Lunch is where my anti-frugal side rears its ugly head the most.  It seems to come down to organization, creativity, and will-power.  I'm more organized now, so I'm working on the will-power.  Today I packed a salad, two pieces of fruit, and a butter-sugar sandwich. 

Help me keep up the momentum.   What are you having for bag lunch?

Today for us was leftover pizza, raw veggies and an apple. DH prefers sandwiches because he hates to heat food up. I prefer leftovers. I usually plan leftovers and freeze them in single-serve portions to take for lunches. This can be pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, mac and cheese, chicken alfredo, chili, soup, and other things.

Jill

Dh and I usually have leftovers or hm soup. Today, DH has a small container of

lasagna and a small container of pasta and meatballs. Together they made a proper serving size; a, apple.

3 kids took small ww sub rolls (marked down) w/ ham, cheese, mustard; carrots, cookie, hm koolaid, a granola bar(marked down)

I am on medical leave, but have a container of spaghetti & meatballs set aside for my lunch.

Today we are having manicotti, lettuce salad, and garlic toast leftovers.

It makes a difference if you have facilities that will allow you to heat leftovers, microwave, toaster oven.  If not you might need to invest in a wide mouth thermos for soups, stews, chili, casseroles, etc.  Personally leftover are a no brainer for me.  I literally package up the next days meal with leftovers and put them in the fridge.  DH and I both have kitchens, with microwaves, that make this the easiest option.

I also keep salad ingredients on hand.  I can either add a can of tuna, or some chopped meat, or an egg or too to top the salad.  With a side of a roll or crackers it's easy too.

I make deassembled sandwiches too.  I'll package the bread in a baggie.  Then I can have another baggie for bacon and lettuce and another one for tomatoes.  I can then make a fast BLT without anything getting soggy.  Sometimes, I'll mayo the bread then add lettuce leaves to both pieces of bread then add a tuna salad or egg salad in the middle. 

Sometimes homemade soup in a thermos and a side of muffin and a piece of fruit.

With the cold weather we've been having, I love having a hot meal.  In the summer, I like cool meals of sandwiches, salads (lettuce, fruit, main dish, or desserts).  I love sliced fruit, some might like that over cottage cheese or yogurt.

Good luck!

 Creativity in packed lunch is one of my weaknesses. My husband is not a creative eater and picky about many things on how food is to be prepared and eaten.

He often drops by for lunch or has something light in the middle of the day with a larger breakfast and dinner later. I have not had to pack one in awhile. For the times I do, I look forward to seeing the ideas here.

think it is my biggest expense!  since no one can take peanut butter sandwiches to school (dh works at a school) and are fussy no egg or tuna salad...mostly cold cut sandwiches or with dd jelly or cheese.   all lunches basically are a drink, fruit, treat and sandwich.  

I normally did frozen entrees or leftovers for lunch. dh will do some entrees but prefers sandwiches.  he packs his lunch because he gets up early. he isn't the best eater but have him taking a banana and a yogurt in his lunch each day.

frankly cost of meat etc can be pricey and I don't like doing bologna or high fat meats most of the time. also don't like making sandwiches much lol.  but safeway has big subs with lots of meat that cut up make 4 sandwiches for dh. works out to be the same price almost.  dh doesn't like veggies in his sandwich.

treats like granola bars, rice krispy squares, fruit snacks,cookies...buy on sale and have my price point of .25 max per treat though granola bars are harder now to get at that price.

ds getting picky so the kids have been get buns and cheese strings for main part of the lunch.  I  normally get 100% fruit juice boxes.

have a bunch of hotdogs to use up so kids will get those on wed because I need to go shopping on tues for buns etc.

never heard of hotdog spread before.

We have an admin dining room at our office that for $4.50 serves an entree, 2 sides, roll and dessert ($3.75 if you skip the dessert) as well as a pay by the pound salad bar. It's always good and I normally do that once or twice a week. I tend to send our lefovers with DH in his lunch to heat up since he's unable to leave his office. When I can find frozen dinners on sale I stock up and I'll take those in my lunch with a piece of fruit. Usually once a week I eat out with a couple friends that all work in the downtown area to catch up on our lives. DH and I neither one are big on sandwiches and try to avoid them if I can.

I also enjoy crackers spread with Laughing Cow creamy swiss cheese and topped with chunky salsa in my lunch. DH won't eat that, he says that's too girly for him.

DH and I also enjoy burritos/fajitas in our lunch. They transport and heat up really well. 

I madke all kind of sandwhiches  he likes ham sandwhiches ., chicken salad , I make  a Mexican sandwhich , taco meat cheese and some pepper, onions , 

I pack lunch pretty much every day.  Today I brought a container of last night's minestrone soup; I made a big batch so this will probably serve as lunch a few times this week.  I take leftovers as long as there is enough for the planned leftover dinners for DH & DD the nights I have to be in class.

If we are out of leftovers or there's not enough, I'll pack up the same thing that DD is having.  She often wants cheese & crackers or a PBJ; then we put sides with it of fresh fruit (or raisins), granola, all natural gogurts or some other yogurt, almonds, chopped veggies, etc.  Sometimes I "treat" her with a piece of strawberry fruit leather. 

This week we have an open package of turkey pepperoni so we'll be doing a HM version of a lunchable with sliced chedder cheese, triscuits, and the pepperoni.  She'll want about 8 cracker's worth of toppings, which isn't too bad. 

I do keep a thermos handy for those times that DD want's the leftovers; she only asks about once a quarter and it's usually for mac-n-cheese or spaghetti or something similar.