I'm there to make money, not spend it
The other night, I was listening to some podcasts while I prepped dinner, and when I saw the, "You're there to make money, not to spend it." episode from Laura Vanderkam, I thought, "Oh, that's what I say about packing my lunches!"
Then I listened to it and realized I'd inspired the podcast episode. Heh.
(Although, I have to give credit to my friend Katy of The Nonconsumer Advocate because she is the source of this phrase for me!)
In the podcast, Laura mentioned that buying a lunch doesn't add up to a prodigously high amount of money. At $10/day, you'd spend a bit over $2500 in a year.
She acknowledged that for her listeners, who tend to be high earners, this amount of money is not very shocking.
But for someone like me, the value proposition is quite different. I make $20/hour as a student nurse patient care tech, which means a 12-hour shift earns me $240 before taxes.
Also, since my shifts are so long, I'm packing a hefty lunch, plus a mid-morning snack, plus coffee, plus I'm prepping a breakfast to scarf down before I leave.
If I bought all of that at the hospital, I'd definitely spend more than $10/day!
I'm guessing it would be pretty easy to drop $20 on food in a shift ($5 coffee, $5 breakfast, $10 lunch, plus a snack). That would eat up the pay from an hour of my shift (and actually more than an hour, if you consider taxes).
So, if I pack a lunch, I can keep more of my paycheck, and that feels good to me.
Also, as I have pointed out before, the food I am packing for myself is generally more nutritious than what I'd be able to buy at the hospital.
Two other good things: a packed lunch produces very little trash since I always pack in reusable containers and since it doesn't require a trek to the cafeteria, I can spend more of my lunch break actually eating.
Other ways I keep my paycheck
The "I'm here to make money, not spend it." attitude motivates me to pack my lunch, yes, but that's not the only effect it has!
I bought only two sets of scrubs
I did not ever work more than two shifts in a row over the summer, so two sets of scrubs were all I needed.
It was tempting to buy more, but the more scrubs I buy, the less of my paycheck I'm keeping!
(I will buy more once I graduate since I'll be up to three shifts a week then.)
I did the same for my clinical scrub uniform; I bought two tops and two pants because we usually just have two clinical days in a row.
I wear shoes from eBay
I wear my foot-shaped, zero-drop Altras whenever I work, and I get mine from eBay by routinely searching up my model and size.
That way I always have a backup pair or two here and I never have to pay full price.
I did not buy a water bottle
Stanley cups and Owalla bottles are quite popular among the nursing staff but I still just use my free metal water bottle that I got at Fincon 2019. 🙂
And I bring my coffee in my Yeti mug that I got from being a bridesmaid in my brother's 2021 wedding.
I bought almost no lunch-packing supplies
There are a dizzying array of products you can buy for lunch-packing, but the only things I bought were a larger insulated lunch bag and two hard plastic reusable ice packs.
(The flowered lunch bag in this post's pictures is an old one from Aldi that I use for shorter days, like school lecture days.)
The lunch bag and the ice packs will last me through many a packed lunch, so I consider them to be an investment that pays for themselves over time. 🙂
What has "I'm here to earn, not spend." looked like for you?
P.S. The argument for packing drinks and food on college lecture and clinical days is even stronger. Not only am I making $0 on those days, I actually am paying for the privilege of being there! So I really do not want to be spending extra money on food and drinks.
P.P.S. I did buy this pair of compression socks and I probably will buy another couple of pairs because they really do help to reduce the fatigue in my calves from multiple shifts in a row.
P.P.P.S. I work my hospital tech job mainly because I want the experience, so despite the title of this post, I'm not actually mainly there to earn money. Ha.
Kristen,
Your hospital tech job is a win-win. You are gaining experience and earning some money.
I applaud your food packing habits: healthier, cheaper, faster at lunch time, environmentally friendly. You set a great example for your readers. Our reusable water bottles are several years old and a few of them were recused from the about to be thrown out pile of long unclaimed lost & found items at DH's workplace.
Your scrubs buying approach makes sense. Over buying has become so easy and common in America. So often less can be more.
I packed all my lunches and snacks during college. My parents helped me see that I was there to earn money not spent it. I watched my Dad pack lunch for work for many years. My kids help my husband pack his lunches now. We talk a lot with our kids about choices in spending money: “we could buy food out OR we could save it and do X later” (X could be a trip or a fun activity or a sport or salmon for dinner or just buying new shoes).
I love compression socks. My favorite is a USA made brand Sockwell. My Three pairs have lasted me over five years (wearing almost daily for two pregnancies during that time). They have such cute patterns too. I bought them on their website and at a local shoe store. Something was wrong with my order and I had to call them and their customer service is excellent. I highly recommend them.
@Faith, I use Sockwell compression socks as well. I air-travel for work and have known three different co-workers get Deep Vein Thrombosis blood clots! Kristen, you can correct me if I’m being redundant! I live Sockwell and love the cute patterns too.
@Maddie, I love my Sockwells also. I actually bought mine at the hospital shop. They had a sale buy 2 get 1 free.
My (infrequent) office days require a bulky bag of laptop related stuff, and many many hours of travel, by public transport. For that reason I do not pack every meal. I do pack a reusable drinks bottle and some fruits, and usually also raisin/nut sourdough buns* that do not require anything but themselves to be tasty and will keep all day in the bag I bought them in (and if needed a leftover bun will still be palatable the next morning). This means I can skip coolers and containers and instead bring an umbrella, and a (thin) book.
I buy a simple salad at work and. Also I make sure I eat fruit and a bun before I leave for home again, so I am not lured by the smells of fast food at the station during what would normally be my dinner time. The book is essential. If any trains are delayed my brains will desperately look for Something To Read. And if I have a book with me already, I will not have space in my backpack to buy another. That simple trick has saved my a lot of money and also helped reduce my To be Read stash.
* whenever possible I will buy these artisan buns one day old/50% off - and freeze them for day trip purposes.
@JNL, Back when I flew Southwest from Texas to Florida or vice versa, I would get used paperbacks from the thrift stores for my onboard "entertainment." I'd also read them while waiting for my flight. When done, I'd leave the book behind for someone else to enjoy. The cost of paperbacks in the airport shops was astronomical, but mine cost under $1.( That was before the advent of the Little Free Libraries; today, I'd likely get one free from a LFL.)
@Fru-gal Lisa, Applause to you, that is so kind, to leave the books for others. Hey, that’s possibly how the idea of the Little Free Libraries came about!
Our Little Library has brought us an endless variety of books. We take out any that we want to read and put them back in when done. But I love your idea of leaving them for other travelers, too.
