I need to stop eating at Pret

[CherryBlossomPie]

I cannot afford it. I'm living like its the 00s and its not. Its 2025 and I need to just save the money.

If I invested the £7 a day I spend there do you know how much I'd have in 16 years when I turn 60?

£53,000.

Anyone else up for a starting from scratch to stop eating lunch out thread?

If you put it in a savings account with a 5% interest rate you have around £62K.

I have the same problem.

You will not get 5% every year though. Interest rates on savings soem years have been very low.

As an older teenager I used to buy my lunch there on my Saturday job. Tuna baguette & crisps was a few quid back in the late 90s.

To be fair you wouldn't have the whole £7 / X amount you spend on pret because you would need to pay for other food to replace your lunch- whether it's stuff for a homemade sandwich/ making bigger dinner portions.

If you're working a busy and stressful job it's nice to have the variety and choice as opposed to feeling obliged to eat the same thing all week.

Okay dokey. The plan.

To do a food shop and meal prep lunches for the week ahead.

It's a habit I can break.

I love a meal deal for work and takeaway coffees at the weekend. I know I’m wasting my money but they’re so convenient.

I'll join you!

@Ddakji - same here. I don’t have kids, don’t smoke, drink a couple of times a year, and just want a bit of variety. In addition to that I’m a 20 mile round trip cycle commuter who works in a hot-desk office with no overnight office lockers allowed - I have to ride in with clothes, undies, workbook, laptop, headset, and just can’t cram an apple, banana and sandwich in there too.

I really need to quit the pret/Costa lunches. I’m in the office two days a week, and really do it as I have want a break from the office. Really I need to make a salad etc and go and sit in the park!

I've been paying my lunch money equivalent into a Foresters ISA over the past few years and have saved a few grand. It was really difficult at first and I did fall off the wagon a few times. It has been worth it & I was really shocked at the amount of money I wasted all these years.

I used to regularly spend £10 plus a day on lunch at work - no wonder I’ve saved a small fortune since working from home full time

I do miss my sushi / fruit and kombucha lunches though so now and then I treat myself

I'm in the office 2/3 times a week and prep on Sun night for the week ahead. On Thurs, l pay my lunch money straight into my ISA. So I don't have the money sitting in my account to waste later on.

If you do really need to buy lunch, buy it from small independent cafes and support small businesses, I never go to Costa / Pret /Starbucks anymore, these giants don’t need your business, it’s the smaller establishments that really do

I’ve got a thing about the Pret Chocolate Brownie swirls at the moment. Luckily I only get one one a week, they are £2.99 a go

We regularly used to stop at Pret on the way to football. When it got to around £11 for a baguette, packet of crisps and coffee - started to give it a miss especially when Greg's opened up.

Surely because they earn a wage where they don’t have to even give a second thought to spunking a few quid away a day for the convenience of not making their own lunch, even if it is mediocre.

I agree Pret has got expensive but I disagree it’s substandard. They do really lovely sandwiches and soups.

The Pret chicken laksa soup is worth every penny!

I like the hummus salad. From Pret. I really struggle with the presentation of my homemade salad.
Leak proof containers for my homemade soup etc.

Pret got me a pay rise a few years ago

I’d gone to pret for lunch, came back and told my boss I needed a pay rise (cos of cost of my lunch)

he straight away, what are you thinking and what do you want.

i'd have never asked outright for a pay rise but I did there and then at got the extra cash. I love Pret

Sistema lunch boxes are really good. For some reason I seem to pack better lunches in them, and am more inclined to eat them.

I got so sick of hearing about bloody Pret a Manger over Covid, and how we all had to go back out in the world to keep the sandwich chain in business, I've never eaten there since! Ditto to everyone having to get back to the office rather than work from home. I swear someone high up, has a load of shares in it.

We only have Pret at the airport, never for office lunch. DS19 went to uni and his rugby sized portion was enough for two lunches, mind you he’s back now - they only seem to be at uni a few months- so that could pose a challenge.

I do love their Bircher muesli though.

For me the trick is to pack food you really enjoy, and extra in case you get hungry. I used to work 12 hour night shifts so always had extra food in case someone forgot their lunch etc or I wanted a snack
I would do cold roast chicken, crispy bacon, loads of salad and mayo and salt and pepper on ciabatta and it was so good

I find making a sandwich with sourdough bread keeps you fuller, so that’s all I need for a few hours.

I haven’t eaten at Pret since their incompetent labelling killed Natasha Ednan-Laperouse. Must have saved a fortune.