16 Store-Bought Breakfast Foods You Can Bring To The Office Without Breaking The Bank

Breakfast might not actually be the most important meal of the day, but eating something hearty first thing when you wake up can certainly do a lot to give you energy to kick off a productive morning. Still, if you work a 9-to-5 job, it's easy to end up skipping your morning fuel in the rush to get out of the house. The solution? Find breakfast options that you can take with you to the office, letting you get to work on time and have a little snack to get you through those first few meetings of the day.

Of course, it can be easy for those little purchases to add up over time — one month into buying a daily breakfast burrito, the work hours you managed to log by not taking the time to make breakfast at home might be overridden by your spontaneous food purchases. To help you strike the perfect balance, we have 16 suggestions for store-bought breakfast foods you can bring to the office without breaking the bank.

Frozen breakfast burritos, along with several others on the list, assumes that your kitchen office at least has a microwave that you can use to heat things up. If so, this option is a classic with endless variations available depending on what kind of meat you like, usually sausage or bacon, or if you prefer a vegetarian choice. The point is, they're customizable. In our opinion, some of the best store-bought breakfast burritos are the budget-friendly Walmart-brand Great Value burritos, the Jimmy Dean brand burritos and, of course, the Trader Joe's store-brand burritos. Of course, any will do. If your office is microwave-less, heat it up at home and wrap it in tinfoil to keep it toasty while you commute to work.

In the same vein, but different enough to be worth a mention is frozen breakfast sandwiches. To be fair, these often have very similar base ingredients to burritos, with eggs, meat, and cheese. Beyond serving as a good, one-handed breakfast food you can still eat even if you need to, say, answer the phone or type on your computer keyboard, they're also easy to open up in order to add vegetables –– just in case you're looking for more nutritional content to slip into your morning. From spinach to tomatoes, this — again, microwavable — choice makes it easy to add some DIY health-food fuel to its naturally protein-heavy package.

Sure, it's what you ate for breakfast when you were five, but who says it won't taste just as delicious now? Now that a few decades have passed, you might want to try a non-sugary breakfast cereal, but your options are still plentiful. From Nature's Path Heritage Flakes to Cheerios Apple Strawberry, healthy cereal has come a long way from its bland, sometimes flavorless origins. Plus, that one big box of cereal and a gallon of milk (provided there's an office refrigerator you can store it in) will last you quite a while without making much of a dent in your checking account.

Fresh, fruity, and totally the vibe for summer mornings, nutrient-packed bottled smoothies are a very different, but still delicious breakfast option. And while you can make smoothies at home, pre-packaged, bottled ones are a whole lot easier to grab out of the fridge when you're in a rush to make it to the office. To keep the price tag low, try buying a larger jug size, and pouring some out into a to-go cup each day. Alternatively, locations like Costco or Sam's Club will likely have bulk packages of single-serve smoothie bottles to make your life easier.

Cheap, filling, and easy to buy in bulk, yogurt cups hit all the marks when it comes to the perfect office breakfast. They're super easy to transport too. Pro tip: If you use the tinfoil on top to scoop it into your mouth, you won't even have to bring along a spoon. Beyond having a variety of flavors built-in, there are all sorts of extra additions you can make by way of toppings, from fresh berries to crunchy granola.

There's a whole world of pastry breakfasts out there just waiting to be discovered, but muffins are the tried-and-true contender. Whether you get a container of Costco's must-buy muffins or just pick one up from the bakery section of your nearest grocery store on your way to work, a good muffin is easy to eat without needing you to bring utensils or heat it up, and the wrapper helps keep any mess contained. Simple and delicious, in the wide world of pastries, muffins might just be up there in the absolute best option for a store bought breakfast.

You didn't think we'd make it through this list without mentioning the East Coast's all-time favorite breakfast food, did you? Bagels are the quintessential breakfast option, whether you eat them toasted or plain, smeared in cream cheese or lightly coated in jam. Feeling fancy? Try switching it up with smoked salmon or tomato and sprouts. Bagels might require a little more work than store-bought items that don't require preparation, but in our opinion, it's totally worth it.

