Cheap lunch ideas

smadag1
smadag1 Posts: 1,368
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone have any yummy cheap lunch ideas. Money is tight right now plus I am having to help my mom pay some of her bills. So if anyone has any cheap meal ideas I am all ears

Replies

  • smadag1
    smadag1 Posts: 1,368
    Does anyone have any yummy cheap lunch ideas. Money is tight right now plus I am having to help my mom pay some of her bills. So if anyone has any cheap meal ideas I am all ears
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
    leftovers
    a 6"Subway sub...no chips or pop
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    do you have costco around?
    I buy a package of tortillas, put like 5 each in ziplock bags, then freeze them. (because I can't eat 40 of them fast enough) a 40-pack of tortillas is like $3. Lasts way longer than bread!
    then each day I roll up my "sandwich" ingredients inside them. I use things like tuna, lunch meat, laughing cow cheese, salad ingredients, etc.
    add an apple and a banana, and I'm set.

    Also, light yoplait yogurts are really tasty, only 100 cals, and usually can be found for about .60-.75. (I shop @ safeway)
  • AngelaBeaulieu
    AngelaBeaulieu Posts: 109 Member
    Tomato soup & homemade salad . . . head of lettuce is 99 cents and you can get 3 good size salads from it. add some favs, cucumber, tomato, etc . . . put some pepper in your 69 cent soup and your good!!!
  • paula123
    paula123 Posts: 91
    You could make your own soups and freeze one serving portions for lunch then you can have half a sandwich with it too :happy:
  • jdelisle
    jdelisle Posts: 1,050 Member
    Bump
  • expressbug
    expressbug Posts: 100
    I always shop the sale ads and use coupons. I go to Kroger becuase they do double coupons. If it is not on sale and I have a coupon for I don't buy it. Unless its stuff that don't generally have coupons. This past weekend I bought 150.00 worth of food for 69.00. I haven't paid for Toilet Paper in months.

    I use the sunday paper for coupons and the website below.
    www.couponmom.com
    www.coupons.com

    Hope this helps and have a great day!!
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    Do you have an Aldi nearby? They have really cheap food and most of it is pretty good (though there are things I have learned to avoid). A loaf of bread and some lunchmeat should last a week or more (put your bread in the fridge, it will stay fresh longer). Or how about leftovers from dinner? Try not to buy lunch out often, but since they have the any footlong sub for $5.00 again, I've been getting subway one day and get two lunches out of it by just eating the six inch and I get two lunches for only $2.50 each day.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    I always shop the sale ads and use coupons. I go to Kroger becuase they do double coupons. If it is not on sale and I have a coupon for I don't buy it. Unless its stuff that don't generally have coupons. This past weekend I bought 150.00 worth of food for 69.00. I haven't paid for Toilet Paper in months.

    I use the sunday paper for coupons and the website below.
    www.couponmom.com
    www.coupons.com

    Hope this helps and have a great day!!


    Wow, that's awesome! Did you find it difficult to get a hang of the coupon thing? I just started and I am finding some stuff, but mostly the things I clip coupons for aren't things I would normally get. Like when I went shopping the other day the three coupons were for items that weren't on my list but sounded good....I didn't end up getting them since I reached my max budget and I didn't really need those things anyway.

    I'll check out those two websites. Does Kroger double coupons everyday or just certain days? I had always avoided them because they were more expensive, but with double coupons maybe I'll go.
  • expressbug
    expressbug Posts: 100
    I always shop the sale ads and use coupons. I go to Kroger becuase they do double coupons. If it is not on sale and I have a coupon for I don't buy it. Unless its stuff that don't generally have coupons. This past weekend I bought 150.00 worth of food for 69.00. I haven't paid for Toilet Paper in months.

    I use the sunday paper for coupons and the website below.
    www.couponmom.com
    www.coupons.com

    Hope this helps and have a great day!!


    Wow, that's awesome! Did you find it difficult to get a hang of the coupon thing? I just started and I am finding some stuff, but mostly the things I clip coupons for aren't things I would normally get. Like when I went shopping the other day the three coupons were for items that weren't on my list but sounded good....I didn't end up getting them since I reached my max budget and I didn't really need those things anyway.