@ErikaJS,
I was actually an avid Bookcrosser in the late 90s, and would paste "Free book, read me and pass me on" on books I had finished. And do "wild releases", hoping someone would register the find. It was an active community and I also participated in Bookrays and Bookrings (books being sent out to interested readers and either returning to the original owner or not. Readers posting their updates on internet).
After 9/11 I stopped leaving books on airports and trains, to avoid anyone getting worried about unattended packages etc.
Nowadays we have little free libraries of course - are there any on airports? - I haven't been on a plane for several years now.
@Fru-gal Lisa, yes, I was at an airport once that had a cool version of a Little Free Library... Shelves of swappable books along a main walking corridor. A perfect location for folks to share / restock while traveling!
@J NL, there is a free book stand hosted by a local library at the Leighigh Valley airport in PA. It was exciting to discover that!
@PD, @Fru-gal Lisa, I just flew this weekend (first time in 1 1/2 years, and a last minute flight but luckily someone else paid for it). The airport in Vancouver BC had a fireplace (not sure how real it was) with a large mantel - on which were piled obviously left-for-sharing books. I was charmed.
There is a really interesting (if fractious) debate happening around this in my town right now.
Basically, with folks working from home several times a week, they were spending less money on all the things you talked about — lunches out, parking, etc. — and when they did spend that money, they were spending it in the local suburban communities where they live, rather than in the expensive downtown core.
The mayor and the downtown businesses complained that the transit system couldn’t afford to keep running if people weren’t paying fares to run it and downtown businesses would go under, and to assuage public opinion, folks working from home were forced in more days per week (with strict enforcement). The union actually put out messaging encouraging people not to spend money when they are forced in to downtown and continue spending it at home instead, and there was an outcry and they were forced to take it back.
In general, I would say people are realizing how much they are being expected to “pay to work”, and the result isn’t pretty.
For my part, I used to be way more lacksadasical about packing a lunch, but if I have to pay 21 bucks a day for parking (ARGHHHHHHH) then that lunch money is staying in my pocket, thankyouverymuch.
@Kate, $21/day for parking...ouch!
@Kate,
Oof! That's a LOT for parking.
@Liz B., i’s actually on the low to mid side for our city. There is a special place in my curse words for the parking companies that jacked up their parking rates as soon as the announcement about more days in the office came out… 21 to 25 bucks!!
I work at our school. My husband is our school bus driver. So I ride the school bus to and from work. I really dislike riding the bus, because it's just an extension of my work day to be on the bus keeping kids under control, but it saves forty miles of me driving a week. I must admit to relief on the rare days I need to drive because of a meeting or something after school, though. 🙂
I also always bring my lunch, although it's only five dollars for staff to eat in the cafeteria and I'm only there two days a week. The reason for that is more that I don't want to eat my lunch in the cafeteria with the kids (see: extension of my work day) or make trash by getting a to-go box to eat at my desk.
I started packing my own lunch in elementary school and never stopped. By the time I retired, brown bagging my breakfast, lunch and drinks was saving me at least $15 a day.
I did a lot of these things when I worked for pay (now I’m home with my kids, which as you know is a different type of work!!). I feel you on the nutritious lunches- I have a big appetite and I get hangry if I’m spending money out/trying to spend the least amount on food etc.
But I’ve always been curious when you mention getting shoes on Ebay- is the condition okay? I’ve bought other things on EBay but it would never occur to me to buy tennis shoes! When I see shoes in the thrift store they usually look pretty worn out. And I hope this doesn’t sound judgy, I’m just curious!!
@Katie, a couple months ago I bought the exact Altras Kristen showed on eBay for 1/3 the new price. They were almost new and I love them!
@Katie,
I can't speak to Kristen's experiences buying shoes on eBay, but I've bought shoes and boots on eBay with no problems. The sellers indicated they were new, or worn only once or twice at most, and the shoes/boots were in excellent condition on arrival.
Oh yes, I only buy shoes that are listed as new or like new. I carefully look at the photos of the soles and such to make sure they are in really good condition before I buy them.
@Kristen, that's what I was about to write! I really scrutinize the photos and have never been disappointed.
Since I consider myself lucky working from home, I usually have lunch planned as the same thing almost everyday or I eat leftover dinners. My husband works outside the home and does bring lunch with him. We are trying to eat healthy, so that is where we spend our money.
@Maureen, one of the many advantages of telecommuting (which I did for 36 years) was that "going out for lunch" meant walking downstairs to the kitchen! And since DH was self-employed for much of his working life, he'd usually come home for lunch too.
It is a great phrase! I think it can be easy to let your job become an accidental cost center. If there’s a reason to spend money (bonding lunch with colleagues) awesome. If you’re getting a drink from a vending machine? Not so much. Keep that money! Thanks for inspiring the episode! I am tickled that you heard it 🙂
Compression socks for the win!
Worth every penny !
I’ve noticed interesting spending/ saving patterns over my 25 years in healthcare. This is a gross generalization, but I’ve noticed the people whose salaries are on the lower side of the range (front desk staff, medical assistants, etc) were more often the ones to order out lunch, buy food from the cafeteria, and also seemed to waste food more often (tossing out leftover takeout instead of packing it up for the next day or to take home). I’ve heard comments like “I get bored with my food”, “I don’t like leftovers”, “I don’t have time to get my lunch packed for the next day “
Once again, this is a generalization, but one I have noticed over many years.
The nurses go either way. Some have this mentality, and others are religious about packing food.
Who routinely brings food, and I’ve never seen anyone dump leftovers or not pack up extra? The physicians, NP’s, PA’s. They typically don’t take lunch, so is it convenience? Is it financial? Are these people planning in advance for their lunch the next day?
From personal experience as a lunch packer, I do not have dedicated time to eat (no lunch hour for medical providers), so I better bring it. It’s also that I refuse to pay that much for mediocre cafeteria food, or pay $15 to order out restaurant food that’s probably not very nutritious.
I can extrapolate and say it might also have to do with lifestyle, stress and support/ lack of support at home, discipline, etc. all very interesting.
Perhaps I’m over analyzing all of this- lol.
@Kim from Philadelphia,
Doctors: likely hundreds of thousands of student loans to repay and people trying to corner them in the cafeteria.
Medical assistants and support staff: this is the one nice part of my day that’s just for me, without needing to cater for everyone else, so I am paying for the food AND the slice of luxury.
@Kate, makes sense ☺️
@Kim from Philadelphia, it's not just in healthcare that those lower on the pay scale spend/waste more, I've noticed the same thing everywhere I've worked, heard the same excuses you cite, and my belief is that this is how "being poor" becomes a systemic thing for many, again, for the reasons you have explicitly cited. I think your analysis is spot-on!
