Great Debate: Bring vs. Buy lunch @ Work (company, workers, balance)

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by DCguy03

My co-worker and I were having a "friendly chat" over at the water cooler yesterday about which is better: bringing your lunch to work, or eating out every day. Of course, I say brown-bagging it is infinitely better. It's cheaper and definitely healthier.

So he says well...it might be healthier, but it's not that much cheaper. He says its only like $3 or so more to get fast food to-go. Oh, the eternal debate!

But I think I actually won him over, when I plugged it in to a lunch cost calculator at Feed The Pig, it said that I was saving $900 a year by bringing my lunch to work.

Anyone else have the bring vs. buy lunch debate @ work??

edit: this is the lunch calc. that I used - pretty helpful Lunch Savings Calculator | Feed the Pig

I don't know of anyone who would claim that it's cheaper to buy lunch at work. I work in Manhattan, and it's expensive even to get a sandwich every day.

I most often bring in leftovers to heat in the microwave in our little kitchen area. Even some of the more trendy pizza places are way too much money, but there's always a little hole-in-the-wall pizza place on some side street that you can barely fit five people into that is reasonable and the pizza's usually better, too.

[Sunnydee]

I pack my lunch each day and it's definitely cheaper than buying. If you really want to save money eat the vast majority of your meals at home, don't buy coffee in the morning, don't buy drinks during the day, pack your lunch, and eat supper at home.

[LauraC]

As a person who retired, I can tell you the biggest savings from going from work to retirement, without doing anything special on my part, were these things disappearing or being greatly reduced when I retired:

1. Gasoline and more frequent car upkeep
2. Eating lunch out or buying it in the cafeteria every day
3. Dry cleaning
4. Chipping in for parties/gifts
5. Buying work clothes/shoes
6. Buying take out food for dinner because I worked late and it was too late to start cooking when I got home.

In hindsight, don't know if that would make me brown bag it for lunch, though. But it was a big expense that disappeared when I retired,

[macroy]

Originally Posted by DCguy03

True! Here is how:

(most) everyone gets credit card rewards. now, you can get gift cards, actual cash back, free flights, etc.

Now, if you choose to get fast food gift cards, there is an opportunity cost for making that choice. (see, economics prof. from college - I still remember!)

Since you are getting "free" lunch gift cards, you are giving up the opportunity to get something else of value (like a flight credit or cash back).

What do you all think of this assessment - is it accurate?

Sort of... I think that's just a different choice since the value is the same (but I could be wrong.... even though that was my major ). Remember, economics is based on scarcity. The opportunity cost is more like losing or gaining something based on the choice. Here's my take:

Assuming eating out is going to be $15; and the ingredients for bringing your own food is only $5. But let's say it takes you 10 minutes to make that meal. And you're a lawyer that makes $240 an hour... so instead of finishing up that document for a client, you're spending it making your lunch for the next day. So the opportunity cost here is $40. In essence, its actually cheaper for you to just eat out ($15) vs. making your own lunch ($45).

This is of course, theoretical/academics. In reality, I cannot see how eating out can be cheaper than bringing your own meal assuming you're comparing apples to apples (i.e. bringing in a filet Mignon vs. a happy meal isn't the same). I will say though, eating out to me is a better experience (I typically will work through lunch if I eat my own).

[FW transplant]

Bringing lunch is cheaper and more healthy - if you make it that way. However, eating lunch in a restaurant with co-workers, a friend, or your partner is more fun. Why not both?

[njkate]

I start work early so every day I bring my cheerios & banana for breakfast
yogurt for mid morning snack
lunch...leftovers, sandwich made at home...soup in the winter..whatever but it is brought from home

It's cheaper and much easier for me anyway

[Uconn97]

Its probably cheaper to bring it from home, but for me its the convenience/lazy factor! First, there are always lines in the caf at work to use the microwaves. Second, I have found that if I have some self control in what I buy in the cafeteria its really not that expensive. My customary lunch is one of three soup choices, a small bag of pretzels and water, It ends up costing me less than $3 dollars per day to eat in the cafeteria. Of course there are "splurge" days where I like the special they are having so I will spend the $6 bucks for a meal. Its all a balance I guess, but I do think i would save money if I brought from home.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by FW transplant

Bringing lunch is cheaper and more healthy - if you make it that way. However, eating lunch in a restaurant with co-workers, a friend, or your partner is more fun. Why not both?

Good point! I often bring my lunch from home, and then when we do a lunch out for someone's birthday or something, It doesn't feel so bad springing for a nice lunch with the coworkers.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by formercalifornian

There is no such thing as a free lunch, Pitt Chick. I suspect you're paying for that lunch somewhere else in your budget.

This reminds me of someone I work with. She just got back from Vegas telling everyone she "won" 1000 bucks. Turns out she hit one jack pot but spent 3500 for the weekend.

But yes, brown bagging it is way cheaper. You can eat really well by buying in bulk too. We make enough stuff like smoked meats and salads on the weekend that we have food for the entire week. A loaf of bread is less than a buck and some slices of smoked ham on some bread just can't be beat. Toss in a slice of smoked cheddar....yum! My co-workers spend on average 10 bucks a day in the cafeteria while I spend that for the week.

Stuff that lasts a long while, mashed potatoes, macaroni salads, salads, jellos and such. We divide this all up evenly and make 3-4 days of breakfasts and lunches in advance. It also doesn't hurt to have a garden that produces year round. I have a large part of it set aside as a green house, fresh tomatoes in Feb!

[skaternum]

This thread always gives me the munchies!