Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/674539
Iknowpeoplewhotry to convince themselves that can buy lunch ev- ery day for less than they'd spend on grocer- ies needed to bring lunch to work. That kind of flawed thinking could very well be the rea- son those same people complain that they do not have money to put away for savings. Eating out for lunch day after day is ex- pensive. Let me do the math: $10 x 5 days equals $50 per week. And $50 x 52 weeks equals $2,500 per year. And that's just a quick es- timate. If you cut that num- ber in half by bringing your lunch to work, you'd have around $1,250 left to put toward your sav- ings. However, I'm certain that with the right incen- tive (having money in the bank is a great one) you could do even better than that. But would you? Would you transfer $25 or more to your savings account every week to reward your brown bag efforts? Only you can answer that question, but I have ev- ery confidence that you would. The secret to successful brown-bag lunches is two- fold: Your lunch must be visually appealing and de- lightfully delicious. Here are some ideas: INVEST IN A GOOD LUNCH CONTAINER. For me, a true brown bag is too flimsy. I want a lunch bag that is insulated, sturdy, leakproof and as attractive as possible. The Freddie and Sebbie Lunch Bag is practical and cute. Made of neoprene, it is in- sulated, has a zipper and is as practical as it is fun to carry. It also comes in a variety of colors. For a family-size lunch, I have a large insulated cooler bag that meets the same cri- teria. The Everest Cooler/ Lunch Bag is a more mas- culine, but equally practi- cal option. The true test of a good lunch container is how often it is used. USE BENTO BOXES. These are portable food boxes with compartments that fit inside the lunch box. The best Bento boxes, in my opinion, have tight- fitting lids. I use a set of Happy Lunchboxes 4-Com- partment Leakproof Bento Lunch Box containers. I find myself using them to store leftovers as well as my lunch. While it's not completely leakproof (I wouldn't fill a container with milk, for example) they are leak-resistant and keep lunch items fresh and tasty. PACK HEAT. Not that kind of heat — I'm talk- ing about taking a hot lunch to work or school in a wide-mouthed thermos. You can fill it with soup or any hot food you can fit, and it will stay hot for at least five hours. It can also keep food cold. The Ther- mos Stainless Steel King Food Jar has a 16-ounce capacity and is very well- insulated. You don't have to worry about the thing breaking like those old glass-lined thermoses you may remember. The wide mouth makes this thermos easy to fill, and the extra- large lid doubles as a serv- ing bowl. And surprise! There's a handy fold-up spoon tucked into the lid. Of course there are many thermoses to choose from. I just mention this one be- cause it is well-priced and practical in every way. MASON JAR SALADS. You will recall a previ- ous column devoted en- tirely to Mason jar sal- ads. Now would be a good time to review that col- umn. The great thing about packing a salad and dressing into a quart- or pint-sized Mason jar is that you can make salads ahead of time — an entire week's worth if you want. When you're done putting them together, you just line them up in the refrig- erator and you're ready to grab and go! If you are not into Mason jars, con- sider a salad shaker, a compact container that you can load your salad ingredients into, complete with a nifty smaller con- tainer for the dressing and a fork. The container pieces fit together like a puzzle, which makes eat- ing lunch fast and easy. And it's cheap, too. ENJOY EXTRA TIME. There's no doubt that go- ing out for lunch takes more time than going to the break room and pull- ing lunch your bag. It doesn't take most peo- ple an hour to eat, so by bringing your lunch to work you can easily end up with 30 minutes of extra time. Take a walk or catch up on your per- sonal emails. Knit, cro- chet or even better — take a nap. STRATEGIC MEAL PLANNING. When you make dinner, think stra- tegically about leftovers. Make extra rice; cook an additional chicken breast. Then divvy up the leftovers into Bento boxes or other contain- ers. Add a salad and you'll be good to go for the next day. Let's assume that buy- ing your lunch has become a habit, one you decide you need to break. The way to do that successfully is to replace that bad habit with a good habit. Adding money to your savings ac- count every time you bring your lunch from home is just that; it's a small re- ward that will develop into a wonderful new habit, one that will bless you in the future. For links to the prod- ucts mentioned above please visit the "Brown Bag" page on the Everyday Cheapskate website. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Brown-baglunches are better than bought lunches Mary Hunt By Julie Zeeb jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com @DN_Zeeb on Twitter RED BLUFF Whether you're looking to plant your vegetable garden or expand the types of plants in your yard, the Sacramento River Discovery Center has all kinds of varieties includ- ing native, drought-toler- ant plants to help with wa- ter restrictions. The Springfest annual plant sale was held two Sat- urdays in a row, but plants are still available for those who missed making the event. Vegetables are be- ing sold two six-packs for $5 and there are also trees available including a des- sert willow or a black wil- low, the later being a plant the discovery center has a record setting version of in the garden. There are many plants to check out in the gar- den aside from those be- ing sold that are now re- ceiving labels through do- nations in the community so that along with the ki- osk there will be informa- tion available when there is not a staff member or vol- unteer