How Bringing Your Lunch to Work Can Save You Money
By Penny Saver, October 4, 2011, Food & Dining Out
Saving money, eating healthier and increasing fitness are three of the most commonly stated New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, many people try with enthusiasm but cannot figure out how to follow through on making those three goals in to a personal reality. The solution is actually very simple: Take your lunch to work every day. Some may doubt the idea that a simple action like taking your lunch could have those profound effects but the facts speak for themselves.
Saving money in the shadow of this global recession is something on most people’s minds. Some may be car pooling, shopping at resale shops and collecting recycling to save money while still overlooking the daily cost of a work lunch. Most people will circulate through a routine of two or three eating options for lunch with an occasional big outing twice a month. For the purposes of demonstration, imagine a weekly diet that consisted of alternating between eating fast food or purchases from the local convenient store. These two selections realistically represent someone that is trying to save money by eating small lunches. In an average month, there are 22 work days for a standard five day work week. For this example, the mystery worker eats a small lunch at the local fast food chain 10 times a month and the other 10 meals are purchased from the corner store. The two remaining days will be represented by group lunches at sit-down restaurants. This will offer a generic, yet realistic, sampling of a typical cost for buying lunches while at work.
Assume the fast food restaurant has a value menu that offers 99 cent options. A small protein, like a burger or chicken nuggets, would total to $1.09 with tax. Add a small order of fries, a small drink and multiply the sum times 10 days for a total of $32.70. For the other days, assume that the mystery worker purchases a ready-made sandwich, chips and a small fountain drink for $4.36 with tax at the corner store. Remove the other two days from the equation because the cost of attending luncheons and group lunches will remain the same regardless of what one does normally. The total for 20 days of low cost lunches comes to $76.30. Can bringing your lunch to work lower that sum significantly?
For calculating the cost of bringing lunch, assume that 10 days a month are spent on one of two options. Option one will be a bean and cheese burrito with tomatoes, onions and hot sauce along with fruit and a drink. Option two will be a simple ham and cheese sandwich with fruit and a drink. Calculating the prices for the home made lunches is more difficult because cost must be determined from bulk purchases. For the burrito option, one must buy a package of 12 burrito sized flour tortillas for $4.99, two cans of refried beans for $2.98, two blocks of cheese for $6.50, three tomatoes for $1.85, a bottle of hot sauce for $3.25, assorted fruit for $10, and a 12 pack of beverages for $4.50 for a total of $34.07. The cost for option two would be slightly cheaper, but for simplicity sake assume that the two total $68.14 for 20 days of homemade lunches. This brings the savings to $8.16, which would result in about $100 a year. While it is a savings, you may not see it as enough to warrant the change in lifestyle until you factor in the indirect costs.
One in five Americans are diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome, which is defined as: being obese, having high blood pressure and high cholesterol all simultaneously. The sample daily purchased lunches contribute to these conditions due to the nature of how the food is prepared. High saturated fats from deep fried products combined with high fructose contents in drinks and high salt for preservation lead to Metabolic Syndrome. The costs of treating this medical condition grow exponentially due to prescription prices, doctor visit’s co-pays and time missed from work. Bringing your lunch will save you a little money up front each month and a tremendous amount over your lengthened life.
Follow @BounceEnergy
