Lunchtime at Work - Eat out or Bring Your Own from Home? What's Your Story?

esq on 15/11/2016 - 13:55
Last edited 17/11/2016 - 01:03 by 1 other user

I considered making this a poll but thought nah, I'm asking this for details.

I myself am used to spending around $12 on food-court type meals each day.

I struggle to find healthier options now that I no longer work in the city. I have to admit I'm lazy, I've never been motivated enough to prepare at home or smash tuna cans though I bloody well should.

Edit: Looks like OzB generally likes to prepare their meals at home, and it's mainly sandwiches. Thanks for the details and anyone who hasn't, feel free to chime in.

I myself wouldn't change my habits to save money, but I am keen on hitting a low body fat percentage in the following months so may be forced to do bulk prepping, either that or get on Youfoodz (brisbanites know what I mean). I also don't have easy access to a fridge/microwave most of the time.

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • bonezAU on 15/11/2016 - 13:57
    +12

    Bring from home, usually on Sunday I will either prepare a bunch of small meals and freeze, or buy a BBQ chicken/ham/some buns/salad and make it last the week. Buns can be kept in the freezer too and thawed out each night. If you prepare everything on Sunday such as your salad into containers in the fridge, it takes <5 minutes to make your lunch each night for the following day.

    I buy my lunch about twice a month. Waste of money doing it every day IMO.

    • esq on 15/11/2016 - 14:21

      I've always been interested in this buy everything and split it up on sunday then do a quick lunch prepare each night - how long does the Sunday prepare take?

      The downside is it means chicken/ham sandwiches all day every day for the week.

      • mskeggs on 15/11/2016 - 14:28
        +2

        You don't have to be a zealot. It's fine to decide e.g. Wednesday is the day to go get a Laksa or something.
        And remember anything in the freezer can happily last an extra week or two. So you can take leftover curry on the next four Mondays, stew on Tuesdays, sandwich Thursday etc. in any variation you like.

        • supersabroso on 16/11/2016 - 15:51
          +4

          You mean anything in the freezer lasts an extra 3 - 12 months. But you destroy the flavor/texture of the vegetables.

          My wife always cooks extra so that we can bring that to work the next day. No need for frozen foods. I can't stand sandwiches, far too simple and unsatisfying.

        • lordezekiel on 20/11/2016 - 19:25
          +2

          @supersabroso:
          Don't make boring sandwiches then?
          My ones are awesome ;)

    • Diji1 on 18/11/2016 - 18:34
      -2

      Buns can be kept in the freezer too and thawed out each night.

      Freezing (or putting it in the fridge) bread causes it to become stale.

      • bonezAU on 18/11/2016 - 20:29
        +2

        I've broken your comment up into two, because you are right and wrong.

        (or putting it in the fridge) bread causes it to become stale.

        True, if you put bread in the fridge it will go stale very quickly

        Freezing

        Completely false. If you freeze any kind of bread product, it will be good for up to 3 months. It's never going to be as good as you get when it first comes out of the bakers oven, but it saves you a trip to the shop every single day to buy a fresh bread roll for lunch and it's certainly not that bad at all IMO.

        Freezing bread is not a problem if you thaw it naturally, but putting it in the fridge is not a good idea ever.

        • kiitos on 18/11/2016 - 20:57
          +2

          putting it in the fridge is not a good idea ever

          Why is that? If the bread is sealed, why would it go stale quicker?

        • Vampyr on 19/11/2016 - 11:26
          +3

          Frozen bread is only okay if you toast it IMHO.

        • twocsies on 19/11/2016 - 20:00
          +2

          @kiitos: It's due to:

          the science of “retrogradation and recrystallization of starch,” a complicated way of saying that during a bread’s lifetime (which begins when a bread cools after being heated during baking), its starches (which were rearranged when baked) will regroup back to their original, crystallized state. Thus, your bread becomes hard, or stale.
          http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/storing-bread-refrige…

  • retiredfeline on 15/11/2016 - 14:00
    +28

    Bring from home every working day except one day per week when I treat myself to something I could not make like laksa or char koay teow or ramen.

