Being Boring Saved Me $2,000
I don’t know when it started, but it’s become so normal to me that it no longer bothers me. I can’t remember when the first joke was made, but now it happens all the time and it barely registers.
The sandwich jokes.
When people at work see you eat the same thing, day in and day out, they get a little frazzled.
“Sandwich again, huh?”
“How’s that sandwich? Better than yesterday’s?”
The other day I was making my sandwich, when it hit me: I’ve probably had the same exact lunch for the past three years: ham and cheese sandwich.
There have been variations, but for the most part the sandwich has stayed the same. And you know what? I’m kind of proud of it.
On Sundays, when M and I go to the grocery store, I’ll buy bread, meat, and cheese. I take all of that to work on Monday and store it in the fridge. Then every day for lunch I make a sandwich for lunch.
But three years is a LONG time. So as I was making my sandwich I thought of how often you hear that tip of bringing your own lunch to work. They always throw out how much money you could’ve saved over a year if you had brought your own lunch.
Well forget could’ve, I said to myself. I want to see what these past three years have done for my wallet. Let’s do the math:
Total savings: $2,059.50.
What about the boredom? I know it sounds terrible—having the same exact lunch every day sounds like torture. But I like the taste and it’s become an easy routine for me to follow. It may not be worth it to some people, and even I’ve thought of changing it up every now and then.
But I guess I’m just too boring for that. And rich—I’m totally rich now.
* Photo by dvs
This post was included in the Festival of Frugality—make sure to check it out.
February 27th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I’m in the same boat. Mine’s a turkey sandwich but I get razzed all the time for eating the exact same thing everyday. But I like it!
February 27th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I work at home but I still have a standard lunch. It’s a salad. A big salad. With whatever is in the ice box (yes- I am a southern girl and I say ice box…). Leftover chicken or ham, boiled egg, cheese, and a dressing of garlic red wine vinegar and oil. Always condiments on top of a bed of baby spinach or marked down european mixed greens.
BE PROUD OF YOURSELF for your sandwich lunch. Recognize those folks who comment probably think, “Boy, I wish I could have the mental fortitude to plan ahead and save money.”
I found you via Frugal Dad. Don’t cha just love Frugal Dad?
February 28th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Good on you! Like you, I love a simple, home-made lunch, and getting to save plenty of money is an extra added bonus. Nice to see some math to support that view.
February 28th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
[...] The Writer’s Coin tells how being boring saved him $2,000. [...]
February 28th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
@Tammy, I too am a FrugalDad fan. Glad to see you around these parts and for putting me in such elite company!
I will forever be proud of my sandwich, no matter the naysayers say. Although since they see it every day from me, the razzing is actually down to a minimum. I think some people have a kind of quiet awe about being able to do this week in and week out.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:11 am
When “boring” equates to an incremental increase in ones personal wealth, it isn’t boring. You might not get your excitement from your sandwich (but sandwiches shouldn’t be exciting anyway, should they?), the excitement comes from knowing that the $5-10 you saved (and hopefully invested) will now gain compound interest.
By the way, a truly exciting sandwich is the tuna on whole wheat you left on the dashboard all day, but ate anyway ’cause you were hungry. The excitement? Wondering if you’re going to regret eating it. Real Cliffhanger.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:10 am
[...] Being Boring Saved Me $2,000 was posted at The Writer’s Coin. I’ll be boring for $2k! [...]
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:18 am
Awesome! I’m a fan of wraps personally, but I find that most people who like wraps tend to go out and buy them, instead of making them at home and bringing them in – even more so than people who like sandwiches! Personally, I want my wrap my way, and how else will I learn to fold it properly?
March 4th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Wow! You saved 2K by being boring! You must be such fun at parties!
Seriously, if you extend this metaphor to your life you can actually live your entire life saving so much money and having nothing to spend it on!
I bet you consider hobbies to be a waste of money too!
March 4th, 2009 at 9:27 am
My boring lunch box contains yogurt (Dannon plain is the only one without added sugar), fresh fruit (frozen blueberries), banana, apple, granola bar, mixed nuts. Snack on that all day.
Save money on lunch and medical expense all in one fell swoop.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I’m with you on this one. I probably took Peanut butter and jelly to school K-12 and my first job at College. Then came the Ramen noodles for my late night job for 5 years. It just makes sense to not spent the $5-10 a day. Also, I’d like to point out that some of the same people who criticize for the lunches are those who show up in my line at Starbucks and order the same drink 7 days a week for 4 bucks. Talk about a silly move in todays economy.
March 4th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
My lunch is not as boring, but it’s usually leftover from the night before. That saves about $7 a day for about 200 work days, or $1,400 a year.
March 6th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I eat the exactly same thing for breakfast every day simply because I don’t want to have to think about what I want for breakfast. I just want to eat. Bowl of oatmeal, cup of green tea, piece of fruit.
Carrying your lunch, as opposed to buying it, is a great money saver, whether it’s the same meal everyday or not. What you bring doesn’t really matter. Funny that your co-workers are so interested in what you’re eating!
April 4th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
[...] Being Boring Saved Me $2,000 I don’t know when it started, but it’s become so normal to me that it no longer bothers me. I can’t remember when the first joke was made, but now it happens all the time and it barely registers. The sandwich jokes. When people at work see you eat…… [...]
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:31 am
[...] other day I was making my infamous sandwich at work and I realized that some people just aren’t built for personal finance. They have [...]
April 19th, 2010 at 7:12 am
[...] is not a trivial thing for me to say. We’re talking about the guy who eats the same sandwich every day to save $2,000/year. I hate spending [...]
January 10th, 2011 at 5:53 am
[...] been almost two years since I wrote about my boring lunches and how much money they save me. It was a couple of years ago, but at the time I had saved $2,000 [...]
January 13th, 2011 at 6:52 am
[...] Mac when you can get the same specs for cheaper. Remember, I’m the guy who has eaten the same boring lunch for five [...]