Bringing your own food to work - whether it is a sandwich or something more exotic - is a surefire way to trim the fat from your expenditure as these financially challenging times begin to bite

THE LUNCHBOX IS back and packing a punch. Bringing Your Own Lunch (BYOL), or brown-bagging as they say in America, is the latest way to beat the credit crunch and save on daily expenditure.

Dunnes Stores' home-storage sales, which include sandwich-boxes, are up an average of 57 per cent year on year from October 2007 - a clear indication that people are already trimming the fat on their outlays.

Marlis Dunne, a buyer's assistant in kitchenware at Dunnes, points out that up to 70 per cent of her office colleagues are now bringing their lunch into work. "Lunch could be could be anything from lasagne to last night's roast chicken to even pizza," she says. She uses the store's Clip-It range to transport her edibles.

"Up until six weeks ago I was eating out every day, spending €11 to €12 a day on lunch and cappuccinos. I can now live on €20 a week," she says. That's a saving of €1,900 a year.

It's not just office workers who are taking advantage of the savings. Kelly Barnes has a nascent career in television, which she supplements with several waitressing shifts in Gourmet Burger, a restaurant in Dún Laoghaire. Kelly is vegetarian, so she brings a packed meal to work every shift. The key is in the planning, she says.

"I make myself vegetarian lasagne, risotto or soup, and even last night's leftovers. I avoid anything too smelly."

Anna Flanagan has been bringing her own lunch to work for six years. She works in the accounts department of Javelin Advertising, so she understands the benefits of being penny-wise. She does a weekly shop for her daily lunch and also buys ingredients for her colleague, Yvonne Fagan, who remunerates her. She stocks the work fridge with their weekly needs and they share everything.

"I've always brought in my own lunch," she says. "It costs me about €25 per week, which is an annual spend of €600, less than half of the annual expenditure of buying lunch every day from a deli or sandwich bar."

A popular lunchtime take-out spot in Dublin is Christophe's in Duck Lane, where Smithfield roast is a big hit. Manager Eleanor Forkan says some regular customers are no longer eating there, and are presumably bringing their own lunch into the office. But Christophe's is fighting back, offering a discount on all take-out meals.

THERE IS EVIDENCE that men are slower than women to make the change from take-out to BYOL. However, one deskbound male who religiously brings his lunch to work is Tom Mullee. The watchmaker works for Timemark and loves the fact that the company's offices boast a fully functioning kitchen where employees can cook, or even bake, anything they want.

"I bring in a selection of things on a Monday and then pick 'n' mix my options throughout the week," he says. "It could be cold meats, boiled eggs. Today, for instance, I had tortellini with coarsely chopped basil pesto. I've always done this."

In a company of some 20 people, half of whom are men, Tom is one of three males who bring in their lunch. "One of the others cooks his meat and two veg the night before and reheats it at lunchtime. The other is a lazy luncher, who grabs what he can: one day it could be a packet of biscuits, the next a sandwich."

Why don't more men bring in their lunch? They're just lazy, according to Mullee. "It's not their job, it's too much trouble, they lose time watching TV - it could be any number of reasons."

Brody Sweeney, of the O'Briens and Café Bar Deli franchise, says men don't really think about food or what they want to eat until they are hungry. "They are therefore less likely in the morning to think about what they are going to eat for lunch, and make a packed lunch at that time," he says.

Jim Curran, head of research at the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME), says there is strong anecdotal evidence that employees are cutting back and doing lunch in the office.

"Consumers, and therefore employees, are tightening their belts, and this includes bringing their breakfast and lunch to work rather than visiting the local convenience store or cafe," he says.

Employers are required by health and safety law to provide facilities, he stresses. These should include, at the very least, a kettle and the space to have lunch within the company's premises.

BECAUSE OF THE new trend, sandwich bars are feeling the pinch, with the O'Briens franchise on Liffey Street closing recently.

"There's no doubt that there's been a drop in sales," says Aine O'Leary, who has the ground-floor franchise in St Stephen's Green. "Regulars now come in four rather than five times a week, but the drop is not dramatic."

However, Brody Sweeney is optimistic that, as the economic downturn hits businesses, employees will be less than usual, and will take time out of the office at lunchtime to meet a friend or read the newspaper over a sandwich and coffee. "Most people are past the make-it-at-home stage, and a sandwich is still really cheap relative to most people's income," he says.

Credit munch . . . and credit crunch

Credit munch:

Kevin Thornton, restaurateur

Lunchtime is all about simple food of good quality, explains Thornton. When bringing your lunch into work, his advice is to keep the ingredients as fresh as possible.

"At this time of the year, salads feel cold," he says. "Make a lasagne or stew and bring that to work instead."

A broth is a good option if you use real chicken stock, he adds. "Barley, turnips, carrots and parsnips will add oodles of flavour. Freeze the stock in little bundles so you can store it and use fresh every time."

He also suggests making your own bread the night before, which for most of us is probably a bridge too far in terms of time.

And for the odd splurge: "Smoked salmon couldnt be easier, as you can now buy it pre-sliced," he says. Serve on brown bread with butter and some lemon. Or try with cream cheese.

And finally, as variety is the spice of life, he advises that you vary your options, "otherwise youll die of boredom".

Credit crunch:

Aveen Bannon, managing director of Dublin Nutrition Centre

Lunch can be up to one-third of your daily calorie intake, says Bannon. "It should consist of 25 per cent good-quality carbohydrate (wholegrain or rye bread, oat or corncakes, pasta, couscous, potato or rice) and 25 per cent protein with an emphasis on non-meat sources." Canned mixed-bean salad or puy lentils are readily available. Tinned fish, such as tuna, salmon or sardine, are also easy to use. Choose one source of protein, such as cheese or ham, rather than two. The other half of your plate should consist of salad or vegetables and/or fruit. On cold days, choose soup, home-made or from a carton, as dried soups are too high in salt. Add a small tin of kidney beans for extra protein.