What’s in your workplace lunchbox? How to avoid blowing $100 a week on sushi
Sunday, 15 February 2026
It’s lunchtime. Midland Park is filled with Wellington’s many worker bees enjoying some kai in the late February sun.
Looking about, I spied with my little eye a distinct lack of lunchboxes… Instead I saw a TJ Katsu container, a plastic sushi box, plus a sandwich that appeared to be from Dough Bakery.
The Sunday Star-Times had dropped by to see what people were making for their work lunches - instead, it appeared young professionals have fallen prey to the siren song of the $13 katsu box.
I’m not here to judge. The working life is accompanied by a lot of stress. To me, packing your lunch is one of those things that should be a lot easier than it is.
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What do I have? Half a bag of wilted baby spinach… Bugger it, I’ll just buy something. And then, just before payday, thus comes the inevitable: “Where the hell is all my money?”
With the current economic climate being what it is, buying your lunch every day is something most people can’t afford - as much as our hospitality industry would like it.
In Midland Park, Kate told me she was enjoying leftovers of salad and falafel for lunch. She brings in her food most days, she said.
“I can’t really be bothered going and buying lunch… Having leftovers is easier.”
Friends Sam and Frances were also enjoying the sun. Sam was enjoying some dumplings - cooked from frozen - with chilli, packed in a snazzy multi-level container from Kmart.
Sam said she made her lunch five days a week - although, when she forgot her lunchbox in the work fridge, she would end up buying her lunch, she confessed.
Frances said she tried to bring in something for breakfast every day - although lunch was a different story. She tried to pack some kai three days a week.
Money Talks team leader Ange Smart said by packing lunches, Kiwis could save anything from $50 to $100 a week.
However, with most under a significant amount of pressure at the moment, Smart urged people not to be too hard on themselves.
Lunch planning went hand-in-hand with meal planning, she said, in that being able to think ahead was obviously going to save money. However, time was a luxury for people who felt overwhelmed with life tasks.
Something she encouraged people to try was to put essentials in their bag: even if it was a cup of noodles, or a loaf of bread - things that could be budgeted for in a supermarket shop.
“If you're going to put $25 towards your lunches, actually go and buy those things. Fresh is obviously always going to be best. If you can do leftovers from dinner the night before, and then add a $2 packet of rice - chuck it in the work microwave.”
She urged people to budget for lunches in their weekly grocery shop - as $50 on convenience lunches for Thursday and Friday would be a shame when the money would go far further at the supermarket, she said.
People can take food in and leave it at their work kitchen or in their locker, meaning they didn’t have to think about it, she said: muesli bars, nuts, or even a loaf of bread.
“It sounds silly, but you know what?… It's not about pleasing everybody else. No one else has to deal with your budget other than you.”
Nutritionist Wendy Weber said many of her clients worked in offices and struggled with energy.
Much of her work involves helping people improve their energy levels through mastering their metabolic health.
For some people, this meant going on a low-carb diet. Most lunch spots offered large portions of carbohydrates with their food, Weber said. This could spike blood sugar, and lead to a 3pm lethargy slump.
Some people fought this slump via eating sweet treats or drinking coffee, she said. However, this was not conducive to a healthy weight for many people, and could lead to insulin resistance.
If someone worked a nine to five, Weber recommended bringing in a salad, starting with leafy greens and then adding leftovers for protein - although a boiled egg could suffice - with a diversity of veggies for a healthy gut biome.
Yoghurt bowls were also a good lunch meal as yoghurt provided plenty of protein. This was an easy meal that didn’t require much planning. Nuts, seeds and fresh fruit could be added to the bowl, although muesli often had hidden sugar, she warned.
Another lunch idea was an upgraded sandwich with wholemeal bread and healthy fillings instead of deli meats or peanut butter and jelly, which were not as healthy as they appeared, Weber warned.
She also recommended places in the CBD where you could have a healthy lunch option: A salad, avocado and salmon sashimi without rice from TJ Katsu, or a chicken skewer with peanut sauce from a curry shop without the roti.
Nutritionist Jacquie Harper said eating lunch was important for energy and productivity, adding it was an important meal in the day and may help prevent afternoon slumps.
A balanced lunch consisted of carbohydrates and some fibre, such as vegetables or fruit. It was important for the brain for people’s diet to include carbs, she said - as the brain uses 20% of the body’s carb intake just to function.
Good carbs were complex carbohydrates: food like brown rice quinoa; wholegrain or sourdough bread; or whole grain crackers.
Protein at lunch was important, Harper said. Her suggestions included a couple of hard-boiled eggs and cheese, nuts and seeds, beans, or a tin of tuna.
The nutritionist said one of the key things in ensuring a good lunch was preparation: planning, shopping and cooking for the week ahead.
If someone had a few hours free on Sunday, it could be a good time to batch cook some meals, she said.
“It can save so much time and effort and also money… even things like roasting a whole tray of veggies and then using them during the week as portions, and adding a protein to those foods.”
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