    • frostman on 21/11/2016 - 12:30

      I treat myself to something I could not make like laksa

      Laksa is a treat?

      It's a bowl of coconut milk tossed with Red Thai Curry Paste, that's the essence.
      Then you can add some rice noodles, shallots, and meat of your choice and call it a day.

      I don't see why people swarm for Laksa, particularly as it's just a big bowl of saturated fat from the coconut milk.

      It's just a high margin / low production cost meal for the business.

      • retiredfeline on 21/11/2016 - 13:33
        +1

        Red Thai

        Heresy! It's a Malaysian dish. :P

        Actually I'm much more likely to go for the Prawn Mee Soup at Ito in Foodbase.

      • anastasiastarz on 23/11/2016 - 05:28

        Good luck buying all the ingredients just to make one-two bowls! I'd just pay the $10.

        • frostman on 06/03/2017 - 21:05

          You can say the same for a BLT sandwich

        • mskeggs on 06/03/2017 - 21:38

          @frostman:
          Maybe I'm a bad Malay cook, but I've struggled to make a Laksa in the same ballpark of the $10 places in town. And I am happy to indulge on ingredients for my home cooking (well, I indulge till I make a result I am happy with, then scale it back until I meet the optimum price/taste).
          On the other hand, I can make a BLT better that most sandwich shops for about $2 in incremental costs, because I always have $6/kg bacon, egg mayo, left over lettuce, a fully ripe tomato I bought a week ago to ripen, so the cash cost to make it is 70c for a fresh bread roll.

          If your kitchen is equally well provided in the ingredients to produce a knockout laksa (and I have some acquaintances who would be!), we need to get together and I'll do the sandwiches one day, you can do the laksa the next!

      • Archi on 06/03/2017 - 13:16
        +2

        frostman must be related to the couple on My Kitchen Rules whom on a recent episode made satay sauce using red curry paste from a can.

  • k-rokfm on 15/11/2016 - 14:10
    +3

    Yeah i bulk make a meal on sunday which will last me 4 meals and then on friday i will buy lunch out. Usually i can make 4 meals for less than $20 so am saving quite a bit. Have in the past bought lunch out most days, it really adds up when you think about it. Especially if you have to also add in parking.

    • esq on 15/11/2016 - 14:23
      +2

      What sort of meals do you make at that price point?

      Not understanding you on the parking though…

      • k-rokfm on 15/11/2016 - 14:32
        +6

        Adding in the additional cost of parking..

        $15 lunch
        $10 parking
        $5 morning coffee
        quickly adds up to $30 or more per day = $300 a fortnight so all these small things can add up to be very expensive..

        Some things that ill make for lunches are Pasta, shepards pie, roast chicken wraps, chicken and steam veg (when im trying to be super healthy haha).. various things like that

        • ar993 on 17/11/2016 - 14:20
          +3

          You missed the fuel costs in this list :)

        • vinster55 on 18/11/2016 - 08:28
          +3

          @ar993: and the car service cost :)

        • Kangal on 18/11/2016 - 14:48
          +3

          @vinster55:
          Tyres dont grow on trees…

        • aedeau on 18/11/2016 - 16:55
          +11

          @Kangal: unless it's a rubber tree?

      • dimavs on 17/11/2016 - 16:39
        +1

        What sort of meals do you make at that price point?

        grilled mediterranean veggies, Aldi $4/500g, 2 portions
        chicken breasts, 500 g raw, $4.5, 3 portions
        pearl barley/lentils/red beans - cents, 1 cup raw, 3 portions
        green salad, Aldi, 120 g/$1.7, 3 portions
        tofu, Aldi, $3 450g, 3 portions

        So, just combinations of those ones, make 3 lunches on Sunday (just put everything in an oven and pressure cooker) and Wednesday - 2 lunches. Don't want to keep lunch boxes in a fridge for too long. It's ~$3 per lunch box.

  • bobbified on 15/11/2016 - 14:12
    +23

    I either eat out for lunch or I don't eat at all.
    I really can't justify the time, cost and effort of cooking for myself.

