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Supporting a family of four in a big expensive city, budgeting is now more important than ever.
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After looking at my bank statements I realized I was spending over $275 a month on take out lunches and breakfasts! It was clear that this was a great place to start saving.
I became obsessed with finding low cost lunch solutions. I started with low cost food like slices of pizza and pastas. I was able to get the average cost down to $5.50. But after a few days a began to feel sick and bloated. Next...
I than tried pooling money together with a few colleagues to buy ingredients for fancy salads. This required some prep time and a consensus on ingredients which can sometimes be annoying. The average cost per meal was $7.00. Not bad but still not good enough...
Than I can up with the brilliant solution for lunch that works out to $1.45 per day! Wait for it...peanut butter and banana bagels!
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If you’re allergic to peanut butter, I’m sorry for the disappointment. Although you can substitute peanut butter with your spread of choice like humus or cream cheese.
Here’s how it breaks down:
1 Large Tub of Peanut Butter = $7 (good for 20 days of use - $.35 per day)
6 Bagels = $4.00 (lasts 5 days - $.8 per day)
5 Bananas = $1.50 (lasts 5 days - $.3 per day)
Grand total - $1.45 per day!
Your nutritionist may not be in love with the plan but your bank account sure will. Plus if you have left overs from the night before it’s a great way to incorporate them and keep things fresh.
I hope this helps you save some money. Please share your budget lunch ideas below as we are always looking for new ideas!
Gracias!
Brandon