@Kate,
Thank you for bringing up the fact that there are other considerations beyond cost that influence a decision to bring or not bring food to where one works. Your reasons for your choice are echoed by others I have worked with. Lunch is the only time they have for themselves in a demanding day and sometimes eating out or in the cafeteria is a better option because it affords them some privacy (and often better and more economical food, which can sometimes be taken home as leftovers for dinner!) and peace rather than a cramped, unsanitary, overpopulated lunch/break room (if even available on site) or, worse, eating at one's desk, where you are interrupted as if you were still on duty. Cost is often relative (again, if you can afford to eat out at all) and sometimes you are buying peace of mind and a respite.
@Kim from Philadelphia, It is because of lifestyle and stress. I've pointed out before that Orwell wrote about it in the 1930s. "Only a millionaire can breakfast on Ryvita and orange juice..." Basically, the poor want a nice cup of tea, white toast with margarine, and other things that don't nourish properly but they are comforting in the moment.
The Guardian had an article over the weekend, where a twentysomething wrote about how she saves but her friends don't, because why bother when they'll never be able to buy a house or pay off their student loans, etc etc.
My organization lady, who makes very little, is going through a vicious divorce. She texted me this morning, "I'm on my way! Just need to grab breakfast..."
@Kim from Philadelphia, Our hospital food is legendary for its great taste and offerings. People who don't work at the hospital often make lunch dates to eat at the hospital. The salad bar is terrific and the price is very reasonable.
@Bobi, I totally agree
@Lindsey, certainly not my experience where I have worked. Palatable, but not great.
@Lindsey,
I would say the same of the cafeteria in the hospital where I work. There is a lot to choose from, and the prices are pretty reasonable (you can get the "chef special", which typically has an entree, two sides, and drink for about $6-7).
@Liz B.,
The hospital I work at offers a very hefty discount to employees. For a long time, an entree and 2 sides cost $1.99. Recently it went up to 2.99. Unsweet iced tea is free, so that's what I drink. The food is fantastic, too.
That statement has never made any sense to me. You had to spend money to buy the food; of course, it's a lot less than eating out would be. You have to buy gas to get around, or pay for public transport--most of us don't live close enough to school or work to walk or bike. Many people also have to pay daycare fees in order to work.
But when I commuted for long hours every freaking day, I was not about to pack some dreary sandwich as my reward for making it to lunchtime. In addition, I was not going to spend time packing a lunch when I had to get toddlers out the door, over to my parents' (they watched them all day), drive to the station, get on the commuter train, then get on the subway, and then, exhausted, drop into my office. Oh boy, lunchtime! I hope I enjoy this soggy sandwich and carrot sticks, with some luxurious water to wash it down.
@Rose,
Your perspective makes perfect sense to me. I got exhausted reading your description of your morning - I don’t know how you did it.
Buying a meal out can be a way to have a small comfort during a very hectic day.
@Rose, Well, the "water" isn't fair because my old office offered free drinks and snacks. And I had an office with a door I could shut, thank heavens, so people left em alone.
@Rose, I think being a working mom has a whole different dynamic. As an older reader in a field which did not necessarily accommodate women, I can relate to what you wrote. There was a time before flexible schedules and work life balance. It wasn’t all that long ago.
I can remember getting up at 5:00am. I showered, dressed, put on make-up, fixed my hair, put dinner in the crock pot, fixed breakfast, made lunches, dressed 3 kids, got them off to school, and battled rush hour traffic before walking into work at 8:30. If I was late, even just 5 minutes, I was scolded. Of course, there were days when a child was sick or some forgot something. The stress could be unbearable.
However, I always brought my lunch. Because I worked at my desk, so I could be home no later than 6 pm. Homework, errands, baths, and dinner dishes were waiting.
@Rose, as a low paid medical assistant, I almost always brought my lunch. But it was a real treat to occasionally get out and have something hot and different.
@Bee, Ai yi yi. Truly exhausting. Oh I also have/had chronic fatigue syndrome. And commuted while pregnant, twice.
I'll also point out that midtown Manhattan has a ton of really good delis, bagel stores, bodegas, etc, with fruit and salad options, so I certainly ate better than places with just fast food or chain restaurants. We also used to buy soups from the Soup Nazi--before they mentioned him on Seinfeld, he still had incredibly long lines because the soups were so good. If he liked you, he would also throw an orange in for free. If he didn't like you, he wouldn't sell to you. I think his stand was the first place I encoutered white chicken chili.
And if you're pressed for time, there's always pizza or hot dogs.
@Rose,
Yikes! You make a good point. Packing a lunch/meal/snacks, etc. isn't always the right choice for everyone.
@Rose, ....begging the question: did the Soup Nazi like you? 🙂
@Liz B., He did! I got my oranges/bananas/apples thrown in along with the soup and bread. Though, to be honest, generally someone in the office would take orders. Again, chronic fatigue syndrome, so I didn't want to walk five blocks (55th & Eighth; my office was 50th & Eighth) and then wait on a long line. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't.
@Rose, you can make more money but you can’t make more time.
I have never, ever bought a lunch at the school cafeteria in all the years I've been a substitute teacher. I pack my lunches and snacks. I also did this when I worked at call centers. I also make my own coffee, and the travel mugs I use come from thrift stores -- infinitely cheaper than buying 'em new. At some schools, I can refill my travel mugs in the teacher's lounge. On my cashier job, I will buy sodas out of the vending machine bc the break room Dr Pepper machine sells them at the store's cost -- 35 cents a can. (And often, buy another "for the road", ie to take the next day to school. They're $1 cash/$1.10 credit card in the teacher's lounge machines.) I've calculated that if I buy a carton of 12 cans, it works out to 55 cents each, plus there's nowhere at work to keep the drinks on ice. Before I got this deal, I would save my plastic 20-ounce soda pop bottles and refill them at home from the 2-liter bottles. It was like a DIY Thermos jug and it worked OK. I have resisted the urge to buy "spirit shirts" (school T-shirts showing the mascot and school emblem) on campus or at "new" stores, but someday I may snap one up at a thrift store if the price is right. Above all, I resist buying candy bars from the band students during their sales drives.
I travel into the office once every two weeks. My husband usually goes every week. We both pack a full day of food with us when we go. I buy very little prepackaged food for these, but occasionally I will if I find a good sale. I keep any take out plastic containers we get to reuse for salads or fruit or whatever for these lunches.
When DH works at the office he does a desk job, but ends up walking the warehouse a lot looking for items to be received (he does logistics and procurement). Because of this, you never know what he's going to get into, but he also has to dress decently at work. I buy 90% of his work "in the office" dress shirts from thrift stores. That way when one is ruined or torn or whatever...I'm not bent out of shape cause I spent $90 on it. I spent less than $5 and saved it from a landfill for a bit.
