What Are Your Go to "Cheap Eats" for Lunch?

navegante88 on 20/11/2018 - 15:15
Last edited 20/11/2018 - 16:31

Going out to eat everyday for work adds up in the long run. However, we all know it's not always possible to bring food from home everyday. So what are your go to cheap eats during your work break? I work in Brisbane CBD and I like to get:

  1. Woolworths 1/4 Chicken & Chips with Gravy [$5] - Mccarthur Central
  2. Banh Mi [$5]- Pho Dau, Myer Centre
  3. Footlong Breakfast Sub [$6] - Subway, Albert St
  4. Whatever is on special on the Maccas / KFC app
  5. Random stuff like can soup from Woolworths

What about you?

I just remembered there are a whole bunch of cheap & nasty meals in Post Office Square eg Mr Curry before 12 [$5]?. Teriaki Chicken and Chicken Curry from the places across Mr Curry.

Food & Grocery Lunch

Comments

  • bossmode on 20/11/2018 - 15:17

    If you can hang back, Soul Origin usually does good deals nearing the end of the day… that, or the 30 days of Maccas, I think today they’re doing $2 Big Macs

    But you really can’t go wrong with leftovers! That’s my plan for the rest of the week in anticipation of the Black Friday sales.

    • navegante88 on 20/11/2018 - 16:28

      wow didn't know! their stuff does look really nice

      • one man clan on 20/11/2018 - 16:41
        +1

        It's not great TBH - factory produced and usually pretty limp. Looks better than it tastes

  • altomic on 20/11/2018 - 15:18

    Govindas Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant on George St.

    fist size samosa for $3.50.

    or large plate of 1 curry + rice $7 . 2 curry + rice $8.50

  • geek001 on 20/11/2018 - 15:21
    +1

    I thought the small McOz burger combo for $5 during lunchtime is great value.

  • EightImmortals on 20/11/2018 - 15:38

    Sushi

  • elgrande on 20/11/2018 - 15:38
    +1

    2 x boiled egg.

    • milfey on 30/11/2018 - 17:28

      Breville egg cooker?

  • dingdong3000 on 20/11/2018 - 15:41
    +1

    couple of Dates

    • ScuseMe on 20/11/2018 - 19:34
      +1

      That only fills you up emotionally

  • Caped Baldy on 20/11/2018 - 15:41

    If you go maccas/KFC do the surveys to get free stuff. Getting free water and mash and gravy is a nice topper to six wicked wings.

  • robbyjones on 20/11/2018 - 15:45
    +2

    $1.99 hot dog and soft drink from Costco.

    • robbyjones on 20/11/2018 - 18:59
      -2

      ha ha, thanks for the neg, not entirely sure what I did to deserve it though.

      • Gandalf the Thrifty on 20/11/2018 - 22:26

        Maybe too far from CBD

        • SlickMick on 21/11/2018 - 10:53
          +1

          haha you got one too for trying to understand the logic (or lack thereof) of the negger.

    • AlienC on 09/12/2018 - 02:08

      Is that $1.99 for both or they cost $2 each so $4 total? either way damn that is a steal

      • robbyjones on 09/12/2018 - 11:32

        $1.99 for both with refillable soft drink

        • AlienC on 09/12/2018 - 21:52

          Does entry into the Costco bistro or restaurant / food area require membership or is it open to everyone. Also can I just shop but not buy anything or does entry require membership?

          I wanna try this hotdog and the Costco pizza but wouldn't go enough to justify membership.

          • try2bhelpful on 09/12/2018 - 22:14

            @AlienC: You have to be a member but you can join and then get the money back at any time in the next 12 months.

            • AlienC on 09/12/2018 - 22:32

              @try2bhelpful: What's the best way to say it or frame it aka the reason when coming back to ask for your money back.

              • robbyjones on 10/12/2018 - 17:12

                @AlienC: Just say you aren't getting the value out of it. Bare in mind though that if you decide to re-join that year they won't refund again.

  • sippah on 20/11/2018 - 15:46

    I too used to frequent Woolworths for the 1/4 chicken and chips, but switched to buying a blender and blitzing frozen fruit, egg, spinach and protein powder with water and a bit of milk for lunch (approx. 750mL). Comes out to be around $3 a bottle and feel well fed after.

