To hate packing food to take to work

[waitingforautumn]

I live just outside and work in central London. Cost of living rising means I'm starting to feel guilty about the money spent on coffee, breakfast and lunch at work. I do somewhat 'budget' for this (i.e. am single, no kids, don't care for designer stuff etc, walk where I can rather than train or bus). However I do realise how much I could save if I were really disciplined about going to the supermarkets and stocking up for a week of homemade lunches and prepped breakfasts, which do sound appealing in theory..

Only issue is, I REALLY tend to miss buying things out - esp lunch. Just being able to pick something new each day, made with ingredients I wouldn't usually buy. I just feel like I eat more healthily/get more variety when I allow myself this. There's the option of sandwiches and baguettes (Pret/Paul/Leon type thing) plus lots of hot options where I work. I also love a good old Tesco meal deal so often have that for lunch too (love the mix and matching element).

Can cheapen breakfast by stopping at a supermarket bakery on way (£1 for a pastry rather than say £2.50). And it's still lovely (am a sucker for pastries and now associate office days with getting one). In the past I've made overnight oats and did keep that up for a while but got out of the habit after the pandemic return to work, and also loathe the washing up part at the office sink.😆

Is it me or is there something nice about strolling to work with a coffee you didn't have to make yourself, a fresh pastry and picking up a lunch you didn't have to plan way in adv or prep?!

I do wonder if this is quite a London thing with all the variety around. Have to be up around 6.30 to get around without the trains/tubes being busy so it feels to early to eat something before leaving home - and I'm always hungry when I sit down having had to walk past upteen bakeries to get in! I feel stopping for coffee/food helps make the working day nicer, I can pick something I fancy there and then. Few colleagues bring anything to eat from home and get all their meals/drinks out for the day so this really feels like the norm. We must all be spending anywhere from £5-£15 a day on all this. 🤔

Nobody single from my generation can afford to get on the housing ladder here anyway, even with decent savings. Some of my friends easily spend £35 a pop getting nails done every 3 weeks, which is outrageous to me. So I'm inclined to say whatever treats get you through life?!

AIBU? Am I lazy? Do I need to find another source of joy in my life? Writing this on the train on the way to work obvs and I have absolutely nothing on me for the day ahead!

Home made lunches are the same as going for a walk and taking a picnic. I can't get down to my walk properly until I have eaten my entire picnic- well before lunchtime and sometimes in the carpark.

I agree and when I worked in town, choosing a Pret lunch was the highlight of my day. I also hate making sandwiches!

DP however sees food solely as fuel - he doesn't care what he eats - and would rather save the money.

Could you pack your lunch the night before?
Take leftovers from dinner?
Do half and half homemade vs shop bought to make you feel less guilty?

Those saying Pret food isn't good are mad. Everyone knows Pret is like crack. Fuck knows what they put in it (and I'm sure it's not healthy) but everything just tastes SO good.

I can totally relate with the pastry and coffee on the way to work thing - it was one of those simple pleasures that made me very happy when I was commuting. If I were you, I'd keep the coffee element and maybe a pastry for a treat a couple of times a week, then take in your own breakfast from home the rest of the time. I'd then prepare a lovely, varied packed lunch and treat myself to something bought once a week. Mixing things up just makes you appreciate the treats more, and obviously saves you money!

Mother** you're amazing thanks for these! And yes ... I have the THTG app > huge fist punch in the air < which may offset all the other daft food spending I'll do!
Appreciate these suggestions and shall check them out.

Although DD is obsessed with going to Chinatown which will be a first for her so any budget but amazing lunch ideas would also be welcome!

Sorry to hijack your thread OP - I'll eat several overpriced pastries whilst there as penance

Actually OP the Too Good to Go app is sn excellent idea ... lots of breakfast and lunch goodies

Hello! Gosh where to start. Almond croissants from anywhere - Gail's, Paul, Sainsbs bakery or the office cafes are a staple.

