Today's blog is part four of our 10-part series on saving at least $1000 (or more) this year with very little pain on your part. Most of the tips will be easy and won't disrupt your routine!
In my days as a professional workin' gal (no, not that kind), I would often enjoy the yummy offerings of the restaurants near my old office. There were no less than fifty-seven in a two-mile radius, and it was my goal to try them all. Their call to me was more alluring than the sweetest siren's song, and anytime I left work, I was tempted by the succulent smells of roasting meat and burnt coffee. Oh, how good it smelled! How I drooled like Pavlov's dogs! Unfortunately, all that food costs money, and eating out burnt a hole in my wallet faster than the acids did in my esophagus. I was bleeding money, and it wasn't pretty.
Before I stopped working, I decided that hemorrhaging money for lunch was not the smartest idea. It was making my bank account smaller and my butt bigger. Never a good scenario. I realized that taking my lunch was a more economical and healthy alternative. I would be in control of fat and salt content, and I could pack an appropriately sized lunch and not eat the humongous offerings that restaurants give you. Who are they trying to feed anyway? Shaquille O'Neal? I'm a woman and 5'2". I don't need enough food to feed the Oakland Raiders.
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| I need the Number Ten with a Diet Coke...Right NOW! |
I can hear what you're thinking: I don't have time to mess with this!
Yes, you do! Here's how!
- Make your lunch the night before. If you try to make it in the morning, you'll run late and say "To Hell with it. Chipotle is right across the street! Yeehaw!"
- Make use of leftovers. NO FOOD should ever be thrown away (see here), and leftovers make a perfect meal. Save yogurt, butter, deli meat, and ricotta packages, and you don't even have to buy plastic containers! Win!
- Buy a cute lunch bag to transport your food. You'll be stylish, and no one will dare open your bag in the office refrigerator and steal your lunch. Well, I don't think they would, anyway.
- Pre-cut veggies over the weekend, so you even have a snack to take with you on Monday - Friday.
- When you shop for groceries, don't forget to plan a few meals for the days you don't have leftovers. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail (and you'll hit Jersey Mike's so fast, your head will spin). Think of meals you enjoy and buy the necessary ingredients.
- Check out what's on sale in the grocery store. I have found that a super deal on food is inspiration to make next week's lunch. For example, you see a rotisserie chicken reduced for quick sale. Buy it and make chicken salad.
- Search online for some easy and quick lunch ideas. Here is a good place to start:
The typical restaurant lunch costs anywhere from $8 - $12. That's an average of $50 a week. I know you can make your own lunch for at least half that amount, especially if you utilize leftovers and special deals. If you save $25/week, that's $1300 a year in savings! That could pay for a cruise on the Fun Ship, and you might even fit into your bathing suit.
Stay frugal,
Amanda Z
Domesticology
AmandaZ is the (mature) stay-at-home mom of Pork Chop, Southern gal, thrifty bad a$$ and writer of Domesticology101.com. This blog tackles all things domestic - from child rearing to cooking and home improvement to frugality. All done with a touch of humor and common sense. This is definitely not your mama's home economics site!
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