Back to School Challenge

This past week my Facebook feed has been full of my friends’ children dressed in their new fall clothes being shipped off to school.  Yes, it’s Back to School season for many families.  And even if you’re not sending kids off to school these days, it’s still a great time to make some changes to go along with the unofficial changing of the season.  Learning how to pack meals for you and your significant other to take to work not only makes a difference for your wallet, but also your waistline.

As a kid, my mom always packed lunch for us because she knew we’d get more
nutritious meals than what was served at school. She was on to the fact there was a high likelihood we’d just spend the money on those amazing large chocolate chip cookies with the gooey middles.  Plus, she saw better use for the $3/day we’d be spending on lunch.

That habit definitely grew with me, and I thank my mom immensely for it.  When I worked in NYC, the average cost of lunch was $10. That’s $50 per week, or $200 a month. This doesn’t include other incidentals like a mid-day Starbucks run, snack for the train ride home, or purchasing breakfast on mornings I was too rushed. All in all, what could be spent on food in a given month could buy a lot of shoes.  And in my world, shoes always win!

While the money is significant, the most costly aspect of eating out is the calories we’re cashing in on.  The average American buys a meal or snack from a restaurant 5.8 times a week.  On average, Americans take in an additional 200 calories per day from eating out.  Dining out twice a week without exercising or moderating daily intake can add on an additional 6 pounds per year.  Eating out relinquishes our control over how food is prepared. We’re tempted to order extra items (because when the waiter asks so nicely, of course I want fries with that). And we tend to overeat from the excess portion sizes we’re given.

To prevent taking our meals home with us on our waists, a great place to start is monitoring the meals we’re eating out versus eating home.  Before any change can be made, the first rule is to acknowledge current habits.  Here’s a challenge for you and your significant other as we wind down this post-Labor Day week and move into the weekend.

For the next 7 days, take note of the following:

• Write down every time you buy and eat a meal or snack outside of the home (yes, this includes your morning coffee) and put the amount spent
• Add up the number of purchases outside of the home and the grand total spent

While monitoring your intake over the next few days, I’ll be sharing some healthy ideas to enjoy on the go and outside the home that will save you money AND calories.  Even if you’re not the one going back to school, take advantage of the new school year season to form new habits and a healthier household!