Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Save Cash at the Caf

When dealing with a cafeteria who charges extras for everything from 15 cents if you add honey to your hot beverage to $1 if you get avocado on your sandwich, it is especially thrilling when you actually find a deal. I’ve got 3 :-)

The first is applicable to many cafeterias. Since items from the salad bar are charged by weight, rather than putting the dressing on the salad, put it in a small container on the side. You will enjoy the added benefit of no soggy lettuce when you get back to your desk to munch. I’ve even gotten so bold as to add blue cheese crumbles to right into the salad dressing container! If you are more virtuous you could keep a bottle of dressing from home at the office to avoid adding the ounces to your greens.

The next 2 are specific to our office. If you get fruit in the morning they have separate dishes for each fruit in the salad bar section. Again, this must get weighed. However at lunch they serve the same offering of fruits as the morning but all mixed together in a fruit salad as a side dish. This costs significantly less. With some planning ahead you can still have your am fruit by buying fruit salad the night before and sticking it in the fridge. Or you could have a late breakfast around 10:30 when they start setting up for lunch.

Finally, today’s find: sides a la carte are only $1.50 so on a day with good side options you can put together a pretty cheap meal. I got a heaping portion of mac n' cheese and mixed vegetables for only $3.

What are your cafeteria tricks?

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