bhofack2/istockphoto
Whether you work from home or brown bag it at the office, sandwiches are still the king of lunchtime. There aren’t many foods more humble or delicious, and making them at home has always been a frugal eater’s delight.
How do you make a good sandwich for cheap? When a Redditor asked the r/Frugal community about ways to skip paying Boar’s Head prices, there was a deluge of ideas. Here are nine of our favorite cheap sandwich inspirations.
$9.77 per pound from Walmart
A fan favorite of many Redditors, Prima Della black forest ham is pretty cheap by the pound at Walmart. One user calls it a "cheaper brand with equal quality" to Boar’s Head.
You can get a ton of sandwiches using just one chicken — not to mention, it makes for the perfect leftover sandwich. One user mentions frying up the skin to make chicken skin BLTs, and that sounds terrific.
Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and many other supermarket chains have their own line of house brand meats, and they’re almost always cheaper than Boar’s Head. Trader Joe’s certainly isn’t the cheapest of anything on this list, but you’re getting top-shelf stuff.
To skip meat entirely, grilled veggies are a tasty option. “Lately I’ve gone to more veggie sandwiches,” one Redditor says, “with roasting or grilling up any cheap produce in season; peppers, squash, tomatoes, roasted carrots, or beets.”
For more great cheap lunch ideas, please sign up for our free newsletters.
Meats can often be the most affordable at a local butcher or deli. Plus, supporting local businesses is always a better move than one of the super-chains.
Related: 19 Ways to Make an Ordinary Grilled Cheese Extraordinary
Prices vary from Target
My bologna has a first name, and it’s “Get off your high horse and quit judging Oscar Meyer, because Oscar Meyer is great.” Let me know when whatever lame bologna you prefer has its own van.
Related: 10 Popular Sandwich Chains, Ranked From Best to Worst
Tuna salad, egg salad, and chicken salad are all cheap and easy sandwiches. Cans of tuna are generally a dollar or less, making it a far cheaper option than high-end lunch meat.
$4.78 for 7-ounces from Walmart
“Comparable to Boar's Head but cheaper,” says one user of Dietz and Watson meats and cheeses, and several Redditors agreed.
There are ways around cutting out the good stuff. One Redditor suggests buying Boar’s head, but adding “more ‘filler’ to your sandwiches: cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, whatever veggies you like. They’ll be more nutritious, fill you up more, and you save on the deli meat by eating less of it.” Smart.