Catherine from Frugal Homemaker Plus is a homemaker and freelance writer with a mortgage and a few student loans she’d like to retire by 2012. This post describes how she practices frugality, and exemplifies one of our core philosophies here at Mint.com: spend less than you earn.

Taking a lunch to work does take a little time, but the savings are astronomical over time. For people trying to cut costs, save money for a larger goal, or reduce debt, packing a lunch is an easy way to cut costs and improve your bottom line. But I’ve heard a good number of people claim that this was something they just couldn’t do, for a variety of reasons.

Here are some of the common things I hear when people say that they can’t possibly pack a lunch:

Excuse: I don’t have time in the mornings!

Neither do I. I would never pack a lunch if I had to do it in the morning. I pack my lunch in the evenings, when we’re cleaning up after dinner. Since my husband and I almost always pack dinner leftovers for our lunch the following day, we simply prepare individual servings as we’re cleaning up the kitchen. I keep around quick-to-grab stuff (bought on super sale, of course!). We often take fruit snacks, dried fruit, crackers, yogurt, cheese sticks, real fruit, and cut up veggies as sides. For drinks, we settle for water from the office cooler. But if instead you prefer soda or juice, then pick it up from the store where it’s cheaper to get than from the office vending machine.

Excuse: My workplace does not have a microwave or fridge.

You can always take wonderful meals to work! Sandwiches are quick and easy. If you hate soggy sandwiches, then pack each individual ingredient separately and assemble your meal at lunch time. Not only are salads healthy but they are also convenient and do not require microwaving. Cold soups also make for refreshing lunchtime treats. My favorite quiche tastes wonderful at room temperature.

What about those cold packs you stick in the freezer to cool your lunch? Well, you don’t even need those. A reusable water bottle filled most of the way up and kept frozen makes a good ice pack, and as a bonus, turns into cold water to drink with your lunch. I’ve heard of people doing this with juice boxes as well.

Excuse: My job requires me to drive and I’d rather not eat in the car.

I’ve been there. I once had a job as a maid for a cleaning service. We cleaned several homes during the day, and our company policy did not include a “lunch break” in the traditional sense. My employers considered the time we spent driving between houses as our break, so I had to pack something that would survive in a hot car that I could eat while driving. We weren’t even permitted to get a drink of water while at a client’s house, so I would leave my house every day with the following: several large bottles of water, most of which were still frozen from the freezer; an igloo cooler type lunch box, and assorted food items cut into bite sized pieces. The frozen water would preserve my lunch and would quench my thirst throughout the day. I would make and cut PBJ sandwiches into four triangles, cut apples into bite sized pieces, cut up cubes of cheese – these were all easy to eat while driving and were easy to snack off throughout the day. Most of my coworkers did not bring lunch so we’d pop in at a drive through, or stop briefly at a gas station. My lunch was much cheaper and healthier than theirs, for sure!

In grad school, I had a microwave but often had a schedule that did not allow for a leisurely lunch. One semester I had to eat while walking between classes — not fun! Again, the solution was to opt for food in bite-sized pieces and ready-to-sip cups of soup.

Excuse: I have to eat lunch out everyday because I need to network and get ahead with my career!

I had a roommate who did this and was slowly going broke, so as a solution, he’s decided only to lunch out on Wednesdays. He and several of his work friends call it the Wednesday Lunch Club and take turns trying to find an interesting hole in the wall restaurant to dine at. This was an interesting compromise! I’d also suggest bringing in some healthy snacks to eat throughout the day, so that when it’s time to go out and network, you can settle for a more affordable and lighter lunch, such as a soup or salad.

Excuse: I just don’t like packing lunches.

There are days when I don’t like to pack a lunch either. When this happens, I pull out a trusty frozen meal, like Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice frozen meals. This was something I didn’t do in the past because the meals were expensive and I try to avoid processed food. However, I came to realize that this was a much easier, cheaper, and healthier option than ordering a Value Meal at a fast food joint. If you watch out for coupons and sales, you can get these frozen meals for about a dollar each.

Packing a lunch does not have to be inconvenient or costly. It may take a bit of preparation at first, but you’ll soon get the hang of it! And the savings will almost certainly be worth it!

We decided to run some numbers to quantify these potential savings…and we came up with a big number: $1,000 to $1,500 per year. Surprised? What do you save by brown bagging it? What other tips would you like to share on how to save in the workplace?

Personal finance is something that we care about here at Mint. Learn more with great personal finance tips in our blog article index.

We came across this blog post by David at MyTwoDollars right about the time we were launching our new SpendSpace feature last month. SpendSpace allows you to compare your spending, in any category, to city, state and national averages. Check it out (it’s located at the bottom of your Spending Trends page)… but be forewarned that it’s highly addictive.

As we were designing this feature, we gave a lot of thought to whether or not we should all be apsiring to “keep up with the Joneses”. David’s take on this was insightful, and we wanted to share it with you.

Everyone has heard the expression “Keeping up with the Joneses”. In fact, I have used it on MyTwoDollars quite a few times. But I started giving it some thought and I started to realize that most of us, on purpose or on accident, try to keep up with the Joneses we see on television and in magazines, and not the real Joneses that are living next door to us.

The reason I think that is because if we truly had an inside look into our neighbors affairs, we would see that they are probably just like us… they probably own the same kind of cars, the same kind of appliances, they have done the same kind of remodeling that we would do. After all, they live in our neighborhood, so they are probably very similar to us. So when we feel like we don’t have as much as our neighbors or we need newer stuff to feel more accepted by society, I think we are judging our lives by the fake ones we see on our favorite television shows and not by the reality surrounding us.

Look around your block or neighborhood; is everyone else driving a BMW while you are driving a Toyota Yaris? Does everyone else have a much nicer house than you do? Do they get to take more vacations than you? Chances are, they aren’t and they don’t. They are making things work just like you are, and some of them might have a few more things than you do, and some of them might not. But really, they are probably very similar.

I think this is important to keep in mind as we are inundated with advertising proclaiming to deliver the good life if only we bought that new Mercedes, took this new drug, bought that new house in the hills. The people on TV look and act different than we do because they are different than we are…they are actors, on a television show or in an ad, trying to either entertain you and/or sell you something. Truthfully we don’t need a new washer and dryer if our existing one still works fine. But I guarantee they can make you think you need a new one because of how white their shirts are! The Joneses you might be trying to keep up with are not real Joneses, because those real Joneses are just like you.

Just something to give some thought to before you feel like people have better stuff than you, more stuff than you, are more successful than you. Take a minute to check out your true surroundings, and not the fake ones created on television. I think you will find that most everyone around is just like you, and there is no one you need to be keeping up with. It’s never a good idea to try to keep up with people anyway; it’s much more important to carve your own way, make up your own mind as to what is important in life and not let others dictate what you should or should not be doing. But it’s especially important to not let advertising or television fool you into a false sense of what you aren’t or what you should be.

You can see more of David’s writing on personal finance topics on his blog at MyTwoDollars.com.