Anatomy of a frugal, no-waste lunch
Except for the rarest of occasions, I pack my husband's lunch for him to take to work every day. This has saved us untold amounts of money over the 11 years we've been married, and it's also kept us from wasting leftovers.
When I pack his lunch, I try to minimize the amount of disposable items I use, both to save money and to reduce our trash output.
Starting from the top left, here's all the not-disposable stuff I use:
- Insulated, reusable lunch tote. I've found that the flexible ones seem to be more durable than the ones that are rigid plastic.
- Hard plastic reusable freezer packs. The softer packs tend to pop leaks in a short amount of time, whereas the hard ones last for a LONG time.
- A glass Snapple bottle. As long as you keep the lids out of the dishwasher, these bottles will last indefinitely(and also as long as you manage to not drop them. duh.)
- Real silverware. Since my husband is the responsible sort, I can safely send honest-to-goodness silverware with him to work and expect it to be returned. I'm happy because I don't have to buy plastic utensils, and he's happy because he doesn't have to eat with a flexible fork.
- Two small plastic containers. I have about 10 of these tiny containers, and I find them to be SO useful for packing lunches. They're great for dressings, condiments, toppings for salads, shredded cheese for topping various dishes, and so on.
- Klean Kanteen. This is for drinking water. A reusable plastic one would serve the same purpose, but we're trying to reduce the amount of plastic we use, and stainless steel will last forever(not to mention that its sleek looks are to die for. 😉 I love stainless steel.)
- Glass containers. These are made by Pyrex or Anchor Hocking, and I LOVE them. They come in many sizes, but these two smallish sizes are the most handy for lunches. They're much nicer than plastic containers when it comes time to microwave leftovers. I do use plastic ones when none of my glass ones are clean, though, and if I was packing a lunch for a kid, I'd probably use all plastic.
So, there you have it. I do sometimes use plastic bags (some leftovers just don't work very well in rigid containers), and sometimes I put yogurt cups in there (however, the rest of use eat yogurt made in reusable canning jars), but packing a lunch this way does at least reduce the amount of plastic trash we produce.
In addition, faithfully packing leftovers greatly reduces the amount of food we waste, which in turn reduces the amount of trash we create.
Hi,
I just stumbled onto your site (from a comment you posted at The Simple Dollar) and have a quick question about the Klean Kanteen your husband uses. A friend recently gave me a Sigg (which I'm guessing is similar to the Klean Kanteen) and I'm not sure what the best way to clean it is. Does it have to be hand washed or will it be okay in the dishwasher?
I've already bookmarked your site and look forward to reading through more of your posts.
Thanks!
Hi Anna! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy my blog.
I do put my Klean Kanteens in the dishwasher, but the Sigg bottles are made of aluminum, while the Klean Kanteens are stainless steel. From what I read on Amazon, Sigg bottles are dishwasher safe like the Klean Kanteens, but because the mouth of them is fairly small, hand-washing is recommended. The mouths of the KK water bottles are somewhat small too, though, and I've never had a problem. Then again, all we ever put in them is water, so they don't really get that dirty!
Oh - I guess I could have looked on Amazon! I didn't even think of that. It's nice to get your experience with it though, as far as the small mouth goes.
Thanks for the quick reply!
Hi Kristen, I've just popped over from Mrs G's. Love the post and I especially love the addition of the Silver Cutlery. Better not tell my husband, he'd get jealous 😀
LOL Do you send plastic with your husband??
My husband has packed his lunch for 25 years (I started out doing it for him, then came babies...Kristen, you impress me!) I can't agree enough on how much it helps...saves money, uses up leftovers, and almost always gives him a more nutritious lunch. We also use the glass containers but somewhere along the line opted for plastic cutlery...not sure why!
Love it.
Both my partner and I work full time. I try and pack lunches as much as possible after our little one has gone to sleep at night, but sometimes (too often) I pass out too. 🙂
If I don't pack a lunch - We spend between 7 and 12 AUS$ each!!!!
I try very hard to tell myself each wasted dollar is precious time wasted away from my daughter and extra years in the workforce. Plus it's rubbish in landfill, contributing to the destruction of this planet which is not fair for our children.
Your site is very calming and enjoyable. I enjoy your photos and presentation very much. My partners a professional photographer so I appreciate good shots. You're an inspiration. Thank you for your blog.
I Too use Pyrex for My Hubby's Lunches
& BPA Free Plastic for my Son's Lunches
& Real Silverware & Cloth Napkins & BPA
Drink Containers. Sadly Granola Bars do
hv a Self packaged waste wrap.... But I
do make the effort. To be as GREEN
& SAFE that I can be.
Has Anyone tried ghosts Zipper Washable
Bag that can be used for Sanwhiches,
loose Granola, grapes, etc. ??????
Those Not Ghost....
Sorry my iPod spells for me at times
& I forget to Double CK 😉
One frugalist tip to another
You could buy cheap silverware at a discount store or find old silverware from a thrift shop so as not to loss your good stuff. My mother kept washing plastic for work or trips but with plastic maybe causing cancer and all eliminating it is good thing.
God bless