1280: Frugal Eats For Our Workweek by Lisa Harrison of Mad Money Monster on Balance between Saving Money & Enjoying Food

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Work Daily, Episode 1280. Frugal Eats for Our Work Week by Lisa Harrison of MadMoneyMonster.com

[00:00:09] And I'm Dan, your host and narrator here on OWD and we're going to get right to our post now for this Tuesday as we optimize your life.

[00:00:18] Frugal Eats for Our Work Week by Lisa Harrison of MadMoneyMonster.com

[00:00:28] As most of our readers know, we're not yet financially independent but we're doing everything possible to achieve our goal.

[00:00:34] Everything possible includes making lunches for our work week.

[00:00:37] I must admit one of my biggest financial pitfalls throughout the years has been eating in restaurants.

[00:00:42] It's not so much the food that lures me out to fine and not so fine eateries.

[00:00:47] It's mostly the atmosphere and the social aspect that gets me.

[00:00:51] Hence, in an effort to reach our financial goals, we shun most restaurant meals these days.

[00:00:56] Contrary to our spendy past, we've become quite crafty in preparing frugal eats for our work week.

[00:01:02] Let's take a look. Our weekly menu.

[00:01:06] I must tell you that I am the only person in our household that commutes to a desk job outside of the home each day.

[00:01:11] Mr. MMM has the luxury of being able to work mostly from his home office.

[00:01:16] Therefore he doesn't need to brown bag any lunch.

[00:01:18] He is able to climb the steps out of the doldrums I'm being overly dramatic here for entertainment purposes.

[00:01:25] Of the basement, to prepare a nutritious yet delicious lunch in our kitchen.

[00:01:29] This usually consists of tuna and refried beans.

[00:01:33] It's what he likes. Don't judge.

[00:01:35] I, on the other hand, must plan a menu for my work week if I'm to stay on task any lunch at my desk instead of skipping out to the closest pizza joint or fast food spot,

[00:01:45] both of which I am a sucker for, with little willpower to guard against it when my tummy starts a churnin'.

[00:01:51] Typically I am able to plan on taking dinner leftovers for lunch the next day if we have a solid plan in place for dinner each night.

[00:01:58] However, when it's obvious our plan dinner eats are going to be demolished or we're preparing something that isn't good after reheating,

[00:02:05] I must make secondary arrangements. That's where preparation comes in.

[00:02:10] Frugal eats preparation.

[00:02:12] Unfortunately, I don't always succeed at preparing a fully balanced lunch meal when I take my lunch to work,

[00:02:18] but it's still better than pizza or fast food.

[00:02:20] I and we do, however, put a lot of focus on balancing out breakfasts and dinners, so not all is lost.

[00:02:27] In some instances, I will prepare a week's worth of food for the upcoming work week.

[00:02:31] When I'm fully confident our dinner menu won't suffice for lunch leftovers,

[00:02:35] I plan to make a batch of food on Sunday that will hopefully last me the entire week.

[00:02:40] Case in point, the other week I whipped up a batch of baked chicken with brown rice and green beans.

[00:02:45] I effectively stored this in a big container in the fridge and divvied out a portion each morning before leaving for work,

[00:02:51] and I failed to take a picture of it for my readers.

[00:02:54] Blah!

[00:02:56] Another staple that enables me to stop spending foolishly at pizza joints and fast food locals during lunches at work

[00:03:02] is spaghetti and meatballs.

[00:03:03] I can happily eat a batch of sketties and balls for the entire week without hesitation,

[00:03:08] and I will love it.

[00:03:10] Fortunately, I'm not the kind of chick that can't eat the same meal twice.

[00:03:13] I would have to eat the same thing for every meal for days on end before requiring a change,

[00:03:18] but it just doesn't bother me.

[00:03:20] Frugal eats I typically take to the office include pasta variations, chicken, rice and veggies,

[00:03:26] fruit and veggie smoothie, sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, and dinner leftovers.

[00:03:32] Workweek execution.

[00:03:34] Knowing I have a delicious lunch I can look forward to a work is vital to my success.

[00:03:39] I put a high and cannot emphasize this enough,

[00:03:42] priority on my break time at work.

[00:03:44] I have zero interest in working through lunch while trying to grab a bite of a sandwich here and

[00:03:49] there. Zero.

[00:03:51] For me, having a mental break means I can be a much more productive employee the second half of

[00:03:55] the day, and since I don't define my entire being by the position I hold at my W2,

[00:04:01] working through lunch doesn't make me feel accomplished.

[00:04:03] Quite the opposite, in fact, it really does nothing more than tick me off.

[00:04:07] The other thing I truly enjoy during work is getting the heck out of the office.

[00:04:11] Hence, it's a struggle every single day for me to eat lunch at my desk.

[00:04:15] That's why I must have a plan and I must be looking forward to my lunch break and what I'm about

[00:04:20] to devour. To me, my lunch is not just sustenance. It's a break from the monotony and a chance for

[00:04:26] me to recharge for the second half of the day. Because it's not just about filling my belly,

[00:04:31] I must also combine my work lunch with something that enables me to believe I am truly

[00:04:36] getting a midday break and going out to eat satisfies every single desire I have.

[00:04:41] But that is obviously pushing us in the opposite direction from our financial goals.

[00:04:45] So, what's a hungry, tired girl to do when noon rolls around?

[00:04:49] I have solved this issue by looking forward to reading some blogs or even writing one.

[00:04:53] Truth be told, this very blog post was conceived while eating lunch at my desk at work.

[00:04:58] Productivity abounds.

[00:05:01] Preparing to fail.

[00:05:03] No one's perfect and we are quite far from that side of the spectrum.

[00:05:07] We do our best, and that means we, mostly me since I work outside the home,

[00:05:11] must prepare to fail. Preparing to fail means I always keep emergency food at my desk

[00:05:16] to squash my hunger should I forget my lunch or fail to pack it in the first place.

[00:05:21] My emergency stash consists of peanut butter, hummus, crackers, pita chips, and oatmeal,

[00:05:28] my last resort. It's not my preference, but it is everything a girl needs to get through

[00:05:33] a work day until dinner. And did I mention there are free beverages at work?

[00:05:37] Free coffee, hot chocolate and tea. And let me tell you, I don't forget to indulge in these offerings

[00:05:43] each day. Bottom line, we do the best we can. We're not perfect, we do mess up,

[00:05:48] and I do occasionally go out for lunch. But I'm always mindful of how much money I spend and take

[00:05:54] to allow it to happen too often. You just listen to the post titled

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[00:08:22] today. Thanks so much to Lisa for this post. Lisa Harrison is a mother, scientist and financial

[00:08:29] enthusiast. And she is the founder of Mad Money Monster which is a personal finance blog

[00:08:34] that chronicles her and her family's journey from doing money all wrong to doing it all right.

[00:08:40] She and her husband are known as Mr. and Mrs. Mad Money Monster on the site. And they pride

[00:08:44] themselves as being gen-axors who've turned it all around and are now charting a course toward

[00:08:49] financial independence. As you could imagine Lisa is also featured a lot over on optimal finance

[00:08:55] daily one of our sister shows so be sure to check that one out if you like this post today.

[00:09:00] But that'll do it for this installment. I thank you so much for being here on OWD and listening

[00:09:04] every day and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.