You get rushed right around lunchtime and once again realize that you didn't prepare something to eat today. Your stomach is grumbling, so you rush to the basement floor of your building complex to just pick up a little something for lunch. You notice the salad bar and begin to pile up a few things on your plate to eat for lunch. You grab a bag of chips and then a drink to wash it all down. The deli cashier rings it all up and tells you it will cost $10.89 for your meal. As you shake your head in a state of shock, you only kick yourself further down the road for not preparing something that will cost you less and you'll enjoy more. How many $11 lunches have you had over the last year that happened just like this? Here are five fast food places you could go to for $5 or less (and eat reasonably healthy as well)!
- McDonald's- Many of these restaurants have a $1 value menu, you could consider picking up 2 side salads and turning them into one large salad. Just put some oil and vinegar on the salad with some salt and pepper. Add one Grilled Chicken wrap, but ask them to skip the cheese on the sandwich. As I'll recommend throughout this post, just drink water at work and this whole meal will cost you a little over $4.
- Wendy's- Wendy's has their version of the right price right size menu. On this menu, consider getting the rich and meaty chili and then order a baked potato with broccoli (skip the liquid cheese). This will be a filling meal and along with the water at work will cost you less than $4.
- Subway- Unfortunately, Subway's prices keep on going up and up. You used to be able to get a foot long sub for $5. Now, you can get a six inch sub for less than $5 and the key here is to get turkey breast and then load up on the veggies. Ask for a ton of lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, and use salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar for your dressings. If you can buy small bags of chips in bulk from a place like Costco or BJ's you can still get in under $5 if you remember to bring it to work.
- Panera Bread- If you want some bread to fill you up as part of lunch, you can grab a side salad along with a bagel with cream cheese (hummus might be a healthier alternative) for lunch. Panera's regular choices with a drink will put you close or over that $10 mark, so you'll need to stick with these lower cost items to stay within budget.
- Chinese Food Lunch Specials- Instead of giving you one more brand name lunch location, look no further than your local Chinese restaurant. You can either ask for a quarter of something like Egg Drop or Wonton soup, or you may be able to get a lunch special for steamed chicken with broccoli and carrots for under $5.
Fast food has taken on a whole new look in today's economy. Many of these casual fast fare type places will easily put a dent of $10 to $15 during lunch if you aren't careful with your financial planning. Over the course of a year, this can mean $3,000 to $4,000 just in lunches alone! Think about what this would mean if you put this in your IRA or Roth IRA account instead. Try these ideas next time you are rushed for lunch.
Written by: Ted Jenkin
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