Cutting spending - Work lunch

[eyesbiggerthanstomach]

My 2020 goal is to cut my spending.

My salary is £3100 net per month
Household bills about £1200 per month
Nursery fees £1200 per month

I do get CB as well.

I am separating from DH and this is partly because of financial abuse. He pays £329 only towards all this. I'm not getting into the ins and outs but he will be leaving as I have had enough. He doesn't earn much so I doubt I would get even that in maintenance.

Due to the financial abuse I have about £4K in debt and have had to go back full time (the £3100 is my full time salary).

Once DS who is not even 2 yet gets free childcare at 3 that will help but in the meantime I need to cut my costs.

I don't go out etc so my main spend is food and things for DS along with activities and days out for him which I love doing and can't give up as I only really spend quality time with him at the weekends anyway and I feel time is passing us by.

I think I need to reduce my food costs and in particular my work lunch. I don't spend much say a boots meal deal every day but I think I should cut that down.

I don't have much time in the mornings so end up having breakfast at work.

What are people's tips for getting organised with their work lunch? Nothing too depressing. I don't think I can live on beans on toast all the time as often lunch/dinner is one of the few things I look forward to seeing as I never go out!

I prep extra evening meal, then portion up the leftovers before I plate up.

So I make a 4portion risotto. Tub and freeze two lots. Same with chilli. Spag bol.

A quiche is a good thing to pre make. Empty a half of a bagged salad and some cherry Tom's to go with it.

Soup - slow cooker all the leftovers veg on Sunday afternoon, blitz then add some orzo to bulk it, then freeze into portions.

Make a big bowl of egg may and buy a multitask of rolls.

I keep a few bits in my desk drawer at work # cereal bars, mug soups, crisps.

Thanks. I have had a slow cooker subdue Christmas so I should start using that more

Slow cooker *since Christmas that should say

Multi pack of crisps costs a £1. Biscuits are around a quid too. I keep a stash in my drawer and bring sandwiches in every day.

I take muesli in a tupperware for breakfast every day.

Buy a tub of hummus, crackers at the start of the week and take fruit to go with it every day.

Probably costs about £5 per week.

Bloody hell, a meal deal every day is spending loads I think. I never buy lunch. I take a smoothie that I make each morning, or home made soup in a flask. Sometimes I make a sandwich but not often. Start doing this and you'll save a lot.

I prepare mine the night before so it's ready to grab and go.

I have a few tubs of hummus in the fridge and take a tupperware with crudités in plus a sandwich bag of bread sticks or crackers - fillings and fresh.

Pasta and pesto with salad and cheese.

I use a lot of leftovers, so things like stir fry are yummy the day after in a wrap or with salad in a tub.

I make overnight oats to eat at work the following day: half cup of oats + half cup of milk, stir, put in a container with a good lid and put in the fridge. I make a few day's worth at a time.

Lunch: bag of oranges or apples (

Anything from the night before. I hate spending money on work lunches.

Biscuits by the way: Aldi do loads for less than 50p, e.g. bourbons are 22p, jaffa cakes are 27p.

I do the same as Bernadette. Cook enough for 1 extra at dinner and "serve" that into tupperware with everything else and take for lunch the next day. I also make sure I have snacks, fruit, water bottle with me to stop me needing to pop to the shop. Coffee mug and tea and coffee at work to stop the coffee shop run. You can even get sachets of latte type coffee .

Batch cooking is your friend. I'm not sure if you are veggie but you can buy frozen diced chorizo from tesco. Spoonful of that, passata, can of chickpeas or some other type of beans and loads of veg is cheap and tasty. Can serve with bread or rice to bulk out as required.

As well as usuals such a chilli con carne, spag bol, curry, pasta bake, stews etc. All of which freeze and reheat well and can be bulked out with veg, pulses or canned beans (not baked beans btw!).

In the summer I make salad of tuna or poached salmon, egg, green beans or broccoli etc which is really filling and nutritious so stops me craving snacks before dinner time.

I too have breakfast at work, usually yoghurt, fruit and spoonful of granola or nut butter.

The key is to make it all the night before otherwise time just goes. I have all bags packed and clothes out before I go to bed for me and the kids.

It has saved me loads and the quality of the food I eat is so much better.

Always pack your lunch the night before.

Keep cereal, cereal bars in your drawer at work. For breakfasts (just bring in yoghurt or a piece of fruit)

Make sandwiches, take leftovers, wraps are great if your sick of bread. I big batch of soup in the slow cooker (portioned and frozen). baked potato with a nice filling.

Get yourself some decent containers for soup, tubs for leftovers etc. Stock up on large ziplock bags and always have enough foil & cling wrap in stock. Get yourself a nice little lunch bag.

The trick is organisation (homemade lunches will probably halve the calories your consuming at work too!)

Meal planning and batch cooking saves heaps.
Plan your menu and snacks, batch cook on a weekend for the next few weeks and freeze.
Saves time and money especially on time poor evenings trying to get fed and bed routine done.
I also like to watch ‘eat well for less’ lots of savings advice there.

Leftovers is the way! It's so quick and means you don't get bored of a sandwich every day.

Also I online shop so I don't get tempted by things I don't need but want because I'm hungry!

Spending on work lunch is such a waste of money and lazy . It takes no time to make a sandwich ( while the kettle boils ) and throw it into a bag with a couple of pieces of fruit .
Or take left overs from main meals / bulk cooking if you don’t like sandwiches etc . Portion up and freeze .

I batch cook granola at the weekend and take that to work to have with yoghurt every day. Slightly tedious but it's quick and easy.

For lunch you could batch make Tuna pasta and keep it in the fridge? This is what I do. Breakfast you could do overnight oats and take with you?

I started bringing my own lunch because I felt a lot of shop bought sandwiches were rubbish and my homemade were better .
I make ham, cheese , onion & rocket on a nice roll or tuna .
I buy nice bread & rolls at weekends and freeze, I save a fortune .
If occasionally you buy lunch as a treat then it's not so bad .

Thanks all. Great ideas.

With the overnight oats, do you put them in the slow cooker? If so do you use the same proportion that you usually would when on the hob (I use 1 cup water 1 cup milk and 1 cup oats)

Also, is it not then cold by the time you arrive at work? Or do you then reheat in the microwave?

Usually a sandwich or soup and revitalise

Always take fruit

Ryvita

a lot of this will depend on your work conditions- is there a job? microwave? or do you need to eat on the go?

i often make a stir fry for lunch as we have a cooker or i batch cook for the week.

take a loaf, keep butter in the fridge and have toast?

OP overnight oats are typically eaten cold

Overnight oats are raw oats, topped up with cold milk /yogurt and left in the fridge to 'soak ]overnight. You don't cook them. You can then add honey, fruit etc when you eat it (or even before). If you google you'll get loads of fancy pics using kilner jars to prep, but you just really need a tub with a lid.