Eating Out for Lunch

[Seamster]

I work 90 miles from home.  Metro Detroit drivers suck, the snow sucks, and pickup trucks and Jeep Cherokees are always crashing, causing slowdowns (it's always those vehicles).  I have a business on the side.  I was living on $1800/mo until I started this new job ($500 apt & car paid for).  Now, add $420 for gas (20 days*(90 miles*2)/30 MPG*$3.50 gas) and another $200 or so for lunch 20x a month.  Everyone else here at work brings their lunch.  To me, it's so much easier to go out:

*Don't have to go to grocery store as much
*Grocery store food isn't free anyway
*Takes time to make lunches (I live alone)
*Takes time to clean up
*Takes time to go to Walmart
*$11 lunch at a diner is cheaper and healthier than Doordashing fast food
*(I do need to start my car to go there; and starting a car is the worst thing you can do for the engine)

If you add all that up, money wise, I'm only spending like $100 more per month, if that.  Yet everyone looks at me like I'm wasting money.  What do you guys think?

Off to lunch now! ;)

[OtherJen]

Are you commuting 180 miles round-trip each day? If so, why?

[Zoot]

If you had to pay someone $1200 in January every year so that you could pay to eat out for lunch instead of bringing it with you, would you do that?  ;-)

[Morning Glory]

Yeah. Look up mmm's true cost of commuting article. It's a classic.

Please think about the health aspect of going out to eat all the time.  $11 can buy a lot of fresh fruit and veggies at the grocery store. Your arteries will thank you.

[charis]

Why are you comparing doordash fastfood to a diner? They are both eating out and unhealthy. I would love to making lunches for only myself, it's so easy (simplest strategy is cooking extra at dinner (no extra cleaning or prep) and take leftovers for lunch or keeping food in a mini fridge at work).

 It does not require extra grocery trips to make lunch, so that's a pretty bizarre take. You still have to eat breakfast and dinner and meals on the weekend. 🤷 You buy the food all at the same time. Do you owe a fridge? We are a family of 4 and never buy lunch, no extra shopping trips.

[maisymouser]

Just going to ptf to enjoy the facepunch slamfest that is about to happen here

[maisymouser]

But for real, are you trolling the forum? Hmm.

[Blue Skies]

I'm guessing that while some your co-workers may be wondering why you are wasting all that money going out to lunch, many of them are wondering why you are wasting all that time driving back and forth to get food when you could have brought some with you.

You suggest that an extra trip to the grocery store is required to buy lunch food, which makes no sense to me unless you don't eat any other food at home.  But you somehow think it is preferable to drive every workday to buy a separate lunch, rather than once a week to a grocery store?

Most lunches I eat are leftovers from dinner the night before.  Takes less than a minute to prep.  I was buying the food anyway.  And I don't have to drive somewhere at lunch time.

My boss for many years (retired now) would bring 5 cans of soup to work on Monday (an extra minute of grocery shopping, whenever you want) and would have a can of soup for lunch every day.  Very easy, very quick, and much cheaper than $11 diner food. 

[Morning Glory]

But for real, are you trolling the forum? Hmm.

I think he's trolling.

[uniwelder]

If you live alone in an apartment, find someplace much closer to work, even if rent is $1,000 more per month (you're still ahead financially, edited).  Then with the 4 hours driving per day saved, you'll have plenty of time for grocery shopping so you can make your lunch

[Morning Glory]

I'll be very surprised if this isn't a drive by post, on his way to the diner.

[Zikoris]

I'm surprised you're so comfortable "telling on yourself" with that degree of laziness. You can grocery shop once a week and bulk-prep all your lunches and dinners in one go. I do this for two people and it's not a big deal, one person would be stupidly easy. You'd need to wash like one tupperware and one fork after lunch, jfc. And of course the health aspect.

[mm1970]

Has to be a troll, right?  On the MMM forums?  180 miles round trip a day?  Are you for real?

I spend approx $10-12 per person per day on food.  For the whole day.

[Kris]

Holy crap.

Well, in your case, I agree that eating out for lunch is not your problem. Or rather, it's the least of your problems.

[Seamster]

Are you commuting 180 miles round-trip each day? If so, why?

Yes.  Because I needed to get a job over $65k in order to qualify for a refinance loan.  There are no jobs that pay that high in my city.  So I can't work near my house if I want to get the loan. 

If you had to pay someone $1200 in January every year so that you could pay to eat out for lunch instead of bringing it with you, would you do that?

