Save Money by Packing Your Own Lunch

We all know that packing your own lunch can not only save you money but also is most of the time more healthy than going out to eat every day.

But most of us don't pack our own lunches for a number of reasons. We may not have time, we may not believe it will save us money and we may be afraid that our own home-packed lunch will be boring when we are surrounded by other options. Here are some tips we compiled from a variety of Web site sources.

• Don't just make a boring sandwich. Add a special touch - like a slice of tomato or avocado, sprouts, fancy cheese or French mustard.
• Bring the leftovers from dinner. But add a salad or fruit. Or, treat yourself to bread from a local bakery to go with the meal.
• Don't bring leftovers from the night before. Wait one more day to avoid the I-just-ate-this blues.
• Bring a spice bag to work. It can be the original spices you used on a meal or it can just be your favorites that can spice up a meal.
• Get a cool lunchbox. A brown bag is quite practical, but if spending $10 to $15 on a fancy lunchbox means you would pack a lunch more often, you would save that money in just a couple days.
• If you're making a salad, put it in a mason jar with the dressing on the bottom - put the dressing in first. That way, it is less likely to make a mess if it falls over. When you are ready to eat, just put a plate upside down over the jar opening and invert the jar.
• If you have the kind of job where there is a lunchroom, ask if you can buy an inexpensive electric grill to make paninis.
• Saving money by packing your lunch is not worth it if you don't actually save the money. So put the money you save to the side and spend it on something you really want.

Want more ideas? Visit these Web sites for more details.

• The Simple Dollar
• Yahoo
• Zenhabits