6 Easy Lunch Ideas To Save You Money

A couple months ago I wrote a post about how much money making your own coffee can save you every day, week, month, and year. A reader commented that she was interested in finding out how much money bringing her own lunch would save her.

Great post idea I thought so I broke down the numbers in this post about bringing your own lunch.

Even though I already knew bringing lunch from home was a big money saver, even I was surprised about just how much. To read about the savings in details, read through Can Packing Your Lunch Make You a Millionaire?

Something I didn’t address in the post though was the methodology. What are some easy and practical lunch ideas you can make on a daily basis to save money? This post does just that as I give six simple lunch ideas anyone can make in a short amount of time with minimal effort.

Before The Lunch

Before even starting on specific lunch ideas, I’d be remiss if I didn’t write about some of the fundamentals to packing a good lunch (yes, I’ve even got fundamentals to making a good lunch). Even if you make a great lunch, it’s not going to be very good if it’s in a hot bag or if your drink isn’t cold.

It’s critical to get a good lunch bag and a really good water bottle. This is a  water bottle I just purchased.  So far, so good. Keeps my water cold even in a hot car and doesn’t leak. Right now the water bottle is on sale so buy it now if you need one before the price goes up.

It sounds obvious, but make sure to also get good storage containers, especially for leftovers. The last thing you want is spilled leftovers on your car seat as you drive to work. Containers with a tight locking seal make a huge difference. Something like this would work perfect. (Amazon link)

For sandwiches and snacks, I also like to have baggies and foil on hand. Because I don’t like plastic in the environment I usually reuse sandwich bags for a few days as long as they are still clean. Plus it saves a little money, an added bonus.

Make a List

Make a list of all the things you enjoy having for lunch. Not just a list in your head, but an actual list written down in your phone, computer, or by hand. When you have an actual list, you are much more likely to:

• Look at the list on a regular basis
• Regularly add items to the list

Looking at the list on a regular basis means it’s going to be at the front of your mind, and you’re more likely to use those items on your list. Regularly adding items to your list means you are actively involved in making the list better and engaged in the process. Which also increases the chances that you’ll utilize the list.

Easy Lunch Idea Number One: Sandwich

To help you get started with your list, I’m going to give you five easy lunch ideas that I’ve used or have seen others use. To get started, we’ll go with a lunch classic—the sandwich.

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy here. Bread, lunch meat, and lettuce to start. For more flavor and variety, add items like cucumbers, tomatoes, pepperoncini, pickles, avocado, etc. Season with a little pepper to spice it up if you want to.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, cut the meat out and the sandwich still tastes good. For the outer part of the sandwich, you can always go with simple bread slices as the most basic option. If you want to get a little more creative, try different flavored sandwich rolls.

What I often do is buy a large French bread roll, like the kind many people have with dinner. From there I cut up four or five individual sandwich rolls, individually wrap them in foil, and put them in the freezer. Every night before I’m going to eat it, I take out one roll so I can make my lunch in the morning.

From there I slice it open and remove some of the bread to create a thinner sandwich role. I started doing this because I didn’t like how “bready” my sandwiches were tasting and it was an easy opportunity to cut some carbs out and get a better sandwich at the same time.

If you want to skip the bread altogether, use lettuce to create a lettuce wrap. They are surprisingly easy to grip and they don’t get messy like many people say. If you’re not a big bread eater, it’s a great way to cut carbs without sacrificing taste. I’ve seen others just take the ingredients of the sandwich, pack them in a bag, and eat lunch that way too.

Easy Lunch Idea Number Two: Salad

Easy lunch idea number two is also a lunch classic. Salads are easy to prepare and you can make them as basic or as fancy as you want. You can also add meat or keep them vegetarian. Some days you might want to add chicken or another type of meat; other days you might make one without meat. Either way is easy and doesn’t require much effort, time, or money.

Salads are great because you can easily add proteins like chickpeas or edamame as a meat substitute. Also very easy and time efficient to prepare.

Pack it in a quality container, bring it to work, and you’ve got lunch without much effort. I’m not a nutrition expert, but I’ve heard from many to be careful with the dressing choices. Check out this post by Rachael Link on Healthline.com to read about healthy salad dressing alternatives and recipes.

Easy Lunch Idea Number Three: Soup

Easy lunch idea number three is also a lunch classic. Soup is very versatile and an easy lunch idea as long as you have a microwave nearby. It can come in a variety of flavors and from many different sources. Chicken noodle, chicken and rice, minestrone, lentil, clam chowder, the list goes on and on.

Soup comes in a can, ready to make packages, or in containers from the store. Soup can also be made in a large batch at home and brought in individual containers multiple times during the week.

One of my wife’s favorite soups is one she makes right on our stovetop. Chicken, rice, zucchini, squash, celery, carrots, and low sodium seasoning. Easy to make a huge batch that saves a lot of money versus the canned or store bought options.

More importantly for her, making it at home allows her to control the ingredients and amount of salt in the soup. She likes to put in healthier ingredients like more vegetables and less salt than store bought versions.

Make a large batch, store it in good containers, and you’ve got lunch or dinner at least a few days for the week for a couple people.

Easy Lunch Idea Number Four: Bulk Meals

I know a lot of people who do this. Spend a little bit of time on a very large meal purposefully designed for lunches or dinner that week. Many people like to do this at the start of the week or on a Sunday to get the week off to a good start.

Here’s how it works. Make a purposefully large meal, and then pack up the leftovers. A lot of people do this with chicken. Cook 8-10 chicken breasts at one time, use a few for that day’s meal, then save the rest. Or you can skip the meal that day and just save it all.

