Save $988/year by bringing your lunch
February 27 by KylePott 77 Shares | Lifestyle, Money
Bringing your lunch everyday instead of eating out will save money — that’s a common known fact. However, Clever Dude took the analysis one step further and broke down the cost of each portion of a lunch for a week. The total cost savings extrapolated for a year is very impressive:
Monday Lunch
PBJ sandwich on wheat bread, raw carrots, baked chips and an apple:
- Peanut butter ($0.11)
- jelly($0.07)
- wheat bread ($0.30)
- raw carrots ($0.12)
- bag of baked chips ($0.28)
- apple ($0.50)
- water from the fountain (free). It’s safe, except where the Dude works, but they provide water coolers.
Cost: $1.38
Tuesday Lunch
Turkey sandwich on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, light mayo, carrot sticks, canned pears in light syrup and a snack pack of Oreos (the Dude’s favorite):
- turkey sandwich on wheat bread ($1.30)
- lettuce ($0.25)
- tomato ($0.25)
- light mayo ($0.14)
- carrot sticks ($0.12)
- canned pears in light syrup ($0.69)
- snack pack of Oreos ($0.41)
- fountain or cooler water again (still free)
Cost: $3.16
Cost of eating out (average $6 a day) = $30.00
Cost of packing a lunch for 5 days = $11.00
Total savings = $19.00/week * 52 weeks = $988.00
Frugal Lunch by Clever Dudette – [Clever Dude]
Salmonella from Peanut Butter: $priceless
and theres the money for cable!
[...] How many times a week do you find yourself saying that exact phrase? The Simple Dollar offers home dining solutions for the family that is overworked, overtired, and impatient. Previously we covered how much money you can save by bringing your lunch to work. There’s got to be a similar cost savings if you stay in and eat on those days that you’re just “too tired to cook.” Here’s what the Simple Dollar Proposes: Prepare meals in advance. Spend a weekend preparing a bunch of meals for you and/or your family that you can just pop in the oven after a long day at work. [...]
Having just spent eleven dollars on a single lunch, I’m inclined to take this advice to heart. The thing that always bites me back is not packing enough snacks…
[...] Our post on Frugal Lunches has brought in a HUGE amount of interest AND controversy. It’s been featured on Lifehacker, the Consumerist, and Lifehack.org, as well as Digg, Delicous and other newsworthy sites. [...]
I have found the cheapest lunch is to eat in the office. I purchase the 55 pack of instant oatmeal from costco for about $10.00. Then a pack of 48 green tea bags for about $3.00. So you just need to add hot water to both. Oat meal is about 20 cents per package and I use two with each lunch. One tea bag in a hot mug of water for about 7 cents. This brings my lunch total to $00.47
Thank you
[...] LifeHack presented a strategy for saving money by packing a lunch and saved an impressive $988 per year. This is just too simple a money-saver to ignore, and has the added benefit of helping you clear your fridge of any leftovers you may have lying around. [...]
Wow Don! That’s amazing. I eat baked beans sandwiches (1/2 a $1 can + 4 slices of bread) ~ $1.40 a day. Or just noodles ~ 40c a pkt for lunch. Or a can of flavoured tuna $1/can which is slightly dearer but also healthier.
I liked the article, thanks.
Bad maths skills – 50c for the beans, 40c for the bread = 90c. Also, I meant a can of tuna on 2 sandwiches which is about $1.40 overall. (In Australia)
[...] amount of interest AND controversy. It’s been featured on Lifehacker, the Consumerist, and Lifehack.org, as well as Digg, Delicous and other newsworthy [...]
Hot Fountain
Why would you say that, when you can see that what you sy is not correct.
Ramen noodles in bulk.
10 centers per package * 3 meals a day * 365 days = 110 dollars to feed yourself for a year.
In theory, it could work!
Thanks for this info! I blogged about the money-saving tip here:
http://asphalteden.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-5-things-to-do-january-5-2009.html