The number one reason to brown bag it is to save money.
Here's the math...
Number of people not eating at home X cost of lunch X five days per week =
the amount of money saved per week.
A school year is usually 36 weeks.
For adults multiply by the number of weeks worked per year. If you have two weeks of vacation then you work 50 weeks.
Example Kids:
Three kids X $2.75(cost of a school lunch) X 5 days X 36 weeks of school = $1485
Adults:
Two adults X $4.00(cost of eating out at noon) X 5 days X 50 weeks of work = $2000
Adults: Coffee and Vending
Two adults X $1.50 X 5 days X 50 weeks of work= $750
Based on the above calculation three school lunches plus two adult lunches costs $19.25 per day.
That’s a lot of money.
Brown bagging is NOT economical if you simply go the grocery and buy prepackaged pudding, cute little potato chip bags, kids microwave lunches and Jell-O.
A homemade brown bag lunch costs about $1.50 per person. A brown bag lunch for 5 people would cost $7.50 per day. $19.25 minus $7.50 is $11.75 saved per day!
If I save $11.75 per day for 20 minutes of effort- my hourly rate is $35.25 per hour. It may well be worth your time to pack a lunch.
Here are some ideas:
Sandwiches (be creative) leftover ham, turkey or meatloaf makes great sandwiches.
Split a french loaf of bread longways and fill with meat and cheese. Cut these into lunchsize sandwiches. Package individual sandwiches in freezer storage bags without condiments. Condiments can be added at lunchtime. Keep your mustard or mayo in the refrigerator at work. Finish by packing a little bag of vegies in the morning to add to your thawed out sandwich at noon.
Make a big batch of finger Jell-O on the weekend. Make two boxes of pudding and pour into individual containers.
Here's the math...
Number of people not eating at home X cost of lunch X five days per week =
the amount of money saved per week.
A school year is usually 36 weeks.
For adults multiply by the number of weeks worked per year. If you have two weeks of vacation then you work 50 weeks.
Example Kids:
Three kids X $2.75(cost of a school lunch) X 5 days X 36 weeks of school = $1485
Adults:
Two adults X $4.00(cost of eating out at noon) X 5 days X 50 weeks of work = $2000
Adults: Coffee and Vending
Two adults X $1.50 X 5 days X 50 weeks of work= $750
Based on the above calculation three school lunches plus two adult lunches costs $19.25 per day.
That’s a lot of money.
Brown bagging is NOT economical if you simply go the grocery and buy prepackaged pudding, cute little potato chip bags, kids microwave lunches and Jell-O.
A homemade brown bag lunch costs about $1.50 per person. A brown bag lunch for 5 people would cost $7.50 per day. $19.25 minus $7.50 is $11.75 saved per day!
If I save $11.75 per day for 20 minutes of effort- my hourly rate is $35.25 per hour. It may well be worth your time to pack a lunch.
Here are some ideas:
Sandwiches (be creative) leftover ham, turkey or meatloaf makes great sandwiches.
Split a french loaf of bread longways and fill with meat and cheese. Cut these into lunchsize sandwiches. Package individual sandwiches in freezer storage bags without condiments. Condiments can be added at lunchtime. Keep your mustard or mayo in the refrigerator at work. Finish by packing a little bag of vegies in the morning to add to your thawed out sandwich at noon.
Make a big batch of finger Jell-O on the weekend. Make two boxes of pudding and pour into individual containers.
Freeze leftover pieces of cake, bars or brownies.
Baby carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Pour pretzels, finger cereals, and goldfish from a big bag put into snack size bags. This is a good weekend job for the kids. I recommend using a ¼ cup measuring cup.
Celery with peanut butter (celery must be dry or peanut butter will slide off) add raisins for Ants on a Log.
For adults with access to a microwave: fill microwaveable dishes with supper leftovers.
Soup, spaghetti, and pasta bakes can be put in these containers at suppertime and be ready to go. No extra work. No wasted leftovers.
Soup, spaghetti, and pasta bakes can be put in these containers at suppertime and be ready to go. No extra work. No wasted leftovers.
Please share your brown bag ideas.
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