    Washing up is the worst!

    • mskeggs on 15/11/2016 - 14:22
      +2

      But there are so many easy things to eat that are easier to prepare yourself than the effort to go out to cafe/take away!
      You can make a top quality gourmet sandwich/roll in 2 minutes.

      • esq on 15/11/2016 - 14:27
        +31

        I can barely make peanut butter on sliced bread in 2 minutes.

        • mskeggs on 15/11/2016 - 14:31
          +9

          Cut a baguette in half, spread on some whole egg mayo (ALDI is quite good), a lettuce leaf, some roast chicken or ham, maybe slice up a tomato. Don't forget salt and pepper.
          Done.

          I've noticed my local Woolies selling yesterday's BBQ chooks cold in the deli for half price. $3.75 for a whole cooked chicken!

        • bobbified on 16/11/2016 - 13:51
          +2

          @mskeggs:

          For me, it's the variety of ingredients that I don't have. It's not hard to put things together if I have a stocked kitchen.

          Eg, That baguette you've used in your example, it sounds quite simple, but the ingredients/items are not sold/purchased in quantities ready for a single serve.

          In the past, I've started off buying things with the intention of using it "soon" but then a week or two later, I find myself throwing things out - esp the fresh foods. And this is where the "cost" is.

          That's just me though - It could just be because I've been spoilt with food previously and being single without any dependants, I don't worry as much about the money spent eating out.

          The Coles/Woolies chicken is great though! That's my staple if I'm out of ideas on what to eat for dinner - half chicken today and half chicken tomorrow!

        • [Deactivated] on 16/11/2016 - 15:10
          +2

          @bobbified: along with: easting breads and whole egg mayos every day is a pretty poor dietary choice.

          I agree with @bobbified - Many people throw away or let pass expiry supermarket bought freshgoods. It is insane.

          Weekly grocer shoppers seem to do this more often.

          I generally eat cooked food as it has a better macro ratio (and have time to go shopping on a daily basis), though would have no second thoughts with buying lunch out.

        • Wraith on 18/11/2016 - 12:17
          +3

          @eggmaster @bobbified:
          If your supermarket has a fresh bakery, you might find that you can indeed buy a single baguette, single tomato, and a few slices of whatever meat/cheese you desire at the deli section.

          It's all a bit moot though, as the results will still cost you over $5, and at that point, you may as well just pay the $8-$11 it'd cost you for the pre-made baguette at the local lunch spot. When the difference between home-made and store bought is less than $5, I'll just buy lunch. Saves me the time, effort, dishes, and possibility of making mistakes.

          Yes, I could bring lunch from home for $6. Or, I can buy lunch for $10, which I know is going to be delicious, nutritious, and takes no effort to make/clean up. That saved time is a bargain for $4 for me.

    • esq on 15/11/2016 - 14:25
      +12

      Well yeah mate that is where I was 100% at for my entire life (even when a student on below poverty-line income). But the point is not doing that is healthier and gives us an extra $xx per week to spend on… eneloops.

    • dogboy on 15/11/2016 - 15:13
      +7

      Dishwashers are the best invention ever. Could never live in a place without a dishwasher again.

      • meatgasm on 16/11/2016 - 20:02
        +13

        Dishwashers are nice, but im scared of commitment and the idea of alimony.

        • Diji1 on 18/11/2016 - 18:35
          -2

          You sexist monster!

    • Donaldhump on 16/11/2016 - 22:35

      100% agree

  • lupiter on 15/11/2016 - 14:17
    +2

    I bring it from home every day.

    Morning: Greek yoghurt with 1 tbsp oats & 1/2 tsp jam. Lunch: Spinach and aoli sandwich, 2 sticks of celery, a carrot. Optional tin of flavoured tuna. Arvo: A banana.

    Same every day. Sounds like a kids school lunch but whatever. Keeps me going.

    • rgr on 15/11/2016 - 16:09
      +13

      http://saddesklunch.com/

      • lupiter on 15/11/2016 - 16:24

        I do at least get to eat it in a lunch room :). I've thought about making more interesting/complicated lunches, but it takes too much planning. Lots of my coworkers eat leftovers, but I'm always saving leftovers for dinners.

