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10 Budget Lunch Ideas and Cheap Easy Meals You Should Try

Last Updated: January 26, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 17 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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LLooking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!ast month’s roundup 10 Budget Recipes proved to be popular, so I’m back at it again with 10 Budget Lunch Ideas and Cheap Easy Meals You Should Try.

Food is one of the largest expenses a family can have each month, which is why I’m a big believer in and lover of weekly meal plans. If you are looking for some new budget lunch recipes to start making for you and/or your family, then you’ve come to the right place.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the average family of four spends around $700 to $1,000 a month on food. That’s a lot of money, especially considering that most families waste around a large amount of their food each month!

Related: Does bringing lunch to work actually save money?

If you want lunch recipes that are budget friendly and delicious, don’t worry, it is possible! The budget lunch ideas included in this lunch recipes roundup are affordable, easy, and you may already have many of the ingredients in your home!

I have all of these cheap lunch ideas recipes in my current meal plan, and I’m excited to make all of them.

Note: If you’re looking for easy weekly meal plans, full of budget recipes, I recommend $5 Meal Plan. $5 Meal Plan is a meal planning service that sends you a delicious meal plan and shopping list every week for just $5 a month.

Other helpful content to read:

  • How I Make $1,500 A Month From Pinterest
  • Ways To Make An Extra $1,000 A Month
  • 12 Work From Home Jobs That Can Earn You $1,000+ Each Month
  • 12 Easy Ways To Earn Free Amazon Gift Cards
  • 30+ Ways To Save Money Each Month

Here are 10 budget lunch ideas and cheap meals you should try:

 

1. Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Get the lunch recipe here.

Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

 

2. Quinoa Salad Wraps

Get the easy lunch idea here.

Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

 

3. BBQ Chicken Pot Pie

Get the recipe here.

Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

 

4. Pasta Salad

Get the recipe here.

Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

 

5. Pepperoni Pizza Sliders

Get the recipe here.

Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

 

6. Easy Chicken Burritos

Get the recipe here.

Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

 

7. Vegan Taco Casserole

Get the recipe here.

Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

 

8. Quinoa Salad

Get the recipe here.

Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

 

9. Spanish-Style Vegan Lentil Stew

Get the recipe here.Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

 

10. Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan For Two

Get the recipe here.

Looking for budget lunch ideas? Here are 10 cheap meals for lunch recipes that you should start making. Yes, these are easy lunch ideas that are delicious!

What are your favorite budget lunch ideas right now? Share them in the comments below!

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17 Comments
Filed Under: Budget, Food Tagged With: Budget, Budget Lunch Ideas, Budget Recipes, Cheap Meals, Food

About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. Tom Beem says

    November 8, 2017 at 5:55 am

    Good stuff here. But best of all is #3. I’d made this years ago for dinner, but sort of got away from it. This post is a great reminder. It also shows there is more to school lunches than PB&J. Cheers. Tom

    Reply
  2. Ms. Frugal Asian Finance says

    November 8, 2017 at 6:52 am

    Wow everything looks so delicious! I’m all for good food at a low price.

    We usually cook Chinese food at home, so I haven’t tried any of the recipes above yet. It’s totally worth it to give it a shot though 🙂

    Reply
  3. DNN says

    November 8, 2017 at 8:20 am

    Back in the day, I used to eat Tuna fish sandwiches with a few Oranges and call it a day. That was when I was a supposed “vegetarian.” Now I’m striving to get back where I once was and eat smaller meals. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Budget Kitty says

    November 8, 2017 at 8:31 am

    Yum! These all look so good. The pepperoni will make a great snack during game time!

    Reply
  5. Jason@WinningPersonalFinance says

    November 8, 2017 at 8:38 am

    I love Quinoa salad. It looks awesome! I will try it out soon.

    Reply
  6. Mrs. Picky Pincher says

    November 8, 2017 at 9:19 am

    Thank you for sharing these! It’s refreshing to check out some recipes I haven’t heard of before. And how timely – I’m about to start making next week’s menu. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Jamie says

    November 8, 2017 at 10:27 am

    Yeah the crock pot chicken sandwiches look good

    Reply
  8. Sylvia says

    November 8, 2017 at 3:05 pm

    I appreciate that you included vegetarian/vegan options since that’s the diet I follow. After reading a bunch of personal finance blogs, I’m thinking of relooking at my food expenses to see how much we actually spend on food and what we can do to reduce that expense. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  9. Accidental Fire says

    November 8, 2017 at 5:02 pm

    I’ve been rocking a similar quinoa salad for years now. It sooo awesome and yes it’s pretty cheap. Also quinoa is very high in protein and healthier than most people realize.

    Reply
  10. giulia says

    November 9, 2017 at 5:20 am

    lovely ideas:D

    Reply
  11. Jason@Simple Man Money says

    November 9, 2017 at 11:20 am

    I like these ideas, especially for those times when a cold ham sandwich just doesn’t sound very appealing! I could eat on the BBQ pot pie for days – and I think even I could make it. Thanks for sharing the recipes.

    Reply
  12. Jason Butler says

    November 9, 2017 at 2:19 pm

    The food looks good.There are a few recipes that I need to try.

    Reply
  13. Kristin @ The Wayward Home says

    November 9, 2017 at 2:42 pm

    These are amazing! Thank you, Michelle. I’m always looking for easy and healthy food 🙂

    Reply
  14. Healing Tomato says

    November 10, 2017 at 10:16 am

    Thank you for including my recipe here. I am so delighted and all the other recipes look really good

    Reply
  15. Holly says

    November 15, 2017 at 7:48 am

    The easy chicken burritos look good. I really enjoy cold wraps and I’m usually tempted to buy them… forgetting how easy they would be to make at home… if I would make a point to buy the right ingredients!

    Reply
  16. Anna says

    February 5, 2019 at 1:45 pm

    I’ve been experimenting with my new crockpot for the last few weeks. I really like the first dish.Going on the menu list for this weekend :).

    Reply
  17. Claire Onidi says

    May 24, 2022 at 3:02 am

    Hello Michelle,

    Thinking about what food to serve daily is stressful! I love your list since they are creative and easy to make. The pasta salad really worked for me because it’s simply “toss and serve,” and what’s best about it is that the more it stays in the fridge, the tastier it becomes.

    Reply

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My name is Michelle and I'm the author/owner of Making Sense of Cents. Learning how to save money and make more money changed my life. It allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loans, start my own business, and I now travel full-time.

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