($9.62).

After dinner, I invited a friend over and we watched Labryinth on the Roku then just visited until bedtime.

Saturday Total Cost: $29.62

Sunday

By Sunday, I’m not going to lie, I was bored. I had done the laundry, cleaned the house, baked everything, I just didn’t have much else to do. So I worked even more on my Little Big Planet level, then started a new game in Demon’s Souls.

Sunday night, my boyfriend, myself and a friend went out for sushi. Since Sushi is expensive, it definitely is a treat for me. Also, I owed my friend a dinner since he covered me last time we went out. So I put in $20 for the whole meal. Again, this is very rare and the food was delicious, so I consider it money well spent.

Total Sunday Cost: $20

Now, before you start thinking that all I do with my time is play video games, not to worry, the PS3 is being returned to its original owner Monday night. Honestly, if I owned the thing, I wouldn’t have been playing it nearly as much. But knowing that I only had it for a limited amount of time, made me want to put more of my free time into it. Once it is gone, I plan on just going back to movie watching and sewing. I’m not worried about missing it.

In general, I spent too much on alcohol this weekend – but at least the six pack I have in the fridge will last for another weekend or two. Also, I could have waited on the ear muffs, but I guess I figured they would also provide running motivation, since I’d have one less excuse not to do it.

Total Four-Day Weekend Cost: $67.80

Every weekend, I will detail my activities and expenses to provide an example of how to implement a frugal mindset while still having a fun and active life.

Friday

On Friday night I made myself a quick pasta meal using the marinara I made earlier in the week. I had it three times last week so I just froze the rest for later in the month. My friend let me borrow his PlayStation3 for a week so he can write a paper without distractions. So, Friday night around 7p, I made the mistake of starting the game Uncharted 2…. and that was my entire Friday night.

Friday Total Cost: $0

Saturday

I went over to a friend’s house in the morning to help them move. I came back home around 2p and started up the PS3 again. I played more of Uncharted 2 until dinner time.

For dinner, I went out to this great Mexican place in the area called Cinco De Mayo. My burrito was $6.50 and is the biggest burrito you will ever see. I took half of it home.

After dinner, I had some friends over just to hang out and watch a movie. We watched The Princess Bride, played Little Big Planet, ate popcorn, then watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Saturday Total Cost: $6.50

Sunday

Sunday was another lazy day. I watched the new Office episode (boring) and started watching the movie Moon (weird) and ended up watching all of Ong Bak (very good!).

I made spicy chicken for dinner and helped my boyfriend work on paper for class.

Then I played more Uncharted 2 and ended up beating the game before bedtime.

Sunday Total Cost: $0

Total Weekend Cost: $6.50 (whoo hoo!)

Every weekend, I will detail my activities and expenses to provide an example of how to implement a frugal mindset while still having a fun and active life.

Friday

After work, my boyfriend came over with two free student tickets to the Rutgers Vs. Pittsburgh game at 8p.
Since it was chilly out, we watched the first half of the game before we decided that it was a close enough game to walk over to the stadium and finish watching it live. The 25 minute walk wasn’t as brisk as I thought it would be and we enjoyed the rest of the game (even though they lost). After walking back to my house, we both were quite hungry. We pondered going back out to get food but instead decided to split my leftover home-made macaroni and cheese along with a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich. This was a quick Friday night snack and we both enjoyed not having to go back out for food. We watched a Netflix Instant Watch movie on my Roku before calling it a night.

Friday Total Cost: $0

Saturday

Another Saturday of college of football! I drove to the vacuum store to pick up my unrepaired sewing machine then made some home-made applesauce when I got home. I watched the MSU game at noon while doing laundry and tidying up the house. When the game was over (they won!), I went to a local baking supply store to browse for holiday items. After, I went to a local pizza place with some friends and ate a prosciutto and provolone sub; it was okay, again I wish that I hadn’t eaten out or did not order that but it was quite filling. Then I got an invite from some friends to go watch the Yankee game at a bar with them. I wanted to relax a little so I treated myself to a Smithwick’s (love to take advantage of it when it’s on tap). We stayed until the Yankees won then headed back home for bed.

Saturday Total Cost: $18.50

Sunday

On Sunday, I wasn’t feeling very well at all and unfortunately spent most of the day in bed. This isn’t typical but it is what it is.

Sunday Total Cost: $0

Total Weekend Cost: $18.50

Every weekend, I will detail my activities and expenses to provide an example of how to implement a frugal mindset while still having a fun and active life.

Friday

After work, I met up with a friend at the Skylark Diner. This is a wonderful restaurant that has delicious food and a cool ambiance. I ordered a turkey/avocado wrap. The food was just-okay but the conversation was wonderful. In hindsight, I wish we went to a cheaper place but I still consider the $11 (after tip) to be well spent.

After dinner, some friends came over and watched the Yankees game (they won!) and we drank some beers that I had leftover from a (byob) party I had several weeks back. Later that evening, we decided to last minute go to Pacha in nyc (a dance club) because a well-known DJ was playing there. Unfortunately this late decision cost us. The cover was $10 before midnight and $20 after midnight. However, when we arrived there was a sign saying $40 cover! This is definitely over my entertainment budget for a single event! Luckily, some of us were already on the club’s mailing list (1) so we mentioned that to one of the ticket people and they said we only had to pay $30 cover. Granted, this is not ideal and if we hadn’t drove all the way to nyc, we wouldn’t have paid it. This is a perfect example of how poor planning (and information) can cost you!

We did drive into the city which isn’t too expensive when splitting the cost among four people. The Lincoln Tunnel costs $8 one-way then there are the NJ Turnpike tolls. The whole thing was about $20 (estimate), so $4 each. This (and we found free parking) makes the driving option cheaper than public transportation (and quicker) for a group of 3 or more.

I was the driver so I did not purchase any alcohol the entire night (the drinks are $14/each!). A friend bought me a bottle of water.

(1) Signing up for mailing lists and membership clubs for your favorite store, restaurant, or bar is a great way to save money. You’ll receive coupons, discounts or even free stuff in the mail! Remember, only sign up for them if they’re free.

Friday Total Cost: $45

Saturday

My fall Saturday’s have consisted of lounging around the living room in comfy clothes watching college football (Go Spartans!). This makes for a very cheap Saturday. I can do house tidying up while the game is on and cook breakfast and lunch at home.

We always expect a nyc night to be a late one (and big one) so since I expended most of my energy on Friday night, I did not make any plans to go out on Saturday. I worked on some website stuff, played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, watched the new episode of Bones on hulu and watched my current Netflix movie, Rounders. Just a lazy night in. I made my own dinner and had home-made microwave popcorn as a snack.

Saturday Total Cost: $0

Sunday

I woke up early on Sunday, made a small cooked breakfast for myself then went to the store to do a large grocery shop.

Later that afternoon I went apple picking with a friend. We bought $8 worth of apples that we split, then I picked up some honey (made by the orchard) for $3.50. I plan to make a couple pies and an apple crisp later in the week.

After the orchard, I made some sloppy joes at home, then just lounged around the house the rest of the evening (reading, writing, browsing the web, etc.)

Sunday Total Cost: $7.50 (for the entertainment only, this does not include the groceries)

Total Weekend Cost: $52.50