Crowded refrigerators and lines at the microwave...what planet is this? I am (and have been) among the few steady brown-baggers ever since I've started working fulltime over 20 years ago. Even though I'm not above going out for lunch once in a while, I would rather spend the money saved on mediocre cafteria or takeout on a nice dinner out once a week (although that luxury, too, has been put aside as of late -- more like once a month!)

Usually I make do with leftovers (thank good ness for microwaves!) or make sandwiches, or even frozen entrees. It makes my day a bit easier to manage - deciding what I want for lunch, then getting it, also is a timewaster for me. On days when I am going out for lunch (preplanned lunch date or a whim), I usually know what I want, so that's not an issue.

Even in these tough times, most of my coworkers still pony up to the cafeteria line daily. And even though it's a relatively affordable cafeteria, spending over $7/daily for both breakfast AND lunch does add up. (Never mind that a couple of these coworkers also still smoke, another costly habit in my opinion...) To each their own!

Because we want you to have the whole week to add your best brown bag lunch suggestions to our collection--and vote on others--we have created a separate comments section for this segment. Please use the link above to add your comment there.