June save on work lunches challenge

empy

Hi, may I please join this challenge? I am starting a new job on the 11th of June, going from teaching to a trainee position in the NHS so will be taking a drop in income and facing expensive canteen costs (school dinners are only £2.50 for dinner and pud) whereas NHS stuff is more like £2.50 for a sandwich : (
So could please put me down for 0 days of buying lunch in June, thank you.

empy

Krisp_3

Me in for another HM lunch - yay! Same as yesterday, but that's all good!

Drea

Thanks guys I'll need to have a think and figure out what I can do. I'm off work tomorrow so will try and get something a bit different sorted for next week

josephine82

Does anyone else feel that its now just part of their routine to take a lunch from home? i don't even think about buying anything now, I wake up, make my roll, grab other stuff out the cupboard and off I go- Its habit now, which is great!

mmmm, salami, cheese and pickle rolls, crisps, fruit and yoghurt for me today!

Wee_Jo

Hey Josephine,

I completely agree with you, in fact, not only for the money saving benefits but also because I know know my lunch is exactly what I want and how I want it (I'm not fussy, honest! )

Jo

Ashamed_2

Drea wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas for really cheap but tasty lunches? I've been having sandwiches pretty much everyday which is getting a bit boring and stodgy. If there was something I could make at the weekend and freeze that would be okay but I don't have a lot of time during the week. Cheaper the better

If it helps you can always cook a little extra in the evenings and take it to work the next day.
If you have access to a microwave at work you can heat most of the stuff up, if not there are lots of cooked foods that can be eaten cold and taste just as good. I've a few ideas for cold food below:

• Pasta, sweetcorn, tuna and a little mayo (hot or cold) fills the stomach and is slow burning, so will prevent you getting the munchies and raiding the vending machines.
• Cold pasta with chicken and green pesto sauce (grill the chicken breasts, boil the pasta and drain, add the pesto sauce, mix and leave to cool, slice or cube the chicken and mix with the pasta).
• Cooked Salmon marinated in lemon, red onion & olive oil, seasoned with thyme, salt and pepper, server with a side of mixed cold veg.
• If you get bored with Sandwiches, try changin to rolls or different bread. It's the same sandwich but mixes it up a bit.
• Cuppa soups to compliment the sandwiches livens them up a bit.
• Rice and Chicken salad

So many ideas out there. It's just a matter of trying and if you're not too hot on the cooking side of things there's loads of good free sites to have a browse through.

www.greatlittleideas.com
www.busycooks.about.com
www.hubpages.com/hub/Easy-Packed-Lunch-Recipes

Drea

Thanks Ashamed

I do have a microwave at work that makes things a little easier. When I make madras or rogan josh I usually cook it in the rice and bring that in the next day, it's scrummy so I need to find more things like that.

Will have a look at the links.

Wee_Jo

Ashamed wrote: »

• Cold pasta with chicken and green pesto sauce (grill the chicken breasts, boil the pasta and drain, add the pesto sauce, mix and leave to cool, slice or cube the chicken and mix with the pasta).

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www.greatlittleideas.com
www.busycooks.about.com
www.hubpages.com/hub/Easy-Packed-Lunch-Recipes

Thanks (Shouldn't be) Ashamed!

The pesto chicken one sounds great - I think I have some pesto in the house, going to try that one for next week :T

The websites look fab - always looking for more inspiration!

Jo

Krisp_3

josephine82 wrote: »

Does anyone else feel that its now just part of their routine to take a lunch from home? i don't even think about buying anything now, I wake up, make my roll, grab other stuff out the cupboard and off I go- Its habit now, which is great!

mmmm, salami, cheese and pickle rolls, crisps, fruit and yoghurt for me today!

Yup - its' my routine to grope in the fridge, grope in the cupboard and chop stuff just before i go to bed - generally half asleep by this time! And then auto-pilot at very early o clock to make a flask of coffee for my train journey. I think there's a minimum number of times a human has to do something before it becomes automatic - can't remember what it is though. But i guess that's why it's the same in reverse for people who still buy lunch...:p

System

Hi all

I recently worked out I could prepare lunch for me and a friend for less money than it costs to buy out just for me.

So while the weather is nice, I'm inviting a friend for a picnic instead of going to lunch. That way I can call in the favour too at soem point!