Packed Lunch Savings Calculator
Compare buying lunch with making your own and see exactly how much you could save each week, month and year.
Calculate Your Lunch Savings
Enter what you usually spend on a bought lunch, what your packed lunch costs, and how often you buy lunch. The calculator works out your savings over the week, month, year and five years.
Lunch Savings Calculator
See what bringing your own lunch is really worth.
Getting an Accurate Result
Key points for a realistic lunch savings figure
Use Your Real Spend
Check a recent bank statement for your typical lunch purchase, including the drink and snack you usually add at the till.
Cost Your Packed Lunch
Divide the price of your ingredients by the number of lunches they make. Include fruit, snacks and a drink for a fair comparison.
Count Realistic Weeks
You will not buy lunch every week of the year. Allow for holidays and sick days, or leave the default of 46 weeks.
Put the Savings to Work
Decide where the saved money goes, such as a savings pot, an overpayment on debt, or a holiday fund, so it does not disappear into everyday spending.
Bought vs Packed Lunch Costs
Example savings for common lunch types against a £2.00 packed lunch, based on 5 lunches a week for 46 weeks (230 lunches a year). These are illustrative figures, so swap in your own prices above.
| Type | Bought Lunch | Saved per Lunch | Saved per Week | Saved per Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarket meal deal | £4.00 | £2.00 | £10.00 | £460 |
| Sandwich shop | £5.50 | £3.50 | £17.50 | £805 |
| Work canteen | £6.00 | £4.00 | £20.00 | £920 |
| Café or takeaway | £7.00 | £5.00 | £25.00 | £1,150 |
| Restaurant lunch | £10.00 | £8.00 | £40.00 | £1,840 |
Packed Lunch Savings FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about how much a packed lunch can save you.
Subtract the cost of your packed lunch from the cost of the lunch you would otherwise buy, then multiply by the number of days you work each week and the number of working weeks in the year. For example, buying a £5.00 lunch instead of a £2.00 packed lunch saves £3.00 a day, or £690 over 230 working days.
Most people don’t buy lunch every week of the year. Allowing for annual leave and bank holidays, around 46 weeks is a sensible default for a full-time job. Use a lower number if you work part of the year or take longer breaks.
Include everything you pack: the main item, snacks, fruit and any drink. Divide the cost of the ingredients by the number of lunches they make. Batch cooking and buying staples in bulk usually brings the per-lunch cost down.
Usually, but not always. If food is regularly wasted or you buy premium ingredients for a single lunch, your packed lunch can cost close to a supermarket meal deal. Planning meals and using leftovers keeps the saving high.
Cook larger portions at dinner and pack the leftovers, batch prepare lunches for the week, buy staples such as rice, pasta and oats in bulk, and choose seasonal fruit and vegetables. Reusable containers also help you avoid the cost of disposable packaging.