Spending Over £25 A Day to Work

I made an Instagram and Twitter post a couple of days ago about how I used to spend around £25 a day at work on coffees, lunches, snacks, and whatever else helped me get through the countless hours at my desk.

And this post seemed to resonate with a lot of people who shared they were also "guilty" of the same thing. I did have one person though seriously question why I wouldn't just bring my lunch in or bring a thermal flask to work with me.

If only if it was that simple - or is it?

There were a couple of things that acted as hinderances to me just bringing in my own lunch and coffees:
1. Lack of Time - the reality behind the working world for most is that work pretty much consumes the vast majority of your time. When you get home at the end of the day, all you want to do is RELAX. And in the mornings before work, all you want to do is get an extra 10 minutes in bed. So very easily you end up not having the time to prepare to bring in your work lunch or prepare a morning coffee, and it ends up being a grab and go situation.
2. Work/Office Culture - Depending on where you work, it could very much be a part of the culture that lunch time means going to get something to eat. It can feel quite weird or isolating if you're the only one always bringing in your lunch. And if you're someone who likes a good chat, you can miss out on some good office "gossip" as the rest of your colleagues head out for lunch.

However, despite the reasons listed above, it all boils down to what I was doing to my pockets on a weekly basis. When I was brave enough to comb through my transactions, I realised I was spending around £25 A DAY on food and drinks alone. This doesn't even take into consideration the amount I would spend on transport to get to work!

But what is really painful is when you calculate how much you earn per day vs.  how much you spend per day on transport and food.  Essentially, you can run the risk of pretty much paying to work - OUCH!

I think everything in life is about balance. Some times it is of course ok to grab a lunch at work, or head out for a coffee break. But making it the standard can be dangerous territory for your pockets, and really can make a big impact on your finances over time.