Here are a few lunch ideas just from the chicken breasts:

• Chicken and rice
• Chicken and vegetables
• Chicken wrap
• Chicken salad
• Chicken sandwich
• Chicken soup

All super easy to make in the morning because the chicken is already cooked. Choose one or more of these ideas, or make your own. It’s easy and quick. Add a different seasoning or sauce throughout the week so you don’t feel like you’re having the same meal.

Easy Lunch Idea Number Five: Leftovers

Idea number five is quite simple and easy—just bring in leftovers from the night before. This is different from tip number four. In the last section, there’s a high level of intentionality involved. When making a lot of food for the week, you are purposefully making the food specifically for lunches that week.

With leftovers, it’s more of situation where you either happen to have leftovers, or decided to make a little extra. It’s not a scenario where you’re purposefully making a ton of food for the week. Maybe you had pasta and sausage last night and happen to have enough for lunch today. Bring it to work in a good container and you’re all set.

The meal has already been made, it tastes good, and is easy enough to take out of the refrigerator and bring to work. You can bring leftovers once a week, a few times a week, or everyday if you really want to.

If you’re someone who really enjoys having leftovers from the night before, or the night before that, you can always get more intentional. Instead of just happening to have leftovers, you can consistently make larger dinners and have enough for tomorrow’s lunch. Super easy to do and you’re making two meals at one time, saving you time and money.

Easy Lunch Idea Number Six: Combine Ideas

It’s nice to have options and choices. Combining lunch ideas during the course of the week will provide you with those options. I designed this simple chart to show how much variety you can achieve just by combining the five simple lunch ideas I outlined above.

The chart outlines an entire four weeks of easy lunches with a lot of variety and very few repeats during the week. Remember, even if you have leftovers twice or more during the week, it’s probably a different meal. That keeps things fresh and will motivate you to keep bringing your lunch during the week.

Get Creative

Whether you like to cook or not, you can get creative with meals. This doesn’t require much more time, effort, or money either. Instead of just a regular sandwich, try a wrap or use lettuce as the bread. Or take the ingredients from the sandwich and put them in a salad.

Make the meal as aesthetically pleasing as possible. For salads, that can be done by adding fresh vegetables with varying colors. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, onions, and more will add very pleasing color combinations and give the food a sense of freshness.

Combine meal ideas to create one really good lunch. For example, instead of just soup, bring a small side of soup and combine that with a big salad or sandwich. Another day try a salad and half a sandwich. If you don’t like having similar lunches two days in a row, create a meal plan for the week where there are no back to back days with the same thing.

It probably takes less than 10 minutes a week to plan out meals. Not only will this help you be more creative with your meals, but it also creates intentionality and purpose. Just like with other areas of personal finance, intentionality and purpose go a long way towards building successful habits.

Go Out For Lunch Now and Then

Here’s a suggestion you’re not going to see in many posts. Go out to eat now and then to save money. Yes, I know that sounds counterintuitive, but here’s why I suggest this. It’s good to break up the routine and reward yourself for positive choices.

Consistently making lunch at home is a positive financial choice for anyone trying to save money. If you’re successful in bringing your lunch, it’s good to reward yourself now and then for those choices.

The big difference is that it’s intentional and purposeful. You are going out to lunch as a reward for taking consistent positive action. Maybe you planned out and brought your own lunch the entire month and want to give yourself a day to enjoy a nice lunch at a restaurant or favorite food truck. Or maybe you just made good choices for the week and want to try a new lunch spot once a week as a treat.

This is much different from going out to eat Monday and Tuesday because you forgot to bring your lunch or didn’t make the time to plan out your meals for the week. If going out to eat for lunch is something you enjoy and value, pick select times during the month where you treat yourself.

I believe this will also increase your chances of continuing to bring your own lunch because you have built in rewards. One of the challenges with personal finance is that many of the rewards are long term. The biggest financial rewards from saving money on lunches come years or months later after some compounding has occurred.

Going out to lunch now and then provides a more immediate reward to encourage the behavior of brining your own lunch. It tells your brain: bring your lunch X amount of days, go out eat on X day. It’s something to look forward to and something you have earned.

Bonus Tip: Buy Lunch Items on Sale and in Bulk

Here’s a useful tip no matter what lunch you choose to bring to work. Purchase items on sale and in bulk. For example, if you frequently use mustard on your sandwiches, buy the large mustard in bulk instead of the small one. They are very similar in price but the large one will last you several weeks longer. Something like mustard is easy to store and can be refrigerated.

In addition to purchasing items in bulk, purchase ingredients that are on sale. If you’re not picky about what type of lettuce goes in your salad, pick the lettuce type or brand that is on sale that week. Maybe it’s arugula that’s on sale this week and spinach next week. If you’re not picky about it, go with what’s on sale.

The same goes for other ingredients in a salad like tomatoes, onions, etc. Stock up on the sale and seasonal items and use those items more heavily. For sandwiches, pick the type of meat that’s on sale if you’re not picky about it. For soups, there are usually sales on different brands at different times. Or if you’re making soup at home, use the ingredients that are on sale that week.

No need to cut coupons or actively seek out sales online. Just casually check the prices while you’re at the store and buy the items on sale. For further reading, chapter 12 of my book Cash Uncomplicated provides quick and easy tips about finding items on sale without spending too much effort.

Summary

Anyone can find easy lunch ideas. It’s just a matter of being intentional and taking action. I’m very protective of my time—I designed this post so that none of the outlines strategies require much time or effort. Try some or all of these ideas and let me know in the comments how it goes!

What easy lunch ideas do you have? Let me know in the comments!