I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Links: Bento on the cheap
One benefit of packing lunch is the money you can save by not eating out. Even US$6 a day can really add up over time — $1,560 per year! I don’t know about you, but I’ve got other things to spend that kind of money on, and my own food is usually better than what’s at lunch places closest to the office.
- Freakin’ Tasty Bento has put together an excellent post Bento for Cheap Bastards, covering equipment and food ideas. Check it out — there are some good ideas here.
- Calculate how much you can save over time by packing a cheap lunch instead of eating out with this lunch savings calculator. It’s eye-opening!
Do you have good frugal lunch tips or links? Let us know in comments!
READ MORE:
- Shop/Guide to lunch gear and cookbooks
- Need for speed: A mommy’s lunch manifesto
- Choosing the right size bento box
- How to pack a bento lunch and use “gap fillersâ€
- Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews
August 24th, 2007 | Categories: tips | 
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August 24th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
I like to keep a bunch of parsley for garnish. It’s dirty cheap at our market (99 cents for a big bunch) and is really great for filling in little gaps or adding a little flair to a bento.
Also, the last time I bought green onions I dumped it in a pot of dirt and now whenever I need some for my tamagoyaki or other things, I just go outside and snip some. They grow back real quick!
August 25th, 2007 at 12:32 am
This is my first visit here … and it will take years and years to have a look at everything !… I’ve been interested in the lunch box concept for a long time but had no idea about what to begin with ! I don’t want to spend hours preparing them each morning, but I want them to be good and healthy ! I think I will find everything I need in your place …
Hélène
August 25th, 2007 at 8:19 am
@1 from Pikko: Parsley would be a good use of cheap color! Do you then eat the parsley to freshen your breath? I’m partial to edible garnishes. Nice tip on the green onions, too, BTW.
August 25th, 2007 at 8:23 am
@2 from Hélène (Cannes): Bienvenue, Hélène! Please feel to free to comment with questions even on old entries as I do keep up with new comments via the Recent Comments widget( in the sidebar to the right).
BTW, have you checked out Moniki/Monique’s new French-language bento blog at http://frenchbento.canalblog.com? Looks like she’s going to be doing some informative French-language bento blogging. I need to update my Links page soon…
August 25th, 2007 at 11:49 am
In the vein of ’spending money to save money’, I bought several silicone muffin cups at Kohls & some real (not throwaway plastic) tableware from the Target Dollar Spot.
The tableware (knives, forks & spoons) means I don’t have to keep buying plastic & if a few get thrown away throughout the school year, its not my good tableware.
The silicone cups mean I can pack a nice amount of stuff in a square sandwich container & not have those paper liners that aren’t as sturdy & are thrown away after they’re used. I do want to get some pastel ones as the ones I have are red & blue but they have come in very, very handy.
August 25th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
@5 from MJ: Excellent thrifty advice, MJ. I need to pick up some bigger silicone muffin cups too; I just have the mini ones and they’re not big enough. I keep hoping that Daiso will have them in, but I’ve only seen tiny and huge ones so far. Kohls, eh?
September 6th, 2007 at 10:38 am
I was lucky enough to spend 2 years in Japan where my daughter was born. I fell in love with obentos while there. My now 7 year old is in first grade and I am able to send her off to school with great lunches and share my enjoyment of bento. Though she actually prefers the individual container method for each as oppose to the one container divided bentos I like. But we get to make it the night before and then put them in a lined container to keep the items hot/cold in the morning. Saves us time in the mad dash to the bus. She is NOT a morning person.
Your site has great ideas!! Thank you for sharing. Makes me consider posting all the recipes I picked up in Japan on my own site.
September 6th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
@7 from Shannon: Hi there, and welcome to another ex-Japan mom! Does your daughter say why she prefers the individual container method? Is it because she doesn’t want any flavors to mingle? What would she think about the Laptop Lunchbox or a bento box with the removable sub-containers?
September 7th, 2007 at 7:03 am
She says she isn’t sure why…just that she likes to open the individual containers. *shrug* Who knows. As long as she likes her lunches and they are healthy, I’m not going to worry too much about it.
September 7th, 2007 at 9:01 am
@9 from Shannon: Hmm, interesting. And as you say, no reason to worry about it as long as she’s eating well!