What’s the best way to save money at lunch? Obviously, it would be not to buy it but rather make it yourself. The problem with this is that although it doesn’t take long to make your own lunch, it can come across as a hassle. This is especially true if you’ve had a long day and all you want to do is relax. One of the biggest problems when making your own lunch is that it is REALLY easy to just not do it and buy instead. What’s the solution? If you have a spouse, significant other (who lives with you), or even a roommate, the answer is simple: Make each other’s lunches. It will take you the same amount of time as it would to make your own, but there is one major difference: Accountability.

If you make your own lunch, you’re only accountable to yourself to do it. However, if you are making someone else’s lunch, you are accountable to them for getting it done. The end result is that you both end up having lunches and saving money and you’re not spending any more time or resources than if you made your own.

This has worked out really well for me and my fiancé, try it out and let me know what you think.

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Sound crazy? It’s not. You can get a GOOD lunch (if basic) for a mere $1.50. All you have to do is locate your local Costcos or Sams Club and this lunch is yours. You can usually choose from pizza, a quarter pound hot dog (!!!), hamburger, or a salad, along with frozen yogurt desert. Add in a drink with one of these meals, and there’s your lunch for $1.50. You don’t even have to be a member if you just want to eat there. Plus, their food is actually quite good!

Be warned though, most of these places only take cash. Fortunately, they usually have an ATM as well so you should be in the clear.

Le sigh, I haven’t done a full website start up in a long time, I forgot how much friggin work went into it. With that being said, I would say that about 90% of the functionality is working at the moment, which is pretty good.

Also, be sure to check out the new article about ditching that annoying lunch buddy here.

Ah lunch. The one time during the day that we DON’T have to be at work while the sun is up. It can be a very relaxing and calming experience. A good meal, shooting the breeze with some friends, very therapeutic.

However, there is nothing that ruins a lunch more than an annoying “Lunch Buddy”. These are the people that shatter any hope for having a restful and fulfilling lunch. The following are some common characteristics of the Lunch Buddy:

• Talks non stop about topics nobody wants to hear about.

• Extremely picky about their food selection and makes everyone go where THEY want to go.

• Awful eating habits (example: extremely loud chewing, super messy, etc.)

Sound familiar? Chances are, you’ve come across at least of few of these people at your work. Most of the time, they mean well, but that doesn’t change the fact that your oasis of time around noon everyday is constantly ruined by them.

It can be pretty hard to ditch these kind of people around lunch time, since they are always on the lookout to see who is going to lunch. You don’t want to be rude, so you just can’t say “Well Jim, we’d love to have you along, but every time I see you eat I want to throw up and never eat again. So, you can’t come”. As much as you’d like to, this is not an option.

Fear not, all hope is not lost, here are some suggestions on how to keep a good working relationship with these people but enjoy yourself at lunch at the same time:

• Use instant messenger (IM) to communicate your lunch plans. The less that is spoken, the less they’ll know about.

• Don’t leave in a big group to go to lunch. Slowly, one at a time, wander away from your desk and meet up at central point far enough away so the Lunch Buddy can’t see you gathering.

• Actually suck it up and invite them to lunch once and awhile. This will ease any suspicions they have that you are actually ditching them. You also have a 50/50 chance of them saying that they can’t go, which is pretty much win-win for you.

• Pick a place they don’t like to go. This is usually a good option, but sometimes they will try to haggle with you and most likely someone in your lunch group will fold and agree to go with them.

• Eat lunch later than the usual “lunch time”. This is purely dependent on your schedule, but if you can get away with it, it’s a pretty good bet the Lunch Buddy has eaten lunch already. Try for a 1:30 lunch if you can hold out, or go early like at 11:00.

You can always use a combination of the above techniques, to try to raise your chances at success. Using 1 and 2 together is a good way to go, and it’s something that I have done before with great success.

Taking a little extra time to plan your lunch can save you hours of wasted lunch opportunities. Now go free yourself from your Lunch Buddy today!

Lunch, otherwise known as the one escape we get from work a day, is a key factor in work happiness.  Unfortunately, with our busy schedules today, many people either grab a snack or skip their lunch break entirely.  While there are times when you have to work through lunch, try not to make it a regular habit.  A nice break from work can recharge you for the rest of the day, making you more productive. 

Personally, it also helps to keep me sane, which is always a plus.