OMG that would be great and a lot cheaper and easier than the pay-as-go that I'm doing now!

Why are you comparing doordash fastfood to a diner?

Because eating out is healthier and cheaper than Doordash.  I compared to show that dining out it's a better option.  I can get a hot breakfast and coffee, tip, and tax for $10-12 and the food is on my table faster than you can go through a drive through. 

And, you guys, I am not trolling.  I've been on this forum for 2 years and finally was able to start posting because it wasn't letting me.  Read my other post.  Took over 1 hour.  No troll can write that.  You guys will see I'm one of the cheapest people on this forum.  I'm easily the cheapest person I know, thus, me coming here to make friends (all of whom seem to dislike me already!).  I was thinking we'd all be on the same page but from I'm seeing many of you have read some mantra such as, "dining out = bad!  packing lunch = good!" and blindly followed that.  I listen to advice, sure, just like I read the comments of those who took the time to respond, but I make my own decisions based on circumstances.  No advice given generically can fit all situations. 

Anyway, The accepted idea is that bringing your lunch is cheaper.  And it often is.  Even the guys with the Mercedes know that.  But for me, I don't like sitting in the office for a hour not getting paid for it, for one.  Also a hot meal at a restaurant is healthier than eating whatever I grab and throw in the microwave or fast food.  And finally, I want to leave the office anyway to clear my mind, get good coffee, and sit and study investing.  So I wrote this thread just to show that in some cases it might better to eat out.  I never thought it would be fuel for arguments.  I just wanted to discuss the positives and negatives of a common idea that isn't the best in all cases. 

[Zoot]

If you had to pay someone $1200 in January every year so that you could pay to eat out for lunch instead of bringing it with you, would you do that?

OMG that would be great and a lot cheaper and easier than the pay-as-go that I'm doing now!

To be clear, what I meant was:  That's $1200 per year that you could save if you brought your lunch rather than going out for it.  So effectively, you're spending an extra $1200/year for the convenience of going out ON TOP OF what you are paying for lunch.  So that $1200 check you'd write in January doesn't get you any lunch--it just gets you the convenience of not making/bringing your lunch.  You still have to go out and buy lunch.

If you're good with that, I'll send you my address.  That $1200/year will come in handy in my FIRE plans.  :)

[Zoot]

Anyway, The accepted idea is that bringing your lunch is cheaper.  And it often is.  Even the guys with the Mercedes know that.  But for me, I don't like sitting in the office for a hour not getting paid for it, for one.  Also a hot meal at a restaurant is healthier than eating whatever I grab and throw in the microwave or fast food.  And finally, I want to leave the office anyway to clear my mind, get good coffee, and sit and study investing.  So I wrote this thread just to show that in some cases it might better to eat out.  I never thought it would be fuel for arguments.  I just wanted to discuss the +s and -s of a common idea that isn't always correct in all cases.

Also wanted to mention that I do see your point about going out to lunch occasionally.  There are times when paying $10 for a sandwich and chips is an incredibly wise decision, because I just want to be OUT of the OFFICE and have my MIND to MYSELF at a quiet little Panera across the way.  It's saving my sanity to be taken care of for a bit and recover from the morning and prepare for the afternoon.  I totally get that part.  But I do it maybe once or twice a month, not every day.  Making my lunch at home most often costs less than $1, as it is leftovers from batch cooking I do at home--and I can still just throw it in the microwave in the office.

Part of the beauty of personal finance is that it's personal:  you get to decide what you spend your money on.  The true impact of that spending often gets lost when it's "only" $10 here, $10 there.  Annualizing expenses helps you see things in a different light, which is why I cast my question to you on the $1200 basis of the annualized savings you could be doing if you brought your lunch.  I'd wager it's far more than $1200/year.  :)

[englishteacheralex]

I used to get irritated at my husband for eating at the company cafeteria every day instead of packing leftovers from dinner, like me. But for a meal with chicken and steamed vegetables, which is what he usually gets, it's only $4.50. His egg white breakfast omelette with veggies is only $1.50. So actually, I probably can't beat that price with my expensive Hawaii groceries, and the food is nutritious, so I'm fine with it. Plus, more leftovers for me.

[charis]

I love a restaurant lunch Friday, to be clear.  But you just like going out to lunch everyday and don't think it's worth skipping for the simple act of bringing leftovers (which can be as healthy as you want and take the time to walk to the office microwave). It's that simple. Don't pretend it's healthy or cost effective though, that's just excuses.

