Domestic Tuesdays - The Recession Goes Domestic

When I posted last week about being kinda in the hole with my finances and how much it embarrassed me, so many of you commented that you were in the same situation. I also go SO MUCH advice and great tips that I'm sure will help me get my bank account out of the negatives (yes, I was overdrawn again this month...sigh). Since so many of you admitted to being unable to save money too, I thought I'd give some of my own advice when it comes to curbing back spending, as I'm actually not totally brain damaged when it comes to cutting corners and not spending an entire paycheck in one fail swoop.

For me, that area of expertise is packing a healthy breakfast and lunch for work instead of eating out. Sure, it's not brain surgery, but it's something that I've noticed a lot of people in my office avoid. Personally, the thought of spending money on a "meh" lunch or even a pretty good one during the hour allotted to me in the middle of my eight hour work-day seems like such a waste. In fact, I almost always refuse to buy anything, even on those days I've forgotten my lunch. Bringing a healthy lunch to work increases my happiness twofold: I'm saving money, and eating healthy - this way, I don't feel [as] guilty when I order that bacon cheeseburger when I go out with a friend to dinner. Problem solved!

So for this week's Domestic Tuesday, I'd like to show you what's in my lunchbox today. I have to be at work by 8 a.m. everyday (oh the humanity!!!), so I bring my breakfast to work, too, as I am in no way a morning person, and getting up early to eat breakfast would take more willpower than I have at this point in my life.

My favorite breakfast lately is plain yogurt, berries, flax seed oil, and granola. I don't like buying individual tubs of yogurt because they're a lot more expensive than buying a large container and then just separating it out into tupperware (plus most of the brand names have high fructose corn syrup in them). Fresh berries are great, but mine always end up going bad before I can use them all, so I like getting frozen. My favorite granola is Maple Pecan from Trader Joe's, but this Pumpkin Spice was cheaper so I grabbed a bag of that this time.

I throw the yogurt and berries into a Tupperware with about a tablespoon of flax seed oil (it's SO good for you!), and then put the granola in a bag to mix in once I get to work. It's yummy, filling, and healthy.

For lunch, I usually make a big pot of something like chili or penne with sausage and eat it throughout the week, but I'm trying to eat a little lighter. I started with a package of whole wheat lavash bread, but you could use pita or a tortilla. Instead of using fattening mayonnaise (which I'm not a fan of anyways), I bought some white bean and basil hummus, and spread that on thick.

At my local ethnic market, sliced turkey was $2.99 a pound. I always buy freshly sliced meats and cheese from the deli counter at the store. It's usually cheaper than buying the prepackaged kinds, and you can order only as much as you need (being a single girl living alone, this helps a lot).

Next, veggies! I used red pepper, tomatoes, and red leaf lettuce, with some fresh cracked pepper on top.

Next, wrap that fucker up!

I am a HUGE snacker. I eat a little something about every two hours, and NEVER let myself get hungry. I've always been this way, and I've always been thin...just sayin'! Aside from the turkey wrap and granola/yogurt is a fig bar, an apple (which I love to eat with a string cheese), a bag of prunes (don't judge!), and three (yes, three) dark chocolate covered pretzels for that inevitable afternoon sweet craving I always have.

Bringing your lunch can get boring, so it helps to have a cute bag to make it more exciting. And yes, that's a Red Bull cola. What can I say? Coffee and tea don't do it for me anymore.

Scene from today's lunch break.

Scene from today's "Scenes From My Lunch Break"

(can we laugh real quick about how many tries it took me to get this photo correct using the automatic timer on my camera, and how many up-skirt shots I ended up with as I bent over to sit down??? There was a homeless man watching bemusedly the entire time.)

What's your favorite money-saving tip?!