$$ How Much Do You Spend Per Work Day On Lunch? (1 Viewer)

[General Malaise]

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary likes to rant about a lot of things and usually I pay little attention, but this one I thought was pretty good: “Stop spending money on crap you don’t need! What’s the biggest waste of money you see today?”

First, he singles out coffee and the amount people spend per day on coffee. We brew at home usually and I drink black coffee so this one is moot for me.

But secondly, he suggests that people waste too much money on lunch. To wit:
Another red flag: buying lunch at work, instead of preparing a homemade one. “You go to work, you spend $15 on a sandwich… what are you, an idiot? It costs you 99 cents to make a sandwich at home and bring it with you,” O’Leary said in the video, arguing that if you start to add that up every day, it’s a ton of money.


I'm in his boat - I make a sandwich at work every day (although sometimes I take in leftovers from dinner). However, I think his math is off. I went to the store this morning and bought:

- Loaf of sourdough bread (24 slices)
- 1 Lb of slicked turkey
- Jar of dill pickles
- Ice berg lettuce
- Spicy brown mustard
- Sharp cheddar from Wisconsin (shout out to my Whisky boys)

Total was $22.50. This SHOULD be good for 10-12 work days so basically $2.25/day for lunch. Not quite $0.99 cents as he suggests, but I guess I could ditch the cheese or get crappier bread to meet his cost basis, but I want some luxury items with lunch.

How much are you spending per workday on lunch?
What do you do during the week for lunch?

 

[Drunken knight]

maybe $30/wk. I wfh

I'll hit a local deli and get two sandwiches so i don't have to run out the next day... and then usually some takeout chinese. i also make things that are on hand

 

[NutterButter]

I eat about 3 meals throughout the workday. Don't eat breakfast. I'd say its around $6.

 

[belljr]

10-20 2-3 times a week depending on what we do where we go.

So I'll say I average 40-50 a week. I don't mind spending it. I like getting out of the office and we change up different types of food

 

[Osaurus]

Maybe $40/week. I wfh and occasionally grab something out, but it’s never more than once a week and it’s usually a Publix sub that I eat for 2 lunches. The rest of the time it’s stuff I buy from the weekly grocery shop including making a salad I get at least 3 days out of.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Depends where we go but lately seems like it’s approaching $20-$25 with tip

Cheapest is probably $15

I’m typically in the office 3 days a week. I do bring leftovers fairly regularly but sometimes I just like to get the hell out of there to break up the day. Pretty rare I go all 3 days, usually at least once a week though

Usually spend another $3 or so after lunch at our on-site Starbucks.

 

[shuke]

Pack every day. Pretty much the same thing every day. Apple or 2, sandwich, pretzels, and some other fruit (right now is kiwis with the skin).

Started doing this when wife and I really had to face the fact we were in debt trouble about 20 years ago. Just became a habit. I like working through lunch, or at least catching up on personal email, checking a few threads here, etc.

 

[mr. furley]

eat out two days a week, other 3 i make lunches.. considering the cost of the groceries it takes to make lunches on those 3 days.... average is probably $6-$7 per day.

 

[AAABatteries]

Another thing that sucks about going in to the office - I’m not packing a lunch so I grab food in our cafeteria. There’s a daily $4 special I get which is pretty good. Sometimes gets the $7.99 sushi special

 

[bcat01]

Pack every day. Sandwich, yogurt and grapes. Have a banana and some almonds for a snack. Comes to around $3 a day.

 

[Zigg]

I think Mr. O’Leary is a gigantic douche. These clowns saying coffee and lunch are the reasons people are poor are shifting the blame that belongs on companies that don’t properly compensate labour.

No problem at all with trying to save money. I rarely eat out. But billionaires who extract every penny they can then blame someone enjoying the few things they can afford is a gigantic pet peeve.

Leeches need to shut their mouths.

Sorry. Always hits a nerve. $7/8 occasionally for a couple slices or $12 burger.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Another thing that sucks about going in to the office - I’m not packing a lunch so I grab food in our cafeteria. There’s a daily $4 special I get which is pretty good. Sometimes gets the $7.99 sushi special

I used to have a job where the best feature was a good cafeteria. Excellent food and help for fairly cheap prices. Kept us in the building most days, which probably paid off for corporate since outside lunches sometimes involved longer lunch breaks and the sometimes drinking back then.

