Believe it or not, I HATE packing lunch. It takes time out of my night, it’s extra clean up, I have to pack TWO (since I’m a good wife)…I DESPISE it!
The easy way out is to NOT pack a lunch and just spend endless amounts of money day after day. The problem with that? It gets old fast and the bills add up quickly! Not to mention the fact that day after day you are eating foods loaded with fat and calories. Even if you are eating Subway, I’m sad to say, not ALL the choices are “healthy” and lunchmeat is one of my cancer causing foods. So what to do?
Below are my secrets to staying motivated to get those lunches packed!! I still hate it…these just make it easier.
- Pack The Night Before! Unless your mom or dad will get up and pack your lunch for you in the morning, my ULTIMATE secret to packing lunches is to always pack the night before! This way, there’s time to really think about your food choices and plan so that you are not starving and option less by 3:30 in the afternoon.
- Pack as you are making dinner or cleaning it up. I started doing this not too long ago and I’ve found the lunch making process to be MUCH more efficient. If I’m packing as I’m prepping, I can easily chop a few extra veggies for our lunches. If you are making a salad for dinner, it’s so easy to get out a container and make a little extra for the next day. Once I put dinner in the oven, I can use that time to make some sandwiches, etc. I now use up more leftovers and there’s no opportunity for me to get lazy about it later in the evening. It’s done when dinner is!
- What Do You Want? What is it about eating out that we all love so much? Is it that there are more options? Is it that it’s more convenient? Figure out what you LOVE about eating out and start packing based on those reasons. Packed lunches really can be MORE convenient and appetizing if you put a little thought in to them. If you LOVE the chicken salad sandwich the deli down the street has to offer, why not try mimicking it? Example: I LOVE Pita Pit’s falafel and hummus pitas, but I couldn’t afford to buy one everyday. So what did I do? I figured out how to make my OWN falafel and hummus, and bought whole wheat pitas from the grocery. Simple. Easy. Cheap.
- Make a BETTER Grocery List. There are too many times I hear about people going unprepared to the grocery (i.e where’s their LIST!??). For instance, my husband used to go to the grocery store and come back with a loaf of bread, some chips, and an endless supply of beverages; beer, pop, juice, milk, the list goes on and on. What’s with guys and beverages? I would go to pack his lunch and I had to SCROUNGE for ANYTHING that resembled food. No wonder he used to eat out so much! MAKE A LIST! Figure out what you want to make for dinner and if the leftovers could be used for lunch. You will literally slash your grocery bill because you’ll stop making multiple trips to the store for minor ingredients, where you end up buying MORE foods you did not intentionally come for. Trust me, you’ll start looking forward to your lunch and others will be jealous. ;)
- Get Away From Your Desk. I know a huge reason people eat out is because they want to get away from the office. I get it. When you can get away…DO IT! I hate hearing that people eat as they work. Take a time out!! I encourage it!! However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to eat out. Take a drive and eat your PACKED lunch at the park. Go for a walk with a coworker. Sit in the lounge and eat with friends. Anything you can do to get away and NOT eat out. Do it!
Hopefully these suggestions will help you get more motivated to pack lunches! Your wallet will grow while saving your health! I love multitasking 
What are your favorite foods to pack for lunch??
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Even if you hate packing, here’s a fact that you can still love it:
*When you bring a packed lunch, you can able to save up money. Because when you eat outside or when you choose eating at fast-foods, your expenses will just rise.
*You can stay healthy and fit.
*Your time will not be wasted.
*And you can eat what you wanted.
But you should also consider having a stainless steel container than using a plastic ware types/plastic bag as your food stacking container. Stainless steel containers from Happy Tiffin are 100% BPA free so you don’t have to worry about it. It is also durable, much safer, is dishwasher safe, reusable and eco-friendly. You can’t have a hard time re-stacking and re-packing because it has a spill proof design, doesn’t holds odor and stain. It is very sustainable and convenient.
For me, oacking my own lunch allows me to save money, dash the long lines during lunch time, and pack a healthy and well rounded lunch! great post!
I’ve always been a lunch-packer. I think it is such a waste of money to go out to lunch during the week. Plus, when I do go out to eat, it’s feels more like a special occassion.
I always pack my lunch the night before because I have the most time to think about it.
Salads are pretty easy and versatile to pack – just make sure to have a bag of spinach in your fridge, and add whatever leftover meat you have from dinner on top of it!.
I agree with your Tip #5 – even if you pack your lunch, you should still try to take a break and get away from your desk.
You’re such a dutiful wife! I love your tips on making packed lunches.
Similar to Katrina, I cook a lot the day before so I can take the leftover for packed lunch the next day. But sometimes, the more I cook the more we ended up eating hence no packed lunch for the next day
My favorite thing to pack for lunch is a wrap. There are so many different varieties of tortillas and the fillings are endless. My favorite is probably corn, bean, tomato and onion with hot sauce and italian dressing. It is almost like corn salsa in a wrap. Delicious! I then grab a piece of fruit and am out the door in under two minutes.
I just posted about this to foodbuzz health. I try to do cook plenty for leftovers. I cook for 4, so there are 2 dishes leftover for lunch. I also try to cut up my veggies and fruits the night before so I can grab and go in the morning. My favorite foods are celery, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, oranges, apples, (okay really any fruit), turkey roll ups, and nut butters, cheese, salsa, hummus. I eat any combination of all this throughout the day and graze often. I do have to eat at work since I’m a teacher, so I have to have something that can be warmed up quick and eaten quick!
I walk home for lunch now, but at my old job I used to pack my lunch everyday. I think your tips are great. Many of them I followed myself. Some of my favorite lunches are actually leftover dinner items. Super easy to put together and typically just as tasty, if not more tasty, the next day.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and for leaving a comment. Congrats to you as well on becoming a Foodbuzz Health Editor!