Lunch is Expensive

[Oliveloaf]

No statistics to back this up, but it is my impression that it has gotten stupid expensive to go out for lunch.

Note that I am guilty of dining out every day, which is hugely indulgent, I realize.

Still, it's tough to have lunch at most non-burger fast-food places for less than sawbuck.

So my questions:

Are you, like me, too lazy to pack a lunch despite the expense?

Do you get the feeling the eating at restaurants has gotten much more expensive in the last couple of years?

Who really bites the bullet and hits Starbucks in the morning, then goes out to lunch as well?
(This get's really crazy if you have to buy smokes, as well.)

[NinetyWt]

I work half the day at my home office, and the other half at my 'away' office. That makes it easy for me to eat lunch at home. I also have coffee at home.

Back when I worked downtown every day, I brought my lunch. Often it was a frozen dinner (Lean Cuisine or such).

I will get takeout about two or three times a month, if I'm pressed for time.

I quit buying smokes in October of '07.


My hubby is the opposite. He always buys lunch. He also smokes. He probably spends $100 a week on lunches and cigs.

[Oliveloaf]

I My hubby is the opposite. He always buys lunch. He also smokes. He probably spends $100 a week on lunches and cigs.

Whoa. Ouch. I figure I am good for $60 a week for lunches. Toss in another $10 or so for morning iced tea. So I guess I am nearly as spendy.

[Zuul]

When I buy lunch, I'll usually spend around $40 a week or so. It gets awfully expensive awfully fast. I've stopped taking money to work with me because of this, so that I have to prepare food ahead of time or just suffer. The threat of suffering has suddenly made me capable of finding the time to prepare food before work. Go figure!

[MsRobyn]

I used to do the Starbucks and lunch thing. Then I realized that it was stupid to spend so much on something I can do better and more cheaply at home. I also started having lunch at the supermarket's cafe, because that was still cheaper than eating at an actual restaurant.

[XJETGIRLX]

We try to do leftovers for lunch. If I do have to go out for lunch, I try to hit up someplace like Subway. I can get a footlong for $5, and that will last me two days. I never buy the combo meals and I keep a water bottle with me for drinking. My husband treated me to lunch on Friday and I just finished the leftovers from that today. I would guess I spend maybe $15 or so a week on eating out for lunch.

Edited to add: Where I work, we get coffee, tea, and hot chocolate for free. It's nice not to have to buy coffee, because that would add up for me. I can only drink decaf now but I still enjoy a cup in the morning.

[Johnny]

I get my coffee at the mini-mart when I refuel in the morning. I have my own cup, so it's free.

I telecommute two days a week, so I don't go out to lunch those days (today, for example). Sometimes when I go to the office I'll pack some leftovers, but usually I'll get something downtown. A footlong Subway sandwich is $5.48 including tax, and a really good teriyaki bento box is $9.70 (or thereabouts -- they've just raised the prices) including tax. Or I might pick something up at Pike Place Market. A few weeks ago I got some very good pickled herring for under three bucks.

I'm thinking I might start packing Vegemite sandwiches for lunch. Cheap, easy, tasty, and chockful of vitamins. I can get a piece of fruit at the Market.

[NinetyWt]

Whoa. Ouch. I figure I am good for $60 a week for lunches. Toss in another $10 or so for morning iced tea. So I guess I am nearly as spendy.

Now that I think about it for a minute, he buys gas for his truck (and whiskey) out of that too. So probably just as spendy.

[Sarahfeena]

I call the suburb I work in the land of the $10 lunch. Unless you go to McDonald's, you're in it for at least 8 bucks.

[Oliveloaf]

I call the suburb I work in the land of the $10 lunch. Unless you go to McDonald's, you're in it for at least 8 bucks.

Well, all those just-over-value-meal places are $10 it seems. Noodles & Company, Panera, Corner Bakery.

I've noticed that the value meals at Burger King break $8.00 in some cases.

[Wheresgeorge04]

Well, I'm trying to lose weight, so no more lunches out. But I used to spend $8.00 plus, every time, unless I went to McDonald's and ordered from the value menu. And even that's gone way up - from $4.20 for 2 doubles and a large fry, to something like $5.68 last time.

But now, grocery store shopping is crazy expensive - easily up 20% in the last year. It seems like the baseline price for everything is $5.00.

