Finances & Money • Frugality

Several years ago, my wife, Stacie, who is a Registered Dietitian, wrote an article about frugal, yet nutritious, lunches which included peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. However, since starting my new job, I have been stuck at work during lunchtime and going out for lunch has become inconvenient.

As a result, I have started relying on a diet consisting mostly of PBJ sandwiches for lunch. In fact, I have come up with a method to make a month’s worth of sandwiches in just 25 minutes. I will even provide you with the approximate cost per sandwich for budgeting purposes, along with step-by-step photos. I have even managed to convince my boss and a classmate to try it, and they are now hooked!

The Idea

When I was working in PA for 5 months and living alone, I didn’t want to spend time making lunches every morning, and there were no restaurants near our office building. So, being the lazy yet resourceful person that I am, I developed a method where I made a week’s worth of lunch on Sunday night. I made a large batch of PBJ sandwiches and froze them. Each morning, I would grab 1-2 sandwiches from the freezer, and by lunchtime, they would thaw and still taste great.

In the previous article, many people complained that making lunch every morning took too long and wasn’t worth it. Well, how about spending an average of 2-3 minutes per day on the main part of your lunch instead? Initially, I would only make 1 loaf at a time, but now I make 2 loaves of sandwiches at once. Excluding the time it took me to take pictures, this whole process only took 25 minutes from setup to cleanup.

The Cost

So, how much does it cost to make 2 loaves of PBJ sandwiches? In my example, I was able to make 23 sandwiches. Unfortunately, I was short of a slice of bread, so I couldn’t make an even 2 dozen. For the jellies, I used a standard Welch’s grape and a fancier strawberry jam for some variety.

Here’s the per-sandwich cost breakdown, based on the exact items I used (links to Amazon are provided for reference):

– Total per grape jelly sandwich: 49 cents
– Total per strawberry jam sandwich: 50 cents.

That’s $10.89 for a full month of sandwiches! This is much cheaper than going to Panera or Starbucks for lunch.

These are real numbers based on my actual grocery bill, and I rounded them up because not everyone buys in bulk. This is even cheaper than Stacie’s original prices because I used cheaper wheat bread. I won’t include the cost of the baggies I used since they are inexpensive, but you might want to consider using reusable plastic containers or washing and reusing the baggies.

Step-by-Step Instructions (and some tips)

If you need more than just numbers, I will provide a detailed breakdown of each step I took to make 23 sandwiches. Along the way, I discovered some tips, such as:
– Wheat bread absorbs jelly juices better than white bread, so your sandwich won’t become soggy when it thaws.
– Knott’s Strawberry Preserves has large strawberries in it, making spreading difficult. I will probably skip the preserves next time.
– I recommend stirring the jelly before spreading it, as it makes the process much easier.
– The messiest part is trying to fit 2 sandwiches into a single baggy, not actually making the sandwiches.

Step One: Lay out the bread on a surface, such as a kitchen island.

Step Two: Spread peanut butter onto half of the slices of bread. I used a generous amount because I like peanut butter. You will spread it out in the next step.

Step Three: Spread the peanut butter evenly on each slice of bread. It’s best to do this in an assembly line fashion, completing each step for all the slices before moving on.

Step Four: Add jelly to the slices of bread with peanut butter. Drop a glob of jelly on top of the peanut butter.

Step Five: Spread the jelly evenly on each slice of bread.

Step Six: Close up the sandwiches by placing the remaining slices of bread on top of the peanut butter and jelly.

Step Seven: Store the sandwiches in baggies. I preferred using one baggy for 2 sandwiches to minimize waste.

In total, it took me 25 minutes (excluding the time for taking pictures) to gather all the materials, make the sandwiches, bag them, put them in the freezer, and clean up the counter. So, don’t complain that making your lunch takes too long. Plus, since you’re freezing them, you don’t have to eat PBJ every day. However, they’re convenient to have on hand when you’re in a hurry or unable to go out for lunch.

More from Cleverdude:
– Review: National Consumer Panel, Pure Awesomeness or Waste of Time?
– Why You Should Eat a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Every Day
– Which is Cheaper: Keg or Canned Beer?
– Save Money on Water if You Have a Pool (Utilities)

Mike is the original Clever Dude, starting the site in 2006 because his wife said he needed a hobby. Mike loves helping others avoid the mistakes that led him into extreme debt and learning life skills and hacks along the way. Mike and his wife, Clever Dudette, are “DINKs” (Dual Income, No Kids), and they travel around the country in an RV based out of DC. They are passionate about their respective careers in technology and nutrition.