How to save $8,919.45 a year

Potential annual savings: $2,425

David Bach, the author of Go Green, Live Rich, contends that it is easy to save a few thousand dollars a year and cut down on waste simply by eliminating that morning coffee and a muffin. That's what he calls the "latte factor," and you'd be surprised how quickly that $5 breakfast-on-the-go every morning adds up.

The same goes for lunch. The average American worker who buys lunch during the workweek spends $6.60 a day, according to a recent "Brown Bag" survey by ConAgra. And they are eating up a substantial savings opportunity. Buying enough ingredients to pack a lunch from home just three days a week can save about $600 a year.

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