Also, where we work has a better grocery, so I do go by that grocery when I'm in town and keep a cooler in my trunk for that.
Since the passing of our dog, we now plan to change up our routine and I will start commuting with him every other week rather than going my own day. We used to go different days because she was older and needed out throughout the day. This will save us gas money and will also make the trip much more enjoyable than riding in by myself (he's a morning person and I am not...he can drive the mornings, I'll drive home). We only work about 4 miles apart so this should work out well.
I want to give a shout out to companies with cafe. My former employer had a very nice one with 2 hot selections and a selection of sandwiches and salads. It was an employee benefit and for the most part I was able to find something there. It was a nice benefit that many do not have any longer.
I work from home now and eat a lot of leftovers and eggs for a quick protein fix.
I pack breakfast and lunch to take to work almost every day. My company provides coffee, tea, water and sodas, so I don't have to worry about bringing those with me. When we were first married, we ate lunch out almost every day. At some point I realized how much money we were wasting and we started bringing in lunch. Besides the money savings, it also saves time which mean I can get off work earlier and do something more enjoyable than just grabbing lunch.
Totally unnecessary story, but: In ye olden days, when I was a kid attending a neighborhood elementary school, grades 1-6, this one particular school had no cafeteria or lunch room, because whoever designed and built it apparently thought that in just that ONE school out of a dozen or so in the county, kids would need no place to eat. So most kids at my elementary school - even six-year-old kids in first grade - bought lunch room tickets each day and ran to the junior high (grades 7-8), six blocks away, to eat at the junior high school cafeteria with the junior high kids, then dashed back to elementary school afterwards. There were no crossing guards at any of those street crossings, either. It still amazes me that no one got hurt. Anyway, I lived across the street from the junior high and two blocks from the high school until I was 15, so I just walked home and ate a fresh hot lunch made by my mother, yum. When we moved to our farm my sophomore year, I took a packed lunch and walked to my nearby grandfather's house from the high school to eat lunch each day in his kitchen. Packed or home lunches have been a way of life for me, and my kids and my husband packed lunches, too. My grown kids still take their lunches to work every day, as do I. Lunch is usually leftovers for all of us. I can't even begin to calculate how much money we've saved on lunches.
Most of the guys I work with eat out every day. It just boggles my mind, to think of how much money they spend per week. I agree, I'm here to make money, not spend it!
@JD, I remember reading a book where a character walked home for lunch, I thought it was wild! I was in elementary school in the 00s (I know, I'm practically a child still haha), we were dutifully shuttled everywhere with constant supervision. I lived literally right behind the school, but I could not walk home for lunch. I don't know if this was the era of stranger danger, or what caused this change...
@JD, Our local elementary school, which is the only school in town (older kids get bussed two towns over), has no lunchroom. Every kid has to bring a lunch every day. If you need a free lunch, too damn bad.
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, From kindergarten through fourth grade, I walked from home to school every morning, walked from school to home for lunch every noon and walked back to school for afternoon classes, and then walked home from school every afternoon. I was a free range child, I guess. Highly recommend!
@JD, I liked your lunch story. My husband's was similar, but more dramatic: Their cafeteria was condemned when he was in high school. He, brothers, and a couple friends would walk to their house and have lunch and play poker (with buttons, I believe). Not sure my heroic mother-in-law ever knew quite how many boys were coming.
JDinNM, I also walked to school, all the time, and also highly recommend it! We were also on our own to get to church choir practice and home.
I have been a legal staffer for almost twenty years, and have consistently brought my breakfast/lunch/snacks from home. I drink the free work coffee or bring my coffee from home. I understand the nutritional, time, and financial benefits from these habits and I can confidently say these are life-long habits for me.
But I also have to give myself a break. I have to remind myself: It's ok to press the easy button sometimes. It's OK to meet a friend for lunch (social intereaction is worth more than the $15 spent / 1000 calories). It's ok that I forgot my lunch on the counter - I am doing my best.
Doing my best doesn't mean that I do THE best 100% of the time. My husband often tells me, not every day needs your 110% effort. At 45, I am at a different stage in my life -- with a demanding job, preteens/teens, and aging parents. This is a message I need to hear more of, and maybe someone else does, too.
@Meeghan,
Yes, what a good point. Sometimes you can't be frugal all the time, every time. And don't beat yourself up because of that.
@Meeghan, all very true. Our fridge went out this past week. The new one was delivered yesterday and wasn't good and cold til this morning. So, this week DH took his breakfast, but he will buy his lunch because there were no leftover and no lunch meat or anything. He could have taken a can of soup and crackers I guess, but a lunch with a co-worker is fine sometimes.
You are fortunate to be able to wear a uniform. I have been retired for 10 years or so. However, for most of the years that I worked, clothing and personal upkeep were large line items in my budget. This was especially important in the 80s and 90s in my field. Does anyone remember John Malloy’s dress for success?
We wore suits and silk blouses which all had to be dry cleaned. Panty hose, closed toe leather shoes, coiffed hair, makeup, jewelry and accessories. It could be expensive. I bought carefully, on sale, accepted hand-me-downs from a wealthy family member, and occasionally thrifted.
In the early 2000, things started to loosen up some and pay became more equitable. As the level of formality in the workplace diminished significantly. I was able to ditch the panty hose! I thrifted for my clothing more frequently and washable fabrics became more common. Makeup and hair also relaxed.
However, in all my years of working, I brought my lunch nearly everyday. Sometimes lunch out was required. I drank water from the water cooler, and I sometimes drank the terrible office coffee.
To this day, I always leave the house with a bottle of filtered refrigerator water in hand. I travel with my own home-brewed coffee and have a healthy snack with me. I try not to buy these things when out and about. Fortunately, I have an aversion to most fast food, soda and bad coffee, so I am not tempted to spend. However, DH likes all of these things!
@Bee,
I remember the days you speak of. In reality, if you work in certain fields, the high standards for dress remain in place. And no, one's salary doesn't always allow for the expenses of office clothing, makeup, accessories.
Certain professions demand that you look a certain way in terms of clothing styles and quality. It's just the way it is. Informality and casual Fridays do not exist except for back office workers. Working with clients in many fields still means that a woman has to spend money not only on clothes and accessories, but also on "maintenance" (Hair, makeup, nails, etc.). I worked in several of those fields and I was fortunate in that I could buy most of my clothes at wholesale prices or on sale.
