How Taking a Lunch can Save You $1600+ a year!

Phew, eating out really adds up! Look at how some typical lunches can hit your bank account over the course of a year:

• Fast food x 3 meals a week = $18.00 = $900
• 'Nice' lunch once a week with coworkers = $15 a pop = $750
• Bagged lunch 1 time a week = $0 additional (paid for with grocery budget)

Let's take all of these numbers and multiply them by 50 weeks...and you get (gulp!) $1650 a year! And that's just on lunches! This is a really low estimate too, as some lunches can be a lot pricier than this.

Make a firm and determined goal for yourself to simply NOT EAT OUT AT LUNCH. Leftovers from last night's meals, or a simple sandwich and a piece of fruit are healthy options that are a frugalite's dream.

Frugal Tips - Track Every Penny You Spend

Frugal tip of the day:

Tracking what you spend gives you a starting point to work with when developing a new budget. If you don't know how you spend your money, how will you possibly know where to improve?

At the local dollar store you can get a packet of mini notebooks for a buck - I just got a package of five of them. I keep one in my purse at all times and write down whenever I spend (literally) a penny! Then, at the end of the week, see where your money went, and how you can improve.

Also, knowing that you have to write down your purchases in a book makes you more aware AND more accountable. That $5.00 latte looked delish when you saw it at the coffee shop, but you might feel sort of silly about it later on when you spent a fiver and have nothing to show for it.