A Dummies Guide to a Perfect Lunch: How to Have a Gourmet Meal on a Budget

By Hunter Joseph

Now, if you’re like me, and you miss breakfast every morning, then you tend to rely on the canteen for food. Well, I’m here to tell you what you can get in the price range of $10-strictly food and drinks will but the main focus is the food or snacks. 

There is much to choose from the list to make it easier for people and I will be using items that are there every day, rather than specials such as certain pastas and sandwiches. Making the task of finding the lowest priced lunch harder, the canteen doesn’t offer lunch deals to shift the price of many of the items over $5, such as wedges, brekky wraps and burgers, and all gourmet wraps are $7. Providing a lunch deal, such as a burger and wedges combo would reduce the price for hungry students.

Recess

In the morning there are less, but tasty, options that include Egg and Bacon muffins $4(.50), brekky wraps $5.50, and hash browns $2. Now, in order to engorge yourself with the most food for the least money,  I would say it would have to be 3 items at the very least to carry you through the rest of the day. That can include a muffin, a hash brown and a canned drink; a total of $8.50 or $9 if you get a muffin with cheese. OR, not including the drink, you could get 3 hash browns and one muffin without cheese; exactly $10. Or if you're greedy, like me, some days just buy a bunch of hashbrowns: 5 for $10 is perfect and you can share with friends if you like (see Emilia’s article on How to Make Friends!).

Lunch

Lunch is trickier. There is a lot to choose from, such as burgers and zinger subs for $6, to gems and wedges $4, chicken $4.50, dim sim $1.50, and pizza $4.50. All of these are great options for lunch, but what to choose? Gems or wedges?! You could grab 2 for $8, while a burger or sub with one wedge or gem is $10,  but that can only reach 2 items but i am looking for the most food for the least money.  The aim is to reach 3 even 4 items for 10 bucks for when you’re really hungry. The most you could get for 10 buckaroos has to be a cup of wedges with 1 chicken cup and one dim sim cup; perfectly $10.  Now, say, instead of a dim sim, you could have one can of any drink and you would be over $0.50 over the limit. Well, I would say that would be the best value for your money, if you can scrounge together that extra 50 cents. Also, I am not telling you what you SHOULD eat; it’s more about helping you have a full AND delicious lunch, and to help people who don’t have time to make food for themselves before or after school for the next day. 

Make sure you put all your rubbish into the bin and don’t leave it on the ground where it doesn’t belong!