BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch)

Last fall, I took on a challenge, tracked on The Daily Muse. I brought my lunch for the entire month of October. Along the way, I learned a few things.

1. My brought-from-home lunches averaged approximately $4.00 per meal. This gives me a good baseline when I go out to dinner, too: if I stick to an $8-10 dinner and save half for lunch, it's almost the same price as a homemade lunch.
2. Large dinners (more than 4 servings) had the lowest per-serving cost. Making a box of pasta with meat and veggies was still around $4 a serving, but a large home-made lasagna (some passed out to friends and eaten over a few days) was closer to $2.50.
3. Having the right equipment made planning – and packing – lunch a breeze.

The equipment in this case falls into three categories:

Storage: Glass containers are great for food that needs to be reheated in the microwave – it doesn't stain or warp as easily as plastic. If you don't need to heat things up, any ol' container will do.

Transport: Depending on the length of your commute, an insulated lunchbag can make sure your food doesn't get into the "danger zone." If your work doesn't have a communal refrigerator, this is even more imperative. Since my work fridge fills up fast, I usually transport my lunch in a small cooler with one ice pack, and then take the container out and put just that in the fridge.

Liquids: Make sure you don't confuse thirst for hunger by staying hydrated during the day. I like a screw-top water bottle for water, but if you prefer ice tea or sugary drinks, try a double-walled travel cup with straw (much easier to clean).

Clockwise from top left: Pyrex 18-piece storage set, snack sacks, Klip-it sandwich box, Built NY BYO Rambler lunch bag, Nalgene Tritan wide-mouth water bottle, double-wall water bottle, Packit personal cooler lunch bag


Are you a lunch toter or do you prefer to eat out? What do you use to bring your lunch?