        I do like seeing other people's lunches though. "Rice with kimchi" is a standby of a couple of people in my office.

        • supersabroso on 16/11/2016 - 16:00
          +2

          Omg kimchi is the bane of my life. I can't stand the smell, taste or the stains it leaves behind. Otherwise yes, hilarious, especially when the interns think that maggi noodles are a good start to bringing your own lunch.

        • rgr on 17/11/2016 - 18:43
          -1

          sounds like you work with a lot of koreans

        • lupiter on 17/11/2016 - 22:23

          @rogr: Nope, it's a German and a White Aussie who love the kimchi. Go figure!

      • chriskq on 17/11/2016 - 14:53

        http://scanwiches.com/

    • flam on 18/11/2016 - 13:47

      When I lived with my parents, I had the same thing for lunch everyday for like over 5 years. Now I've moved out, its usually leftovers.

    • bargdebarg on 19/11/2016 - 06:02

      Very healthy!

  • mskeggs on 15/11/2016 - 14:19
    +8

    Almost every day bring from home. We have a sandwich press in the kitchen so I can make a tasty melted cheese and tomato sandwich or similar. I usually get some nice bread (sometimes half price marked down from Woolies, sometimes from the nice bakery).
    I tend to get a slightly larger roast or cook some extra on the BBQ when we have those meals so I will have some left over meat I can slice up for a sandwich.
    I would bring left overs from the past night's dinner, but kids or spouse usually claim them first unless I make extra. Things like stir fry noodles reheat pretty well, or pretty much anything with rice.
    I like to keep the lunch from home bill well under $2 a serve, which is not hard at all.
    I try and go out with work mates once every week or two for a sociable lunch, and don't feel bad about spending $25-$30 on that as it is a less frequent treat.
    And please don't tell me you buy coffee as well as $12 on lunch!

  • ramb9 on 15/11/2016 - 14:57
    +1

    Great post, thanks for the inspiration everyone!

    Keep them coming!

  • dogboy on 15/11/2016 - 15:12
    +4

    What I do - Make a big fruit salad up at home on Sunday and keep in fridge. Portion it out each morning to take for breakfast. Buy a large Juice and Yoghurt to have with fruit salad and keep this at work for convenience. Cook a roast on Sunday or buy a chook and have that on sandwiches for lunch with water. Eat out for lunch one day a week and try to catch up with colleagues you don't currently work with to maintain network. Every other lunchtime go to the gym. Any left over fruit salad at end of week should be frozen in portions to have as smoothies on the weekends. Hope that helps - works out relatively cheap and you get fit and healthy as well. Also make my own dog food but that is another story.

    • che_97 on 17/11/2016 - 23:51
      +4

      Username checks out

    • bargdebarg on 19/11/2016 - 06:03

      Your dog thanks you!

  • altomic on 15/11/2016 - 15:34
    +1

    I keep a couple of heat-in-the-pouch Indian curries and rice in my desk. Heat in microwave. Also microwave some pappadums as well.

  • Clear on 15/11/2016 - 16:39

    Frequently on the road so I tend to get a lot of food in different places. Got a good list of the best bakeries :) Otherwise it's simple things like fruit.

  • happychild100 on 15/11/2016 - 17:40
    +3

    I eat out everyday. Got no motivation to be bulk making meals on sunday or at night and the $30-$35 or so i might save a week just isn't worth it to me. In saying that, i still hunt around for value for money meals, rarely will i spend over $10 including a drink (Through social club at work though so kinda cheap). Though i probably don't eat the healthest.

    I just save money elsewhere and enjoy the food so that it's not just something to keep me full until the next meal. To each their own though!

    • esq on 15/11/2016 - 19:39

      This is basically the same as my thinking so far. i also spend a lot on coffee but that's part addiction part palate snobbery.

      • happychild100 on 15/11/2016 - 20:40

        Ah coffee is something different, i don't drink it myself no no troubles there!