I am so glad that I no longer have to do that. I enjoyed wearing the clothes but I was a lot younger and those clothes were also a part of my social life. Now, I get to be truly informal (although I always dress in clothes, never PJs) as I work from home. I literally can't maintain a work mindset in anything but clothes I would wear out of the house.
@Irena, And I have heard firsthand of at least one (NYC) company that tells their employees WHERE to buy their clothes, listing three high end stores in the city, and that's that. Nothing else acceptable until you upgrade to bespoke.
@Irena, yes, this! Years ago, I realized that I needed a fancier handbag for work meetings if I was to present in a manner that would be culturally acceptable for my industry. Senior women at business meetings typically wore jewelry with large gems, had very expensive designer handbags, fancy watches, etc. yikes. I carefully shopped for a black, laptop-and-notepad accommodating sized handbag that I thought would last for years. And it did! I spent $500 on a fancy bag and used it for every meeting for more than a decade (I still have and use the bag today). I know lots of people here probably just cringed at $500 but it was something I felt was needed for me to be comfortable and “appropriate” in that setting. Thank goodness nylon and other practical materials are now common and accepted for “professional” bags so people today won’t have to feel like I did.
@Stephanie, Since my son is a Wall Street guy, for his briefcase, I bought a used black Coach one (those old kind that last forever) for about $150. Annoyingly I used to have that exact one myself, but sold it at a tag sale.
@Bee,
Oh, do I remember that. I was a minimum-wage teller at an independent bank in the 70's and we had to wear dressy clothes and heels - no flats. My aunt was a teller at a different bank for almost 40 years. She and every other teller had to wear dressy attire, no slacks, always a skirt or dress. They had to wear hose and heels, and every single one of them that worked there for years ended up with foot surgery on both feet, because of standing in heels all day. Of course, many a lesser-paid man back then, like my dad, still had to wear suit and tie every day to work. But at least they didn't have to wear high heels, ha.
@Bee, The cost of pantyhose alone was astronomical especially if you got a lot of runners! But at least they were more comfortable than stockings and garter belts. Thankfully they were (mostly) before my time but I remember watching my mom and grandma wrangle into those contraptions.
@Irena,
Dress for success! Our company had a dress code, being in a northern country we ladies were allowed dress pants. In other countries ladies would need to wear skirts.
For the gentlemen (many of them were in sourced and used to wear jeans to work) : they were fortunate that the No Facial Hair rule had been lifted. They had to wear suits to work, also the guy who needed to pull cables on all fours in a dusty computer room)
@J NL,
I mean many of the men I worked with had their jobs taken over from a previous employer where they could wear jeans. The golden age of outsourcing/insourcing IT
@Bee, I remember those days too! I still have to dress business casual most days and the occasional suit/dress for presentation days. That being said, I can (and do!) absolutely have too many work clothes. Do I need 5 blazers when I wear then maybe 1 time a month? Absolutely not. Will I ever need 5 blazers? I sure hope not!
My "I'm here to earn money" actions include:
1. Bringing my breakfast/lunch 99% of the time to work
2. Brew my own pot of tea (from my desk!)
3. Buy more classic styles of clothing/shoes and wear for years and years and years. Well-fitting, classic clothes always look nice regardless of trends.
4. I rarely partake in office happy hours (that really would not impact my career-bc sometimes these things DO matter).
Packing lunch is the top of my list, be it to work, on road trips, for the plane (not making money there), etc.
$10 for lunch is on the low side for most places, too.
@WilliamB, exactly! I'm sure this is geographically dependent, but if I wanted to maintain the same caliber of nutrition as a home packed lunch, it would be more like $12-15
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, Also, I like my food better than the cafeteria food.
I wish I were better at remembering that when it comes to packing lunches. I've got better lately, but it's also tricky when my colleagues sometimes suggest going for lunch somewhere. I want to be sociable!
@Sophie in Denmark, Lunch with colleagues is important! Those are very valuable connections to form and nurture.
Where you work and how you work also impacts whether or not you can even take lunch with you to work. Examples: For years I worked in a field where I was in and out of the office multiple times a day, to locations all over the city. Because I was meeting with clients (in some cases) or interviewing or instructing others, based on their availability, my time was not my own. Even getting a few minutes to eat was a problem.
I very often had no idea where I would be at lunch time and I could not carry food around with me (especially as I hand carried, no cars, public transportation) as I traversed the city. Sometimes, I would end up taking a client to lunch and eating wherever/whenever they wanted.
When I had the luxury of working primarily on-site all day, I was often faced with offices where you were not allowed to eat at your desk but either there was no on-site cafeteria and/or lunch/break room--or what was available was too crowded and/or very unsanitary and without a microwave or fridge. You had to eat outside (amidst a lot of noise, people, etc.) or go to a local restaurant.
One of the best jobs I had was a large company that had a cafeteria (run by an outside supplier) with an incredible array of foods of all types (including special diets, etc.). The prices were, in some cases, much cheaper than what you could bring of similar quality from home. Soup stations, salad bars, etc. made it so you could still bring some food and supplement it very economically. Also, the portions were such that you could easily (if you brought containers and could refrigerate) take them home for dinner. So reverse savings if you will.
If I were working in midtown NYC today, I could not afford to buy lunch more than once. Thankfully I've been working from home for quite awhile.
The situation about how local food stores and restaurants have been impacted by office workers no longer working in midtown/downtown offices has been dire in many cases. Lots of these places went out of business, permanently, due to the losses of the pandemic and afterward.
FYI: Depending on work load and what groceries are in the apartment, I do, on occasion have food delivered from a restaurant. In most cases, I get two to three meals out of whatever I order, so in some cases, I am not overpaying at all.
I've tried a few of those prepared meal kits (using the promos) and found them to be neither desirable (limited options) nor worth the cost. It might be different if I were feeding others besides myself but feeding one person (without a huge freezer like folks in houses) can be expensive even when you are careful.
The other factor we haven't mentioned: Some people are not into cooking or prepping food and some just aren't good at it. That's why some people actually prefer to buy something for lunch when at work out of their homes.
Sometimes people are cutting back elsewhere to buy lunch each day. That's something a casual observer may not be aware of. For some people, one or two meals purchased a week is something they need as they may be cooking up a storm at home, eating the same thing multiple times and they just need a "break."
I've worked in tech for ~25 years. The first 15 years, I was a dedicated lunch packer. The last 10 or so, I worked somewhere with free drinks & snacks. I've been out of that role for six months or so. I eat a lot of leftovers! I'm applying for a new job, and they don't supply free food, which means I will be back to my packing ways! I have given away all of my lunch packing supplies, so I will need to stock up again.