 

[Fat Nick]

Right now...$0. Since we re-opened post-COVID, our office is 100% free. Free cafeteria for Breakfast and Lunch, free starbucks, free snacks/drinks. It was basically cost neutral for us as we used to subsidize 30% with 100% occupancy...post-COVID, we dipped to 30% occupancy, so subsidizing at 100% netted the same cost.

Now that we've mandated folks come back to the office 3 days/week, and attendance is much higher, they're doing away with the free stuff 1/1/2024...I'm bummed by that. Our cafeteria is really really good. I will likely resort to cheaper alternatives, but I'll still eat there some days.

 

[General Malaise]

I think Mr. O’Leary is a gigantic douche. These clowns saying coffee and lunch are the reasons people are poor are shifting the blame that belongs on companies that don’t properly compensate labour.

No problem at all with trying to save money. I rarely eat out. But billionaires who extract every penny they can then blame someone enjoying the few things they can afford is a gigantic pet peeve.

Leeches need to shut their mouths.

Sorry. Always hits a nerve. $7/8 occasionally for a couple slices or $12 burger.

Yeah, I'm certainly not a disciple of his and think he's a blowhard, but I do think he's correct that saving on things like coffee and work day lunch is a small thing a person can do to save money over time.

 

[ChiefD]

My teenage children eat all of the food. All of it.

We have no leftovers. If I'm lucky they are gone that night so I can actually make lunch for the next day. And there are times when I come down in the morning and my work lunch is gone.

They are freaking savages right now.

 

[Drunken knight]

My teenage children eat all of the food. All of it.

We have no leftovers. If I'm lucky they are gone that night so I can actually make lunch for the next day. And there are times when I come down in the morning and my work lunch is gone.

They are freaking savages right now.

it's difficult for us to get our daughter to eat leftovers (even when she likes the meal)

 

[Grahamburn]

As usual Mr. Wonderful is right.

 

[ChiefD]

My teenage children eat all of the food. All of it.

We have no leftovers. If I'm lucky they are gone that night so I can actually make lunch for the next day. And there are times when I come down in the morning and my work lunch is gone.

They are freaking savages right now.

it's difficult for us to get our daughter to eat leftovers (even when she likes the meal)

Send them to my house in an un-marked box, please.

 

[Grahamburn]

I think Mr. O’Leary is a gigantic douche. These clowns saying coffee and lunch are the reasons people are poor are shifting the blame that belongs on companies that don’t properly compensate labour.

No problem at all with trying to save money. I rarely eat out. But billionaires who extract every penny they can then blame someone enjoying the few things they can afford is a gigantic pet peeve.

Leeches need to shut their mouths.

Sorry. Always hits a nerve. $7/8 occasionally for a couple slices or $12 burger.

Yeah, I'm certainly not a disciple of his and think he's a blowhard, but I do think he's correct that saving on things like coffee and work day lunch is a small thing a person can do to save money over time.

Several of my staff members do this basically every day. Roll in with a $7 latte. $15 sandwich/chips/drink for lunch. Then complain the don’t make enough money.

Quit wasting $400 a month.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

I think Mr. O’Leary is a gigantic douche. These clowns saying coffee and lunch are the reasons people are poor are shifting the blame that belongs on companies that don’t properly compensate labour.

No problem at all with trying to save money. I rarely eat out. But billionaires who extract every penny they can then blame someone enjoying the few things they can afford is a gigantic pet peeve.

Leeches need to shut their mouths.

Sorry. Always hits a nerve. $7/8 occasionally for a couple slices or $12 burger.

Yeah, I'm certainly not a disciple of his and think he's a blowhard, but I do think he's correct that saving on things like coffee and work day lunch is a small thing a person can do to save money over time.

It’s a valid point, but then you also end up with the type of people that hoard their money and die with a million dollars in the bank

I know I spend way too much money on food and booze, but dammit I enjoy it.

 

[belljr]

Luckily I'm currently now in a position that saving ~2500 a year is not a necessity. When I was younger I packed much more

 

[Rustoleum]

I tend to eat out at lunch and make dinner at home, but…

Loaf of white bread $2.50
Pound of deli meat $9
Deli cheese $7
Bag of clementines: $5
Bag of pretzels to divvy up for the week $3
6 pack of soda/tea/whatever $4

Roughly $5 a day to pack not counting buying bags, etc. or a couple cookies or something “desserty”

Wendy’s Biggie Bag: $6

In reality I maybe spend an average of $10 a day. I would say that savings isn’t enough to make me rich, but on the other hand, the lovely county commissioners here removed the max salary cap on the payroll tax, so it will cost me another $700 next year. maybe I’ll pack every day to help them make sure there even less incentive to work or add jobs here.

