I am surprised at how very few people I know bring home prepared lunches to work and/or cook their dinners during the week.
I polled the folks from my office and discovered that on average they spend $15-20 for lunch everyday. That’s $75 to $100 a week. And that’s not including morning coffee and breakfast. Our office is around the corner from a Starbucks. So if we include the morning cup of joe and eggs on a roll or bagel and cream cheese, that’s another $6-8 a day, or $30-40 a week. So on average, people are spending about $105-180 a week on breakfast and lunch alone which is what we spend on groceries for the week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Don’t get me wrong, we are by no means penny pinchers. We try to buy the best ingredients and as much local and organic produce at either Whole Foods or at our Farmer’s Market.
The Game Plan: To cook as much of our meals during the week as possible.
Dinner for the week is usually a one-pot meal and lunchconsists of a soup and salad. We eat like gourmands and reap the health benefits of home cooking and have significant savings to splurge on going out to Michelin-starred restaurants.
I will share our weekly game plan for tasty, healthy and convenient dinner and lunch recipes. And with the money saved on cooking and eating at home, we’re going to check off the list of Michelin-starred restaurants and new eateries around New York City.
I agree. I try to eat out lunch only once a week. But some weeks are harder than others. And we always eat at home. And if we go out, when we get the chance, we are super picky since DH is a great cook.
My new goal… is to buy a coffee mug and bring coffee from home, and really start eating oatmeal again instead of the Starbucks bagel.
But for great cheap food on the LES, the Angry Ukrainians (as I call them) in the little park at 1st Ave and Houston. I think it’s called Little Veskla.
Oh yeah, I know that food Kiosk! I used to go there. It’s really pretty, looks almost like Paris during the early evening when they turn on the string lights hanging over the cafe tables and chairs. I can totally picture you there with your sandwich. And there’s a great playground next to it and a juice/shake shack across the street, called something like Juicy Lucy, no?
I think that’s a great idea to bring coffee from home. I hand my hubbie a big mug of joe on his way out every morning–after I grind the beans, steep it in the french press for 3 minutes, with a splash of whole milk. Maybe you can train DH to do the same? ; )
I have a little electric kettle in my office for tea and a drawer full of teas, honey, stirrers, napkins, sugar cubes, etc.
So when are we having a potluck?
I think the Juicy Lucy closed down. I’ll have to pay a bit closer attention to it next time I go!
I can totally see Paris in that park!