Money Saving Tip: Bring Your Lunch

Here's a quick money saving tip to end the day:

Take your lunch and snacks to work.  You’ll save $2-3 every day on lunch and a dollar or so on snacks.  That adds up to $500 to $1,000 each year!

I know this is not a popular tip and I'll likely get a lot of readers who will dismiss it automatically.  But I speak from experience.  I used to spend $8-$10 per day easily by eating out.  Even McDonald's will run $5 or so. Taking your lunch to work will save a ton of money -- it has for me over the past few years.

Comments

[Cap]

hah. not on $1 chicken nuggets Tuesdays!

[mbhunter]

Or $1 McChickens any day of the week!

[savvy saver]

I eat out with my coworkers once a week. I make sure we go somewhere other than the cafeteria so it actually feels like a treat. The other four days, I bring my lunch and eat at my desk.

[Another Bean Counter]

That is a great tip. I started bring my lunch to work once I realized how much I was spending a week. Whatsmore, you can end up saving on gasoline as well.

[Donna Freedman]

Those $1 McChickens sound like a good deal, but they aren't as cheap as my bagel and cream cheese, or my tuna sandwich, or my peanut butter and jelly, or my leftover-whatever-I-had-for-dinner -- especially if you consider that you're likely buying more than one McChicken, or adding fries and a drink to your purchase. In addition, a steady diet of fast food is really bad for you. The Dollar Menu at McDonald's gives the illusion of a good deal, but it really isn't.

[c slager]

McChicken 360 calories
French Fries 250 calories
Small Soda 150 calories

Cost for your meal, 3.00
Hours spent on a treadmill to recover from your meal=7

Value of a brown bag lunch...priceless

[JENNIFER]

I warm the water in microweave then put coffee and sugar at night before. then put it in a large bottle that I drink all day. I put the bottle with coffee in the refrigerator over night. now days, coffee is so expensive. by doing this I can save lot of money. and I take cookies and crackers in a plastic pouch with napkin so that when hunger strikes, i can eat it.

[JENNIFER]

I warm the water in microweave then put coffee and sugar at night before. then put it in a large bottle that I drink all day. I put the bottle with coffee in the refrigerator over night. now days, coffee is so expensive. by doing this I can save lot of money. and I take cookies and crackers in a plastic pouch with napkin so that when hunger strikes, i can eat it.