    • dcep on 20/11/2018 - 16:27

      raw eggs ??

      sounds healthier than sardines + bread

      • sippah on 21/11/2018 - 08:27

        Minus the yolk

        Sardines + Bread doesn't sound healthy or appetising

        • davidg444 on 21/11/2018 - 13:46

          Not too sure about understanding of good and junk food in this thread. Nutritionists I read are very keen on some tinned oily fish in a diet. Oily, messy and smelly doesn't necessarily mean unhealthy. Maccas and other junk are more likely to have a health cost that should be set against the apparent saving in money. No?

          • sippah on 21/11/2018 - 15:02

            @davidg444: I'm unsure what your question is, but I was referring to the bread in the sardines and bread combo. Substitute the bread with a solid salad you can buy packaged ones for $3 that last more than one serve and add your sardines.

  • try2bhelpful on 20/11/2018 - 15:52

    If you are in Melbourne then Roozervelts does a well priced salad sandwich that is quite large and made fresh. Don't know the current price but it was, roughly, $6.80. A bit more if you want to add in chicken. It is in Collins Place.

  • MishyMoo on 20/11/2018 - 16:08
    +1

    Adelaide :

    En Lac Vietnamese buffet at Semaphore
    https://www.anlacvegeterianbuffet.com.au/services.
    $15 lunch.
    $20 dinner

    Govindas Hari Krishna vegetarian buffet
    Govinda's Restaurant in Adelaide
    25 Le Hunte St, Kilburn
    Ph: 8359 5120
    Opening times: Thursday - Sunday 5:30pm - 8:30pm
    $10 dine in
    $6 takeaway

    Pure Vegetarian. Central Markets
    https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g255093-d72…

    Hawkers Corner used to be great with a bunch of Asian eateries. It was closed for ages and now it's been renovated so not sure what's there now.

  • follow on 20/11/2018 - 16:09
    +1

    KFC. Burger combo deluxe. Fill out survey.
    1 burger 3 sides 2 drinks. $7.49.
    Continuous offer.

  • dogboy on 20/11/2018 - 16:20

    Monday:
    Buy half loaf of bread and lunch meat. $5-7 for lunches all week. Can't beat that.

    • navegante88 on 20/11/2018 - 16:32

      what meat do you buy? I used to do that in my old office but no longer a buddy to share with at my current place.

  • AdamFury on 20/11/2018 - 16:35

    Central Coast local Noodle place does Pad Thai for $8.90 as a lunch special. Probably on the expensive side but decent serving sizes especially if you eat in.

  • nubzy on 20/11/2018 - 17:30
    +1

    I check Woolies for specials. I used to get fresh sandwhiches marked down to about between $1-$1.50 each, they always seemed to mark them down around lunch time too. They do the same with pizzas and ready meals. Other than that just keep an eye out for deals on the Maccas/KFC app, free burger giveaways, sometimes have a Thai/Indian meal for $9.90 or go for 2x sushi rolls.

    • navegante88 on 20/11/2018 - 21:11

      ready meals are not bad! I sometimes get a lasagna , but the serving is pretty small, can't go wrong for a $3 meal though

    • AlienC on 09/12/2018 - 22:33

      Never seen this but that would be nice. Most of the sandwiches in my area are from $6 - 7

      never seen them marked down ever

  • Cheapascents on 20/11/2018 - 17:37
    +1

    i normally bring my own lunch instead of going out to eat, you save a good amount of money every week. i go to australian butchers and purchase chicken fillet breast with the skin on for about $5 a kilo, i get about $20-25 worth of chicken breast with skin on. Take the skin off myself when im at home. I prep my meals with rice, eggs, chicken breast and broccoli into my containers. Every week i alternate with different meats and vegetables.

    This not only gives me lunch, but breakfast and dinner as well for the whole week.

    • navegante88 on 20/11/2018 - 21:10

      Great stuff! I should be more disciplined and do what you do!

      • Cheapascents on 21/11/2018 - 00:09
        +1

        give it a shot mate, you can loose weight as well if that's of any interest to you, by tracking the macros

    • SlickMick on 21/11/2018 - 11:13

      Chicken $5/kg? Are butchers really that much cheaper than woolies etc? I can't even get wings for that price.

      • Cheapascents on 21/11/2018 - 11:50

        yeah theyre alot cheaper.

