- Cost of bagged lunch
- Average cost of bringing a bagged lunch from home. Make sure to include the total cost of your lunch. If you buy a drink (instead of packing it) make sure to include that amount here.
- Eating out lunch price
- Average price of your lunch when you buy your meal.
- Number of bagged lunches per month
- The number of lunches you will bring from home each month. The average number of working days in a month is about 20.
- Expected rate of return
- This is the annually compounded rate of return you expect from your investments. If you pay taxes on the interest, dividends or capital gains from these investments you may wish to enter your after-tax rate of return.
The actual rate of return is largely dependent on the type of investments you select. For example, the total return including dividends of the S&P/TSX Composite Index for the 10 year period from December 31, 2013 through December 31, 2023 was 8.6% (source www.spglobal.com). Savings accounts at a bank or credit union may pay as little as 2% or less. It is important to remember that future rates of return can't be predicted with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return are subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your investment.
- Years to save
- The number of years you are going to save your lunch money.
- Monthly savings
- Total you should be able to save each month by bringing your lunches from home.
