10 Tips to Help You Spend Less on Lunch

12/07/2008 10:41

If you've made it to this site then you have probably already worked out that cutting the cost of your lunch is one of the easiest ways to reduce your daily spend and save your money for other more interesting things! Here are our top 10 tips to really help you spend less on lunch:

  1. Plan ahead - With most things in life planning is the best way to make sure you actually reach your goals. If you want to save on lunch, it's important that you think ahead. Decide what you want to eat for the week and do your shop on a Sunday or Monday lunchtime. If you're making a packed lunch and you don't want a rush in the morning then it's definitely easiest to prepare the night before. If you're forgetful, leave yourself a note so you don't forget to take it out of the fridge until you're in the right habit! If you really aren't great at preparing a packed lunch then make sure you at least buy some simple ingredients that you can leave in the office and chuck together then and there.
  2. Get a good lunchbox - Either get yourself down to the local pound shop and invest in some food storage boxes in different sizes or buy a stylish bento box with nifty compartments - whatever floats your boat! If you're taking lunch to work the last thing you want is for everything to get squished. The less environmentally friendly option for people who are afraid of washing up is just to buy sandwich bags. And for the seriously thrifty there's always the recycling option - you can save the small plastic bags that you buy your fruit and veg in at the supermarket or wash and save old ice-cream or margarine tubs to pop your lunch in.
  3. Buy in season - If you're buying fruit or veg or lettuce for your salads then try if you can to buy locally and in season which is both good for the environment and good for your pocket. Ingredients will usually taste better too, an extra bonus. If you can't tell what's in and what's not then a great site to visit is Eat The Seasons where you can get a weekly email update telling you what's ripe right now.
  4. Buy one get one free - It's not rocket science but taking advantage of supermarket deals is a great way to stretch your budget. Just make sure that you buy things you actually would eat otherwise you'll simply end up spending more! Dry goods like cereals and tinned foods are good offers to look out for because they won't go off and be wasted.
  5. Buy big (usually) - As a rule if you buy bigger packs then you'll get more for your money, but do check first. The easiest way to know is to look at the label on the supermarket shelf which tells you how much the item costs per kg compare and then choose the cheapest one. Of course this doesn't work if you can't stop yourself from eating the whole packet! If you know you're likely to cheat then it's best to stick to buying individual quantities, but if you can - restrain yourself!
  6. Don't buy drinks - What?! I hear you say, no drinks! Well here's the logic. It's so easy when you pop to the shops to get your sandwich to stock up on crisps, chocolate and a drink. In most shops a can of drink will cost you about 60p extra or if you like juice or a smoothie anywhere from £1 to £2! Over a week, month or year that can add up to alot of money. Couldn't you just get a glass of water or a cup of tea in the office? If you really have to have juice or pop then get a flask and take it from home instead, but the cheapest way is just to drink water which is cheap and has no calories either.
  7. Make friends with your freezer - Firstly, make sure you save your leftovers. It's often worth making a bit of extra food for dinner if its something you can package up and reheat the next day or freeze for a future cheap lunch. If you're taking advantage of those supermarket deals and you've bought too much in perishable food then its worth popping it in the freezer, especially bread-stuffs like toast, and bagels which can easily be taken out and toasted from frozen.
  8. (De)motivate yourself - The key to saving money is seeing the benefit in reducing your costs, especially on the little unnecessary things. MoneySavingExpert.com has a fun little tool to help you do this. Try out The Demotivator.
  9. Think 'cheap' - If you want to cut down your costs you should always be looking out for a bargain. For example if you've forgotten your lunch and you have to go to the sandwich shop then take a good look at the menu and see what the cheapest thing you can get is (that you like of course!). For example in some places you can get slices of toast for a few pence or why not buy a croissant? Buying a simple bagel with cream cheese is usually cheaper than buying a panini with 3 fillings. If you're in the supermarket then be flexible about what you buy keeping your eye on what's seasonal and cheap. And don't feel that there's anything wrong with being a bit 'tight', after all you'll be having the last laugh when you've saved money on the little things and you've got money to spend in the bank on a holiday or some nice clothes.
  10. Get inspiration - Last but not least if you need inspiration for cheap lunches then take a look at our Lunch Ideas which list the approximate cost per portion, calories and fat grams. Browse ideas by sandwiches, hot lunches and light lunch ideas.

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