Saving Money for Travel- Lunch & Dinner Edition
Part of being able to travel a lot is having a budget and saving money where you can. Living in NYC its super easy to spend +$12 on lunch, that’s $240 a month!! In 3 months you could have bought a $720 plane ticket, just saying.
Seamless and Doordash also are huge money sucks, do yourself a favor right now and delete the apps from your phone. My friend Samantha gave me this idea, she was saying if its not an option you’re less likely to seek it out which is so true.
I wanted to share a few meal ideas if you’re looking to save some money and bring your lunch to work! Be warned this is not some cute styled food post this is just snaps of what I have been eating as I remember to document it.
At the end of this post I have included a shopping list of the things that I buy to put all of these and various other meals together, if you have any questions about what to do with an item or how you can use them to be cost efficient leave me a comment on send me a message!
I get mini heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market to eat throughout the week. I like them as a snack with some mozzarella and a little balsamic vinegar. They are also perfect for topping an avocado toast or blistering and tossing with some pasta for an easy economical dinner.
A grade school classic: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are perfect for when I did not have anything left over from dinner for my lunch or just flat out do not have anything. Its quick, easy, and super cheap! I got all of this for around $6.
Pizza is always inexpensive and super easy to make more than one so that you’ve got left overs to just pop in the oven (or microwave at work- note it gets chewy, but whats a girl to do?). I have a favorite sauce that I buy at the Union Square farmers market and use it for pasta and pizza, even chicken!
Below is my random salad that I made with left over lettuce and bell pepper to go with my pizza bc you always need something green with a meal. It’s about using what you bought so you don’t waste food and money. I added some caeser dressing and it was perfect.
Below is my version of a buddha bowl. Lettuce, roasted mushrooms & broccoli rabe, and cous cous. I topped it with avocado, everything but the bagel seasoning, and some tahini. This is a healthy, easy meal that you can make for dinner and have left overs for lunch. Even if I am out of lettuce, I will take my roasted mushrooms and left over cous cous for lunch. You can always change up the ingredients to things you like—roasted sweet potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts etc.
Last but not least is basic white girl food, toast with avocado and an over medium egg topped with everything but the bagel seasoning. I switch up between using real toast bread and the Scandinavian GG appetite control crackers as a base. I will eat this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Eggs are a cheap protein and you can use them in cauliflower ”fried rice” to add protein too!
Shopping list:
Eggs
Bread
Avocado
Fresh Veggies (bell peppers, squash, brussel sprouts, spinach)
Everything but the Bagel Seasoning
Cous-Cous
Baby Bella Mushrooms (loose and not precut—packaging and cutting adds cost)
Baby Tomatoes
Little Gem or similar Lettuce
Mozzarella (I like to get mine fresh if possible vs preserved & packaged)
Tomato Sauce (City Saucery: Organic Ugly Sauce at Union Square Market is the BEST!)
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Pasta of Choice (chickpea, zoodles, palm hearts, regular pasta)
Ground Turkey (think turkey burgers or taco meat)
Staples to Have on Hand:
Butter
Garlic
Onion
Red Pepper Flakes
Coconut Oil Spray
Mexican Seasoning
I try to get as much as I can at the local farmer’s market as well as buy organic. For me in the long run both of these things are worth it and important to me, even when I’m trying to cut cost. The above staples will help you jazz up just about anything you buy!
Let me know what you’re cooking! Tag me in your instastories or comment below!