And doordash has nothing to do with bringing lunch from home so I don't understand why you are mentioning it.  No one is recommending doordash, it's the equivalent to eating out except more expensive. It it makes no sense in a conversation where were comparing a homemade lunch to a diner meal.

It's always going to be cheaper and healthier (assuming you make it healthy) to bring food from home.  You are purposefully cherry picking scenarios to validate your choice rather than being honest. If you bring leftovers of a meal that you already made for dinner, you are turning the almost nothing extra it takes to stretch it to another meal into 11 bucks.

[EvenSteven]

I love a restaurant lunch Friday, to be clear.  But you just like going out to lunch everyday and don't think it's worth skipping for the simple act of bringing leftovers (which can be as healthy as you want and take the time to walk to the office microwave). It's that simple. Don't pretend it's healthy or cost effective though, that's just excuses.

And doordash has nothing to do with bringing lunch from home so I don't understand why you are mentioning it.  No one is recommending doordash, it's the equivalent to eating out except more expensive. It it makes no sense in a conversation where were comparing a homemade lunch to a diner meal.

This part is just breaking my brain right now. It's as if the OP is equating "bringing lunch from home" with "doordash fast food." Those are not the same things, like, at all.

[mm1970]

I used to get irritated at my husband for eating at the company cafeteria every day instead of packing leftovers from dinner, like me. But for a meal with chicken and steamed vegetables, which is what he usually gets, it's only $4.50. His egg white breakfast omelette with veggies is only $1.50. So actually, I probably can't beat that price with my expensive Hawaii groceries, and the food is nutritious, so I'm fine with it. Plus, more leftovers for me.

My husband went out for a burrito yesterday.

Last night, I asked him what he took for lunch, and he said "I went out for a burrito, and I didn't want to tell you because you sigh and get mad at me and tell me to pack a lunch."
Me: "I do not." (to be fair, I do get a bit frustrated that he hasn't made the connection - yet - that on M/W/F mornings he does not leave himself enough time to work out AND make fried eggs and a bagel for breakfast AND shower and shave AND pack a lunch AND leave the house by 8 to drop off DS1 at high school.  So lunch is the last thing.  I end up packing him a lunch frequently because I want him to eat healthy food.)
Him: "I told you on Weds that I was going to get a burrito and you sighed and offered to make me lunch."
Me: "Yes, because I KNEW that you had a few days of major proposal deadlines and I ALSO knew you had to finish them by 5 pm, meaning you were NOT going to have time to go out, and would end up just not eating."
Him: "Well, okay, yeah that makes sense."
TLDR I told him "it's okay if you want to go out for a fucking burrito, just tell me you feel like going out!"

----

And, you guys, I am not trolling.  I've been on this forum for 2 years and finally was able to start posting because it wasn't letting me.  Read my other post.  Took over 1 hour.  No troll can write that. You guys will see I'm one of the cheapest people on this forum. I'm easily the cheapest person I know, thus, me coming here to make friends (all of whom seem to dislike me already!).  I was thinking we'd all be on the same page but from I'm seeing many of you have read some mantra such as, "dining out = bad!  packing lunch = good!" and blindly followed that.  I listen to advice, sure, just like I read the comments of those who took the time to responds, but I make my own decisions based on circumstances.  No advice given generically can fit all situations.

LOL, with that commute and eating out every day, you aren't one of the cheapest guys on this forum.

Packing lunch doesn't mean that you necessarily have to stay indoors not getting paid.  YMMV, but back in the day when I used to actually go to the office, I'd pack a lunch and eat at my desk but then go for a walk after.
---
There's nothing wrong with eating out occasionally.  There are legitimate reasons to do so - but it's more expensive than cooking for yourself or taking leftovers.  Don't fool yourself otherwise.

[uniwelder]

Are you commuting 180 miles round-trip each day? If so, why?

Yes.  Because I needed to get a job over $65k in order to qualify for a refinance loan.  There are no jobs that pay that high in my city.  So I can't work near my house if I want to get the loan. 

If your house (or apartment, not sure which) is $500/month, how much money will you save doing a refinance?  I thought at first you were renting, since you said apartment in the opening post.  At most, I imagine you'll save $200 versus the $400 plus you spend just in gas for the commute.  If you live alone, why wouldn't you just sell the place and move closer to work?  Are you doing a cash out refinance on the place?  If so, how much money could you possibly get out to make the ridiculous commute and expense worthwhile?

edited to add--- If it is a cash out refinance, why even bother?  Just sell the place and pocket the cash from the sale.

