Doing it cheaper - at work

I commit a good bit of thought to everyday actions.  I ask myself "is there a way to do this cheaper?"

Frequently, the answer is yes.

Back when I worked in the cubicle jungle, I broke myself of the habit of ordering lunch everyday in favor of bringing my own from home.  I took it a step further by storing some shelf stable foodstuffs for those off days when I'd forget my lunch.  This easily saved me $5 a day.  Then I worked on my coffee habit.  I wasn't about to give up my daily cup, but could I do it cheaper?  Yes, yes I could.  A couple of the other ladies were in when I told them I wanted to get a coffee pot so we could brew our own.  I'd been spending $1.50 a day on my midmorning cup, but for $1.50 a week I could go in on some high quality coffee.  Next, my afternoon soda fix was costing me 75 cents a can.  I popped across the street from my office, to the drugstore, on my lunch break and grabbed a full price 12 pack for $5.  I kept the 12 pack at my desk, and dropped 1 can in the office fridge in the morning.  I saved 33 cents a can.  I started watching the sales at the stores, and got in the habit of grabbing 12 packs when they went on sale 2 for $5.  Now I was saving 54 cents a can.  I was saving almost $40 a week, and I wasn't depriving myself at all.

Bringing your own lunch to work is often the first suggestion people get when they start looking for ways to save money on food.  Even if you're not packing leftovers (generally the cheapest lunch option), a homemade sandwich or salad will be several dollars cheaper than buying one.

I'm not just interested in saving money on food.  I want to save money on everything.  This is the first in a series.  Stay tuned.