And, I definitely share your sentiment. I'm there to make money. I like to be creative on how far I can go without spending any money with packing lunches & snacks. I always have my only cup of coffee at home before I leave for work.
I have always been a “lunch packer” in my working days as a Nurse and office manager.I like my own cooking and it is so much easier to have nutritious meals when you pack your own!
Now, it’s a habit.. I still pack food wherever I go, to avoid having to buy the junky expensive stuff out there in the world!
As Nurses, you and I know how BRIEF a nurse’s “break” can be..there was never any time to go to the cafeteria and back and actually eat all in one break time! Especially in Labor and Delivery!!!!
When I was in XR school we were financially challenged, to say the least. I had two white scrub dresses, two pair of white hose, and one pair of shoes. You couldn't wear white scrubs at all and finding white pants that weren't slacks or jeans was impossible. So I handwashed those dresses every time I wore one of them; same with the hose. I had one lab coat that I had to have on at all times, so that got washed once a week. I rarely bought my lunch in the cafeteria, but always sat with classmates who did. My lunches were very pitiful, but like I said, I was financially challenged. Nowadays I would never eat in the cafeteria. The food is not good and its pricey.
I was raised to be a "lunch packer", we always carried our lunch to school...and it stuck with me when i started work. I have always packed my lunch, and brought my coffee from home....with the occasional "eat out" as a treat. My current employer provides all snacks and drinks - and it is quite the variety (chips, popcorn, pretzels, soda, coffee, water, yogurt, fruit, carrot sticks, cheese sticks, nuts, cookies, bars, etc) - so I don't need to bring anything - i can cobble together a nice lunch/snacks from what is provided! I do still bring my coffee, as i prefer mine 🙂 When I go our for errands on weekends or go on a trip I always have something in my bag to sustain me (apple, granola bar, etc) - to avoid going hungry, and overpriced airport food!
A coworker has no car - spouse brings and picks up daily (and they do not live right up the road) -- yet uber eats lunch from local fast food places -- this I do NOT understand......all that gas and food money could go toward a cheap reliable car!
Actually I think that $10 for lunch is a little on the lower side of cost. My (seasonal) tax job my boss (& his dad) go to lunch 4 out of 6 days & he buys pizza for staff one day week (OR one if us makes bunch of food & bring in receipts for reimbursement---with permission). We have few fast food places in town but mostly local restaurants where my boss eats. They do not get fancy food or big meals but usually pay $15-$20 each. As far as pizza, I recommended signing up for rewards (almost every pizza place has rewards) & told about pizza combos (which is cheaper).
I not only pack my lunch (& snacks) & bring my own drinks, I mostly am using leftovers for my lunches. Occasionally (during tax time) buy some healthier microwave dinners (on sale) to keep in freezer at work if I don't have leftovers or am working past dinner. So basically eating what I bought on sale at store & cooked at home for dinner to bring leftovers for lunch. Occasionally I make a sandwich/wrap because ran out of leftovers.
I already have multiple glass water bottles that I refill & keep one at tax office in fridge or at my desk in my extra bag (also keep extra snacks & hot cocoa mixes in). I bring my own hot chocolate (not a coffee drinker) on cold mornings.
I already had the investment of multiple quality reusable food containers in various sizes due to put leftovers in & (packing lunches). I say investment because even though I buy mostly on sale/clearance/thrifted the quality reusable containers (glass, stainless steel, tupperware) are not as cheap & last longer than disposable cheap plastic containers that are not made to be long term reuse & not microwavable/hot foods.
When I started working in a hospital 30 years ago I ate in the cafeteria daily. Food was high quality and cheap. I would sometime bring my lunch. I am now a school nurse and I bring my food for the entire week as we have a refrigerator.
My kids pack their own lunchboxes for school each day (though after 9 years of us packing daily lunches, the school is finally coming out with a new - healthier/cheaper - lunch program and I am inclined to have them order lunch a few days a week because...#Easier). I work from home so almost always eat at home and it is a great cost savings + I rarely have to throw out food since I'm able to clear up leftovers as needed at lunch time.
For a couple of years, another part of our company had offices down the hall from us, and they had a lunchroom. They offered weeklong classes with lunch included, so every day there was a catered lunch with chafing dishes of food. And there were usually leftovers, but we weren't supposed to touch them because the manager had it all picked up and delivered to the homeless. Well, funk dat. My best office buddy and I usually called it "pie bag," because of the time she helped herself to two slices of pie but put them in a plastic FedEx bag so we wouldn't get caught. She would often stop by my office and say simply, "Pie bag?" we got really creative with ways to sneak food back to our offices. It was so much fun.
I pack my breakfast, lunch and snacks when working. And I only drink water (from my reusable bottle). It's financial, but also laziness and time management. If I go out to eat , well... I have to go 'out', which means leaving my office and walking to the restaurant/cafeteria. Nah. I like to be able to close my door at noon sharp and reopen it at 1h, and get that full hour to sit, eat and read/watch Youtube. Also, I'm not the most sociable person so I very much enjoy my time alone at lunch, not having to chit-chat.
As for uniforms, as a hospital worker I feel very fortunate to NOT have to wear them in my field! (Physical therapy/occupational therapy). I had to when Covid hit and, honestly, between uniforms, no jewelry and masks and visors, I got depressed. I like dressing up (to a certain extend at work, I still need to be mobile), I like wearing cute earrings. So I do. Most of my rehab colleagues wear yoga pants and running shoes, but not me. I don't have 'work clothes'.
This is off topic and I offer it to those who, like me, look at elections with dread these days. Our borough (like a county) had its elections yesterday. The city of North Pole, 17 miles from Fairbanks where I live, elected Santa Claus to their city council. Yes, a guy who looks like Santa legally changed his name to Santa Claus, and won yesterday's election in North Pole. This is a state where many elections are won by a vote or two, and sometimes the totals for both candidates are identical so the election is decided by a coin toss. But Santa won by a handy margin.
@Lindsey, I voted for The Right Is Too Damn High guy, because I hated the other candidates.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_Is_Too_Damn_High_Party
@Lindsey, ....???
@Lindsey, well there’s someone we can all get behind. Who can argue about Santa. Having said that I’m sure someone can find fault.
@Lindsey, As I am currently involved with a provincial election where it isn't all sweetness and light, your story has just been a lovely breath of delightfully fresh air. thank you for sharing...