Joe

[silenus]

I've dumped lunch entirely. Too expensive, too much trouble to make ahead, and I refuse to patronize the school lunch system for a myriad reasons. So I eat breakfast and then just tough it out until dinner. It's not like I work at a calorie-burning job.

[Wheresgeorge04]

We try to do leftovers for lunch. If I do have to go out for lunch, I try to hit up someplace like Subway. I can get a footlong for $5,

Huh. I had no idea they were doing this promotion. Perhaps they should write a catchy jingle.

*stabs self in ears*

Joe

[Oliveloaf]

Well, I'm trying to lose weight, so no more lunches out. But I used to spend $8.00 plus, every time, unless I went to McDonald's and ordered from the value menu. And even that's gone way up - from $4.20 for 2 doubles and a large fry, to something like $5.68 last time.

But now, grocery store shopping is crazy expensive - easily up 20% in the last year. It seems like the baseline price for everything is $5.00.

Joe

Here's a little Dollar Menu sneak:

I noticed while driving through for my morning iced tea (rant: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=729) that the Dollar Menu Double Cheeseburger is now the Double Hamburger with Cheese.
The diff? Once slice of cheese.

Makes you wonder how many Dollar Menu loyalists are now more likely to suffer from some osteoporosis.

[Ferret Herder]

I'm trying to pack a lunch regularly, but I get lazy. Plus I hate having such a tiny freezer (above-fridge version) because I'd prefer to make up a big variety of lunch-sized portions and freeze them for use, but I can only make so many before the freezer's full. At least it's cheaper here at my workplace to eat, but the food quality can vary considerably.

[Rube E. Tewesday]

I like buying lunch.

(a) It makes me leave my office.

(b) It reminds me that whatever else I dislike about my job, it pays enough that I can buy lunch.

[featherlou]

We sort of split the difference and try to eat Safeway pre-made sandwiches for lunch (I tried making them from scratch, but that just doesn't happen). When I'm not working, I almost never eat lunch out. I don't buy coffees or sodas, either. I'm a frugal person - I bring all my day's food with me from home.

[Cluricaun]

I didn't eat lunch for the longest time, I'd just skip it. Breakfast too. I don't wake up early enough to eat, and I work too hard to stop. That's exceedingly unhealthy though, and my body was starting to let me know if so now it's either leftovers (which I plan to have based on meal sizes so they're exceeding cheap) or the $1 cans of Chef Boy Are You Sorry cans of .0002oz of beefaroni or ravioli. It's not going to fill you up, but it's better than nothing.

I refuse to pay more than nearly nothing. Not that I don't want the Baconator and Biggie fries, I just can't see paying almost $10 for a fast food meal, and a sit down lunch can easily crack the food budget for the entire week.

[Oliveloaf]

Speaking of cracking the budget...

A Red Robin just opened in the area, and me and the staff have headed on down a couple of time already. Mighty good stuff, but the burgers start at $9.29. They come with all-you-can-eat fries, but still, that seems rich. Toss in a drink, tax and tip, and you just spent minimum wage X 2 on lunch.

[hopesperson]

I like buying lunch.

(a) It makes me leave my office.

(b) It reminds me that whatever else I dislike about my job, it pays enough that I can buy lunch.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I generally work about 12 hours a day. Going out to lunch gives me an excuse to get out of here for a little while.

[troubleagain]

I bring a loaf of bread, and sandwich meat, and keep them in a little fridge in my office.

[Oliveloaf]

And since when is a large drink at McDonald's $1.90, plus tax?

They played this one well. Over the summer, participating restaurants in Chicago sold $1.00 fountain bevs.

At the end of summer, the prices came back up, and well beyond, the old numbers. By then, I suspect, a lot
of drive-through folks were hooked on the idea of grabbing a Coke for the commute.

[Sarahfeena]

Speaking of cracking the budget...

A Red Robin just opened in the area, and me and the staff have headed on down a couple of time already. Mighty good stuff, but the burgers start at $9.29.

:shock:

[eleanorigby]

There's a pub near my second job that has $2 burgers on Tuesdays (the day I'm usually there), so that is nice. Of course, you add a drink and fries or a salad and it does add up. Still, the food is good. I pay that much or more for really crappy food at my first job (except I don't anymore because I refuse to pay good money for bad food anymore). It does add up quickly, though.