[Morning Glory]

Are you commuting 180 miles round-trip each day? If so, why?

Yes.  Because I needed to get a job over $65k in order to qualify for a refinance loan.  There are no jobs that pay that high in my city.  So I can't work near my house if I want to get the loan. 

If your house (or apartment, not sure which) is $500/month, how much money will you save doing a refinance?  I thought at first you were renting, since you said apartment in the opening post.  At most, I imagine you'll save $200 versus the $400 plus you spend just in gas for the commute.  If you live alone, why wouldn't you just sell the place and move closer to work?  Are you doing a cash out refinance on the place?  If so, how much money could you possibly get out to make the ridiculous commute and expense worthwhile?

I was thinking this too. If it's an office job you could negotiate working from home a couple days per week to save on the commute, or maybe find a carpool buddy.

[dcheesi]

Yeah. Look up mmm's true cost of commuting article. It's a classic.

Please think about the health aspect of going out to eat all the time.  $11 can buy a lot of fresh fruit and veggies at the grocery store. Your arteries will thank you.

TBF, I was healthier when I ate lunch out while at the office. Fifteen minute walk each way, with reasonably healthy choices made at the restaurant, was a recipe for decent fitness and moderate weight. As opposed to the alternative, which turned out to be eating mostly canned food at the office, and only occasionally taking a walk around the office parking lot.

Now obviously the ideal approach would be to prep healthy food at home and bring it with me every day, and to take a long 30 minute walk just for the exercise. But that rarely happened in practice, due to issues with motivation, planning, taste, etc.

[bmjohnson35]

"Yet everyone looks at me like I'm wasting money.  What do you guys think?"

I suspect many on this forum cook their own meals at home or their spouse does.  If you indeed do this, cooking enough to save as left overs at work the following days is straight-forward.  If you don't do this, then it's not so easy.  Cooking for one person is not as easy as cooking for a family, but with practice, it can be done.  It's even harder to eat out healthy.  With all of this in mind, this is why so many of us question your logic. 

You have every right to prefer to eat out, whatever your reason(s).  The backlash from the group is coming from your claim it's cheaper to do so, when common knowledge says otherwise. 

[Ron Scott]

I don’t think what you’re spending on lunch is a big deal. $11 less the cost of bring your own for a decent diner lunch sounds reasonable to me. I love diners so…

[PDXTabs]

I suspect many on this forum cook their own meals at home or their spouse does.  If you indeed do this, cooking enough to save as left overs at work the following days is straight-forward.  If you don't do this, then it's not so easy.  Cooking for one person is not as easy as cooking for a family, but with practice, it can be done.  It's even harder to eat out healthy.  With all of this in mind, this is why so many of us question your logic.

I mostly live alone and I love leftovers for lunch. Salad keeps a couple of days. Stews and curries get better the next day.

[FIRE 20/20]

*Don't have to go to grocery store as much
*Grocery store food isn't free anyway
*Takes time to make lunches (I live alone)
*Takes time to clean up
*Takes time to go to Walmart
*$11 lunch at a diner is cheaper and healthier than Doordashing fast food
*(I do need to start my car to go there; and starting a car is the worst thing you can do for the engine)

*Don't have to go to grocery store as much
*Takes time to go to Walmart
You do not need to go to the grocery store any more often.  Just buy lunch ingredients whenever you normally go.  Why do you need to make an extra trip to Walmart?

*Grocery store food isn't free anyway 
Grocery store food isn't free, but it's far less expensive than $11 / day plus travel costs.  I just priced out a few lbs. of chicken, vegetables, rice, beans, and some spices/sauces like soy sauce, curry, and spices and ended up around $12-15 for enough to make a hearty chicken and rice soup, chicken curry, chicken burritos, or something else that includes those basic ingredients for a week. 

*Takes time to make lunches (I live alone)
*Takes time to clean up
Yes, but it also takes time to travel to a diner, order, wait for the food, pay, and travel back to the office.  If you eat at work, whether working at your desk or somewhere else nearby  you will certainly spend a less time overall by cooking at home.  I spent anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours cooking meals for the week every Sunday when I was working, including clean-up.  There was no extra time for another trip to the store because I planned my meals before I went to the store.  This will vary by location, but I saved about an hour every work day when I brought lunch, and the time cost was spending about 30 minutes - 2 hours on Sunday cooking, portioning, and cleaning up.  I'd much rather spend an extra 2 hours on Sunday cooking than get home an hour later every workday.   

