The Lunchbox ROI

How to complete The Lunchbox ROI

This turns the vague notion that packing lunch saves money into a measured number, then sends that number somewhere it grows. The real win is closing the loop, since most people save the difference and then spend it invisibly on something else.

1. Write down what buying lunch out normally costs you per day
2. Pack your own lunch for a month and log what each homemade one actually cost
3. Do the math: (bought cost minus homemade cost) times days equals your savings
4. Transfer that exact amount into a brokerage or savings account, away from spending money
5. Put it to work by buying a fund or letting it earn interest

Tips

• Only count days you'd realistically have bought out, not weekends off
• Fold in the groceries you bought specifically for lunches so the number is honest
• Schedule the transfer for the time you'd normally swipe for lunch so it's automatic

What counts as done

A logged savings figure plus a matching deposit sitting in an investment or savings account.