Credit Crunch? Pack a Credit Lunch!

The credit crunch has well and truly hit and for many people it means tightening their belts...literally. The cost of pantry basics like bread and milk are up hitting consumers where it hurts in their pockets and their tummies! Marks and Spencer's report of a big drop off in profits on food sales coincides tellingly with budget supermarket Aldi's plans for massive expansion and there have been countless programs lately urging us to consider our weekly shops and extolling the virtues of using up leftovers.

Good old fashioned values.

In many cases we are just being told what we secretly know we should be doing anyway. So we should stop wasting food, eat fewer prepared meals and shop around. It's not rocket science is it? It is simply the common sense that the vast amounts of easy credit and a spend-easy culture have allowed British consumers to ignore for the last few years. But we are cottoning on: Sainsbury's reports that sales of lunchboxes are up 36% and sandwich bag sales have increased by 25% which means that more people must be recognising the savings as well as the health benefits of taking a packed lunch to work.

Save £1,000 per year!

The average office worker can easily spend £5 or more per day on a sandwich and snacks for lunch and that doesn't include a Friday trip to the pub or local restaurant for lunch. It's not too difficult to do the maths: Say you work 250 days a year (give or take a few for holidays), and spend an average of £5 per day at lunch time. That's a whopping £1,250 per year or £104 per month! Cut your costs to an achievable £1 per day and you can save £1,000 per year. Each of our cheap lunch ideas gives an average portion cost helping you to make the best choice for you.

Feel smug.

Bringing a packed lunch has other benefits on top of being money-saving. It can be good for your waistline because you're in charge of what goes in it unlike shop-bought sandwiches which in some cases have lots of naughty ingredients you wouldn't expect. All of our Cheap Lunch Ideas have approximate calories and fat grams listed helping you to choose a healthy alternative. For extra brownie points, making your own lunch in a reusable Tupperware container means you're avoiding all the extra packaging that comes with pre-packed lunches so you're helping the environment too!

Cheap doesn't have to mean boring.

Packing your own lunch means you can choose what you put into it and if you fancy putting some treats in there you get much more for your money if you buy them in bulk or from a supermarket than if you were to buy them from the local sandwich shop. Why not get adventurous with your lunches - it's easy to make yummy hot food in advance and microwave it in the office, prepare delicious salads and experiment with new recipes. After all what's more exciting about a chicken and avocado sandwich from Pret a Manger than one you brought yourself? Why not try a delicious Fruity Couscous Salad, quick to prepare Hot Buttered Corn on the Cob or homemade Chicken Caesar Wrap.

Take a look at our full list of cheap lunch ideas for inspiration here: All lunch ideas.

Happy eating!