Photo credit: Phoebe Casparian

Clark Street, a popular cafe located in Brentwood, displays their fresh pastries for potential customers. Clark Street, among other restaurants and cafes, are frequented by sophomores, juniors and seniors throughout the school week.

A sourdough avocado toast and sweet iced matcha from Clark Street, a Belwood BLT and a refreshing salad from Kreation Juices. After three long morning classes, these delicious lunch options can give students the motivation they need to finish the academic day out strong. However, the cost of these meals can quickly add up, which is important to remember when going across the street to eat every day is a part of Archer student culture.

The first day sophomores were opened to off-campus privileges this past fall, a long line of students formed outside of the security booth. Eager to get some delicious lunch and explore the Brentwood village, I walked across the street with my friends and bought a Mediterranean plate from SoomSoom and an iced matcha latte from Clark Street. After eating, I looked at my spending history and was shocked to see that my lunch and drink cost $25. That was the moment I realized buying food at lunch multiple times a week wasn’t a sustainable option. 

As an unemployed high school student who is typically frugal with spending, the willingness I had to splurge on lunch surprised me. In past years, I had either bought food from the servery or brought lunch from home. However, when a whole new world of gourmet sandwiches and salads opened up, these options paled in comparison. Despite the food I had sitting in my fridge, I turned my head and made impulse purchases on lunch, easily spending over $40 on lunch a week.

When thinking about lunch from home, many people think of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or leftovers. However, a new trend that hit TikTok’s gym community is changing the narrative: meal-prep. Meal-preppers on social media platforms promote high protein, healthy and homemade meals that are mass produced for the week. In hopes of cutting back on spending, I took a deep dive into why people suddenly became so obsessed with an ancient idea of bringing food from home. 

I found that not only is meal-prepping a highly cost-effective way of eating for the week, but it is also a great way to practice a basic life skill — cooking. Through a simple Google search, I can find copycat recipes of my favorite restaurant orders and customize them to my preference, typically for less than half the cost.

While it would be difficult to make yourself a latte during lunchtime, setting aside an hour-and-a-half to cook on weekends could save you time and money during the week. For example, instead of walking to Kreation and buying my go-to chickpea caesar salad, I prepped it the night before with the ingredient list on their website, prepared it myself and had it for lunch the next day. Not only did it save me money, but it also gave me a sense of pride knowing I made it from scratch, and the satisfaction of enjoying a meal I made myself felt so much better than buying it.

When I was little, the first thing my dad taught me how to make was a quesadilla. While a chicken quesadilla from Casa de Campo is a delicious and filling lunch, it is most likely one of the easiest things to make and requires no cooking skill. My favorite way to make this is with pre-made chicken from any grocery store and, of course, cheese and a tortilla. I think another lunch classic, leftovers, should be normalized. Packing leftovers from a favorite meal on a school night is my personal favorite lunch to bring to school. For example, when my dad makes salmon with rice, I’ll take the leftovers to school the next day.

I am in no way anti-spending on a pick-me-up lunch, but I do think it is important to make sustainable habits in our daily lives. Treating yourself for hard work is great, but instead of making it a regular habit, buying an expensive avocado toast or sandwich should be an occasional indulgence. With a quick recipe search and a grocery run, you can make your favorite meals for the week, creating a routine that benefits both your lifestyle and your spending. Your wallet will thank you later!