No pressing need,no budget shortage, just almost exactly in their words “Other counties our size are bringing in more in payroll taxes than property taxes, and our numbers were the opposite, so we removed the cap (used to stop at $400 a year)” .But I digress.

 

[Sullie]

At home : whatever is in the fridge.

At work : Lunchbox - it came with a thermos - I bring a thermos full of homemade soup - wifey makes a soup each week (beef, chicken, etc.) - two apples and one large orange w/filtered office water.

 

[Major]

If I eat out around $20-25. At home around $10 - Acai protein smoothie, wheat grass shot, and buffalo burger or chicken breast with guacamole salad.

 

[General Malaise]

At home : whatever is in the fridge.

At work : Lunchbox - it came with a thermos - I bring a thermos full of homemade soup - wifey makes a soup each week (beef, chicken, etc.) - two apples and one large orange w/filtered office water.

Solid!

When I make a big batch of soup, that's my lunch for a week.

 

[Drunken knight]

At home : whatever is in the fridge.

At work : Lunchbox - it came with a thermos - I bring a thermos full of homemade soup - wifey makes a soup each week (beef, chicken, etc.) - two apples and one large orange w/filtered office water.

Solid!

When I make a big batch of soup, that's my lunch for a week.

Bania: soup isn't a meal

 

[-OZ-]

Leftovers, always. So not zero but near it.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I usually pick up some lunchmeat from the deli and just make a very basic sandwich for lunch, but I do like to go out for lunch about once a week.

 

[snellman]

My teenage children eat all of the food. All of it.

We have no leftovers. If I'm lucky they are gone that night so I can actually make lunch for the next day. And there are times when I come down in the morning and my work lunch is gone.

They are freaking savages right now.

My teenager is like a garbage disposal. I don't know where he puts all the food he eats, but he is eating me out of house and home.

I eat out every day. I would bring leftovers or sandwiches, but I don't want to sit in the break room and eat, because I get pestered constantly, so I want to get away from work for an hour. I usually spend $7-10 depending on where I go to eat, but to me it is worth it to have the peace and quiet. I used to go to my mom's and she would make me lunch, but unfortunately she is in the nursing home so I can't do that anymore.

 

[Ilov80s]

I bring lunch every day. Partly helps there’s no time to go get lunch but I he’s right it’s a waste. Coffee, I’ll buy on the weekends but make home during the week but again my job helps since coffee shops often aren’t even open yet when I heard in at 6 AM.

 

[Zow]

A lot. But, here’s my counterpoint: I’m usually either doing a working lunch (so it’s a write off) or, and this is more my point, it’s with a colleague or friend whose company I enjoy or it’s a nice mental break. And if I didn’t go get food I like or spend that time, I’d probably have no break, and I'm probably a little less productive in the afternoon and inevitably less motivated to hit the gym after work or be a fun dad when I get home because I'm fried from work.

So, if for an extra ten bucks or whatever I get a break, some genuine enjoyment, and some rejuvenation, it’s more than worth it to me. In other words, I'm not oblivious to the math and cost it's just a luxury expense I knowingly choose to incur.

Sorry, to answer the actual question, I probably buy lunch a couple times per week that's on my own dime. I probably spend $15 - $20 each time. I do regularly order Factor meals (online meal prep) and bring those for lunch when I need to keep lunch as short as possible, but those are something like $12/meal anyway so not much cost difference. I maybe every couple of weeks, there will be available leftovers to bring.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Work from home, eat at home most days. Make tacos or a salad or sandwich out of whatever leftover protein we have from dinner. I actually keep wanting to get out of here for lunch more often to mix things up, but most days I just don’t have time.

In my younger day when I worked in SF it was lunch out every day. Sometimes with colleagues, but mostly solo to enjoy some downtime. I also bought a coffee ($2) in the morning and a cocktail ($6) on the way home on the ferry. So with lunch being $10-$15 most days I was spending quite a bit, but enjoyed it and it was worth it to me at the time. In fact I was back there last week for a day and had a blast walking around at lunch checking out my old spots.

But yeah, I could have saved up a chunk of cash if I hadn’t done that.

 

[Corporation]

Yeah this is a vice for me. I don't drink alcohol or coffee, but I eat out almost every meal. $15 a pop for lunch easily.

 

[hagmania]

5 bucks a day for lunch at the work cafeteria.

