Save Money by Packing Lunch and Snacks
Let's take a moment and think about small changes that can make a big difference in your finances. Are you ready? Let's go!
Are you blessed with free meals at work? If no, please continue reading.
While it's true some companies offer free meals (or meal vouchers) to their employees, most of us do not receive this uncommon fringe benefit.
The rest of this post would be applicable to the "rest of us". Do you bring your lunch to work more often than not? This is important for a number of reasons.
The truth is spending money every day on lunch and snacks isn't doing you any favors. Face it, fast food has very little to no nutritional value and most often no financial value at all. You may argue, "I order from the value menu"; while it may not hurt the finances as much, it could be harmful to your health, which actually can later hurt your finances, but I digress.
Example:
Let's just round to $2,500. If you use about half of that ($1250 or less a year) to purchase lunch items and snacks at the grocery store, you'd be spending less than $5 a day instead of $10. Think a $5 daily savings is nothing?
A small change leads to extra money that you can put towards other things like savings, investments, debt, bills, maybe a gift for a special someone, a small getaway or even a staycation. Not only that, you can make healthier meal choices which really protects your bottom line (just think about the cost of healthcare😱).
Now don't get me wrong, it's okay to dine out for lunch occasionally, especially when it costs you nothing! You really don't want to make it a daily habit. Lunch with colleagues/coworkers are great, but always be reasonable and financially responsible. Your pockets will thank you! 😉
Are you blessed with free meals at work? If no, please continue reading.
This week's tip is to bring your lunch and snacks to work.
While it's true some companies offer free meals (or meal vouchers) to their employees, most of us do not receive this uncommon fringe benefit.
The rest of this post would be applicable to the "rest of us". Do you bring your lunch to work more often than not? This is important for a number of reasons.
The truth is spending money every day on lunch and snacks isn't doing you any favors. Face it, fast food has very little to no nutritional value and most often no financial value at all. You may argue, "I order from the value menu"; while it may not hurt the finances as much, it could be harmful to your health, which actually can later hurt your finances, but I digress.
Example:
- Say you spend an average of $10 a day on lunch and snacks.
- That's $50 a workweek.
- $2,600 a year (52 weeks...granted you haven't taken any time off).
- If you actually have to leave and get the food, that adds another element which is the cost of fuel.
Let's just round to $2,500. If you use about half of that ($1250 or less a year) to purchase lunch items and snacks at the grocery store, you'd be spending less than $5 a day instead of $10. Think a $5 daily savings is nothing?
A small change leads to extra money that you can put towards other things like savings, investments, debt, bills, maybe a gift for a special someone, a small getaway or even a staycation. Not only that, you can make healthier meal choices which really protects your bottom line (just think about the cost of healthcare😱).
Now don't get me wrong, it's okay to dine out for lunch occasionally, especially when it costs you nothing! You really don't want to make it a daily habit. Lunch with colleagues/coworkers are great, but always be reasonable and financially responsible. Your pockets will thank you! 😉