Brown Bagging It

   Okay, so maybe I don't bring my lunch in a brown paper bag (which is wasteful by the way), but I do bring my lunch to work on most days, in my pretty Vera Bradley lunch box. If you're not already in the habit of packing a lunch, it can be a difficult habit to get into. First you have to keep lunch-friendly items in your fridge and pantry that are easy to grab in the morning. You also have to take into account the few minutes it will take in the morning to throw your lunch together. If you don't, you'll be late for work.

   If you're currently going out to get lunch every day or even a few days of the work week, you could be wasting a lot of money. Let's name a few places that we would likely eat lunch at - Panera, Boston Market, McCallisters, Crispers, Moe's or even Wendy's. The average lunch meal with a beverage at these places will run you about $8. That's $40/week = $160/month = $2,000/year! If anyone who was eating out for lunch everyday made a commitment to bring their lunch to work this year, you'd be 1/5 of the way to our savings goal just by changing your lunch habits!

   I'm personally making this commitment. In the past I've brought my lunch 2-3 days a week. But this year, I'll be "brown bagging it" everyday. And a bonus to packing your lunch is you can manage the healthy choices you put in your bag. Choose veggies and fruits for snacks and whole/multi grain bread for sandwiches. You can save time by making and packaging some things in advance. (see photo)

   Brown bag lunch ideas: dinner leftovers, tuna/egg salad and crackers, PB&J, soups, sandwiches, salads, pretzels, fruits, veggies, nuts, granola, yogurt, pudding/jello cups and oatmeal.