Eating Out: Take your lunch to work

If you are trying to save up for a goal, a great way to cut out expenses is to limit the amount of times you eat out each month. My husband and I are diligent about not spending money on fast food very often - almost always under $15 a month. This is something that works for us because we just make food at home and are happy with that. One area where people tend to splurge on eating out is at work.

You work 40 hours a week, and when it gets to lunch time, you do not want to stay at work. Everyone that works understands this concept well. When I go to lunch I do one of two things. If I need to get out of the building, I go home to eat. I understand this is not reasonable for everyone, as sometimes you do not live close enough to work to do this. If I do not go home, I go to the break room, watch some tv, and eat. Doing this may be hard for some people, but if you can be diligent in doing this, you will save tons.

A normal meal at lunch will probably run you $5-$10 depending on where you go and if you get a drink, etc. If you were to go out every day during lunch, that's $25-$50 a week you are spending on fast food. In the span of a year (assuming you work about 47 weeks like me), that's a whopping $1,175-$2,350 a year just for lunch during the work week. If you compare that to making a sandwich or buying a frozen meal, you will spend $2-$3 a day on lunch - or less if you are frugal. That's $470-$705 a year, or a savings of $705-$1,645 a year! You do not have to eat lunch at work every day, but if you brought your lunch 4 days a week and went out on Fridays, that is still a lot of savings. An extra benefit is that you will probably be healthier bringing your own food than eating out every day.

I realize this is not for everyone, but this is an area my husband and I are willing to cut out while we are saving for a home.