CUT YOUR LUNCH EXPENDITURE BY HALF
Walk into a deli or a café and you will be greeted by a delectable selection of sandwiches and rolls all neatly arranged in the glass display cases. A closer look at the prices will reveal that each sandwich costs about $8 on average, more so when the bread is of the rustic or artisan type like Ciabatta, Panini, bagel, baguette or rye. Add a handful of fries or potato wedges and a cupful of plain salad, the price goes up to $10.
Now do the Mathematics. If you eat at least a sandwich bought from the deli everyday for lunch, an average of $160 is drawn out of your pocket per month. That makes $1920 a year. You can cut down the amount spent just for lunch by half by trying out the following ideas.
The supermarket offers a variety of choices for a nutritious home-made gourmet sandwich. Artisan bread like Panini or rustic bread like rye or multi grains like linseed and soy bread can be bought for an average of $4. The shelf life of the loaf, compared to normal commercial bread, is 3 to 4 days on average. Cheese can be a tasty and nutritious base for a sandwich. So if you buy a packet of sliced cheese for about $3 (of course the better ones cost more but can still last for a long time if sliced thinly), this can last for up to 2 weeks if consumed a slice a day.
For the more adventurous, look for spreads such as mustard or low fat mayonnaise or even dips such as avocado, baba ganoush (I have tried this in my sandwich and trust me, it tastes so good with cheese and salami), guacamole or humus. Add in some fungi like mushroom or vegetables like zucchini or even fruit like tomato or avocado or alternate your filling with salami, you have a gourmet sandwich that costs an average of $4 each. What’s wonderful about homemade sandwich is that you can even double your lunch if you choose to and still slash your lunch expenses by half. Of course, sandwich filling is not limited to the above-mentioned suggestions. With a little bit more creativity and effort, the list of sandwich ideas are inexhaustive.
Baba Ganoush and Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
Rye bread
Sliced Cheddar Cheese
Baba Ganoush Dip
Sliced zucchini
Method
Spread baba ganoush lightly on each piece of rye bread
Add a slice of cheddar cheese
Cover the cheese slice with sliced zucchini
For variation, add salami, salmon, sautéed mushrooms or sliced avocado or tomato
Discounting the fact that you may need to have to lunch out for formal or informal meetings, you can still save a lot on the days you eat in. The added bonus is, you get to control what you eat by eating healthily.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all readers and happy budgeting!
March 6th, 2010
I think your blog is good. Very informative. I found it on MSN. I will definitely be back.
May 20th, 2010
Good post! Would mind guest posting on my blog?