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almost nothing. eat at home. buy in bulk and portion the food into the freezer. 10 meals at home cost the same as 1 meal out. i cook and serve better than they do too.
I'm extremely frugal/healthy for lunch. Here's my daily:
--Planter's lightly salted peanuts -- about a third of a cup -- 29 cents -- 215 calories
--Quaker 10 minute oatmeal dry -- half a cup -- 13 cents -- 150 calories
--one scoop of ON whey protein in tap water -- 53 cents -- 120 calories
--one piece of xylitol gum -- 7 cents -- 5 calories
= $1.02 per day or $5.10/week or $233/year
= 490 calories for lunch
However, sometimes I bring along a broccoli stalk, carrot, or apple (peeled!!). The caloric contribution is never more than about 40 calories for these. I don't eat breakfast or consume anything else but water. I also take several supplements including B Complex, Zinc, D, Fish Oil, and CoQ10.
Lest anyone get the wrong impression, I eat a hearty and often expensive or even debauched dinner. Lunch is always at my desk in between working. I don't have time to get up and go cook something or buy something and don't see the point. Lunch is just to sustain -- I'm at work. I use it as an opportunity to eat cheaply, easily, quickly, and healthily. I don't need a lot of calories while mostly sitting. I leave work feeling alert and ready to go work out, play basketball, cook up a feast, or hit a bar or restaurant. My associate employee contemporaries can spend $7/day, 40 minutes, and 1400 calories on lunch. Ugh. I just don't get it. It's also appreciated that when I'm at work, I'm AT work.
I also eat Lean Cuisines, at about $2 - $2.50 per lunch. I can only do that four days a week, though, and then I buy lunch for about $6. So total per week would be about $11. I used to eat out a lot more, but then I moved to much more expensive (and nicer) apartment, and ever since then I've been much more careful how much I spend on food.
I almost never buy drinks anymore, either. A Coke or Pepsi costs $2; I can buy a liter for less than that! I've been trying to drink tea (free at work) or water.
I used to eat Lean Cuisines and other microwave food....
Well last year my doctor told me my cholestrol level was over 1,000. Yes and I can prove it with my test result.
Try to eat veggie and fruit and small sandwich with wheat.
Save money in long run with your health bill.
I'm extremely frugal/healthy for lunch. Here's my daily:
--Planter's lightly salted peanuts -- about a third of a cup -- 29 cents -- 215 calories
--Quaker 10 minute oatmeal dry -- half a cup -- 13 cents -- 150 calories
--one scoop of ON whey protein in tap water -- 53 cents -- 120 calories
--one piece of xylitol gum -- 7 cents -- 5 calories
= $1.02 per day or $5.10/week or $233/year
= 490 calories for lunch
However, sometimes I bring along a broccoli stalk, carrot, or apple (peeled!!). The caloric contribution is never more than about 40 calories for these. I don't eat breakfast or consume anything else but water. I also take several supplements including B Complex, Zinc, D, Fish Oil, and CoQ10.
Lest anyone get the wrong impression, I eat a hearty and often expensive or even debauched dinner. Lunch is always at my desk in between working. I don't have time to get up and go cook something or buy something and don't see the point. Lunch is just to sustain -- I'm at work. I use it as an opportunity to eat cheaply, easily, quickly, and healthily. I don't need a lot of calories while mostly sitting. I leave work feeling alert and ready to go work out, play basketball, cook up a feast, or hit a bar or restaurant. My associate employee contemporaries can spend $7/day, 40 minutes, and 1400 calories on lunch. Ugh. I just don't get it. It's also appreciated that when I'm at work, I'm AT work.
Very interesting. I think you are doing everything right except for the skipping breakfast part. I would never skip breakfast, I used to but realize how important it is now. Just something simple like a Bagel, or toast is perfect to get your day started. Skipping meals is not a good idea, its best to eat steadily throughout the day(In a healthy way ofcourse). Your lunches are down right perfect example.
Anywhere between $4~$10/day. I really don't care for carrying food around and what I make at home is not dramatically cheaper than what I would purchase out in the first place.
If I go out, I'm not going to go into town for Micky D's, so I spend about $10 on lunch including tip. You have to figure something for your time and gas for the car, etc. etc. I happened to eat out 5X per week during a hot spell this summer, when I just didn't want to cook at home, and was busy, and I happend to charge all those meals on one credit card, and the hot spell covered just about one billing period. So I essentially got an itemized bill for that month of lunches, it was ~$220.
If I cook up some casserole type dishes and bring to work, microwave, I doubt I spend $2 per lunch.
IM REALLY trying to watch what i spend but it seems, that as much as i cut down, i still end up spending atleast 30 a week on eating out at lunch, how much do you guys spend?
I bring two sodas with me--that's the extent of my lunch. I only actually eat once a day, sometime between waking and going to work.
food is one spot where I blow a lot of money I'd say I spend about $8 - $12 / day on lunch. I also spend roughly $12 - $15 / day or so on dinner.
I've done the fast food / ramen noodle thing before and refuse to go back to that. It takes 2-3 lean cuisine type meals to satiate my hunger (not make me full!) so that even costs money and is terribly unhealthy. I eat out a lot but I've found that it really isn't much more expensive for me to do that than to make food myself. I don't gain too much value from leftovers because I hate eating the same thing over and over. I also try to avoid too many carbs, just on principle, so that knocks out frequently making cheap things like rice and pasta. When you add in the time spent buying the groceries, preparing the food, and the spoilage, it's just not worth it most of the time, especially since I don't get home until 7 or so on a good day and often not until 8 or 830
Husband used to spend around $6-7 at the company cafeteria.
A week? As in only 7$ for 5 days?
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I'd say I spend about $8 - $12 / day on lunch. I also spend roughly $12 - $15 / day or so on dinner. 