*$11 lunch at a diner is cheaper and healthier than Doordashing fast food

Why would you compare eating at a diner to Doordash?  This seems to be a total non-sequitur. 

Look, go out to eat if you want.  No one is stopping you.  But you absolutely are spending more money, more time, and being a lot less healthy than you could be if you just made something healthy at home on the weekend.  In addition, the more you do it the better a cook you'll become so that you can eventually make something that you like more than the restaurant can prepare.  Cooking meals for the week absolutely saves money, saves time, is healthier for your body, and can be tastier.  The only downside that I found was that I usually ended up eating the same thing for lunch each day for a week, but I didn't mind and you could certainly make a couple of different options at the cost of a little more cooking time (or freezing your meals to space them out over a few weeks). 

[beekayworld]

Yes.  Because I needed to get a job over $65k in order to qualify for a refinance loan.  There are no jobs that pay that high in my city.  So I can't work near my house if I want to get the loan. 

Get the loan ASAP and then go back to working close to home. You only need to have the $65k job until you close on the loan. Then you can do as you like. The bank doesn't keep checking to make sure you are at the same job.  You get to decide what you need to earn to make the house payments once the loan closes.

[use2betrix]

I don’t go out to eat for lunch every day for health reasons even moreso than the cost… That - and I’d rather work through lunch and get out earlier than take a break.

[Arbitrage]

You are wasting money.  Probably 75% of what you spend on lunch, give or take.  It's a valid choice for you to make, and you certainly seem to believe that the benefits are worth it for you, but don't fool yourself into thinking that it's not much more expensive. 

I'm not particularly crazy when it comes to saving money on groceries, but I do pay attention.  Our entire food budget for a family of four is about $600 per month, including restaurants.  Transportation is by e-bike, so next to zero cost.  A year ago, when I could get a big chunk of our groceries from Aldi, it was about $500 per month.  That's 480 meals.  You're spending close to $250 on 20 meals, plus transportation cost.

If you think that's worth it to you, more power to you.  We all have our spending vices.  Embrace it, but don't deny that it's a luxury.

[vand]

If you have a 180 mile round trip for work then I'd say that lunch, whatever form it takes, is the least of your worries.

[Arbitrage]

If you have a 180 mile round trip for work then I'd say that lunch, whatever form it takes, is the least of your worries.

Agreed that it's a much bigger problem.  OP says the car is paid for; not sure if that includes insurance/maintenance, or if gas is just the big expense.  Regardless, the cost in time/life is astounding and a true "MMM emergency."

[EvenSteven]

If you have a 180 mile round trip for work then I'd say that lunch, whatever form it takes, is the least of your worries.

Agreed that it's a much bigger problem.  OP says the car is paid for; not sure if that includes insurance/maintenance, or if gas is just the big expense.  Regardless, the cost in time/life is astounding and a true "MMM emergency."

The added value will be different for everyone, but about 2 years ago I went from a 15 mile 45 minute commute to a 1.5 mile 4 minute commute. It was a massive quality of life upgrade and well worth the cost.

[bmjohnson35]

180 mile daily commute is a lot.  I agree that you should see what you can do to work closer to home and reduce your transportation stress/cost. 

We own 2 cars, a truck and a motorcycle, so I won't claim that we are inline with MMM ideals, but all of our vehicles are paid off, our insurance is relatively low and I perform the maintenance on them.  The truck is mainly used to carry kayaks, paddle board and other gear for recreational activities.  I get a sense of freedom and joy from driving, but I also recognize the costs associated with this indulgence. 

[jnw]

Anyway, The accepted idea is that bringing your lunch is cheaper.  And it often is.  Even the guys with the Mercedes know that.  But for me, I don't like sitting in the office for a hour not getting paid for it, for one.  Also a hot meal at a restaurant is healthier than eating whatever I grab and throw in the microwave or fast food.  And finally, I want to leave the office anyway to clear my mind, get good coffee, and sit and study investing.  So I wrote this thread just to show that in some cases it might better to eat out.  I never thought it would be fuel for arguments.  I just wanted to discuss the positives and negatives of a common idea that isn't the best in all cases.

I disagree with this.  Bringing your own food is always four times cheaper than buying food at a restaurant.  If it isn't 25% of the cost, then it has to do where you shop and how you prepare your food.   Eating my own food I make at home is at least twice as healthy as any restaurant and also twice as tasty.  In my opinion most restaurant food tastes pretty bad in comparison.  But I did spend a little time learning how to cook stuff from scratch.   Don't buy packaged spices or from Walmart for $3.99.. but 50 cents for spices from Whole Foods Market / Sprouts herb bins.  Also, for many spices there are 1 dollar per jar deals at Aldi and Walmart.