 

[⚡DEADHEAD⚡]

Work from home, eat at home most days. Make tacos or a salad or sandwich out of whatever leftover protein we have from dinner. I actually keep wanting to get out of here for lunch more often to mix things up, but most days I just don’t have time.

In my younger day when I worked in SF it was lunch out every day. Sometimes with colleagues, but mostly solo to enjoy some downtime. I also bought a coffee ($2) in the morning and a cocktail ($6) on the way home on the ferry. So with lunch being $10-$15 most days I was spending quite a bit, but enjoyed it and it was worth it to me at the time. In fact I was back there last week for a day and had a blast walking around at lunch checking out my old spots.

But yeah, I could have saved up a chunk of cash if I hadn’t done that.

In the mid-90s, I worked in the Shell Building in downtown SF. Basically Battery and Bush Street. When I started there, Noah's opened on the first floor. I went in every day for a while and ordered a mocha and sometimes a bagel. I didn't know a mocha was a calorie bomb. Thought I was drinking chocolatey coffee, more or less, with a bagel. Young and stupid and naive. Boom, 10 lbs. I was spending at least $6/day or so.

I complained about $. I made $22,000/year and I was living in Cow Hollow. We repurposed the living room to be my bedroom for $500/month. I was broke. My roommates, in legit bedrooms, were broke. In fact that's what broke us apart. We couldn't afford what we signed up for. But we spent foolishly. Booze. My lord...

Sorry, I've gone off topic. I was an early generation Peets/Starbucks/Noahs pick-your-coffee-shop spender. So, so silly. And I've always been stingy.Took me a while but I stopped all that, and I stopped the lunches too. I make a very good living, but now I eat maybe two pieces of fruit or some fig bars for lunch. I don't care about the $ or the step away from work (I love what I do). I care about getting stuff done at work so I can leave to see my kids at a more-than-reasonable time.

I went out to lunch recently with my wife. Salmon burgers or something like that. $40. Sucked but I treasured the time with her. Won't do it again soon, but it's nice to have a moment here and there.

 

[ren hoek]

I try to bring lunch every day. If I don't bring lunch I'll scrounge on some snacks they provide us for free. Lately I've been doing meal prep every now and then to get at least 3 or 4 meals. I'm starting to rather enjoy cooking.

This guy at work, he buys takeout for lunch and breakfast every single day. Like $15-$30 literally every single day that he works. He comes in with a Chic-fil-a bag in the morning and then buys whatever garbage he hasn't eaten within the past 4 days. Other day he ordered delivery from an upscale restaurant to work. Just a tremendous amount of money he's blowing on food. It's a weird look for a 45yo father with money issues.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I have coffee in the morning and don’t eat again until dinner.

$0.00


ETA- I’m going to change this soon once I start working out again. Still won’t buy lunch.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I work in the restaurant business. I know how much everything costs. Unless it’s food that I cannot make at home. or a place where I will get exceptional service. I just don’t bother. It just really chaps my hide to waste money on it. Going out just to let someone else make the food, spend 30-50 bucks, is fine every once in a while. but I certainly don’t make a habit of it.

i did sort of happily spend $200 for a bottle of vueve cliquot, in the vueve cliquot yurt, at deer valley, run by the montage. Super fun and ridiculous and over the top. Still irritated me a wee bit though.

 

[Mitchie]

when i was younger bought lunch every day when didn't have a ton of money i guess out of convenience and also maybe to be social. now that older and could much easier afford it don't mind just eating at my desk out of convenience, also maybe biggest reason is can bring a healthier lunch than what i can buy. does save some money, prob costs me about $5.

These costs do add up so do agree with O'Leary's main point. if you can afford it and/or if you're getting value out of social interactions i don't think there's anything wrong with buying lunch. Just be aware of the costs and make sure you're getting value out of the extra money you're spending.

 

[belljr]

I will say my $7-8 lunches quickly turned to 12-13 after covid. I never drink anything besides water because drink prices while always high are even crazier. Exception we hit up a breakfast spot for lunch I grab a coffee.

 

[El Floppo]

NYC... Probably a different range than others. Lots of takeaway lunch spots of all types... But it's basically $12 and up for anything. So $60-100 per week. And I'm always doing the math relative to- that's a tennis/guitar/whatever lesson or class for my kids.

Ive tried bringing lunch... Which for me means the identical sandwich every day because I know me and what I'm capable of, have the time and energy for in terms of shopping or prep. I know its clearly more cost effective.. but there are so many other options available to me so I spend.

There is an app here called MealPal. You pre-pay for a months worth of lunches at participating restaurants (and there are a ton) and pay anywhere from $7-12 instead. I use that and typically get the $8 option... And tell myself I'm saving $4 per day.

