$36 average a month on lunches??? WOW, that is nuts. I buy lunch maybe once a month if that... a can of soup is easy to pack, doesn't require a fridge, and even if I eat the whole thing (large cans of Progresso - on sale and used a coupon) has low fat and calories (try to get the low sodiums tho). Or I make a sandwich or salad at home and keep a bottle of dressing in the fridge at work. I also have a small lunchbox cooler and can pack lots of fresh goodies in there and it is still cold for lunch. Honestly, going out every day for lunch is insanely wasteful and not at all healthy. I'm lazy, and I can throw a can of soup in my bag without breaking a sweat, so why can't she?
The biking thing has to be entertainment value to her writing, as anyone that was going to ride their bike to work would have found the bike lock the night before, or like most people I know, have it in a basket or wrapped around the bike itself.
I don't like doing drinks after work, or the whole bar scene and never have, so to me her spending for that even if it was a savings still seems like a total waste of money to me.
The coffee thing. OMG. She gets free coffee at work, but it doesn't taste quite right so she prefers to pay for it. You know, I never acquired a taste for coffee, so I don't drink it. But I am a soda person, so I do have a similar addiction. However, I buy them when they're on sale, stock up and figure out the cost per can, and usually I'm in 20-25¢ range. I drink water if I forget my stash and I've lately been shifting over to green tea as my work started stocking it and it's free.
That article gave me a sad. It really does seem like the common person on the street has no concept of being smart about money.