managing money enewsletter
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Managing Money                            October 5, 2011 

eNewsletter

UNH Cooperative Extension - Cheshire County

 

 Packing Lunches for Work or School
sandwich
Every day millions of people across the country pack a lunch to take to work or school for three primary reasons:  economics; nutrition and weight management.  If you eat out for lunch twice a week with an average cost of $8 for your meal and beverage, then you can save $16 per week or up to $800 a year, minus the cost of your homemade lunch.  The more home-prepared meals that you make every week, the greater will be the savings.

A Clemson Cooperative Extension publication (see "Learn more" below) recommends these practices to keep lunch costs low:

  • Eat "planned over's" from last night's dinner (e.g. chili, soup, pizza, pasta casserole, spaghetti, and leftover meats for sandwiches).
  • Make enough lunches at one time for a whole week.
  • Cook large batches of soups and stews and freeze in portion-size containers.
  • Buy only the amount of food that can be used in a reasonable amount of time. Although buying large quantities may cost less, you won't save money if the food goes to waste before it is eaten.crockpot2
  • Check the unit price of lunch items to make sure a store "special" is really a bargain.
  • Buy items in bulk (e.g. fruits, vegetables, cheese, crackers, trail mix and baked chips) and package them yourself in snack-sized self-sealing bags. Pack enough for the entire week and store. Commercially-packaged single servings of these items can be expensive.

Remember that you need to make wise choices. Otherwise, you could spend just as much on lunches made at home as you would to eat out.

 

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Learn more

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/food/nutrition/food_shop_prep/food_prep/hgic4246.html  

 

http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000311_Rep333.pdf 

 

  

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UNH Cooperative Extension provides New Hampshire citizens with research-based education and information, enhancing their ability to make informed decisions that strengthen youth, families and communities, sustain natural resources, and improve the economy.

 

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. University of New Hampshire, U.S. Department of Agriculture and N.H. counties cooperating.