Eta... I never sit down. Always takeaway and sit outside or back at my desk.

 

[MAC_32]

Brew my own coffee, workout during lunch, and pack all food. Usually all produce, a hard boiled egg, leftovers, a small bag of dry cereal if I need fuel pre workout and a dum-dum if running. We have fixins to make sandwiches if we run out of leftovers and if we don't use them by the end of the week I'll make a big salad to use up the rest of the meat.

When I eat out during the work day it's usually expense reimbursable, sooo...less than $5 per day?

 

[guru_007]

I'm easily at a point in life where going out for lunch would not effect my day to day at all. However, I stopped going out except for maybe a handful of times per year a few years back when a typical lunch went from $6-7, to $10+. I'm not really a big eater as it is, I'm more of an eat to live guy, although I do enjoy going out to dinner 1x week with family. I did the back of the envelope math and said wtf should I be spending $2,500-$3,000 per year ($5,000 - $6,000 when factoring in spouse) when this is something I can very easily do myself with minimal effort and much healthier options.
So every day I have a salad now. We chop up 3 heads of Romaine lettuce Sunday night, and I'll supplement with cherry tomatoes, broccoli crowns, and usually some form of either deli meat, or cheese or tuna, etc... If there are leftovers, I'll bring that in for a change in the action. Lunch takes all of 2-3 minutes to make and I make it the night before so I don't forget or just feel lazy in the morning. I've also started to funnel an extra $500/month into my brokerage account so I can see the actual results of my efforts.
I can totally get the social aspect of going out to lunch and it came more into play when I was younger for sure.
We will occasional indulge on a weekend lunch out, but that just hammers home the point of how expensive lunches can be as food for 3 at basically any fast food place, sandwich shop, lunch spot take hasn't been less than 40-50 bucks since covid. Maybe I'm just cheap now, who knows.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

$2-3 as I make and freeze protein shakes and have them for lunch each day. I’ve calculated the cost of the chocolate whey protein powder, the lactose free milk, the collagen powder, taurine, the coffee, and sprinkle of guarana powder I put in and it comes out to under $3. Each shake has close to 30 grams of protein, tastes like a blended iced coffee, low sugar, and gives the energy of an iced coffee.

 

[WDIK2]

$8 - $14 a day. I'm bad at this. I will pack lunches for a few weeks in a row, but then will eat out for a few months in a row.

I always make my own coffee for the commute in. Free coffee at the office.

 

[Desert_Power]

I'm rarely even in the office around lunch time, but will spend around $12 if I am and get hungry. I bring coffee from home, but will hit up starbucks or some other coffee shop if i need more. There is some coffee in the office but I think the water tastes weird so I will not drink it.

 

[coopersdad]

Pack every day that I go into the office (Tues/Wed).

Divorced empty nester

On days, I got into the office, its a powerbar and glass of milk on the drive in and leftovers or a sandwich with some snacks (almonds, pretzels, yogurt, etc) and a couple bottles of sugar free propel.

When at home its Grapenuts or Raisin Bran for breakfast, and usually a sandwich for lunch.

 

[Mitchie]

I think Mr. O’Leary is a gigantic douche. These clowns saying coffee and lunch are the reasons people are poor are shifting the blame that belongs on companies that don’t properly compensate labour.

No problem at all with trying to save money. I rarely eat out. But billionaires who extract every penny they can then blame someone enjoying the few things they can afford is a gigantic pet peeve.

Leeches need to shut their mouths.

Sorry. Always hits a nerve. $7/8 occasionally for a couple slices or $12 burger.

i dunno i see where you're coming from but at the same time he's not wrong, there's an absurd amount of people in this country who don't have like $500 for emergency savings yet they'll go out and spend $6 every day for coffee or $15-$20 for lunch. also it's a free market companies have no obligation to compensate more than the market demands. agree with a higher minimum wage but beyond that which would need govt intervention don't think companies are responsible. and majority of people don't know how to manage their finances, maybe that's the an education problem or could just be human nature, not sure.

 

[Rustoleum]

You all have convinced me. Starting New Year’s I’m going to start mixing up a small bag of gravel from the curbside with water from the closest puddle I can find. To make things more festive, I will top it with whatever I can shake out of the waste toner bin from the copier.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Typical lunch for me these days is a spinach salad, can of beans, a greek yogurt, and a piece of fruit. Even shopping at Aldi's, that probably averages $4 or $5.