Does bringing your lunch to work actually save you money?

I recently read an interesting statistic that said Americans, on average, spend around $3,000 a year on lunches. That is a mix of eating out and eating in when at work.

That is a lot of money. And, if you’re not careful and aware of your spending, that’s an area that can creep up on you and lead to something disastrous, such as credit card debt.

And, that's the thing about buying lunch at work – it’s a small purchase that doesn’t seem like it would add up to much.

The cost of going out to eat for lunch can vary – you may spend $5 on a sandwich or you may go to a restaurant and spend $20.

Now, bringing lunch to work isn't free either.

But, bringing lunch to work has the potential to save the average person at least $100 a month, if you know what you are doing.

Related: 10 Budget Lunch Ideas and Cheap Easy Meals You Should Try

Just like the cost of buying lunch adds up, so does the savings of bringing it from home. Let's do the math – if you are able to save just $100 a month by bringing your lunch, that could be an extra $1,200 a year or $12,000 every 10 years. [Read more…]