Saving Money by Taking Your Lunch to Work

You work hard for your money, so don't waste it on overpriced convenience food when you can make it yourself! You'll save money, it's better for you and tastes a lot better! I've been packing my husband's lunches for almost 5 years. It first started out because he is very picky and couldn't always find things he liked to eat, even though the company he works at has a cafeteria. Overtime we started to realize that it really helped us save money and now it's essential to pack his lunch now that we are trying to get out of debt. You may not realize how much those lunches out or in a cafeteria really do add up. Another advantage of taking his lunch to work is losing weight! Eating out can be very bad for you since there are so many unhealthy options to choose from.

This works for single people or if both of you work. To get started you'll need to get some containers to put the food in. I don't suggest investing in Tupperware. It's very expensive and there has been a few incidences where my husband works where our containers have either been stolen or thrown away. Buy those containers that are reusable, but cheap enough that if they get thrown out it's not too great a loss. At most work places, there's an employee lounge with a refrigerator for you to put your lunch. For that reason, you don't need to buy a lunch bag for your lunch. We just use plastic bags from the grocery store. They're free and we're recycling them!

The cheapest thing to drink is, of course, water! Some work places have free water coolers or you can always bring it from home in a water bottle. If you like to drink other things, Crystal Light and instant iced tea are great at lunch! Even if those aren't for you, don't buy drinks from the vending machines! These really add up and can become addictive! If your drink of choice is soda or Gatorade, you'll save money by buying cans or bottles at the grocery store and bringing them in with you.

The easiest thing to pack to eat are leftovers! Each night that you cook dinner, just make a little bit more for lunch the next day. Most employee lounges also have microwaves to heat up your lunch. Some favorites that don't need to be reheated are sandwiches, fruit, raw vegetables and dip, pretzels, cheese and crackers. My husband loves to eat salad for lunch so I send him in with cut up cooked chicken breasts and a bag of salad mix.

If you don't have time every morning to pack your lunch, try doing it the night before. If that doesn't work, do what I do. Every Sunday I cook ALL of my husband's lunches for the entire week. This is good if you don't mind eating the same thing for lunch every day. You can either cook a bunch of the same thing or 2 different meals that are easy to cook at the same time. I cook everything and divide them up into containers. You can put each meal into a different container to be brought in each day or put it in 1 or 2 big containers. If you decide to bring it all in, just dish out how much you'd like and put the rest away!

There are times where I'm unable to cook my husband's lunch and he just brings in a can of soup! You can get a big can for under $2.00 and they can be very filling and still cost less than eating out or in the cafeteria. Packing your own food to bring to work doesn't just apply to lunch! Those trips to a convenience store in the morning for a coffee and bagel can get very expensive as well. Almost as much as $20 a week! Instead, buy a bag of bagels and some cream cheese. Prepare it before you head out the door and eat it on your way to work or keep it at work in the fridge to eat when you get in. Also, make your own coffee! There's really no need for a latte every day. If you're having a hard time with plain coffee, try looking online for some easy to prepare coffee treats that you can bring to work with you. A lot of us are running late in the morning, so get the coffee pot ready the night before and when you wake up, just press a button. Voila! By the time you get out of the shower your coffee is done and waiting for you.

If you like to bake, try baking a bunch of muffins on Sunday. These are super easy and there's so many variations. Muffins are very portable and can be eaten anywhere. You can make a lot at once to last the entire week and you can freeze the rest! Before you know it, it will become second nature and it won't take you no time at all to get your breakfasts and lunches together for work. You'll really become surprised at how much you are saving!

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