And why do you have to sit inside the office to eat?  Are there no picnic benches outside or is there not a park nearby?

But hey if you feel it's worth it to you to sit in restaurant every day, then I understand. Just don't fool yourself with respect to finances; you are spending 4 times more on lunch per day than you would if you brought your own food from home.  It's also not healthier, because you can cook anything you like using the same food they use to cook with. They have to pay for their rent, insurance, staff, equipment, etc. along with the food -- oh and they also like to make a profit after all that.

[OtherJen]

Anyway, The accepted idea is that bringing your lunch is cheaper.  And it often is.  Even the guys with the Mercedes know that.  But for me, I don't like sitting in the office for a hour not getting paid for it, for one.  Also a hot meal at a restaurant is healthier than eating whatever I grab and throw in the microwave or fast food.  And finally, I want to leave the office anyway to clear my mind, get good coffee, and sit and study investing.  So I wrote this thread just to show that in some cases it might better to eat out.  I never thought it would be fuel for arguments.  I just wanted to discuss the positives and negatives of a common idea that isn't the best in all cases.

I disagree with this.  Bringing your own food is always four times cheaper than buying food at a restaurant.  If it isn't 25% of the cost, then it has to do where you shop and how you prepare your food.   Eating my own food I make at home is at least twice as healthy as any restaurant and also twice as tasty.  In my opinion most restaurant food tastes pretty bad in comparison.  But I did spend a little time learning how to cook stuff from scratch.   Don't buy packaged spices or from Walmart for $3.99.. but 50 cents for spices from Whole Foods Market / Sprouts herb bins.  Also, for many spices there are 1 dollar per jar deals at Aldi and Walmart.

And why do you have to sit inside the office to eat?  Are there no picnic benches outside or is there not a park nearby?

But hey if you feel it's worth it to you to sit in restaurant every day, then I understand. Just don't fool yourself with respect to finances; you are spending 4 times more on lunch per day than you would if you brought your own food from home.  It's also not healthier, because you can cook anything you like using the same food they use to cook with. They have to pay for their rent, insurance, staff, equipment, etc. along with the food -- oh and they also like to make a profit after all that.

In fairness to the OP, it sounds like they live in Michigan. The high temperature today is 21°F. It's been like this for weeks. Your suggestion is good in mid-spring through mid-autumn.

[Just Joe]

If you have a 180 mile round trip for work then I'd say that lunch, whatever form it takes, is the least of your worries.

45,000 miles more or less just commuting, not including lunches. Tires, oil changes, maintenance, brakes, etc. How far does the average person run a car in 2022 before replacement? 100K miles? 150K miles? Seems like a sure way to buy alot of cars and car parts.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I taught my young adult kids the same trick I used when I was young and working -- buy cans of soup and keep them at work along with a microwaveable container, spoon, and can opener.  99¢ buys a can of Progresso lentil soup on sale.  My kids expanded it to include cans of chili, or even just baked beans.  Crackers are a cheap add on to the meal.  Sometimes they take a peanut butter sandwich from home, but keeping cans of soup at work mean they can always eat inexpensively even if they forget to pack a lunch.  The goal is to never spend more than $2 on the entire lunch + snacks (usually inexpensive fruit), so they get creative, but working five days a week they would spend at most $40 per month, which is a far cry from $200.

[mm1970]

I taught my young adult kids the same trick I used when I was young and working -- buy cans of soup and keep them at work along with a microwaveable container, spoon, and can opener.  99¢ buys a can of Progresso lentil soup on sale.  My kids expanded it to include cans of chili, or even just baked beans.  Crackers are a cheap add on to the meal.  Sometimes they take a peanut butter sandwich from home, but keeping cans of soup at work mean they can always eat inexpensively even if they forget to pack a lunch.  The goal is to never spend more than $2 on the entire lunch + snacks (usually inexpensive fruit), so they get creative, but working five days a week they would spend at most $40 per month, which is a far cry from $200.

This is a good trick.  There was a local guy who rode his bike to work every day...40 miles one way.  He kept bread + peanut butter + jelly in his office.  I'm sure his lunches were more than $2 though, with all the calories that he was burning.