Lunches - halloumi wraps, paninis, fish and chip Fridays (£8!), pasta bakes and that from the canteen, jacket potatoes, katsus, chicken and chips... There are street markets certain days too. Beyond the office canteens anything from Pret, Wasabi, Leon, Itsu, Paul, supermarkets... the list goes on! Lots of local independents too so not just chains about. Nice to socialise at lunch too and go somewhere that isn't a diff corner of the office.

Sainsburys are my fav little express supermarkets as you can get really nice cheesey savory pastries and pizzas which the others don't really have (the alternatives on my route anyway). And they count as a meal deal snack.

What about you!

There are some really nice packed lunches you can make yourself. I don't work in an office anymore, but when I did it was right on the outskirts of town so nowhere to buy lunch so I had no choice.

First off, you can jazz up your sandwiches a bit to make you look forward to them. Buy nice bread, maybe a sprinkle of lemon juice, salad, or nice condiments in them... I used to buy posh ham or roast beef slices, do prawn and mayo, or mix up a bowl of tuna and sweetcorn, egg mayonnaise, coronation chicken, or chicken and avocado to last two or three days. Sausage sandwiches... brie and cranberry sauce...

I also used to experiment with pasta salads, my favourite one involved pesto, avocado, pepper, sweetcorn and tuna... again, if you make a massive bowl then it can last you 3 days, although I'm sure you can find loads of inspo online for one that appeals to you.

I'd then sometimes bake either a banana loaf or flapjack and cut it up to last the week. Round off with a piece of fruit.

Another thing I used to do was bring leftovers from yesterday's dinner, if appropriate for reheating. Anything with pasta works well, or stews, shove in a tupperware, reheat in the microwave. I find you tend to look forward to those meals a bit more than cold ones but that could just be me.

If you've got access to a fridge at work you could buy a pot of houmous and bread sticks to leave in the fridge and have as a side dish to last 2 or 3 days.

The dried food section in the supermarkets do some quick lunchy-type items for when you can't be bothered to prep. Obviously there's things like pot noodles but they also now do fancy rice thingys, and John Wests do some really nice fishy pasta salads if that's your thing.

You can also look online for packed lunch inspiration, experiment around to find something that works for you (i.e. that you like AND don't find too much faff to prepare.)

It can feel like faff sometimes, but at the end of the day it only takes 10 minutes to make a sandwich and if you only eat lunch out a couple of times a week then it makes those times feel more special and you enjoy them more, in my personal experience.

And the value of saving while young cannot be replicated in middle age.

Putting away that cash now instead of spending it on consumables will lead to having more choices and security in your 40s, 50s and beyond.

Throwing away so much on pastries, salads and coffee is incomprehensible to me. That said you don't have to justify your choices to anyone. Just be aware that the true cost is a lot more than what you fork over at the till.

Dear OP, you are not lazy and if you can afford it you should absolutely carry on enjoying buying your lunches out. We all have things in life that bring us joy and everyone is different! Plus, as previous posters have said, you're supporting those local businesses and they will love you for it.

I also hate packing lunch for work, as I can never think about what I want to eat for lunch the night before (usually after I've just eaten dinner, so the thought of food is just bleauuurgh). I invariably get it wrong and end up with something utterly joyless which I'm just eating to assuage the hunger pangs.

Unfortunately, I have little option, due to location and only having half an hour for lunch. 😢

The Breakfast Club by London Bridge also a hit

//

Cheers OP ... added to my list

Late to the party.....but I'm with you OP.

I HATE meal planning and having my boring grey food laid out for me a week in advance. I will just never do it. Mum of two as well, and I don't plan their meals either.

I'm starting to really notice that I am spending a fortune on food, so I guess I'll need to reign it in a bit.

I don't buy coffees out, as usually they are so calorific, that it is best to avoid them. However, I love munching on some nice, juicy, warm, recently cooked food, or else a lovely freshly prepared and generous wrap. It's not all about the food either, going out for lunch, gives your lunchtime purpose, and makes us get out of the office and breaks up the day a little.

I've given up on going to restaurants for lunch as they are too expensive, even a basic sandwich at €12 per day is too much, often the restaurant ingredients are not good quality.

