Stop buying sandwiches

paybacktime2008

How about palling up with a workmate or 4! Take it in turns to bring in lunch for the 'gang'. I've done this before and it can be quite fun and you only have to bother one day a week. When we did there was 4 of us so Friday was our treat day.

bramble1

niksyg wrote: »

OH says that if he makes sandwiches then they don't tatse as good as the lady that brings them to his work...but if I make them they are better....I have a feeling he may be just saying this so that I make them every day!!

I find that you can make really good sarnies but cheaply - just buy reduced nice cold meats/pork pies etc and you get good sarnies and lunches but cheaper. Also - as a psychological thing, I think rolls are better than sliced bread - looks less 'boring' so more tasty!! Cold pasta leftover from previous night's meal (extras obviously, not off the plate) is great, as is soup in a thermos! Yum!

Agree that things like rolls and wraps just look more appealing.

I've got so many ideas now from this thread that i have no excuse!

bank_of_slate

vary the types of bread you get as well, I sometimes buy pitta breads that you can stuff or tortillas are often on buy one get one free and they make great wraps!
...Linda xx

Pooky

If you've got a freezer then fork out for a larger joint of meat, cook it up (in the Slow cooker is most economical mostly) and then leave to cool - slice thinly and pack in the freezer in sarnie sized portions...if you vary the meat each month you'll build up a nice stock of cold meats that work out an awful lot cheaper than presliced plastic tatt. You can always just defrost a pack to pop in a pasta or salad too. :T

When you get the ends of a joint of meat that won't slice, chop up really finely (or mince if you've got a mincer) and mix with some mayo and mustard (or dressing of your choice) to use as a sarnie filler.( a little goes a long way here)...add bits and bobs of salad or veg to it to bulk it out.

dawnylou

I usually take cous cous. Add roasted peppers, or curry paste etc to keep it interesting.
Saves me a ton and is healthier too

elisamoose

I think having access to a fridge makes all the difference. If I can't keep homemade stuff cool it tastes rank and that is when I spend on bought sandwiches!

IWantToBeFree_2

I am practically the only person at my end of the office who takes their own food to eat at work, all my colleagues will go to expensive sandwich shops, starbucks, canteen etc yet I try my best to not spend money on food or drink at work.

I take my own cereal to work and my own milk, I used to put 2 pint of milk in the fridge (skimmed) on a Monday but people started drinking it despite them getting free milk so now I take just enough for each day in a bottle.

For lunch I take either home made soup or a meal to warm up in the microwave, this costs no more than £5 a week, which I could spend in a single lunch time if I didn't take my own.

OH also takes all his own food, which again costs no more than £5 a week. One of his friends is always moaning about being skint, yet goes out for his lunch every day, its daft!

bramble1

So the consensus is freezing made sandwiches works and taste nice?

property.advert

As someone who is getting near to the £67.85 I need in Valued Opinions Amazon vouchers to buy my Panasonic breadmaker http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-SD254-Breadmaker/dp/B000QV07C4/ I would lump together the home baking and the sandwich making to cut costs on two fronts at the same time.

I paid £1.29 for a loaf of Warburtons bread yesterday and it was a treat for me for New Year (how sad is that ?) but bread is expensive and if you could get a bread maker and become proficient at using it, then no reason why you couldn't have fresh, cheap bread of varying styles and kill the monster that is workday lunchtime spending !

A final help is that if you are able to make sandwiches or take some lunch with you, then you are far more likely to add in snack foods such a piece of fruit or a yoghurt because otherwise you wouldn't take them and you'd buy in some expensive and probably unhealthy bar of chocolate or biscuits when you wanted a snack. Another cost cut.

EC12345

What a good thread. I always take my lunch into work everyday - like others, whether that be a wrap, sandwich, roll, salad or homemade soup. I don't think that I could afford to buy lunch everyday - if I did I would have to sacrifice other things - and I don't think it would be worth it. I know some people that I work with who spend £5 every day on lunch or go out for lunch every day - fair play to them but I would rather spend the money that I would have spent doing something else. My husband makes our lunches and they are always tasty. I always buy the fillings though! If I do go out to lunch or buy a sandwich (probably about once every four months) - it's a real treat and I think its quite well deserved.

Good luck to everyone taking their own lunch in 2010.:beer: