Found a sneaky way to stop buying lunch at work every day

I was spending like $12 a day on lunch near my office in Austin and it hit me that was over $200 a month just on sandwiches and salads. I tried meal prepping on Sundays but I always forgot to grab the container in the morning rush. Then last month I started keeping a bag of shelf-stable stuff at my desk. Things like canned tuna, crackers, instant oatmeal, and those little nut packs. Now on days I forget my homemade lunch I just mix up something from my desk stash instead of walking to the deli. It saved me around $45 in the first two weeks alone. Has anyone else found a weird trick like this that actually stuck?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_emery1mo ago

Mix some of that instant oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter and a splash of hot water from the break room kettle. It makes a kind of thick, filling bowl that sticks with you way longer than a sandwich. I keep a jar of peanut butter and a bag of those single serving oatmeal cups at my desk and it's been a game changer for those mornings I forget my lunch.

the_jessica1mo ago

Did the same thing with oatmeal packets and it totally works.

the_lee1mo ago

Wait, hold on. You said "oatmeal packets" and it totally works? I'm sorry, what? That's wild to me. I can't wrap my head around how that would even hold up to boiling water or whatever you'd be doing. Are you talking about the instant oatmeal packets, like the ones with the sugar already in them? That feels like it would just turn into a mushy, sticky mess. I'm genuinely baffled but also kind of impressed you tried it.