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Ever since 6th grade it has been the uncool thing to pack your lunch. Back in 6th grade though, my parents decided what was cool or uncool for me and they decided that packing my lunch was the cool thing to do. My friends disagreed with this decision and made that fact known to me. As time wore on and I became a wise middle school student, I defined cool by packing the best lunch in town. My packed lunches tasted better and looked better than anything my classmates decided to buy. In high school I was known for lettuce that was so fresh it looked like it had been picked from my mom’s garden that morning. I became proud of my lunch packing abilities and no longer cared what others thought of me for it. Little did I know, then, that my parents ingrained this in me back in 6th grade for a very important reason:
Pack Your Lunch
Ever since 6th grade it has been the uncool thing to pack your lunch. Back in 6th grade though, my parents decided what was cool or uncool for me and they decided that packing my lunch was the cool thing to do. My friends disagreed with this decision and made that fact known to me. As time wore on and I became a wise middle school student, I defined cool by packing the best lunch in town. My packed lunches tasted better and looked better than anything my classmates decided to buy. In high school I was known for lettuce that was so fresh it looked like it had been picked from my mom’s garden that morning. I became proud of my lunch packing abilities and no longer cared what others thought of me for it. Little did I know, then, that my parents ingrained this in me back in 6th grade for a very important reason:IT SAVES MONEY IF YOU PACK YOUR LUNCH!
Yes, I know. Shocking. But they were right and they still are. To this very day, I pack my lunch for work, everyday. Why? Because it is what I have been doing since I went to elementary school. And well, yes, it does save money. But how much? You ask a very wise question, and I have the answer for you.
Just last weekend my wife and I did the grocery shopping for the next two weeks. I kept our receipt and have some information to share with you based on what we bought for my bagged lunches:
| Sliced Turkey (10oz) | $3.69 |
| Bread (20oz) | $.99 |
| Assorted Chips (24 bags) | $6.49 |
| Cheese Crackers (8 packs of 6) | $2.00 |
| Glazed Donut “sticks” (box of 6) | $1.59 |
| Debbie Cakes Coffee Cake (box of 6) | $1.59 |
| Apple Sauce (pack of 6 4oz) | $1.49 |
Those items above make up the contents of my lunches (yes, I eat virtually the same thing every day, but don’t judge me yet…I’m saving a TON of money). Our total cost for these lunches is: $17.84
Now, I am one to want to know everything; down to the nitty gritty of the information. So I did some more math, a little more involved, and figured out exactly how much I pay for each individual item that I put in my lunch. Below you will see what I found:
| Sliced Turkey per sandwich (3 slices, about 2oz) | $.738 |
|
Apple Sauce per 4oz container |
$.24832 |
| Two slices of bread | $.099 |
| 1 Pack of Cheese Crackers | $.25 |
| Desert item (donut stick or coffee cake) | $.265 |
| Bag of chips (also used to “spice” up my sandwich) | $.27 |
I grab water from the office cooler (for free, of course) and have spent a total of $1.87 per lunch per day. Not even the McDonald’s dollar menu can beat that (if you get more than one item, obviously). $1.87 per day costs me $9.35 per week and $37.41 per month. Not bad at all, if I may say so myself.
So now we see how much my packed lunch costs me, but how much does it save me? Good question, I have the answer for you. I did some research in my area and picked a deli/cafe that is close to my office and I go to about once a month for a single cup of coffee. Off of their menu I chose to compare my savings to their “Turkey Club” sandwich which comes with a bag of chips and a medium drink. The cost for a lunch like this is $8.75. Wow, I knew I had them beat without doing the math.
$8.75 per day for 5 days is $43.75 per work week. That means in a month, I could spend $175.00 dollars at my local deli for lunch. Let’s take this math a step or two further. $175.00 minus my $37.41 per month gives me a MONTHLY savings of $137.59. Multiply that over the course of 12 months and I have saved $1,651.08 over the course of one year.
There you have it. If you pack your lunch every day of the week you can save yourself some serious money! If you are taking a look at your finances and are trying to find ways to save a little here and there in order to meet your budget, what are you doing for lunch every day? Packing or taking left overs? Or do you eat out? If you are eating out every day, or one day a week for that matter, I encourage you to STOP and save the money instead.
Define what is cool for you, brown bag it to work or school.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Aiken,
I couldn’t agree more with this lunch packing philosophy. I too had the same experience throughout my schooling minus the lettuce unfortunately since I didn’t like it at the time. I too pack my lunch every single day and take it to my current school(college). Sure I may look dorky walking into a college with a lunch box but what’s cool about it is the bank account. Since all my money I spend has interest on it from the loans I have to be super “careful” as to what I spend mulla on. I got my fun stuff out of the way now such as falling from a mighty height and have now bunkered down.
In addition to the financial benefits, you’re doing your body a big favor. Most people eat nothing but crap on their lunch breaks. Save money, be healthier- it’s a win win.
I’d be glad to add you to my blogroll as well. Good luck with your site!
[...] -Pack a lunch: Packing a lunch for work is a really great, easy way to save a sometimes significant amount of money. Going out to eat on a regular basis really does drain the bank account quite quickly and without you even taking notice to it. It’s so easy to spend the $10 here and there without thinking much about it but that $10 adds up by the end of the week. Try to pack a lunch for work instead. If you like going out with your coworkers for lunch then limit your outings to once a week or less. [...]
[...] math game than people really think. We have talked about how to save when you are grocery shopping, bagging your lunch, and even going to a college football game, but we have not talked about saving money on [...]