Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$24k, HHI 50k..... No debt of any kind

This isn't possible.

I actually think it is. DH worked with a single guy who only had beer in his fridge, so he ate out three times a day!!! That adds up, even at a cheap place.

Don't wanna know. Don't have any money problems though, so I don't really care.

Rarely bring a lunch. A pain in the ass. We never have leftovers and I get tired of sandwiches.

Anonymous wrote:ZERO.

I refuse to eat food a filthy hand touched. My son worked in a high class restaurant during his first year in college. If I repeated what he told me he personally witnessed in that kitchen, none of you would ever eat out again.

So the poster claiming only boring poor people bring their lunches is wrong but you go on eating dirty food. There's a surprise just waiting to infect your intestines.

Yes I do enjoy my salad I bring from home. I have an herb garden and choose lots of different veggies/dressings etc to make them different. My co-workers sometimes joke that they wish they could buy from me. We eat out 1/week + DH buys lunch a few days a week. Family of 4 HHI 250K. Maybe $3000 a year. Not really including vacations in there though.

Anonymous wrote:$24k, HHI 50k..... No debt of any kind

This isn't possible.

$24k, HHI 50k..... No debt of any kind

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you claiming 1-3k. Have you actually sat down and calculated lunches, coffees, take out, etc.

I always thought that we spent somewhere in the 5k range annually until one year I decided to save ALL of my receipts.

Yes, we use Quicken to track expenses. We cook and eat at home and bring in lunches from home, DH drinks tea that we brew at home too. I brew my coffee at home.

I always feel sorry for people bringing lunches from home every single day. And not because they are poor, it's because I perceive them as being cheap, boring and inflexible.

Bizarre. I don't bring lunch from home everyday but when I do it is usually much better, much more varied and much healthier than what I would buy nearby. So next time that I sit at my desk and eat my grilled tilapia taco with mango salsa or caramelized onion shrimp cous cous (leftovers I've cooked from scratch and bought from home), I'll remember that I'm perceived as "cheap, boring and inflexible". I'll remember that in particular as I see you sitting there eating your sandwich from Cosi or your burrito from Chipotle.

Wow. I've been trying to reduce our eating out bill which I thought was extortionate. We have consistently spent $500 a month (average) for the last few years. We're now a family of four. That would be $6k a year. Seems low compared to some of you.

We eat at lower cost places, generally (not fast food, but more casual places) and actually eating fresh home cooked food does not work out much cheaper than eating out.

Anonymous wrote:ZERO.

I refuse to eat food a filthy hand touched. My son worked in a high class restaurant during his first year in college. If I repeated what he told me he personally witnessed in that kitchen, none of you would ever eat out again.

So the poster claiming only boring poor people bring their lunches is wrong but you go on eating dirty food. There's a surprise just waiting to infect your intestines.

Please do tell

ZERO.

I refuse to eat food a filthy hand touched. My son worked in a high class restaurant during his first year in college. If I repeated what he told me he personally witnessed in that kitchen, none of you would ever eat out again.

So the poster claiming only boring poor people bring their lunches is wrong but you go on eating dirty food. There's a surprise just waiting to infect your intestines.

Anonymous wrote:

I always feel sorry for people bringing lunches from home every single day. And not because they are poor, it's because I perceive them as being cheap, boring and inflexible.

Only if lunch is your idea of excitement! Which really says more about you, in my opinion.
I know a ton of people from my office who buy lunches every single day, but have never been outside the US. I guess they get the same kick from buying indian food from a food truck as I do from hiking in the Alps or the Atlas mountains.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bringing lunch from home is MUCH less caloric than the majority of takeout downtown.

Yes, but when are you lying on your death bed are you going to say "Ah, I really enjoyed that salad I brought in for lunch every day"

Life is short. Live it.

Are you going to say "I really loved that salad I bought for lunch every day?"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you claiming 1-3k. Have you actually sat down and calculated lunches, coffees, take out, etc.

I always thought that we spent somewhere in the 5k range annually until one year I decided to save ALL of my receipts.

Yes, we use Quicken to track expenses. We cook and eat at home and bring in lunches from home, DH drinks tea that we brew at home too. I brew my coffee at home.

I always feel sorry for people bringing lunches from home every single day. And not because they are poor, it's because I perceive them as being cheap, boring and inflexible.

How do you feel about people living way beyond their means? Not cheap, boring or inflexible, just foolish. And I NEVER bring my lunch from home.

There is a lot in between.

Anonymous wrote:Really??? You spent $20K just on eating at restaurants? Holy crap. We spent $4K and I thought that was too much. (and we make $285K).

Only 4K?

Where do you eat? Ruby Tuesdays?

My best guess is around $10k per year.