How Much Money Does Bringing Your Lunch To Work Save In A Year?

How Much Money Does Bringing Your Lunch To Work Save In A Year?

You’ve heard that bringing your own lunch to work can save you money, but how much does it really save? According to personal finance site Money Crashers, it’s a lot.

Photo by J P.

Money Crashers broke down various categories of food and drink that many of us tend to buy from a store each day. They compared the cost of homemade items to typical store bought prices. Even with some extremely generous price estimates (the site assumes a coffee-to-go costs $2, for example), the amount saved per year easily reaches the thousands:

By bringing in your own coffee, breakfast, lunch, snacks, and beverages every day, you can save anywhere from $US2,000 to $US4,200 or more over the span of an entire year. And taking your own food to work is not just economical — in many cases, it’s also the more health-conscious option. When you prepare your own meals, you can use healthier, more natural ingredients and reduce your chances of overeating due to better portion control.

You can find the full breakdown at the source below. The site bases its calculations on US food prices, which on the whole are cheaper than in Australia. This is especially true if you’re buying lunch from a central business district where a single coffee can cost up to $5.

In other words, you can expect the savings to work out even better over here. (With that said, at least we aren’t obliged to tip!)

How Much Can You Save by Bringing Your Own Lunch Food to Work? [Money Crashers]


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