        I mean i guess it does come down to money, are you making enough to be pretty comfortable? Are you trying to save specifically for anything?

        • esq on 16/11/2016 - 10:20

          I make six digits, a lot of that goes to home loans. I guess the only thing I'm trying to save equity for is my next property purchase.

  • onetwothreefour on 15/11/2016 - 20:46
    +1

    Bring sandwiches made by my wife everyday, home made bread too. Once a week she'll make sushi and once a month some type of bento box.

    I also take an apple for mid morning.

    • Aids on 16/11/2016 - 19:31
      +26

      Wow! Is she single?

      • outlander on 16/11/2016 - 20:58
        +5

        Depends on how much effort your willing to put in

      • gimli on 16/11/2016 - 21:25
        +2

        As someone wise once said.

  • clover on 15/11/2016 - 22:16
    +1

    I cook for myself and my housemate twice a day and almost everyday. Lucky that I live 5 min from work. But of course I need to prep for every thing on the weekend. Guess I just like cooking

  • Love a bargain on 16/11/2016 - 12:39
    +5

    Just pack away whatever leftover I have at dinner time and have them for lunch. Obviously, some food work (e.g. salad, pasta, mash potatoes, roasted meat, etc) better as packed lunch than others (e.g. anything with soup, anything crispy like chips).

    Sometimes I have to deliberately cook a bit more at dinner and sometimes there are naturally some leftover.

    & when I've run out of leftover and don't have time/ can't be bothered to cook, I'd either have packet soup and bread (if I can't be bothered to go out) or eat out.

  • Cyberninja on 16/11/2016 - 15:21

    bring your own from home.. leftover from the night before.
    If not, eat out.

  • JetLi on 16/11/2016 - 15:31
    +4

    I prefer to eat out for the convenience, but each time I do, I realise it's just overpriced crap and it's much better to make your own.

  • PAOK11 on 16/11/2016 - 16:00

    I buy 7/11 sandwiches everyday. They are $5. It would be cheaper to make my own sandwiches and bring them into work but not worth the effort to save $15

    • anastasiastarz on 21/11/2016 - 05:12
      +1

      Tip - Buy them the day before, in the afternoon the supermarkets mark them down to about half price. This is only if you're in the city though.

  • yabree17 on 16/11/2016 - 16:12
    +1

    I work out in the northern suburbs of Melb so not alot to eat around here that isn't totally greasy or far away.

    I have a chest freezer at home so I stock up on microwave frozen meals when they are half price (Lean Cuisine, portion controlled etc etc).
    Also I stocked up on some microwave rice packs and tins of tuna to throw together if I get desperate.

    Might order a kebab or HSP for a treat once a week :)

    If I am super motivated I will make a curry or pasta bake and have that for leftovers just depends if I have time :)
    I'm hungry now…

    • esq on 17/11/2016 - 00:55

      whered you get the chest freezer and how much? Cos I'd buy one.

      • bargdebarg on 19/11/2016 - 06:06

        We bought an upright freezer from an op shop for $250. Unfortunately it's not Frost free, so needs defrosting every 12 months but otherwise saves us lots of money. It's much colder than a normal freezer so things last a long time. I also have a food saver (vacuum Sealer) which in combination with deep freeze means you can keep meat for more than 12 months

  • adante on 16/11/2016 - 16:12
    -1

    fast

  • Ace26 on 16/11/2016 - 16:27
    +2

    Used to buy my lunch everyday when I worked in the city, but later I realised I am spending too much on eating out which was mostly junk

    I now eat out may be once a week or once of fortnight.

