Tight for bringing my lunch and coffee to work?

[Skaife]

Just wondering how other people feed themselves at work?

I eat breakfast at home but have a stash of porridge pots to take with an apple, if I’m running late. I also make my own coffee and take it in a flask cup.

I take either leftovers or make a salad/sandwich at home, to take in for lunch. Always nice food. The girl that sits next to me said this is tight! She spends just under £10 a day on breakfast lunch and coffee, as she buys breakfast and coffee at Costa then gets a chain sandwich at lunch - I think this is nuts.

What do other people do? Am I tight?

I've always taken a packed lunch. No way am I going out at lunch time, finding a parking space (no food places within walking distance), queueing up, and spending a fiver on a sandwich. I couldn't care less if people think it's tight, tbh.

I do the same as you (minus the coffee). I occasionally buy lunch at work if I haven't been shopping but 9 times out of 10 I will take something from home.

I can't afford almost 50quid a week to spend on breakfast/lunch from coffee shops or cafes!

No.you are sensible! Tenner a day is £50 a week - I would much rather have a decent meal out in the evening a couple of times a month, or even a weekend away a month rather than waste that much on meals at work. I think a good compromise can be to buy lunch on a Friday as a treat?

Ask her what she’d do with an extra £200 a month, then tell her that’s what you have by bringing your lunch.

She is nuts

Each to their own. I go home most days for lunch - have a sandwich or leftovers and make a coffee to take in with me in the morning and one in the afternoon.

On less organised days I might buy something from the bakers nearby if I can't make it home or have nothing in but I couldn't afford £10 a day!

Even if I could there is nothing worthwhile nearby.

I wouldn't say you're tight but I wouldn't judge her either if that's what she's happy with.

I bring my lunch in, I get a half an hour lunch break!! I’m not wasting my time going out. There’s no where to go near my work anyway so I haven’t really got an option🤷‍♀️

What @ChippyMinton said... ask her what she'd spend £200 spare cash on each month. Chances are she'll be absolutely STUNNED that if she didn't spend her money on lunch, she could spend it on something else.

You're not tight! I've done this for the whole 20 years I have been working. Being thrifty is not being tight, it's healthier as well as being cheaper.
Politely tell your colleague that you'd rather spend your money on fun/experiences/holidays/etc than: poisoning your kidneys with excess salt, clogging up your liver with extra fat, getting diabetes from added sugar or cancer from artificial sweeteners!

When you retire about 5 years earlier than her you can tell her that you think she is stupid.

I religiously meal prep all breakfasts and lunches for the week on a Sunday evening. It takes maximum an hour and costs about £15. It shocks me how casually half my office will go out and spend £7-10 a day on lunch and then coffees etc as well.
Weirdly I earn more than all of them but seemingly they’ve got much more money to burn than I do 🤷🏼‍♀️

I take my own lunch, apart from Friday thats my treat day! We all chuck 50p a week in a kitty for communal milk and tea/coffe.

No way could I (or would I) spend £50 a week on buying lunch / coffee at chain stores.

I usually take my lunch and snacks for the day in and I keep a box of tea bags at work. I might spend £2-3 on buying a sandwich for lunch occasionally but that's it. To me, £10 a day would be a lot to spend.

Each to their own. I'm in a very small office now but back in the day I was 'judged' for bringing in lunches.

Care not a jot.

You’re not tight
I don’t spend money on that stuff

It is very expensive to have a bought lunch. I’ve never understood the obsession with buying coffee either.

You aren't tight.
I usually liked to go out and buy a lunch but I quite admired people who managed to bring lunch in each day.

One day, she'll probably regret that.

I used to buy lunch becos i cudnt be bothered to make lunch. Also bought 2 coffees a day. But now i make the effort to make lunch at home. At my new job the coffee shop is too far so i make my own at work. Probably saves me money but with my poor budgeting i dont really notice. I dont think you are tight to not buy lunches. But i dont think your colleague is wrong for buying hers although she shouldnt be judging you.

The girl next to you is probably trying to justify her own spending to herself. But she’s wrong. Of course it’s not tight to prepare food for yourself. Does she eat out three times a day?

Paying someone to make you a sandwich is hardly cost-efficient when you can make one yourself in less than five minutes, to your exact liking and for a fraction of the cost. And I say that as someone who buys food from the local sandwich shop fairly often, because I have a toddler at home and am disorganised.

No, plenty do at my work and we even have subsided cafe.

We have microwaves for those who bring own in and fridges so store stuff.

Some pretty high ups bring in their own stuff!

Totally sensible! I do treat myself to a coffee now and again.
Any tips for what you prep on a Sunday turned

Thanks everyone!

I wasn’t being judgey, it cropped up in conversation today, so I was just wondering what everyone else did. She said it was a bit tight to bring lunch and coffee every day, I asked her how much she spent. I just said ok though, didn’t say I thought she was nuts for spending that much.

I don’t think much of your colleague. How rude! For all she knows, you might be on a really tight budget.

I've always taken my lunch in, I make mine & DH's every night, in return he washes my car. Saves a fortune and I put the money we 'save' into our holiday account.

It's a real split in our office half think nothing of spending £10 a day and the other half always bring in their own. Bizarrely no one ever comments.

Although she could probably see the mental confusion on my face, as I did the maths!