Back in 2021 I used to pack my lunch every day and save $50 a week but now I just buy fast food because I got too lazy and my savings account shows it.

The shift happened after a stretch of 60-hour weeks at the warehouse where I just didn't have the energy to meal prep anymore, and now six months later I'm spending $200 more a month on lunches - has anyone found a way to break out of this cycle?

2 comments

2 Comments

leo_mason6d ago

Hmm I kinda disagree with framing it as "too lazy" man. That 60 hour week stretch was brutal and you gotta give yourself some credit for surviving that. The meal prep habit died because your circumstances changed drastically not because you suddenly became lazy overnight. Maybe try finding one or two fast food places that have a decent salad or wrap option so you're not completely breaking the bank, and slowly phase back in some prep on weekends when you actually have time.

simon3786d ago

Wait, did you say you went from saving $50 a week to spending $200 more a month on lunches? That math doesn't add up right to me. If you were saving $50 a week on lunches before, that means you were spending about $50 less per week, which is around $200 a month you were keeping. So going from that to spending $200 more a month means your lunch costs jumped by roughly $400 a month total. That's a huge jump even for fast food. I'm not trying to call you out here, I just think something might be off in how you're tracking that. Maybe you're including coffee runs or snacks in that number too? In my experience, those little extras add up way faster than you'd expect. Take this with a grain of salt, but it might help to actually write down what you spend for a week and see if it matches that number.