    I'll check out those two websites. Does Kroger double coupons everyday or just certain days? I had always avoided them because they were more expensive, but with double coupons maybe I'll go.


    I live in Georgia and they double coupons everyday here. I cut all coupons unless I know that I will never ever buy it. Then when I get my Sunday paper, get my coupons and the sale ad and I pull out everything that I have a coupon for and is on sale that week. Sometimes I have 3 or 4 coupons for the same thing saved up and I will buy them all (if I know I will use it) That way you have enough in the pantry until it goes on sale again. The next week I do the same thing. I almost never run out of things.

    Thing you can generally get for free...

    Cottonelle toilet paper - Free
    Egg Noodles - about .10 cents
    yogurt - 1.00 for 4
    Quaker Rice Cakes - Free

    Just a few examples: there are many many more.
  • expressbug
    expressbug Posts: 100
    I always shop the sale ads and use coupons. I go to Kroger becuase they do double coupons. If it is not on sale and I have a coupon for I don't buy it. Unless its stuff that don't generally have coupons. This past weekend I bought 150.00 worth of food for 69.00. I haven't paid for Toilet Paper in months.

    I use the sunday paper for coupons and the website below.
    www.couponmom.com
    www.coupons.com

    Hope this helps and have a great day!!


    Wow, that's awesome! Did you find it difficult to get a hang of the coupon thing? I just started and I am finding some stuff, but mostly the things I clip coupons for aren't things I would normally get. Like when I went shopping the other day the three coupons were for items that weren't on my list but sounded good....I didn't end up getting them since I reached my max budget and I didn't really need those things anyway.

    I'll check out those two websites. Does Kroger double coupons everyday or just certain days? I had always avoided them because they were more expensive, but with double coupons maybe I'll go.


    Oh and where I live Publix doubles coupons too. I go there alot too. They always have a coupon in the paper for a Mystery 1 Penny item.

    Things I have got for a penny

    Publix Corn Chips
    12 Pack Publix Diet Soda
    Publix Salad Dressing
  • emtink
    emtink Posts: 387 Member
    leftovers

    or make a large batch of something and refridgerate/freeze. we always have leftovers (today is chicken, rice, veggies from monday night). i also low sodium canned soups and crackers in my desks at work so if i don't have time to package something (or if there aren't any leftovers) i'm not tempted to go out and buy lunch.
  • tsinclair
    tsinclair Posts: 11

    I live in Georgia and they double coupons everyday here. I cut all coupons unless I know that I will never ever buy it. Then when I get my Sunday paper, get my coupons and the sale ad and I pull out everything that I have a coupon for and is on sale that week. Sometimes I have 3 or 4 coupons for the same thing saved up and I will buy them all (if I know I will use it) That way you have enough in the pantry until it goes on sale again. The next week I do the same thing. I almost never run out of things.

    Thing you can generally get for free...

    Cottonelle toilet paper - Free
    Egg Noodles - about .10 cents
    yogurt - 1.00 for 4
    Quaker Rice Cakes - Free

    Just a few examples: there are many many more.

    I always thought I was good with coupons, but I never seem to get Cottonelle free. How do you do that?
    I always keep a lot of coupons and check with Publix, I love their buy 1 get 1 free deals - add a coupon to that and it is SUPER savings. :smile:
  • expressbug
    expressbug Posts: 100
    The put out coupons for .50 cents off cotenelle and it doen't require a size. I get the pack of single rolls priced at .99 cent when they double the coupon they pay you a penny to take it home. I love it when it works out that way.
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
    The put out coupons for .50 cents off cotenelle and it doen't require a size. I get the pack of single rolls priced at .99 cent when they double the coupon they pay you a penny to take it home. I love it when it works out that way.

    Smart woman.
  • Nlongenecker
    Nlongenecker Posts: 765
    Progresso "0" or "1" point soups. They have a lot of yummy flavors and the grocery I just went to had 8 for $10. They are 100 calories for half a can. I just had Veggie and Barley, it was great.
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