Bringing My Lunch to Work to save Money - DAY 1 - Support needed !!

[Anonymous]

Ha! it's a funny thread that I just created and it's pretty sad that I need support but all this is new for me and I am determined to fix my credit so that I can get a house for my baby and I. I've been beating myself up for years for feeling like a bad mother to my 3 year old. "how could I let my credit fall so much" but I am ready to take action.

Faith, dreams, wishes...without work is dead. 

I have been actively working on my credit for almost a year and reading this site for weeks.  I usually spend $10 or more a day going out to eat for lunch everyday. Shame on me. I have vowed to bring my lunch. Left overs or a salad everyday. I am going to put that money toward a bill.

 Wish me luck. Who's with me?

[Anonymous]

Good for you. The company I work for has a very upscale cafeteria and I see coworkers who spend at least $10 a day on lunch, as well. I've brought in my own lunch every day for the past 5 years and I can't imagine spending $50 a week that way. Granted, food from home isn't entirely free, but I figure I save about $30 a week... that's $1500 a year.

Another thing that I do... I'm not a coffee drinker, so I sip on soft drinks or iced tea throughout the day. Instead of buying from the vending machines, I'll bring in a bottle of my own along with my lunch. That's about another $5 a week saved.

[Effielin]

Good for you!   I started a new job 2 1/2 years ago that is  in a "warehouse" section of San Antonio with no fast food/restaurants nearby so I also started to carry my lunch to work everyday. Within a couple of months, I realized how much money I still had left before my next paycheck and I was so amazed. So much money wasted for so many years.. Good luck on achieving your dreams.

[Anonymous]

Ah! thanks for the encouragement. Your score progress at the bottom of your post gives me so much hope.  

[Kree]

Good Luck!, I used to bring lunch to save money as well (I've switched to skipping lunch, as it saves even more money and has done wonders for my waistline). Here are a few cheap and delicious lunches that kept me going when leftovers weren't an option.

I've found that  Safeway/Krogers will often have a very large sub for $5 on Fridays.  They stay good refriderated for most of a week, and can be turned into 3-4 lunches if paired with some chips. The price is slightly higher when not on sale, but still allows for very cheap lunches.

I recently bought some sort of specialized ramen microwave bowl thing. If you have access to a microwave, these are a wonderful tool for cheap lunches. Not only does it microwave ramen perfectly, you can also use it for standard cans of soup. Or to boil a hotdog.

Baked potatos.  If you are a potato type of person, I've found that reheated baked potatoes taste almost as good as freshly baked ones.   some cheese, and some sour cream and you will have a delicious 2 dollar lunch. Add a can of chili in your ramen cooker and you will be the envy of the lunch room.

[Anonymous]

You can do this! My work highly subsidizes our food so it’s roughky $3 a full meal. Precious jobs were not like that, and like you I was spending lots on food.

A trick that worked for me is actually an old school method and works wonders. I created a budget for my food spending. Let’s say $300 for the month for groceries eating out etc. I would get That in cash. Put it in an envelope and that would be my budget for the month. No exceptions.

If I had left over cash at the end of the month I put it in savings. Sounds dumb but it works!

[Pikaboo-icu]

Good for you!

That's inspirational..

Now it's time to STOP beating yourself up, no more "shame on me" talk/feelings and start thinking and saying "YAY ME"!

You are DOING something and as you see progress you need to pat yourself on the back! 

I don't even know you and I am very proud of you! I can't imagine how proud your kids & family will be.

Three Cheers for you!!! 

[Anonymous]

I appreciate that. You made a tear form! this is so hard to face and gain control but starting is better than sitting on it. 

[SprintToFinish]

I budget $50($10/day) a week for lunch as well... Group of us leave the office for an hour and get lunch. It's hard to bring my lunch because it's such routine for us and that fact that i love getting way from the grind and office for an hour each day.

[Anonymous]

I know!!! that's the hardest part for me. I need to get out of this office. I enjoy going out to lunch, sitting on a nice patio at a restaurant, taking a break from work stress. but I decided to wait until my score goes up a little more.  Today I just went for a walk around the building. It's only been this post reply to stop me from going to grab a light lunch and glass of wine like I usually do. (wine with lunch, not every day but at least once a week for sure)   Ha! Day 1 was a success

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@SprintToFinish wrote:
I budget $50($10/day) a week for lunch as well... Group of us leave the office for an hour and get lunch. It's hard to bring my lunch because it's such routine for us and that fact that i love getting way from the grind and office for an hour each day.

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