Dec 17, 2008

Works for Me Wednesday: Make sandwiches at the office

We all know that a major money-saving tip is to brown bag your lunch, saving $5 or more every day. And sandwiches are maybe the main staple of a brown bag lunch.

But a pre-made sandwich simply can't compare with a freshly made one, so I tote all of the components to the office and assemble my lunch when it's time to eat. If the bread needs to be toasted, I'll toast it in the morning and cool it completely before packing to eliminate condensation and its resultant sogginess. I also pack condiments (this is when those condiment packets come in handy) along with the filling, so the end result is a very tasty sandwich. The freshness makes all the difference in appeal, and I've been the envy of more than one colleague who's seen me put together a sandwich right in front of them.

If you have access to a fridge at the office and don't mind having the same thing multiple times during the week, you could take a week's worth of sandwich components in on Monday and just make yourself a fresh sandwich every day. At $5 per day, that's a savings of $25 per week!

Find more Works for me Wednesday tips at Rocks in my Dryer.

1 comment:

Milissa said...

You're saving more than $5/day. I am in sales and on the road a lot. I do not go to an office so I don't have a fridge or microwave for "brown bag" lunches. I have many "working lunches" which significantly helps my budget, but there are many days I have to buy my own lunch. (I tried a cooler/packing lunches but it didn't work for the long term...lots of reasons and I'll spare you that story.) Anyhoo...you just can't buy lunch for $5...even at fast food joints. And you can't eat fast food that much anyways (or I can't). I have found the cheapest and most satisfying lunches out are the soup/salad combos...you can usually get that for about $7+tip...so about $9/lunch. And for comparison's sake...Chick fil-a is almost $7/meal. I think it rocks you take your lunch...and I just wanted to let you know $5/day is too conservative if you're eating out everyday or most days...you're saving at least $7-8/day...and many days my lunch is $10 b/c I just can't handle fast food. So from someone who buys lunch regularly...your tip is worth almost $50/week. :)