$10 X 5 days = $50; $50 X 4 weeks = $200. Honey, that’s a new pair of shoes! It's also what a lot of us end up spending in an average month buying lunches at work.

Add to that a latte or two and you can tack on another $12 a day! We know brown baggin' it can be boring, time consuming, and who wants to be seen hauling in an ugly old plastic bag? It totally ruins your look!

But just think of the money you'll be saving. Think of those new shoes! The trick to brown baggin’ it in style is in getting organised and equipped. Here’s how.

Lunch make-ahead tips
Sunday night is a great time to get ready for the week ahead. After we iron our favourite blouses, why can't we take 10 minutes to stock our fridges with foods that will make packing lunch a breeze?

• Poach chicken breasts in broth or water and keep covered in the fridge for up to four days. A healthy source of protein, poached chicken breasts are ready for slicing onto a salad or into a sandwich.
• Make a big batch of your favourite stew, chilli, soup, or casserole. If you have a slow cooker, a big batch of lunch is even easier to prepare. Don't miss this collection of slow cooker recipes for inspiration.
• Keep juice containers in the freezer to pack with your lunch, keeping it cool at your desk.
• Stock your kitchen with fruit, individual yogurts, and healthy granola bars.
• Take some time to chop raw veggies, like carrots and celery, for the rest of the week. Store tightly covered and they won’t dry out.
• And because no work day is complete without a hit or two of dark chocolate, stock up on individual, one-bite bars of the pure, good-for-you stuff.

Eco note: Think before you drink
Grabbing a plastic bottle of water has been a necessary evil, but the more we hear about over-flowing landfills, the dangers of bisphenol-A, not to mention the huge environmental cost to filter, bottle, and transport this convenience product, the more we need to think twice before automatically grabbing for that bottled water. Some municipalities are even considering an outright ban on the stuff, so the time is right for considering bottled water alternatives.
 
Still not convinced you can do it? We've rounded up the most stylish and technologically-advanced lunch carriers available to get you excited about toting your own lunches. Get ready to turn a new leaf - from totes to boxes to vacuum jars and eco-friendly bottles, check out the finest in lunch carriers from just $5 to $35.

Take me to the lunch equipment lineup!