We always have fruit, and I started keeping cans of Trader Joe's dolmas and eggplant in my pantry at home.  If I have to go to the office and don't have leftovers, boom, instant lunch with an apple.  It's not $2.  More like $4.  For me, a can of dolmas and a can of eggplant make 2 lunches.

[maisymouser]

I taught my young adult kids the same trick I used when I was young and working -- buy cans of soup and keep them at work along with a microwaveable container, spoon, and can opener.  99¢ buys a can of Progresso lentil soup on sale.  My kids expanded it to include cans of chili, or even just baked beans.  Crackers are a cheap add on to the meal.  Sometimes they take a peanut butter sandwich from home, but keeping cans of soup at work mean they can always eat inexpensively even if they forget to pack a lunch.  The goal is to never spend more than $2 on the entire lunch + snacks (usually inexpensive fruit), so they get creative, but working five days a week they would spend at most $40 per month, which is a far cry from $200.

This is a good trick.  There was a local guy who rode his bike to work every day...40 miles one way.  He kept bread + peanut butter + jelly in his office.  I'm sure his lunches were more than $2 though, with all the calories that he was burning.

We always have fruit, and I started keeping cans of Trader Joe's dolmas and eggplant in my pantry at home.  If I have to go to the office and don't have leftovers, boom, instant lunch with an apple.  It's not $2.  More like $4.  For me, a can of dolmas and a can of eggplant make 2 lunches.

Are you FOR REAL? How long does that take? I barely get to work in 30 minutes on my measly 6-miler. Is this guy on the MMM forums? Congrats, man. You have made it to Mustachian Enlightenment Zone with that bike commute + lunch ethic.

[YttriumNitrate]

I work 90 miles from home.  Metro Detroit drivers suck, the snow sucks, and pickup trucks and Jeep Cherokees are always crashing, causing slowdowns (it's always those vehicles).  I have a business on the side.  I was living on $1800/mo until I started this new job ($500 apt & car paid for).

Best of luck with the new job. For 18 soul-crushing months I manged to work a job that was 65 miles away from my house. Tacking on 3-4 hours of commuting to an 8-hour job is brutal as your week becomes little more than commuting, getting ready for work, working, and sleeping.

[Arbitrage]

I work 90 miles from home.  Metro Detroit drivers suck, the snow sucks, and pickup trucks and Jeep Cherokees are always crashing, causing slowdowns (it's always those vehicles).  I have a business on the side.  I was living on $1800/mo until I started this new job ($500 apt & car paid for).

Best of luck with the new job. For 18 soul-crushing months I manged to work a job that was 65 miles away from my house. Tacking on 3-4 hours of commuting to an 8-hour job is brutal as your week becomes little more than commuting, getting ready for work, working, and sleeping.

I have a friend who voluntarily took on a 90 mile commute at the start of his medical internship, because he wasn't convinced that the mid-sized city where his hospital is at had good enough schools for his elementary-aged daughter.  I'm not going to claim that I have intimate knowledge of the school quality there, but brief internet searches indicate otherwise.  I tried to convince him of the folly of his decision - when he first started considering it - but to no avail.  I can't imagine putting in those hours on the road around a doctor's schedule.  He's now a few years into this, with various ailments from all of that time in the car, and my friends and I almost never hear from him anymore. 

[insufFIcientfunds]

This thread is making my lunch of hard boiled eggs, a tuna pack, and string cheese sound like sh*t lol

[Morning Glory]

I work 90 miles from home.  Metro Detroit drivers suck, the snow sucks, and pickup trucks and Jeep Cherokees are always crashing, causing slowdowns (it's always those vehicles).  I have a business on the side.  I was living on $1800/mo until I started this new job ($500 apt & car paid for).

Best of luck with the new job. For 18 soul-crushing months I manged to work a job that was 65 miles away from my house. Tacking on 3-4 hours of commuting to an 8-hour job is brutal as your week becomes little more than commuting, getting ready for work, working, and sleeping.

I have a friend who voluntarily took on a 90 mile commute at the start of his medical internship, because he wasn't convinced that the mid-sized city where his hospital is at had good enough schools for his elementary-aged daughter.  I'm not going to claim that I have intimate knowledge of the school quality there, but brief internet searches indicate otherwise.  I tried to convince him of the folly of his decision - when he first started considering it - but to no avail.  I can't imagine putting in those hours on the road around a doctor's schedule.  He's now a few years into this, with various ailments from all of that time in the car, and my friends and I almost never hear from him anymore.

I'm sure there were tons of private school options too, if the public ones weren't great for his daughter's particular situation.

