Bringing a lunch from home might feel elementary, but it is a surefire way to save money, especially if you live off campus. In order to save money while packing lunches, be careful to buy a variety offoods when grocery shopping that can be used throughout the week. Shopping List:
1 head lettuce- $1.49
1 seeded cucumber- $0.99
1 cooking onion- about $1.39
1 tomato- about $2.89
1 green pepper- about $1.49
2 bananas- about $0.39
3 empire apples- about $2.68
Wegmans baby carrots, 16 ounces- $0.99
Thomas’ Sahara Whole Wheat Pita Pockets- $2.99
Wegmans whole wheat bread- $1.99
Wegmans sliced mozzarella cheese- $2.99
2 Wegmans blended yogurts- $1.00
1 can StarKist Tuna- $0.89
1 can Wegmans tomato soup- $0.79
Wegmans Fat Free Parmesan Italian dressing- $1.69
Quaker original rice cakes- $1.99
Bulk sliced almonds, 2 ounces- $1.12
Total: about $27.67
Total per meal: about $5.50
To put this into perspective, an average on-campus meal might cost about $7-8 when consisting of a sandwich, a bag of chips or a yogurt and a fruit. Here are a few meals that you can make given just the ingredients on that shopping list:
Day 1
Pita sandwich with hummus, cucumber, pepper slices, lettuce and some salt and pepper
Yogurt topped with 1 crumbled rice cake, a banana and cinnamon (optional)
Day 2
A handful of shredded lettuce, topped with thinly sliced carrots, cucumber, onion, a sprinkle of sliced almonds and Parmesan Italian dressing
Rice cake and hummus
Apple
Day 3
Grilled cheese made with whole wheat bread, mozzarella and tomato slices
Can of tomato soup
Apple
Day 4
Tuna sandwich made with whole wheat bread, lettuce and onion
Assorted vegetables with Parmesan Italian dressing for dipping
Yogurt topped with some sliced almonds, banana and cinnamon (optional)
Day 5
Pita topped with mozzarella and tomato slices, microwaved for 30 seconds
Assorted sliced vegetables with hummus
Apple