Lunch is the middle meal of the day, but it is also one of the most expensive. How? Well because many people work, they eat lunches out, and eat breakfast and dinner in, meaning they spend more on lunch then any other meal. Even when you do not eat lunch out, it can be really expensive. So, what can you eat that won't break the bank? The following are some low cost lunch ideas for those who work, or those who don't:

Wraps.
A wrap is basically anything wrapped up in a tortilla. Many people find that a salad, wrapped in a tortilla with a little bit of meat is much more appealing than just a plain salad, and also more filling. Wraps are an inexpensive meal option because you can literally use the odds and ends you have at home, to make a delicious meal. In addition to that, a tortilla is very inexpensive, and they come in many flavors. you can get whole wheat tortillas, sun dried tomato, spinach, etc.

A wrap is a healthy lunch option, and costs very little. You can have peanut butter and jelly in a wheat tortilla to put a spin on a classic lunch menu item. You can put slices of leftover roasted chicken in with some cheese, tomato, lettuce, etc. for a gourmet wrap. You can put almost any ingredient in a tortilla, bring some salad dressing on the side to dip it in, or put on it when you are ready to eat it, and you have a healthy, fast, easy, inexpensive lunch.

Leftover lunches.
One of the best ways to have low cost lunches is to simply dedicate the meal to leftovers. Most people have food leftover from their dinner the night before. So, if you just plan to eat that for lunch the next day, you never spend extra, and you eliminate a lot of waste. This is a great way to save money. The problem is that some people are not big fans of leftovers, or get sick of always eating leftovers for lunch. The solution: reward yourself. If you eat leftovers Monday-Thursday, then on Friday you can treat yourself to a fun lunch out with friends at the office. This should be kept to a minimal expense, but can be fun, and good motivation for you to eat leftovers.

If you do not want to eat the exact same thing, there are ways to make leftovers into other meals, and not feel the repetition. For example, if you have roast chicken for dinner, you can cube the leftovers and make chicken salad sandwiches for lunch the next day. Or, you can make a chicken noodle soup, or you can make a wrap, etc. There are lots of ways to add variety to your menu while still using up leftovers. And let's face it, leftovers are a great low cost lunch option.

Soups.
Soup is an inexpensive meal no matter what time of the day you eat it. You can make any type of soup for low cost. Soup is economical in that it takes a little of this and a little of that and make enough for several people. So, whether you use some ground beef and beans to make a taco soup, or some chicken and veggies to make a chicken broth based soup, soup is always going to be a great option for a low cost lunch. If you are taking soup to the office for your meal, you can bring along some bread, chips, or something of substance to eat with it, and just carry it in a tupperware container. Most offices have a microwave, which makes heating up a bowl of soup easy and convenient.

Soup can work for just about anyone, as it comes in many different varieties. Soup is fast to make, freezes and keeps well, and is a great way to use up leftovers in a new way. Soup costs very little, and is filling whether you eat it in summer, spring, fall, or winter.

Sandwiches.
Sandwiches made at home are a very low cost lunch option. Most people do not realize how inexpensive sandwiches are. Even if you buy a pound of expensive deli meat at $8 a pound, a loaf of bread for $2, and some veggies to go with it that cost you about $5 (for lettuce, tomato, avocado), you can get about five delicious sandwiches out of that, which is about $3 a lunch. However, if you want, you can spread it even further, and spend less. The fact is that sandwiches can be expensive if you let them, or really cheap. For example, you might make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which is going to cost you less than $1. However, in addition to making sandwiches out of ingredients bought expressly for that purpose, you can make sandwiches out of leftovers. If you have pot roast for dinner, cut a slice off and make a roast beef sandwich for your lunch. If you have chicken for dinner, use a thin slice on a sandwich the next day. You can make a sandwich out of just about anything, and you can make a sandwich to fit anyone's tastes. For example, if you hate tomatoes, leave them off. If you love pickles, put them on. Sandwiches are the ideal food for custom making to fit your desire. In addition, because you can have such a variety with sandwiches, they are not going to get old very fast.

Pasta.
Pasta is a cheap ingredient, and also one that fills you up. If you want a great tasting, filling, low cost lunch, a pasta dish is a great option. You can cook yourself some noodles, and top them with a variety of sauces. You can add meat balls, or veggies for variety. You can add chicken strips, or ground beef. You can eat plain. You can cook fresh or reheat. The fact is, pasta is cheap. Pasta can be made in many ways. Pasta will fill you up. In addition, you can eat it every day. You can have macaroni and cheese sauce one day, alfredo with penne noodles the next, red sauce and spaghetti noodles the next, pesto with rotini the next, etc. The fact is there are plenty of varieties. You can eat egg noodles, wheat noodles, etc. So, no matter what your preference, you will be able to find a pasta that works for you. You can mix in fresh or frozen veggies for variety, and have meat or go meatless. Pasta is a great option for low cost lunches.

One package of pasta noodles can be as little as a $1 and feed you 4 servings or more. On sale, a can of spaghetti sauce is often only $1. This means that for $2, you can get the sauce and the noodles for four meals. That is only fifty cents a meal. Add a loaf of french bread for $1.50, and a bag of prepared salad for $2.50 and you still are only looking at $1.50 for a pasta lunch. As you can see this is a very inexpensive option.

Really any meal can be a low cost lunch as long as you plan right.

1. Plan ahead. Plan menus that overlap ingredients. For example, you might make egg rolls one night, and stir fry the next, and a soup the next. You can use the same zucchini for all three meals as none of them require a lot of any one ingredient. If you plan ahead you reduce waste which always results in lower cost meals, and generally means you save money. In addition, by planning ahead you can make your meal money go further. It is going to cost you a lot less to eat well if you plan ahead then if you shop without a list, and do not have a plan. Low cost lunches take planning, but it is very possible to eat delicious foods every day, not ramen noodles or cups of soup, but if you are on a budget it won't happen without planning.
2. Watch for sales. Low cost lunches take a combination of planning ahead as mentioned above, and taking advantage of sales. For example, if you love chicken, and want to add chicken to salads, sandwiches, soups, and pasta, or whatever else you are eating for lunch, then you should buy that chicken when it is on sale. You can buy a box of freezer bags, and freeze chicken in individual portions to save for later. That way you can have chicken every meal for less. Of course this is not just true of chicken. Whatever you like to have for lunch, or whatever ingredients you use often, should be watched. When they go on sale you should stock up on them so that you can pay less for something you would have bought either way. For example, if you like taking cans of Progresso soup with you to work for lunch, then buying them when they are on sale for $1, rather than paying $2.59 for them will save you over $7 a week. This adds up fast when you work 50 weeks a year. Of course you may not eat that soup every day of the year, but you get the idea. When watching for sales, and trying to take advantage of them to help yourself have low cost lunches, be sure to watch for expiration dates. The cost of your lunches will sky rocket if you buy food that expires before you use it, and thus throw it out unused. Plan ahead, and be smart when sales are on.
3. Don't waste. Wasting food is one of the reasons food costs so much. If you only bought what you were going to eat, and never wasted any food, you would find that you spent a lot less. However, this is not always the case. However, doing things like taking leftovers for your lunch can help you eliminate waste, and thus save money. This translates into lower cost lunches. So, if you want to eat well, but spend less, then stop wasting food.

Low cost lunches can be anything you like, if you can follow the above ideas.