Throwing a curveball in here — PB&Js might seem more like a lunch food, but if you think about it, peanut butter and jam or jelly squished together on bread is basically just toast reimagined. And hey — it's not a bad way to fit in some protein, either. And Uncrustables, easy to find on Amazon or at most grocery stores, make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches even easier to bring to work. All you need to do is thaw them before eating. The best part? They last up to a month in the freezer, so if you play your cards right, one grocery trip at the beginning of the month will set you up for a full four weeks of not having to think about what to eat for breakfast.

Maybe we just can't let girl dinner go, but there's something about a random smattering of snack choices that makes the perfect meal, no matter what time of day it is. Luckily, many grocery stores have done the curating for you, putting together artfully arranged snack packs full of cheese, nuts, chocolate, dried fruit, and so on, coming together to form a breakfast that's perfect to slowly pick away at while you get to work sorting through your inbox for the day. Some of our favorite combos are cashews and cranberries and white cheddar and almonds.

Okay, this might not be an everyday thing. However, once in a while, when you need a little treat to get through the day, we'd be remiss not to remind you that you can use your free will to stop by a store on the way to the office and pick up the fresh, warm donut of your choosing. After all, what's the point of being an adult if you don't occasionally use your hard-won salary to get a donut, just because? If you're in a really good mood, pick up a box of donuts and share with your coworkers.

Strange, but true: You can now buy boiled, peeled eggs by the bag at a grocery store like Safeway or Costco. Typically coming in a pack of six, it's the perfect amount to get you through the week — unless your protein intake is on-par with Gaston's, in which case you might want to get a second bag. Sparing you from the difficulty and frustration of trying to peel your eggs, this genius innovation is a simple, tried-and-true breakfast food that's cost-effective and great for days when you're in a rush. Plus, you can combine a hard-boiled egg with any other breakfast food for a slight protein boost.

It might sound basic, but granola bars are probably one of the most reliably filling options on this list. From your typical, crunchy Nature Valley bars to the chewy, chocolatey Kind breakfast protein bars, this is a breakfast choice that allows for a ton of variety in ingredients, flavors, and price points, while simultaneously squeezing a lot of calories and nutrients into a small package. You can even shift toward protein bars if you need more of an energy boost — here's our list of the best store-bought protein bars to get you started.

For the colder days, when the sun has barely risen by the time you arrive at work, there's something to be said for a cozy bowl of oatmeal. It's easy to buy in bulk, individual flavored packages, or as a container of plain rolled oats (which cook much faster than steel cut oats, by the way). Plus, it's simple to prepare with hot water being the only real additional ingredient. But of course, you can always take things to the next level by adding fresh fruit, peanut or almond butter, granola, or anything else you enjoy as a topping.

If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, this option is for you: Toasted and ready to serve, frozen waffles have been an American staple for generations for good reason. Beyond being delicious, they're also warm, crispy, and easily handheld — plus, they've got that childhood nostalgia baked into every bite. Nowadays, they come in many variations beyond your typical, plain Eggo waffle, expanding into flavors like blueberry, whole-grain, and chocolate chip, to name a few. And with prices like Safeway's $7 for 24 waffles, this choice certainly deserves a spot on the budget-friendly breakfast list.

Yes, it's the best breakfast option that McDonald's has to offer — but hash browns are also easy to find at the grocery store and easy to prepare in a toaster oven. You can also make them ahead of time at home in your air fryer and wrap in tinfoil for your trip to the office. Crisp, warm, and arguably one of the best of the many forms that potatoes can take, hash browns are a timelessly genius breakfast choice. And by the way, our favorite McDonald's hash brown dupe comes straight from the shelves of Trader Joe's.

Our final option is for those who prefer a lighter breakfast. Often changing in what they contain throughout the year, seasonal fruit cups are fresh, portable, and allow you to bypass the laborious task of washing, peeling, and cutting fruit. If you're in and out of the office, running around doing errands, this might not be the most filling choice, but if you're just looking for a little something to snack on while you chill on your phone at your desk, a juicy combo of cubed pineapple and crisp grapes might just hit the spot.