How to Stay Motivated so You Don’t Waste Your Brown Bag Lunch
“Bring your lunch!” bloggers chirp giving advice to those who want to save money. “Cook the stew on Sunday night and it’ll feed you at work all week!” “Collect the remains of last night!” This advice is not wrong ; A little planning and a little flexibility will definitely help your food budget, especially if there are many dining options around you. But there are other reasons people go to Chipotle, Chop’t, and Panera, including time on the street, camaraderie in the workplace, lack of interest in cooking, the phrase “sad dinner at the table,” and the need to be pampered.
This post was originally published on The Billfold website .
I didn’t always think much about preparing hearty and interesting dinners. During a financially turbulent period in my life, not only did I eat the same sandwich every day at my temporary job, I kept a slice of bread and a bag of cheese in the office kitchen so I never had an excuse – or excuse – to visit the office cafeteria. Unsurprisingly, when I got the full-time job, I went for Japanese onigiri , pizza, dinners, salads, falafels, and everything else, which was quick, easy, and seemed like fun.
It should not be! With a little planning, a brown bag lunch can give you everything you get from Hale & Hearty, Subway, or Lenny’s, plus a few extra dollars in your pocket.
Moving away from the table
Starting with a red herring! I always have lunch (but never get distracted) at my table and then walk in the park. But you should eat outside if you like it. Step away from your desk, the spreadsheet you’re working on, your colleagues’ questions, your phone, your to-do list. Sit outside for a bit if you can, or have lunch in a quiet place and then take a walk. When you return, everything will be there, and research has shown that we are actually more productive when we take breaks!
Lunch exchange
Full disclosure: I don’t do it either. Unfortunately, I have never worked with someone on the same wavelength of lunch. But doesn’t that sound cute? One day a week, a friend prepares lunch for you, and you are in charge of the service. If your dining system involves Sunday night large batch meals, this is an easy way to add variety to your menu. Sharing meals also softens the “but I’m buying lunch to hang out with friends” urge to go out.
The word is ambitious: it works best with two or maybe three shifts.
Dog bags are
Several years ago, a friend of mine from Paris came to New York. I asked him what he thought about the city and he replied: “The portions are huge in the restaurant!” He was completely baffled by the sheer portion sizes and spent the entire trip eating snacks and side dishes. When faced with a mountain of food, I take a different approach: I take the knife that the restaurant thoughtfully supplied me with, and divide my lunch in two. After eating half of it, I take a moment to really test my body and consciously decide if I’m still hungry. If not, then it’s the next day’s lunch, cooked effortlessly.
Using real utensils and silverware
While this seems so obvious in retrospect, I only recently realized it. Aside from the apparently horrific effects that microwave ovens have on frog genitals, Tupperware food denies your respect for dining, as if you were stealing moments of the workday and not enjoying a perfectly legitimate and necessary activity. When I ate from plastic containers, observers could describe my posture as “hunched over” or “hidden.” My boss was not shy about interrupting me.
Eating food from a real plate with a real fork makes it clear, even subconsciously, that I am doing something important. My boss still interrupts me, but I’m sure that less often (although I should really follow # 1 and go outside, the doctor will heal himself, etc., etc.). Salt and pepper shakers not only drive home food JE n sais Quoi, they make food tastier.
Treat yourself
I’m a candy demon. The only purpose of candy is to please us, so we buy it not only because of the sweetness it gives, but also because of the knowledge that we are doing something solely for our own pleasure. Eating out is also a pleasure, but there are other ways you can get rid of the itch. The fact that you bring lunch from home does not mean that you have to deprive yourself – or, more importantly, feel as if you are depriving yourself. I don’t spend $ 10 every day for lunch, but I do spend $ 1 every day on candy. Find something you can do to illuminate these reward centers in your brain.
Do not use bento box
Frugal people like everyone else get excited about new products, and every time I see a cute lunch container, I think … maybe? Cute bento boxes! Pinterest-worthy Mason Jar Salads! Tricky snacks that keep soup, salads and sandwiches in great isolation until they can be sipped! They are all so photogenic, so attractive, but … so sophisticated.
The simpler your lunch system is, the more likely you are to stick with it. Can you make a commitment to thoroughly wash multiple containers overnight and then re-pack them for food the next day? I can’t, so I just use whatever is at hand. The most important thing is to use a system that works for you: understand what you will get in addition to food when you buy lunch, and ask yourself how to transfer these qualities to your new daily routine.