Often, when I go out to dinner, I'll order something large knowing that I'll take half of it home for lunch tomorrow. The Simple Dollar notes that this isn't exactly a money-saving trick.
Say you have the choice between a smaller meal that you'll finish for dinner, or a larger meal that you can take home—for only $4 more. It may seem like an easy $4 lunch, but chances are the lunch you make at home is much cheaper:
Right now, I'm eating an egg sandwich I made myself for lunch. It consists of a piece of bread, a poached egg, and a little bit of salt and pepper. The total cost of this sandwich is about a quarter. If I wanted two, the total cost would be about $0.50.
. . .When I tack on a few more bucks to essentially get another meal to take home with me, that extra meal amounts to leftovers and is costing me several bucks.
Of course, if you would have gone out to lunch anyway, it might be a better deal. Similarly, if you don't have the choice between a large dinner and a small one, then saving the leftovers gets you your money's worth. Or heck, maybe you just really like the food and are fine paying $4 to have it twice. But ordering the large meal with an intent to "save money" is one of those little fallacies we believe in all too often.
Large Portions and Doggie Bags | The Simple Dollar
Photo by Ginny.
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