Price of a New Job: Food
This post continues the discussion of unexpected or underestimated costs associated with a new job. This series looks at clothing, transportation, food, and professional fees.
Food: A new job may present or renew challenges of keeping within a lunch budget.
You could be leaving a position where there were endless opportunities of lunch options and joining a company with only a burger joint nearby. If this is the case, you’ll probably start saving and need to take time at home to actually pack a lunch.
However, if you’ve just entered a company amidst enticing lunch options, then you may face a bigger challenge. If you’re used to bringing your lunch, you may be able to walk blindly past all of the food places and continue your established ritual. However, if you’ve been starved for a variety of eating establishments, you may feel like you’ve struck a gold mine – at a price.
Because food and dining out is a common personal finance topic, this is a condensed list of suggestions and comments for reducing the impact of food on your wallet:
1) Tink about the reasoning behind your lunch choices:
- Is getting out of the office for lunch necessary for your stress level?
- Do you have the motivation to leave the office if you are not going out to eat?
- Do you find restaurant atmospheres relaxing or energizing?
- Do you develop better bonds with coworkers if you dine together regularly — does this require eating out or can you meet in the lunch or board room?
- Do you consider good dining a part of your standard of living?
2) Think of ways to meet your daily expectations in a way that fits your budget and your personal preferences.
- If eating out gives you a break from the office that you wouldn’t take otherwise, budget for it and enjoy your time without feeling guilty.
- If you work in an area full of great places and you enjoy good food, then decide how often you want to eat out and budget for it.
- If you love eating out but are focused on saving money, remind yourself why each time your pack your lunch or skip eating out.
3) Develop money saving suggestions based on your personal preferences.
- Visit places that have the best daily specials (price and quality).
- Order dishes that will give you enough leftovers for another day or more.
- Pack a lunch at home for every day or some days.
- Buddy up with someone willing to split plates.
- Balance how often you eat out for lunch with dining out for dinner.
Price of a New Job Series: Clothing, Transportation, Food, Professional Fees