Tip 5: Pack lunch instead of eating out

Another big money saver is bringing lunch from rather than eating out. It takes some effort and planning, but the savings are significant. You can easily save $5 per day or more by bringing your own lunch and snacks. Bringing lunch from home is also a lot healthier than eating out. It is too easy to end up with burgers and fries when eating out.

I still go out for lunch a few times a year for special occasions. Sometimes it is fun to do something with your friends from work, but I like to pack my lunch for everyday lunches. Depending on where the gang is going, you might be able to take your lunch from home with you. One time, I took my giant lunch box with some grilled pork chops from home to a fast food place to eat with others. I had a healthy- and cheap- lunch from home and got to eat out with my friends too.

Compared with making your own coffee, making your lunch every day is a lot more work. That’s OK, because you can save a lot of money. At $5 per day for 20 week days per month, you can save around $100 per month which adds up to $1,200 per year.

Sometimes you can make lunch at home for free. I’m talking about leftovers. I am pretty good at packing up leftovers in tupperware containers after dinner each night- there is almost always something that I can take with me for lunch. For days when leftovers do not work out, I like to have some sliced meat and cheese to make sandwiches and some fresh fruit such as apples and bananas. Apples cost about 75 cents each and bananas cost about 25 cents each. I also like peanut butter and honey sandwiches and soy-nut butter and cheese sandwiches on wheat. Sometimes I don’t have much time to get creative, but want to take enough along so I won’t get hungry and want to buy food.

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