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Can You Become a Millionaire by Brown-Bagging It?

Can You Become a Millionaire by Brown-Bagging It?  Eating out during the work or school day is undeniably convenient. There’s no scrounging in the cupboards for something to prepare, searching for forks when you forgot yours at home, or eating cold spaghetti when the office microwave is out of order. But what’s better than convenience? Keeping money in your wallet.


The fact that packing lunch is cheaper than buying lunch isn’t surprising. What is surprising is just how much money you can save by brown-bagging it. In fact, some simple math might be enough to convince you to do away with takeout lunches permanently.


Let’s say your preferred takeout lunch is a deli sandwich with a drink. With taxes, your total is about $10. If that’s your lunch choice five days out of seven, you’re spending $50 a week, $200 a month, $2,600 each year.

What if you make that same sandwich at home? Maybe the ingredients (a loaf of bread, cheese, and sliced meat) cost you $15 up front, and they make about five sandwiches. Now your cost is $3 per sandwich, for a total of $15 a week, $60 a month, $780 a year. That’s a yearly savings of $1,820!

There’s another kind of savings that comes with bringing your own lunch: calories. While how many calories you can save depends on what you choose to bring, home-cooked meals are typically more healthful than takeout is.
No, this lunch switch won’t make you a millionaire. Still, with fewer calories and lower cost, all these savings might make that brown bag look more enticing.

~Julie

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