[RWD]

My typical lunch costs less than $2 and takes less than five minutes total to prepare and clean up after. I have to go to the grocery store anyway, might as well pick up lunch ingredients. So I'm saving a significant amount of both time and money. Compared to an $11 lunch I'm saving at least $2,340 per year. That's $27-37k over a decade (depending on investment return assumptions).

[sonofsven]

I'm a proud brown bagger. You're wasting money and time going out to lunch like you do, no matter how you justify it.
If you don't care that you're wasting time and money that's fine, too.
But you are.

[dcheesi]

I'm a proud brown bagger. You're wasting money and time going out to lunch like you do, no matter how you justify it.
If you don't care that you're wasting time and money that's fine, too.
But you are.

Money, no question. Bagged lunches are unquestionably cheaper (as long as you're not making caviar & gold-flake sandwiches, of course!).

But with time, part of what people lose track of is enjoyment; time isn't wasted if it's well spent. In this case, hanging out in a restaurant might be part of OP's mid-day decompression routine, whereas prepping a lunch in the morning may be purely a chore.

That was part of my thing with work lunches; eating in the breakroom, or in my cube, didn't scratch the itch of needing to get away from work for a little while. Walking to lunch did (esp. with the nice little stream-side trail that started and ended my walk).

OP can't go home at lunch due to distance. And in some (sub/)urban settings it can be hard to find a quiet spot to "chill" in public (sad but true). So sitting in a diner or whatever might be the most enjoyable way for OP to spend that time.

[sonofsven]

I'm a proud brown bagger. You're wasting money and time going out to lunch like you do, no matter how you justify it.
If you don't care that you're wasting time and money that's fine, too.
But you are.

Money, no question. Bagged lunches are unquestionably cheaper (as long as you're not making caviar & gold-flake sandwiches, of course!).

But with time, part of what people lose track of is enjoyment; time isn't wasted if it's well spent. In this case, hanging out in a restaurant might be part of OP's mid-day decompression routine, whereas prepping a lunch in the morning may be purely a chore.

That was part of my thing with work lunches; eating in the breakroom, or in my cube, didn't scratch the itch of needing to get away from work for a little while. Walking to lunch did (esp. with the nice little stream-side trail that started and ended my walk).

OP can't go home at lunch due to distance. And in some (sub/)urban settings it can be hard to find a quiet spot to "chill" in public (sad but true). So sitting in a diner or whatever might be the most enjoyable way for OP to spend that time.

I agree they could  have "reasons" which is why I said if they didn't mind they were wasting money and time then fine, but it's still wasting time and money. But "reasons" don't really move me.
I have a folding chair in my truck and at lunch time I sit in that chair, or if it's too cold I sit in my truck. Eat my sandwich, fruit, and treat. Drink my water. Go back to work.

OP, you buy groceries, right? Buying ingredients for lunch adds a miniscule amount of time to your shopping. In the morning i put my lunch together in five minutes, while I'm making breakfast.

[mm1970]

I taught my young adult kids the same trick I used when I was young and working -- buy cans of soup and keep them at work along with a microwaveable container, spoon, and can opener.  99¢ buys a can of Progresso lentil soup on sale.  My kids expanded it to include cans of chili, or even just baked beans.  Crackers are a cheap add on to the meal.  Sometimes they take a peanut butter sandwich from home, but keeping cans of soup at work mean they can always eat inexpensively even if they forget to pack a lunch.  The goal is to never spend more than $2 on the entire lunch + snacks (usually inexpensive fruit), so they get creative, but working five days a week they would spend at most $40 per month, which is a far cry from $200.

This is a good trick.  There was a local guy who rode his bike to work every day...40 miles one way.  He kept bread + peanut butter + jelly in his office.  I'm sure his lunches were more than $2 though, with all the calories that he was burning.

We always have fruit, and I started keeping cans of Trader Joe's dolmas and eggplant in my pantry at home.  If I have to go to the office and don't have leftovers, boom, instant lunch with an apple.  It's not $2.  More like $4.  For me, a can of dolmas and a can of eggplant make 2 lunches.

Are you FOR REAL? How long does that take? I barely get to work in 30 minutes on my measly 6-miler. Is this guy on the MMM forums? Congrats, man. You have made it to Mustachian Enlightenment Zone with that bike commute + lunch ethic.

I wish I could find the article on-line that I read in the paper.  It was years ago, and he didn't ride in every day - 3-4 days a week.  It was a 3 hour commute.