available to serve as a guide, said volunteer Executive Director Bobie Hughes. "The Sacramento River Discovery Center is now an official, licensed nursery," Hughes said. "We have a variety of plants including those that are drought tol- erant, which means they'll survive our heat. As long as we have plants, we will sell them." Whatever is not sold will be planted in the food gar- den at the center to be dis- tributed to local charities that feed people in Tehama County. "There's a large assort- ment of six-pack heirloom vegetables," Hughes said. "Our vegetables include melons, cucumbers, pep- pers, tomatoes, ground- cover strawberries and squash that are all ready to go into the ground." Plants come from the surrounding areas of Shasta, Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties. The public is welcome to stop in during business hours, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, to pur- chase plants or call the dis- covery center. An upcom- ing workshop will be held at 10 a.m. May 19. Attend- ees will learn about plant propagation. "We'll teach the basics of making more plants from your own," Hughes said. "Instead of buying more, people can keep theirs and let the offspring grow is they want to." The class may be offered on a Thursday evening if there is enough interest. Those planning to at- tend are encouraged to RSVP by calling at 527-1196 to help organizers plan, but drop-ins are welcome. Those interested in the six- week summer camps for youths are encouraged to call for more information. DISCOVERY CENTER Plants of all kinds still available PHOTOSBYJULIEZEEB-DAILYNEWS Sacramento River Discovery Center volunteer Executive Director Bobie Hughes helps a customer look for plants while Executive Assistant Debbie King talks with another attendee at the Springfest plant sale on Saturday. A customer peruses plants at the Sacramento River Discovery Center Springfest plant sale. REDDING Girls on the Run of the North State and of Butte County are merging the two councils into a new entity to serve more girls and ensure long-term sus- tainability. The new council will re- tain the Girls on the Run of the North State name and serve Shasta, Tehama, Butte and Glenn counties beginning with the fall 2016 season. Claire Johnson, the exec- utive director for the Butte County council, has been chosen to lead the newly combined council as exec- utive director. Joanne Cro- setti, the executive director of the North State council will fill a board member position. "Combining our coun- cils will help us further our mission to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and con- fident using our experi- enced based curriculum which creatively integrates running," Johnson said. The merger is expected to allow the organization to serve more girls and create a strong regional council for all of the com- munities it will serve in the north state. "Our first priority is to continue to deliver the pro- gram at the existing sites throughout the region while building infrastruc- ture that can support new sites, new programming and additional resources for scholarships," said Cro- setti. "We want to continue to engage our loyal volun- teers, committed individ- uals who have long played critical roles at each coun- cil serving as coaches and board members, support- ing the GOTR 5Ks and par- ticipating in fund develop- ment." GOTR is an empower- ment program for girls in third to eighth grades. The program is designed to de- velop and enhance girls' competencies to success- fully navigate life experi- ences. Girls learn to stretch themselves — physically, mentally, socially and emo- tionally — and in the pro- cess, are inspired to a life- time of self-respect and healthy living. Meeting twice a week in groups of eight to 15 girls, using volunteer coaches certified by Girls on the Run, the program teaches life skills through fun, in- teractive lessons and run- ning games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emo- tionally prepared to com- plete a celebratory 5K run- ning event. The council expects to serve 750-1,000 girls in the 2016-17 school year thanks to the merger. For information on schools hosting a team, how to register a girl or how to get involved as a volunteer, visit www. gotrnorthstate.org or call 636-0786. GIRLS ON THE RUN Two regional chapters to merge to serve more girls REDDING The Shasta Dam Bridge Ride is a fundraiser for the Redding East Ro- tary Club set for 9 a.m. Sat- urday, May 14. Round up your family and friends, tune up your bikes, strap on the helmets and enjoy a fun bike ride for a great cause. There are two ride options a 10- mile ride for families with children 9-12 and a 32-mile ride for adult riders and families with children 12 and older. Both courses begin and end at the Sundial Bridge. The longer route turns around at the Chappie- Shasta OHV park at the base of Shasta Dam. Register online at www. shastadambridgeride. com; find course maps and details on the routes page. Gather some support- ers to help north state high school students with their college fund and en- joy a grand outing. Get the T-shirt and have a great lunch at the finish line. Participants are asked to arrive 30 minutes before the start time. Registration runs through May 11. This event is presented by the Redding East Ro- tary Club, the same orga- nization that manages Red- ding's annual Ducky Derby. For more information, call 224-6866. REDDING Fundraising ride from Sundial to Shasta planned Thankyou! PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. featuring Half A Bubble Out Are you experiencing frustration or challenges in your business because • you don't have enough customers? • aren't sure who to target? • how to make payroll? • or what to do next? • this workshop is for you! 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