      • Cheapascents on 21/11/2018 - 12:09

        umm sorry i cant remember the exact price, i think it was $5 for half kilo of chicken breast with skin on, not 1kg of chicken breast, my bad.

  • Godric on 20/11/2018 - 18:15

    Woolies:
    Sandwiches $4ish
    Chicken Chip packs $5
    Buffalo Wing pack $5
    Kenny's Vietnamese Bakery $7 (delicious Bahn Rolls and gets busier than the nearest subway)

  • Topdog on 20/11/2018 - 18:26

    $5.95 for 5 hungry Jack's stunner meal
    Haven't the Banh Mi gone to 5.50?? Still nice though

    • navegante88 on 20/11/2018 - 21:08

      There are 2 banh mi places, the popular one is now $5.5-$6? The cheap and nasty one next to EB is still $5 to try and compete.

      • Topdog on 03/12/2018 - 17:36

        $6.50 now :( had one today. Still better then the other joint 5$ ones though

    • T1 on 03/12/2018 - 12:03
      +1

      The stunner meal is pretty good value - I swap out the drumsick iceceam for a sundae (no extra cost) and the drink for a coffee (add $0.50).

      Burger
      Small chips
      3 nuggets
      Small Coffee
      Sundae

      All for $6.45!

  • ComfortablyNumb on 20/11/2018 - 20:39

    I hit up Mr Curry either before 12pm or after 2pm for Chicken Katsu for $5, put on heaps of the Shichimi - Post Office Square

    There's tons of other meal deals for $5 too, I especially like the Mr Curry one though.

    • navegante88 on 20/11/2018 - 21:10

      Mr Curry is quite nice, I used to have it when I worked in the Valley but post office square is too far for me now. I once trekked to Post Office Square to have Teriaky chiken at one of those fake Japanese places across Mr Curry, it was absolutely terrible!

    • SlickMick on 21/11/2018 - 11:17

      Chicken Katsu is one of my favorite foods. I would eat that every day if I could get it for $5. 3 times per day if I could.

      Lucky I don't work in Brisbane

  • chickemugget on 21/11/2018 - 07:32

    I go B3 cafe in Melb for their massive range of 4.5$ baguettes (6.5$ for their larger size but I find their petite is huge already haha)

    Or The Borek Bakehouse on Elizabeth St for 4$ borek :9

    Or I pimp out shin ramyeon noodles with egg, vegetables and whatever leftovers I have at home. (all you need is boiling water, microwave safe bowl and microwave!)

  • Mister LoLPants on 21/11/2018 - 08:38

    The Nandos app usually delivers a decent deal at least once a month. Normally a free side of some sort with any 1/4 chicken purchase. Just remember, they are normally licenced, so have to provider free, chilled water, so never buy a drink there (for dine-in obs).

  • original15 on 21/11/2018 - 08:39

    I’m a late luncher (1:30 the earliest I’ll go)
    Discovered the cafe nearby sells all their food for $5 from 1:45-2ish, to make sure they clear all their hot food
    Normally it’s around $16 a meal. Only catch is there’s no guarantee on what might be available
    One day it could be grilled flathead, a gourmet homemade pie and veg, Mexican, curry etc
    But at $5 it’s a great option

  • 13 on 21/11/2018 - 10:25

    Always have leftovers from dinner the night before

  • jonnochen on 21/11/2018 - 12:49

    The hungry jacks coupons are badass.
    5.45 for 2 whooper juniors and 2 small fries.
    Can't beat that.

  • isthisreallife22 on 21/11/2018 - 15:06

    FYI op there's a $5 burrito available at Mccarthur Central

    https://www.macarthurcentral.com.au/stores/cabina-cocina/special-offers/$5-lunch-burrito

    • navegante88 on 21/11/2018 - 16:23

      that's right! I forgot to mention that one, it's actually pretty good.

  • jockbo on 02/12/2018 - 01:39

    $2.20 (used to be $2 :X) massive sushi rolls from Tobi Sushi on Lonsdale St

  • AlienC on 09/12/2018 - 02:11

    I am guessing there are no Domino's in your area?

    Other than getting 5 x $1 hamburgers from Maccas a $5 pepperoni pizza is usually more than enough to fill me up.

    But if I see a good banh mi place oh I can't resist even if it is $5.50

    Sometimes I get two one for now and for later on the way home.

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