[alasam]

So I started another semester of school on Monday and realized that my food expenses will murder my weekly budget if I keep up my current pace since I literally eat every meal while I am out and about. On an average day I was spending about $30 on food!

* $5 breakfast
* $8 - $10 lunch
* $8 - $10 dinner
* $3 - $5 snacks/coffee/etc

The bummer is I have a totally hectic schedule so cooking isn't always feasible for me, so I've always ended up not bringing food from home. But my tune has quickly changed and I am astounded (although intuitively I knew bringing lunch was cheaper) by the savings. With less than $75, I have ample supplies to keep me well fed for 2 weeks! Not to mention that I am eating a lot healthier since I can check the nutritional contents of what I am eating.

I'm curious for 20+ b/c by now you start to pull away from the safety of parental sponsorship (even if you still live at home) and it was crazy to me that I was scrimping and saving everywhere but the food area. Lunch time is always a social time for me to get out of the office and relax with coworkers and dinner is a hurried fast-food meal before class/church or another social time to hang with class mates/church family. That's all well and good, but this year has been chock full of long hours and it started to show in pounds and an emptier wallet. The deeper I get into my 20s the more critically I study where I allocate my funds and this year I resolved how wasted an investment food is.

So what's your food expense philosophy at the ripe old age of 20 something? Are you a ballin' or a frugal foodie?

[K.A.T.]

My boss pays for my lunch. My bf pays for my dinner. I only brown bag it if I have good left-overs IF I cooked the night before. Also, my patients bring me lotsa treats. It's nice to be surrounded by kind people.

[erure]

I totally realized that too but I haven't taken any big steps towards changing... I packed lunches a lot this summer but only because I had no time to eat in between my lab... I almost always pack water and pb&j =_=;; I made a legitimately packed lunch (rice with banchan) only once lol.

[Pogichinoy]

I pack the Starbucks food that my gf brings home, and once a week a team lunch with steak. Used to spend quite a lot on lunches before, but cut back because the money could go to something more worthwhile.

[Searesrayne]

Well I when I'm not going to school I just munch off my parents food ,but when it's during school and its around lumch time and I go to an eat in restaurant or anything that has large portions I usally eat half and save the rest for dinner so I don't have to spend more money and plus why would i get waste money when I still got something to eat.

I don't think spending money on food is a waste... I eat out to reward myself ^__^.. but I do limit myself.hehehe

[HERMIT]

I brown bag my crappy cooking from home.

Then I recycle the brown bag by using it to throw up.

[j00n]

I eat out with co-workers.

[LennyRin]

if im not too tired and if i have time then i pack a cute little lunch lols.. forreals.. i still pack it in those little japanese lunch bentos =].. wow.. and im 20 lol.. i try not to snack and i usually eat once a day so my lunch box is sufficient enough to last me.. i only go out to eat if friends wanna go or if i dont pack.. but man, i cant afford to do that anymore O_o

[Temoin la Nuit]

I invest in networking at lunch.. no brown bagging

[derrek]

I brown bag it, eating out is expensive and gets old, I like to make my own food

[j_boog]

when i use to work a lot i would go out and eat cuz i was never home. and what made it worse was eating with my girlfriend cuz i would always pay for everything, and making 1600 dollars a month started to deplete pretty quickly,

school is where the food is the most expensive, i just had a small bowl of pasta which is about the size of a rice bowl and it cost me 4 dollars.

[SeX1eStAsaBa]

I brown paper bag it and am a lunch time baller, lol. I normally would just have a limit of $50/week to get at restaurants. Even that got expensive, so I went to the super market for microwavable foods. That also was expensive.....and unhealthy. I later just started cooking for myself and only $100 can last me for a whole month. From time to time, I do eat out with my friends.

[she-smiles]

i use to eat out all the time last semester.
but i learned my lesson. i wasted money and gained weight (sigh).
so i've been trying to cut back on that.
i actually have more free time this semester, so i'm cooking a lot more nowadays.

[CatGoesMeow]

imma lunch time baller!! LOL Dinner time too

[x0ny]

on an average day I spend maybe 5$, else 0. I make staff meal so I eat off of that. I eat while I work, and if Im really hungry then I take some staff meal home with me. All free, comes out of my paycheck at 10$/week =D

[sylphid97]

I'm lucky. My mom still makes my food for me. I go home every weekend and bring back about 2 weeks worth of food (for lunch only).

For lunch, I usually pack rice, meat, soupy vegetable thing, fruit, small dessert (candy or chocolate), and water.

I'll usually snack on something small for dinner.

Breakfast is only $3.50/week for me. Cereal & milk.

Weekends are when my meals get fancy. That's when I actually cook for my boyfriend and myself.

[laris]

like sonny, i get part of the staff meals.. so lunches are free and delicious.

[gummybummy]

I guess I am lucky, I have a lunch card where I pay a certain amount each month, about $50, and I eat can eat as much as I want from the cafeteria, from the daily warm lunchmeal to soups, sandwiches and the saladbar. After lunch I usually bring a yogurt with me to the office fridge and keep it for breakfast the next morning, I don't have time to eat my breakfast at home . So I don't spend that much money on food actually, but when I was in Uni I usually ate out a lot for lunch and the occasional dinner and stuff.

[hikki]

I wish that I had the time to make my own lunch... I've been wanting to do so for a while, but I'd have to get up at 4am to do that...

Lunch isn't cheap here... and I usually treat who I'm with, so it's a shade under $20 a day; such a waste. I'm just going to start having one of those bento delivery shops bring me lunch... it'd keep it under $4.

[Irysinon]

I just eat fruits and vegetables carried in glad plastic bags. Freshness. Also, I eat cheap...like a carton of milk, a sandwich (maybe), and yogurt. That is, in addition to the fruits and vegetables. Meat is usually where I go the extra mile on and that's only like three times per week.