I applaud your efforts to make money, not spend it. 🙂
Where I work (as a hospital dietitian), my department's employees were allowed free meals while you were working, and free fountain beverages/coffee/tea (bottled iced coffee drinks, Gatorade, and the like were not included). It was great while it lasted. A change in management ended that, and now we get $6/day loaded onto a gift card - I'm guessing they load a month's worth of $ onto your card every month. Fountain beverages, coffee and tea are still free. I'm not complaining, it's still a nice perk. It's easy to "buy" a full meal for around $6, or a little more - example, today is Salmon salad day - a large salad with all kinds of mix-ins and your choice of a chicken breast or piece of salmon (they're made to order), including a delicious house-made strawberry creamy dressing (or dressing of your choice) for a bit less than $6. This is one meal they serve that I would buy with my own money, lol. The healthfulness of the cafeteria offerings varies, depending on what you pick. Some days, there's not much in the cafeteria that I want for lunch, and so I'll pack a lunch. I always have cheese in our mini fridge, crackers, peanut butter, etc. such that I could cobble together a meal if needed. I bring my own breakfast and snacks (in reusable, washable containers when needed), and bring a Tervis tumbler for water and iced tea.
My job offered the opportunity to wear scrubs a few years ago, with them paying for one set (a top and bottom). I decided not to wear scrubs, because finding pants (even scrub pants) that fit me comfortably is near impossible, and they're almost always too long. We were also provided with $50 to buy either a lab coat, or hospital-branded t shirts, so I did buy 2 t shirts that I sometimes wear with one of my skirts.
Finally, my job also offers $200/year to spend on continuing education, so I make sure every year to spend that money on webinars, online courses, professional books/modules that provide CEUs, etc. I try not to leave any money on the table! 🙂
@Liz B.,
Frugal fail: I was given a Yeti water bottle (a big one! 36 ounce size!!) via my Buy Nothing group. I loved it - it was in my son's school colors, so bonus!!. Meanwhile, son lost his own water bottle at school, and he and DH asked very nicely if son could borrow my Yeti for school. I reluctantly said yes, because my son LOSES THINGS on the regular (he has ADHD). Things went swimmingly for a few days, and then....yes.....he left it somewhere at school. Unhappy sigh. I have to admit, I was very angry....DH talked me down.....we have contacted the school, searched the lost and found.....nothing. Another unhappy sigh. (Yes, I know, it's just a "thing", but I had wanted one for a really long time). Son agreed he will replace it if not found (we will go in halfsies).
(Rant over)
@Liz B.,
I'm a doofus. Update: my Yeti water bottle turned up at son's school! And he brought it home! His marching band director joked about velcro-ing son's water bottle to son. Not a bad idea. Lol. 🙂
Yay!!
While it was not frugal, I learned on my first job out of college in the early 80's that if I joined in with the going-out-to-lunch group that invited the boss along, a one-hour lunch turned into a two-hour lunch. It was always worth it on a Friday!
For me, this includes a few things:
1. Not taking the toll road every time I drove in to work (I'd leave during off traffic times to avoid the temptation)
2. Street parking and walking extra to avoid having to pay for parking
3. Packing a lunch and walking during my hour off
4. Taking the time to think through our options for benefits (open enrollment season is upon us!) to find that balance between risk and benefit.
5. Avoiding the temptation to buy pair after pair of cute shoes and stick to a 2-3 basic pairs that go with most (black flats, boots, and nude/neutral flats) of my clothes
6. Most of my shirts can be matched with most of my bottoms, so I actually wear most of my clothes.
7. No new office supplies because they're cute. We have WAY too many pens at our house and a 50 cent spiral notebook actually works better for me than a fancy journal. It doesn't scream sophistication but it gets the job done.
8. At my last job (58 miles away), I was able to charge my EV for free (I mostly telecommuted but had to go in every week to 2 weeks). That was huge. My new job is 3 miles away and while it doesn't have free charging, it costs virtually nothing in fuel charges to get there. I'm thinking about riding my bike in one of these days.
I actually had the opposite mentality when it came to wanting to change my habits and lose some weight...If I bought candy or soda or chips from the grocery store, I could definitely spend less but it would ALSO ensure that I ate a whole bag, or 2 Liter. Instead, I would force myself to make the decision to drop the extra money (and a wee bit of guilt) on getting the snack from a vending machine or 7-eleven. Making it inconvenient and/or more expensive always me think twice but that's mostly because I'm frugal.
I read that phrase on Katy's blog years ago and it was like a light-bulb went off! I was working at a hospital at that time and the cafeteria wasn't cheap. I paid attention the next week or two and realized how much I was paying and what I was actually making per-hour taking that money off and I slammed on the brakes to that.
I now work elsewhere so if I don't bring lunch, I have to go get take out and holy cow, is that expensive now-a-days! If I don't bring my lunch for whatever reason (which is very rare, like maybe once every couple of months) - I make sure to order on an app and look to see if I can use some points or if I have a gift card with money attached first.
I have carried my lunch for decades. I bought some Lunch Bots and U-Konserve containers which seemed expensive at the time, but I'm still using most of them more than 10 years later (and they look good as new), so they've more than paid for themselves. If the leftovers are in a small-enough glass container from home, I just put that in my lunch bag. We try to eliminate plastic in our kitchen, but we are only about 80% successful with that. I don't like carrying plastic to work, though. One other thing I like about stainless steel is that you cannot see what's inside. I've worked in offices where certain people thought it was their job to comment on the food everyone brought for their lunches, and I really disliked that.
For many years I carried my lunch in a felted bag I knit and felted myself (I consider the cost of the yarn a reasonably-priced form of entertainment). When it finally fell apart, I repurposed an old suede tote bag into my lunch bag. It has a flat bottom and it's the perfect size for my containers. It has just has a short ride back and forth to the office, so it doesn't need to be insulated.
I work in an office with a kitchen where I can store real plates, silverware, and microwavable ceramic bowls with lids for reheating and a fridge for storing my food. I also store cloth placemats and napkins to use when I eat in the office. Unless they are exceptionally soiled, I reuse them and take them home on Fridays to be washed over the weekend--a kitchen towel for drying dishes, too. Most often my lunch is dinner leftovers, so I don't have to spend food money on "lunch supplies" like sandwich breads and condiments.
About once a month when I run out of time at home to make my lunch, I will buy something --usually prepared or frozen food from a local grocery or Trader Joe's (no Aldi here). Even buying prepared food or salad bar from a grocery store usually costs me more than $10 for a meal, I can't imagine the cost of doing this 5 days a week, plus the time involved. I even feel a little foolish spending money for lunch on those infrequent occasions. Very rarely I will meet a friend for lunch at a low to moderately priced restaurant--that's very expensive these days, and since I don't eat out much, it always feels like sticker shock!