    Here are my quick and easy ideas for saving coin on lunch are
    1. Cook an extra portion or two at dinner
    2. Make two sandwiches night before and bring them to work next day (I am not a morning person)
    3. Buy salad when on grocery run and bring this to work on the day you cant be bothered cooking
    4. Left over BBQ chicken is a nice topping for salad (to make interesting)
    5. Look up one pot meal recipes on line and try to make
    6. Pasta is easy to cook and taste can be varied
    7. Cheese, tomato sandwich is not too bad if you ate this every now and again

    Sadly I drink expensive coffee (instant coffee is not my thing) at work and sometimes buy expensive breakfast (area I need to improve)

    • esq on 17/11/2016 - 00:53

      Good tips but takes hours longer than I spend on not preparing. I too buy a lot of espresso and have been known to buy $15+ cafe brekkies…

      • Ace26 on 17/11/2016 - 12:38

        There are tons of recipes which you can be done in 30 mins, you will get better once you get started

        jamie oliver's 30 min meals are a good place to start

      • mmd on 17/11/2016 - 16:23
        +1

        Yep start with pasta.
        Boil spaghetti ($1) then drain (10mins)
        Using the same pot, chop onions and fry beef mince until brown ($5 and about 5mins), then add a jar of tomato sauce ($2)
        Let it simmer for 20mins and then season with salt n pepper.
        Now that's the basic sauce so you can add chopped veggies such as mushrooms, carrots on top of this to be healthier and make it more interesting.
        Theres over 4 serves, cheap and easy to clean by using one pot.

    • syousef on 17/11/2016 - 18:24

      You mean the 200g salads that sell for $5.50?

      • Lukian on 17/11/2016 - 18:27

        Buy them when they're marked down to <$2.75 =)

        • syousef on 17/11/2016 - 22:58

          Yeah so do I but if you get that regularly you're very lucky. I'll buy them full price sometimes. I always add cucumber and tomato, and sometimes olive. Quicker than starting from lettuce and a bit more flavour. But I'm lucky. The local place to get lunch near work is a small shopping center with a Woolies and it's a 5 min walk.

  • porsche26c on 16/11/2016 - 17:35

    always cook an extra portion and bring to work.
    save you over 2k a yr at least in lunch cost.
    the days where there is no dinner left over - then sandwiches with bread.

    • toughen on 07/12/2016 - 18:36
      +1

      This, whenever possible wife will make dinner bigger than it needs to be and I just bring in leftovers. If no leftovers, I bring a sandwich or roll. Almost never buy lunch and quickly get past the fact that all your workmates are eating expensive lunches when you realise how much money you are saving. Eat to survive.

      • porsche26c on 08/12/2016 - 08:35

        absolutely. and most of the time i have 'gourmet' lunches because its my left over dinner lol i.e piece of steak, chicken salad or pasta. most actually end up jealous. you can make an extra portion of steak and veggies for less than $6 lol. people go spend over 12-15 per day. insane

  • therooftop on 16/11/2016 - 17:46

    One of the meal prep videos that I saw
    He would bake a whole tray of chicken breast
    and then that can have different sauces to vary it up a bit.

    You can also do pasta - different sauce types
    There are also the meal subscription services (five point four, muscle meals etc) will work out to $7-10 per meal.

  • glengood on 16/11/2016 - 17:53
    +3

    Bring my own lunch Mon-Thurs, and then get crazy with my colleagues on bahn mi Fridays. Gives me something to look forward to all week…

    • voldemart on 16/11/2016 - 22:39
      +2

      How do you "get crazy" with bahn mi exactly??

      • inertia8 on 17/11/2016 - 13:20

        Bahn mi is a staple here too. They are only $5ea and I normally buy 3 and split one with a colleague. So $7.50 for an awesome lunch.

        Not healthy to have every day tho…

    • sky blu on 19/11/2016 - 13:35
      +1

      It's spelled B a n h m i btw.

  • CI on 16/11/2016 - 18:44
    +1

    Free lunch at top notch places 3-4 times a week usually
    Bring lunch from home once a week
    Out of pocket eat out once a week
    Perks of being a consultant :)

    • esq on 16/11/2016 - 20:44

      What kind of consultant?

      • CI on 16/11/2016 - 20:51

        Engineer

        • esq on 17/11/2016 - 00:50

          Winning

  • Brouw3r on 16/11/2016 - 18:48
    +1

    Go to a chinese grocery and get a 50 pack of 500/700mL take away containers. Make things that freeze well for dinner and cook in bulk: pasta bakes, soup, stir fry, curry&rice, etc. Freeze and thaw as needed.

