Obviously everyone has a different threshold and budget for cooking, meal prep, and meal planning. Some people love to be, or need to be, as frugal as possible; others don’t see the harm in high-quality ingredients for homemade dishes. Some hate leftovers, while other folks could eat the same turkey sandwich every day with no complaints, or maybe you’re one of those people who prefer a bunch of snacks and little bites to get you through the day. The point is that you’ll have to decide what fits your preferences, but on the whole—especially if you’re newer to packing your lunch—you can start by picking out a recipe to prepare for the next day.
Ideally keep it simple and semi-healthy: a combination of protein, starch, and veggies with a side of fruit or dairy. Mix up the textures and flavors too; the worst brown-bag lunches, in my humble opinion, are those that offer no variety, and that’s why people assume packing your lunch is dull and tasteless. You don’t even have to cook if you’d rather not, but feel free to make something custom for lunch that feels special or that you know you’ll like. I wouldn’t go way out of your comfort zone here, either. Lunch is meant to be enjoyed, of course, but it’s also just one meal of the day, and you don’t need to overthink it.