Savings Series: Save Money with Brown Bag Lunches

I saved $85 in January by bringing brown bag lunches to work. That is a savings of 65%, and I am very proud of myself!

I used to eat at our work cafeteria – the gourmet sandwich stand makes this wonderful flatbread wrap with  sun-dried tomato and olive pesto, your choice of meat and cheese, and lots of greens. I love that wrap, and I was proving it by forking out $5.95 every day.

When I did the savings exercise in this post earlier, I realized that eating out was my biggest luxury spending. So, to cut this category of wasteful expenditure while still enjoying my wrap, I set out on a mission to recreate it.

First stop: the local grocery store. I bought a 8-pack tortilla ($2.5 for 8 servings), one 16-pack sliced cheese ($3.99 for 16 servings), fresh baby spinach ($3.99 for 10 servings), a tube of organic sun-dried tomato paste ($4.89 for 16 servings), and deli chicken ($4.99 for 5 servings). This means, each sandwich I made costs me $2.11 – a whopping savings of 65%.

I gotta tell you, I am addicted now. I just can’t make myself go to the cafe anymore. Every sandwich I brown bag for lunch gives me a huge mental boost because I know I am saving a lot of money. If you are still buying lunch at work, try this for a couple of days, and let me know what you think.