Comments on: My Brown Bag Lunch Experiment – Save Over $1,000 a Year

By: Save Money Hound

Save Money Hound — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:05:51 +0000

Bringing your own lunch is also a healthier option too. Keep the theme and variation going with leftovers from dinner, fresh salads, sandwiches, and pasta salads. The cost of buying lunch these days seems to be on the rise.

By: Marcia

Marcia — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:27:49 +0000

Great experiment! I sometimes get teased by my coworkers for my cheap brown-bagging habit. One reason: I used to eat out a lot. And I used to be fat. I’m 39. I can’t be eating out if I want to maintain a healthy weight.

But it’s also the money. I calculated that I save about $3000 a year by making our lunches ($7-8 a day eating out per person vs. leftovers), and that’s a new car every 6 years (at least, my new Honda Civic.)

By: Sam

Sam — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:38:22 +0000

Unfortunately, the bread and condiments you had on hand anyway weren’t free – you still had to buy them, and using them in your lunches meant they weren’t there to use for other meals at home. Same with the leftovers – they’re only free if you would otherwise have thrown them away. Yes, taking your lunch probably saves money most of the time, but not as much as your numbers indicate.

By: Nifty

Nifty — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:44:12 +0000

In addition to taking a big bite out of my food expense each month, one other benefit to brownbagging is that because I’m eating lunch at my desk, I’m only taking 1/2 hour for lunch. This means I get to leave work earlier. Bonus!!

By: pays to live green

pays to live green — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:38:03 +0000

I see countless people at my work who buy lunch every day. They go through so much money and it’s just not worth it. I also noticed that you eat better when you take your own lunch.

By: The York Budget

The York Budget — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:02:03 +0000

Don’t forget the power of compounding, if you can save $1200 a year, that’s $12,000 over ten years. Plus any income you may derive from that savings.

I don’t save as much as you do as a couple because I am single but along with other savings, brown-bagging it for me adds up to a positive result at the end of each year.

Plus I know how to cook and my food taste better than Taco Bell.

By: fern

fern — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:14:20 +0000

Actually, Taco Bell’s bean burritos (for about $1) are fairly nutritious: non-red meat protein and fiber. (Get it without that hot sauce.)

By: Damon Day

Damon Day — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:15:56 +0000

I haven’t had to commute to an office in quite a while but when I was in college I found that by picking things from value menus at various places you could actually eat lunch for 2 or 3 dollars provided you didn’t also buy a soda.

At taco bell you can get some decent size burritos for a buck. Granted I am not vouching for their nutritional value

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:34:00 +0000

I go through periods where I bring my lunch to work regularly. Right now, I’m eating out every day. It’s like exercise – sometimes I get into a groove and I can do it regularly, and then I fall off the wagon, so to speak. I do, however, try to keep my lunch expenses under $6/day, but with the MA sales tax increase and places raising their prices overall, that’s becoming harder to do.

By: fern

fern — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:54:27 +0000

I occasionally ate out or in the building cafeteria when i started my job a year and a half ago, but i don’t like spending $5 or $6 a day either. I weaned myself of that habit entirely and now bring lunch 99% of the time, using leftovers after a weekend or frozen entrees. I used to pay full price, around $3.75,for Lean Cuisine, but noticed they periodically went on sale for $2.50 each so i’d time my purchases for sale periods and stock up. Then I discovered Banquet frozen entrees for $1 each. I guess that’s about as CHEAP as you can go and granted, they’re not gourmet food and not huge portions, but if you want to save $…. i always supplement the Banquet meal with fresh fruit or other snacks i bring from home.

On the rare occasions i forget to bring lunch, i will only allow myself to eat out by ordering from the $1 menu at Mcdonalds. Yup, I’m cheap, but I’d rather spend my money on something meaningful and lasting, like the sun room i’m currently having converted from a screened porch.