[Hockey Monkey]

I have a little cooler that I try to toss something into on the way out the door in the mornings. I used to eat lunch out every day, but the office chair started getting stuck on my butt when I would stand up, so I'm trying to cut back. Not really, but I have gained a bunch of weight on this job. Also, financially, I'm not doing nearly as good this year as last year. Every little bit I can save helps.

I cook steel cut oats in the crock pot and get 4 servings that I take to work for breakfasts. Coffee is free at the office (thank god), and for lunch I either grab a leftover or toss some deli meat and bread in the cooler and make a sandwich at work. I have one soft drink per day that I bring from home, and the rest of my thirst needs are met with a sugar free drink mix that I get for cheap at Target. Their Cherry-Limeade is pretty darn good.

I just can't afford to eat lunch out anymore. It's a shame too. I did enjoy getting out of the office when I could.

[Cluricaun]

I did enjoy getting out of the office when I could.

I think this is one of the reasons I still enjoy smoking so much. I get to get up and say fuck this for a few minutes a couple times a day (I don't actually take a lunch, so it's cool. I'm not one of those once an hour jackass smokers that's essentially on break all day) and mentally it's really quite refreshing. I go and smoke one and read my book for a minute.

[Hockey Monkey]

I quit smoking over a year ago and it was great to get out, step away, take a little break. Trouble with me was, I could essentially stay on a smoke break all day. At my job, my whole day depends on if I have any customers or not. Today we didn't sell anything at all. I had a couple phone calls and a 30 minute meeting first thing this morning and I did nothing but surf the net and play Pogo the entire day. If I were still smoking, I probably could have smoked a whole pack or more. Even smoking didn't really take me far away from the desk...my office is right at the door with the ashcan, so on busy days it was more like "Give me a couple minutes"...puff puff puff...and right back at it.

I'm glad I don't smoke anymore.

[tirial]

Restaurants have definitely got more expensive recently. I've changed the one I use for writing to a small cafe with a pot of tea for £1.60. In the restaurant I used to go to it's now crept up to around £3.00.

[scareyfaerie]

I buy two packs of salad leaves, two packs of sliced flame-grilled chicken, some scallions and peppers...and that's lunch for four days. The other day, I go to one of the outlets on campus either for a jacket potato or yet more salad. I gave up on pre-made sandwiches a long time ago when everything started getting slathered in mayo.

[DeadlyAccurate]

I fix my husband a lunchbox every morning that covers both his breakfast and lunch (I don't work outside the home, so I make my own meals). While we could technically afford for him to eat out every day, it seems like such a waste of money, easily double what we spend on frozen lunches. Also, all his coworkers who do eat out every day are morbidly obese. (When I was working last year at a small company, I noticed the same thing. The coworkers who brought their lunches were thin or at most slightly overweight. The ones who went out every day were obese). So that alone is a good reason for him not to do it. When he does join them for lunch (about twice a month), it costs $10-$15 each time.

[zweisamkeit]

I pack my lunch and only buy lunch at work perhaps once a month. I like saving money and making my own food so I know exactly what goes into it.

I use my lunch hour to go to the gym (it's just down the street) and work out. The benefits are many:

- You get to get out of freakin' work
- If you work out hard enough, you can't wait to stop and get back TO work since it'll be rest.
- You get some exercise when you're a lard-ass at a desk job.

[Truth and Beauty]

I have a rule - I allow myself a one-day a week lunch out. The rest of the time I pack a lunch. If you buy a small, fancy frozen pizza and heat it up at work you can have a restaurant-style meal for a fraction of the restaurant price.

[troubleagain]

For all of you who need lunch as an excuse to get out of your office--what's wrong with eating your lunch, then going for a walk? I do that sometimes when it's not horribly hot, or raining.

[Rube E. Tewesday]

For all of you who need lunch as an excuse to get out of your office--what's wrong with eating your lunch, then going for a walk? I do that sometimes when it's not horribly hot, or raining.

Nothing wrong with it -- it's just that if my lunch is already in my office, I'm more likely to stay there, instead of getting up and walking around, since "I have to get lunch anyway".

Mostly, though, I just like buying lunch better than brown-bagging it.