How to Save Money – Pack Your Lunch, and Stack Your Wallet

Want to know how to save money? Think about this: The cost of eating out averages about $11 per meal, and you can pack your own lunch for about $6. That’s a difference of over $100 per month. Put the savings into your bank account, and you will have accumulated $1,200 after one year.

Here’s another thought: If you stop at the local coffee shop each morning before work, you’ll pay between $1.50 and $2.50 per cup. If you need a flavored latte to help you to wake up, those are $3.00 and up. Brew that regular cup of coffee at home, and it will cost about $.60 for each cup. Now you can add another $30 to $50 each month to your savings—or $360 to $600 every year!

Saving money isn’t the only benefit here

Packing your lunch is also a painless way to lose weight and improve your health—not to mention the slim physique you’ll acquire. The majority of restaurant meals are loaded with calories, especially if you opt for fast food, so you’ll eliminate hundreds of calories each week by packing a healthy lunch each day.

And since you won’t be wasting a chunk of your lunch hour waiting to be served at a restaurant, you would have time to take a fast-paced half-hour walk, adding even more benefits for your health.

Isn’t that lots of extra work?

Learning how to save money takes some effort. Brown bagging requires you to have a plan if it’s going to be successful. You can’t just roll out of bed each morning and throw a few things together from the refrigerator. But you can develop a system that will yield the best results week after week. Here are a few helpful hints:

Purchase the essentials

Get your system off to an excellent start by buying Tupperware containers, plastic wrap or baggies, and brown bags. If you want to be environmentally-friendly, get a reusable lunch bag and an ice pack. And don’t forget a Yeti for cold drinks or a Thermos for your coffee.

Make up a grocery list

Planning great lunches begins with a grocery list. Think about easy items you can use to create a variety of lunches. Here is a list of food items that are convenient and tasty:

• Bread and wraps
• Nitrate-free lunch meats
• Cheeses
• Crackers and pretzels
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Rotisserie chicken
• Fruits and vegetables
• Canned soups
• Canned tuna or salmon
• Salad ingredients

You can create all kinds of lunches by combining these foods with items you already have in your cupboard.

How to Save Money? Prepare in advance

For example, you can cut up chicken and use it for sandwiches, add it to a salad, or take it as a snack. Hard-boil a few eggs and keep them in the fridge. Cook up some pasta ahead of time or make a slow-cooked meal, and freeze it in small lunch-sized portions. Make extra/larger dinners each night and have the leftovers for lunch for the next day.

Maybe brown-bagging isn’t as convenient as eating out, but the trade-off—hundreds of extra dollars in your pocket each year—make an effort well worth it!

Are you ready to try something new with your career?

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