My daughter gifted me with a tall, thermal stainless steel cup and stainless steel straw for cold drinks, and I use a stainless steel thermal cup for hot drinks because I have frequent interruptions, but I rarely drink fluids between meals. I drink my one cup of coffee at home before work. For lunch I like cold ice water or hot tea, depending on the ambient temperature. I keep a pitcher of water in the fridge for cold water, and recently we got a portable ice maker donated to the office. We bag the ice and freeze it and only make new ice when our freezer bag is empty. I bring the loose tea from home and have a nice "tea bob" for making tea by the cup.
@Jan, I had a boss who, I kid you not, would open people's lunch bags and put comments inside. Like, "Gee, I noticed your dress was a little tight across your backside. Should you be eating cookies?" Or, your sandwich smells like tuna. I hope you will brush your teeth afterwards." It was no use going to HR about it. One time an employee reported the boss for talking about an employee's mental health diagnosis in a restaurant. The reporter was told she should just shut her ears if she doesn't want to hear things.
My goodness, what disgusting behavior!!!
I've been reading/lurking for years but never commented. Decided to jump in on this one! I've worked as a PT in acute care in a hospital for 18 years and I'm going to guess I've bought food there maybe 5 times. I own 3 pairs of scrub pants! Same same Kristen.
Kindred spirits!
When you first wrote about The Phrase, I thought," Huh, I just read that on Katy's blog!"
I have an election judge job coming up this month, and plan to do exactly what you're proposing -- bring food, and earn money, instead of spending it. This will be a nice boost to our fall income, since my regular work (appraising) starts to die down in November and December.
Yes, she did mention it recently, but I mainly remember her saying it when she used to work as a labor and delivery nurse!
I try to pack lunch on work days, but notice if there aren’t tasty leftovers or i haven’t made sure to buy some favorite lunch items, i tend to slip. I would rather save eating out money for lunches with friends to celebrate birthdays and just to enjoy time together. But at the end of the week, when I’m tired, resistance to eating out is sometimes low. It does help it mentally plan take-it-along lunches on Sunday evening.
I did the same with my daughter’s school uniform. They’re only required to wear it once a week so I only bought one set. And she has been able to wear it from year to year (I did have to go up a size two years ago since she was in 7th grade when she started and has gotten taller and grown more).
My husband packs his lunch every day but most of his colleagues eat out every day. I’m sure they spend more than $10 a day. They probably spend that and more on drinks alone.
My parents were poor, so we always brought our little brown sacks to school and bought our milk there. (These were the '50s and '60s.) Getting to buy your lunch was a big deal in my house!
As a nurse, I almost always packed a lunch. Many of the places I worked were so small, there were no cafeterias. Also I spent the majority of my nursing career working evenings or nights, when cafeterias weren't open, or we were so scarcely staffed, we couldn't leave the unit to go get a meal, even to bring it back to the floor. Of course, whether or not you got to actually eat said lunch was a whole other story.
If you buy a lunch bag in August/September, you can take advantage of back-to-school sales.
Anyone else remember thermos bottles? I carried a 16-oz glass lined thermos bottle full of excellent coffee to work for many years, with a bulky lunch, snack, and fruit. I never made more than $11 per hour, and packing lunches was a way to have enough to eat and give me a break. I also contributed to other office-eaters by occasionally cleaning the shared kitchenette and refrigerator. And microwave. I never understood why office designers offered such poor options for staff support--a staff can work better if the break room and lunch table are clean and large enough. No cafeterias available except for one employer. Happy memories of sharing packed lunches and walks with others, making the most of our modest salaries. Our home-packed lunches were often more nutritious, delicious, interesting, and filling than the stuff others were buying in the office neighborhood. We turned down offers to buy ours!
As you said "I can spend more of my lunch break actually eating".
I packed lunch primarily to save money, but also because my 45 minute lunch break felt a lot longer when I wasn't having to walk to the parking lot, get in my hot car, drive somewhere to get food, and then rush to get back to work on time. Not enough time to sit down and eat at a restaurant, so it had to be fast food, and was usually gobbled down in the car on the way back to work since I didn't want to eat it cold. (I retired before all the delivery apps)
Added bonus - there was a small gym in my building, and I could work out on my lunchbreak and then eat at my desk while I worked. A 45 minute lunch break feels a lot longer when you're working up a sweat! And since I worked a 12 hour shift, being able to shower after the workout saved me having to do it at home before bed. With 3 small kids at home it was the only chance I got for a workout and a shower without someone crying outside the curtain.
I remember when I was in my early twenties (decades ago), working at a clothing store and all the money I "saved" with my employee discount. I've come a long way since then!
I have never had a desire to be fashionable for work. Presentable and comfortable, yes, but stylish, no. For the majority of my career when I had to go into an office to work, I wore the same rotating outfits for the week. It saved me time getting ready and everything was machine washable, so I did my laundry myself and ironed what I needed to.
I have a dear friend who is nearly retirement age that still buys a whole new work wardrobe each season, yet is upset she isn't able to retire and can't understand why not.
I've always packed my own lunches and my splurge was fancy instant coffee singles, which at least kept me from buying coffee mid-day.
As a side note- hurray for foot shaped shoes!!! I just discovered them and they have been a life changer. I was fully prepared wear flip flops all winter.
Like you I make my coffee at home to take on the commute (2 hours, door to door) and then use the office instant coffee throughout the day. I also pack my lunches.
Interesting- I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I recently started a job where I work in two different counties. I’m in one office most days, and the other office just one day a week. At my regular office, most people either bring lunch or get takeout. Everyone eats together. At the other office, everyone goes out to lunch together. I’m only there one day a week, and I’m new, so I have been going out with them when I’m there.
I normally do not go out to eat at all. It’s just not worth it to me. But at this job, it’s very important professionally to cultivate these relationships. A lot gets decided over lunch. So I’m considering this an investment in my career. Clothing wise, I’m an attorney and I’m in court regularly, so I do have to wear attorney costumes. I’ve been buying suits at thrift stores, but I’m definitely spending more than if I could just wear scrubs every day. Personally, I think we should all wear prison jumpsuits. Maybe the prosecution could wear red and the defense could wear blue.
I think in your case, going out to lunch with co-workers IS a way of making money because it's relevant to your job. For me, that's not the case. Nothing important gets decided in a 30 minute lunch at the cafeteria. Ha.
I think you are making a wise decision to go join your coworkers!
I think another sometimes overlooked benefit of packing lunch is getting the chance to actually get in some activities I enjoy during lunch time. I would rather go for a walk and do a little reading while I eat my lunch in my office instead of spending my lunch time going somewhere to get food or trying to decide what to eat and waiting in line to purchase it from our cafeteria.
I feel plastic bottles with water and freeze them for ice packs. As they melt, if I need, I can drink the water.