Take the brown-bag challenge

By Donna Freedman

Inspired by Liz Pulliam Weston's "buy nothing" month, I suggested that readers on my Smart Spending message board take their lunches to work at least twice a week, then let us know how much money they saved in May.

Many of the brown-baggers were surprised to discover what a simple bologna sandwich could do for the bottom line.

"I never really noticed how much money I was putting down the drain," said Lizz Johnston, a secretary from Texas who kept bread, peanut butter, soft drinks and other basics at work. She saved about $200 in restaurant meals, plus the cost of the gas she would have used to drive 10 miles each way to the nearest lunch joint. She'll throw the savings against credit card debt.

A Boston-area commuter posting under the name "3 daughters_2 sons" stocked up on yogurt, granola bars, string cheese, fruit cups and hard-boiled eggs. At the end of the month, she realized she'd spent about $4 a day to pack breakfast, lunch and a snack. Before that, a single lunch out had siphoned $7 to $10 from her wallet.

"I'm using the money to pare down debt," she wrote. "With four kids living at home (and all in college in the fall), I need to pare down expenses wherever I can!"

Saving just $5 a day (and most readers reported saving more than that) means you have an additional $100 a month for bills, retirement or after-work activities that are a lot more fun than lunch at a fast-food restaurant.

Of course, calling anything a "challenge" is like poking thrifty types with a stick.

"Jim47" got by with "a loaf of whole-wheat bread, a pound of sliced salami, a pound of sliced cheese, a bag of chips and a case of diet cola," which amounted to about a dollar per lunch and a month of, well, the same old thing.

"Doowop7" went even cheaper, suggesting 99-cent-a-pound bologna or a 25-cent can of potted meat. For variety, Doowop7 was very price savvy, citing additional lunch fixings such as a 16-cent package of ramen noodles, a 39-cent burrito and a 64-cent 2-liter bottle of diet cola.

But there are tastier strategies for a few pennies more.

The leftovers brigade

Chicken every Sunday? If so, cook a few extra pieces for weekday lunches. Double your usual chili or lasagna recipe and freeze the extra servings. During supper cleanup, put leftover stew or casserole into single-serving containers.

The next morning, toss a container in a bag along with other easy-to-grab items.

Bonus: When you take leftovers to lunch, they don't have the chance to grow furry little blue-and-green coats in the back of the refrigerator. Lettuce doesn't turn brown from disuse, either.

"Less food waste" was very rewarding to Chris, a Seattle working mother. "I felt virtuous," said the technical writer, who plans to put the $100 she saved toward her family's mortgage.

Time is money

Those who aren't this superbly organized, or those whose mornings are unpredictable (hi there, all you working parents!), can take advantage of convenience foods such as pre-bagged salads, pre-cut carrots and frozen entrees (lean or otherwise).

A reader named "CC in KC" says "those tuna kits with crackers, light mayo and relish are great to keep at work -- no refrigeration or cooking required."

Or keep it simple: "HollyM" swears by cottage cheese plus fresh fruit or vegetables and notes that a fast repast lets her "get paid (overtime) for the unused minutes" in her lunch hour.

Time was also more important than money for Ann, a working mother from South Carolina. She saved about $5 a day by keeping canned soups, cheese, crackers, bagels, granola bars and fruit at work. More importantly, she found that she could eat quickly and then do errands, which meant less "running around on the weekends."

Continued: Brown-bagging does not mean boring

 1 | 2 | next >