Not only am I saving money in gas by my move, but I am also saving a lot more money by not eating lunch out every day! I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but at my old branch I was getting really bad about not having enough time in the morning to pack my lunches, and I’d end up leaving in the morning planning on skipping lunch. When lunch time rolled around, I ended up being starving, and I decided I’d hit the supermarket to get the salad bar for lunch. That ended up costing me around $10 a day because I’d buy my salad and then I’d wander the store because my lunch was 45 minutes and it didn’t take me that long to eat. I’d end up finding something I thought I needed, and there is my $10 total.
I know one of the first things that people do when they decide to crack down and save money is brown bag their lunch. When I got to my new branch I found out I have 30 minutes for lunch. 30 minutes? I thought that wasn’t enough time to eat! I decided I had to pack my lunch if I wanted to eat something because I didn’t have enough time to go out and get something, eat, and come back. It worked well Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then Thursday I went out and got something to eat (turns out I can make it in 30 minutes) and then today I ate lunch at Mr. Money’s restaurant for free.
I need to make a menu or something for next week so I don’t stray. Part of my problem is that I get sick of lettuce with dressing for lunch. Sure, it’s good for me, but I get tired of the same old thing. I need to start getting creative. I need a vegetarian tasty lunch. Maybe I’ll spruce up my salads. Also, if I make my lunch at night, I’ll have it ready in the morning and not worry about not having enough time.
I know this sounds silly, but I’ve also saved money by not buying bottled water. Once a day someone would make a run to the vending machine next door to buy water. I hat e this for so many reasons: the plastic, the cost, and the idea of paying for water. The plastic is bad for the environment, and why should I be paying for water that I can get for a very small price from my filter at home? That’s stupid. I bought a $26 stainless steel Sigg bottle because I don’t like supporting big oil (making the plastic bottles), and I’ll tell you, I love this water bottle. It was worth every penny. I thought Mr. Money would kill me for spending that on a water bottle, but he understands and for that, I am thankful. It will pay for itself in a month!
Sometimes I feel like a frugal failure when I spend money on eating out. I feel like that’s one of the basics on frugality, and here I am blogging about frugality and eating out and buying bottled water! I guess we all have our downfalls, and no one is perfect. I do the best I can and that’s all that matters.
What are some things you take in your lunch to ’spice it up’?
Posted under Food, Save Your Money
This post was written by Mrs Money on August 24, 2008
I like eating peanut butter sandwiches made with one of the healthier kinds of PB - like Smart Balance. Also, I’m too cheap to brown bag it (which requires buying bags), so I duffel bag my lunch.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich is veggie friendly. Unfortunately I either run out and get something because I have to pick up lunch for my bosses too, or I throw a Lean Cuisine in the micro. Not very creative.
Big Winner- I have a duffel bag I take to work every day to hold my water bottle and lunch. My mom packs my dad’s lunch (she has every day for 30+ years) and my dad always brings back the brown bag.
Mindy- It’s funny you said PB & J too! Maybe I should look into freezing lunches or something. Thanks for the ideas!
Sometimes, I also save money by not buying bottled water. I feel the same way. It’s ridiculous to pay for water and not to mention the plastic which is not environmental friendly like you said. Great post.