Bringing your lunch to work, school or wherever you spend your days is a healthier alternative to noshing at fast food joints and restaurants. But if knowing this is not incentive enough, consider this: Packing your own lunch can save you up to $2,000 a year. That's enough for a couple pairs of Manolos, a relaxing trip somewhere warm or a reliable older car.

Think about it: A sandwich, side salad and diet pop at a café or restaurant will probably total around $10-$12 (maybe more, depending on where you live). The cost to make that sandwich and side salad and buy the soda in bulk? This is just a rough guesstimate, but I'd say around $3.

The easiest way to make sure you have something nutritious and delicious in your lunch box the next day is by cooking a bit extra when you make dinner. Got other yummy lunch ideas? Please share.

Not keen on the brown bag? Try packing a lunch in something like this Lunch & Go Lunchbox.

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Bring your lunch to work is a great way to make sure you're avoiding the diet pitfalls of a food court or restaurant. But what if you reached into the fridge to grab your healthy, delicious lunch only to find that some office lothario has poached it? I've had this done to me, and let me tell you, it is annoying and frustrating, particularly when you've put together something particularly tasty.

Protect your goodies with the Anti-Theft lunch bag designed by New Yorker Sherwood Forlee. The bags come with moldy spots already on them, so whoever grabs your nosh will (hopefully!) be too grossed out by the 'mold' to eat it. Clever, huh?

(via Slashfood)

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With a little effort and a lot of willpower, you can find a healthy meal in a restaurant, fast food restaurant, or grocery store deli while out on your lunch hour. But a faster, cheaper, and healthier option is to pack your own lunch.

Side by side comparisons of fast food and homemade lunches will usually reveal that the brown bag version is lower in fat, calories, and sodium, and that it costs less per serving.

When you pack your lunch, include whole grains, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables. Consider packing it the night before to save time. Don't forget to include a healthy snack to ward off that afternoon trip to the company vending machine.

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Since my return to working in an office (at least on a part-time basis,) I've been giving some consideration to lunches. The consensus, at least among most of my co-workers, is that bringing your own lunch is not only healthier for the wallet, but healthier for the waistline too. But these days, it seems like healthy choices are available everywhere -- even fast foods joints have some sort of customizable salad option, and with nutritional information often available, it's easy to make a healthy choice. And considering I don't spend every day at the office, eating out two times a week isn't such a financial burden.

But I'm curious -- is it more common to buy a lunch or bring one? Judging by the line-ups in the food court, I'm inclined to say that bringing your lunch is a thing of the past, but then again, the microwaves at work come with their own set of line-ups. So what about you?

Bringing your own lunch to work is a great way to cut those extra calories that come from dining out. That is, if your lunch is healthy. All too often, lunches are full of refined, processed foods, sugar and not enough healthy stuff. So how can you make your lunch healthier -- and better for your waistline?

If you're packing a sandwich, the first step is looking at the bread you're using. White bread is out in favour of whole grain bread that's low in a fat and full of satisfying fibre. Lean meats, low-fat cheeses, veggies and some sort of healthy spread (think mustard) round off the sandwich, and a small of salad or fruit is a great addition. If you're not in to sandwiches, try cooking something the night before, such as some grilled chicken and veggies. eDiets has more suggestions here.

What's your ideal lunch? For me, it's smoked salmon on whole wheat with some low-fat cream cheese and veggies, plus a side of a fruit.

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