I usually don't eat breakfast, get a coffee in work instead (free) and drink water. Starving by lunch time and usually get something to go from a supermarket or deli (not very fancy!!). I eat half at lunch and the second half later in the day.

I have to cook an evening meal, for my kids, so I'll have a small amount of what they are having. I must start bringing soups into work/buying soup from a deli. Not too unhealthy and relatively cheap.

There is more to buying food out, than being too lazy to cook from home. There is a walk, and a choice to be made, and interaction outside of the same faces in the office every day. We have to spend some money.

Thank you for this very constructive and motivating comment. Noting down with the other helpful ones!

I also love buying things for lunch different interesting things but I'm now eating a sad packed lunch or leftovers from the hospital trolley 🤣🤣🤣🤮

As a compromise, what about getting some of the more posh supermarket ready meals, salads etc to take in as a treat? They can be much cheaper than what you are now buying, but still a lot of variety and easier than making it yourself.

There's still the issue of wanting the excuse for a walk at lunchtime. It's true that it's really nice to get out of the office. Maybe you can think of another enjoyable reason to stretch your legs besides buying food.

it doesn't seem worth the stress of spending 1.5-2 hours a week preparing packed lunches

@Goldbar - they must be some sandwiches if it’s taking you that long to make them!

Hii! Love you for this comment thanks for all the support and tips coming in, there are takeaways for us all here if we want them :)

It's a balance op. If you can afford £15 a day on coffees and breakfast/lunch out, that's your prerogative. If you would prefer an extra £200 a month in the bank that's also your prerogative.

In my 20s I didn't think twice about buying lunch every day. Coffee/tea water my employers provided and there wasn't the same coffee culture.

Now I'm in my 60s I get a frisson of excitement from picking up a 52p reduced sarnie in M&S or from taking in last night's leftovers. I drive to work and take a thermos - the work kitchen is dire, coffee on site is £2.70 and I run on coffee. Still have a treat occasionally.

If you can afford it and you enjoy it then why not?

At least you are supporting the infrastructure and jobs and contributing to society. You only live once. If you feel guilty then just cut it back a little. Breakfast OR Lunch or not every working day.

It's like when I used to buy huge boxes of reduced chocolates from Thorntons.

The assistant would say "Mind - they're close to date. Really they should be eaten by tomorrow" and I would think "No danger there. This lot'll be lucky to make it to the bus stop, pet"

What makes this a "breakfast set"? Its a standard sealed jar with a spoon (I'm assuming the OP already has spoona at home).

Also glass jars are breakable and relatively heavy, not idea for lugging around on trains and buses. Generally better for SM photos than practical everyday use.

Personally I’d get a pret coffee subscription if I were you and grab a coffee on the way in and at lunchtime and on the way home too. Value for money if you use it!

£1 pastry sounds fine too. I think it’s lunches which are expensive. Have you thought about grabbing a meal deal on the way in? The salads are pretty decent, get yourself a nice lunch bag. That way breakfast, lunch and coffee are coming in at about a fiver a day.

All the bright young things in our offices and with our clients bring in their own lunches - often in bento boxes, leakproof plastic soup mugs, reheatable tupperware type boxes. The trip out for lunch is occasional whether working in London or elsewhere.

Its the older workers who are the main lunch and coffee buyers, particularly men but a fair few of the women as well.

I rarely buy food but my first activity when going to a new client is to identify the nearest Caffe Nero (or equivalent).

Can I just thank OP for this thread, and all of you lot for replying.

I've laughed at the day comments and got some good ideas from the serious ones. (and ordered a salad book from Amazon - can't recall who recommended it, but thank you!

It's been a lot of fun. 😄

I've been making packed lunches for my DC since they started school in September and I'm getting quicker but it does take me around 10-15 minutes to do the sandwich/noodle salad/pasta or whatever, peel and slice fruit and veg, put some other bits and pieces in and pack everything properly. Then there's time spent cleaning out and washing lunch boxes in the evening and of course planning lunches for the next week and actually doing the shopping for them. It's a faff, I wish DC would have school meals instead and it easily adds a couple of hours a week to my workload.