    I limit myself to 1 take out meal a week at work, the rest cost me less than $2/serve.

  • ronnknee on 16/11/2016 - 18:52

    $12 a day, $60 a work week. You can save a lot by buying from the supermarket and preparing meals.

    • esq on 17/11/2016 - 00:28

      This doesn't count the roughly $8 a day on espresso.

      A lot of it is the fact I'm on the go all the time, don't have a fridge or microwave as my office is really my car these days.

      • 0p on 19/11/2016 - 05:59
        +3

        Wow!You spend a lot…
        As ronnknee said you can save lots
        Here's some math…

        Lets assume you are in New South Whales(Your info says Sydney/Brisbane)
        There are 12 public holidays in NSW-

        • New Years Day (1st January)
        • Australia Day (26th January)
        • Good Friday (25th March)
        • Easter Saturday(26th March)
        • Easter Sunday(27th March)
        • Easter Monday(28th March)
        • Anzac Day (25th April)
        • Queen's Birthday (13th June)
        • Labour Day (3rd October)
        • Christmas (25th December)
        • Boxing day (26th December)

        There are 366 days this year because 2016 is a leap year…
        There are 105 Weekend days
        That means you work 252 days in a year!

        If you spend $12 every single lunch(Average,(some are higher/lower)) that means you pay a total of $3024 every year on food!
        Since you mentioned you spend $8 on coffee that adds up to $2016 on coffee!
        Thats a total of $5040 on food and drinks at work!

        Assumptions-
        - You are cis heterosexual binary conforming male(I know i am sorry for assuming your gender)
        - You work every weekday
        - You have holidays on Weekends/Public holidays
        - You spend on Average $12 every day
        - You are in NSW

        P/S: Its ~3am so forgive any errors and forgive my math fetish desires…

        • esq on 20/11/2016 - 15:07

          I appreciate the work you've put into this post.

          Giving up on paid coffee is not really a consideration - it is a basic fundamental in my lifestyle - affects every aspect from workplace relations to mental wellbeing. Some people use cigarettes in the same way, for me it's a flat white.

          It does sound like there are folks here who spend $20 a week only. Which is what a year? Less than $1000?

          So thanks to your help I see that I spend an extra $2000 of after-tax money than the most frugal fellows. Not as bad as I thought. In reality I would spend more - there is often the weekly restaurant meal with colleagues. Then there's the after work drinks culture that I avoid fairly unsuccessfully.

          In the end I will be cutting out the city food court meals and be switching jn muesli and yoghurt and bananas from IGAs and the like, purely for health reasons.

          .

        • 0p on 21/11/2016 - 01:00

          @esq:
          Haha yes you spend quite a lot on coffee… But hey if you can afford it then it's alright. There are some people here which can only comment that amount of money. Not me though I live quite a lavish life with my Lamborghini in my garage…
          Anyways hope my post helped you. All My comments have this amount of efforts put into them not only this one… Anyways thanks and good luck. Also sorry for the late reply I was in the penalty box 😂.
          -0p

  • brawndo on 16/11/2016 - 19:07
    +7

    Health first, whichever way you choose to do it.

    You might save a few bucks by making your own lunch, but it could cost you down the track if you aren't eating healthy.

  • whitewatermelon on 16/11/2016 - 19:44
    +3

    I pack lunch for my hubby, because he's supposed to be on low carb high fat diet. Doesn't take long. Has same lunches every week.
    Monday - homemade soup + 2 slices low carb bread (cook big batch soup, freeze in individual portions)
    Tuesday - bento type box with mix of carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber, capsicum, corn, beans, asparagus, eggs, meatballs, cheese, etc (whatever I have in fridge)
    Wednesday - tin tuna with 4 slices low carb bread.
    Thursday - bento box again.
    Friday - homemade quiche (cook big quiche, freeze in individual portions)

    Havent had any complaints, and its been about a year since starting the low carb high fat diet.

    • esq on 17/11/2016 - 00:49

      This sounds great but also sounds pretty time intensive.

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