How often do you bring in a lunch to work?

[kork13]

To all of that, I simply say:

Woot.


That's exactly the kind of thing these boards are for sometimes... Get new ideas about what we're doing or how we're thinking, and hopefully make some positive changes. Wishing you all the best as you move forward. Lifestyle changes of any sort (diet, finances, or otherwise) can all be hard, but with the right attitude, anything is possible. Good luck and happy cooking!

[soogar]

Being someone who wants to learn, I would love to better understand what people find complex or difficult about packing a lunch, or the prospect of doing so. I cross my heart, spit-shake, and pinky-swear that I will neither judge, nor ridicule, nor belittle. It is quite possible that we can learn from each other regarding the subject of Lunch Packing: I could grow to appreciate and respect and support and embrace the challenges faced by others, and those with Lunch Packing challenges could (if they so choose) pick my brain and (if they so choose) apply some of the Lunch Packing skills I've acquired over the past 40 years.

Thank you.

Occasionally I pack a lunch, but most of the time I buy lunch. When I worked in the country, I drove to work and brought a frozen dinner every day. Now that I live in the city, I take public transportation and lug my gym clothes and reading material with me and lunch would be an extra bag. Additionally, it is much easier for me to pick something up from a restaurant as opposed to before, where I would need to drive to restaurant. I feel that it is easier to pick up salad and eat healthier when I buy something as opposed to bringing a sandwich from home. Also, I live in a small apartment in Manhattan with a crappy freezer and the frozen dinners are priced at $4 up. I can't spent more than 2.50 for a Lean Cuisine. Factoring increased costs and the ability to get a fresh salad at $10 in the city, I lean toward eating out.

Also for the person who eats sardine sandwiches at work: since you have a microwave at your work station, I assume that you have privacy to eat those sardines. I worked in cramped quarters and it is disgusting when co-workers eat sardines at their workstation. That goes for microwaved fish as well.

[disneysteve]

frozen dinners are priced at $4 up. I can't spent more than 2.50 for a Lean Cuisine. Factoring increased costs and the ability to get a fresh salad at $10 in the city, I lean toward eating out.

So $10 for a salad is better than $2.50 for a Lean Cuisine?

[f0rgiv3n]

This thread just gave me the bump I've needed to start packing my lunch for work. I've RARELY packed a lunch the past 7 years, and eat out 5x a week for $8-12 a day. I made 16 PB&J sandwiches last night and threw it in the freezer. Once I get sick of those I'll be branching out to other options At least it's a start!

[soogar]

So $10 for a salad is better than $2.50 for a Lean Cuisine?

Well a Lean Cuisine is $4 around where I live. Personally with a salad you get 3-4 servings of vegetables to go towards the healthy goal of 7-8 servings of produce a day. Plus there is a lot of sodium in frozen meals. So a salad is $6 more and IMO healthier in terms of veggies and sodium content.

[Jillycd]

Brown bag most days....

I usually pack my lunch the night before, it's just one less thing to do the next morning. I bring my lunch to work each day. The exception is Friday when my office mates and I order out lunch. We call it Fabulous Food Friday! It's usually more economical than fabulous but still a nice treat for us to look forward to.

[YourDailyFinance]

The wifey takes lunch to work 4 days out of the week and eats out on most Fridays. I fair considering she use to eat out a lot more. I rarely took lunch when I was doing the 9-5 gig.

[fruitbowlk]

I take lunch everyday.

[fe2o3ez]

The women I work with are constantly ordering out, spending a fortune for crap. No wonder they're all broke.

That's the part that I just can't conceive. How do some of these people eat out every day? Figure an average - using the OP example - of $8, that's $40 a week on lunch at a minimum. Say it averages about $150 a month, that's $1800 a year on eating out alone.

I prefer to bring mine with me about 90% of the time. (so yes, I spend $10-15 a month on eating out) There are times I get a little bored in bringing leftovers and sandwiches, or I wake up late and dont get a chance to make it. Most days, though, I just make my lunch and my son's together (my DW's too, when she was working) and it saves me some time.

I was just thinking yesterday that I need to find a mini-fridge for my desk. We have the large one in the breakroom, but I dont feel comfortable leaving stuff like fruits and hard boiled eggs in there. Things have a way of disappearing. I will have to keep an eye on the fall garage sales.

[disneysteve]

That's the part that I just can't conceive. How do some of these people eat out every day?

My wife used to be a manager at a sporting goods store. On payday, most of her staff would rush out at noon to cash their checks so that they could afford to eat lunch that day from one of the nearby fast food spots. She would stay behind and eat her brown bagged lunch. They would also happily buy sodas from the breakroom vending machine every day for 75 cents a pop while she drank a can of soda she brought from home that cost 10 cents. And she had direct deposit so half the time didn't even remember that it was payday.

It just never seemed to occur to them that maybe if they weren't blowing money on lunch and soda every day, their paychecks wouldn't be gone by the time Friday rolled around.

[soogar]

That's the part that I just can't conceive. How do some of these people eat out every day? Figure an average - using the OP example - of $8, that's $40 a week on lunch at a minimum. Say it averages about $150 a month, that's $1800 a year on eating out alone.

I eat out every day and I spend about $50-$60 a week in work lunches- in addition to $50 a weekend on dinners out. I've been trying to reduce the amount of money I spend eating out. When I lived in a rural area, I brought my lunch to work because I didn't have time to drive to a restaurant. However I live and work in Manhattan and groceries are very expensive. I can spend the same amount of money to buy the meat and vegetables that I buy outside on a daily basis. Then there is also time to prepare items as well.

I do try to be frugal about a lot of things. I bring my coffee in a travel thermos from home. I stock my work area with cottage cheese and high fiber cereal and buy fruit from vendors. When I go home, I eat a sandwich for dinner. Occasionally I will bring in leftovers if I get really tired of outside cooking. I even tried bringing in lettuce and veggies and making my own salads at work.

Sometimes, it is easier to eat healthy if you enjoy what you are eating. I find it is easier and more enjoyable to eat a salad that is prepared by a vendor. I have a frequent buyer card so I get my 10th salad free which helps a little bit.

I will also add that sometimes a person has to participate in what is culturally acceptable to get ahead in his/her career. Important social/work relationships are fostered in the simple act of walking together and waiting on line for lunch. I work in the midtown area and all the bankers head out at the same time to pick up their lunch. A person can be a contrarian and insist on eating lunch at their desk and being a few dollars richer, but in the long run those few dollars could cost thousands of dollars in lost promotional opportunities.

By the way, I'm not against bringing lunch at all. I'm trying to expand my own lunch repertoire and save money myself. However it's not the craziest thing in the world to go out and get lunch either and it may put more money in someone's pocket in the long run.

[shaggy]

When I was commuting a long distance to work every day, I ate lunch out all the time. It was a good time to bond with co-workers, and I don't like eating the kinds of foods one can pack at home the night before. I was always rushed in the morning. I was happy to spend the money to have the convenience of not having to think about it in advance.