Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Discover the financial benefits of bringing your coffee and lunch to work. See how convenience can impact your budget over time.
Spending Money Without Consequence
I’ve worked professionally for the past 4 years and faithfully bring my own 20 oz travel mug of coffee and a hot lunch to work daily.
I wanted to compare the figures of what I bring to work to a buddy of mine whom I will call Mr. Co-worker.
It’s incredible how fast convenience can add up in the budget; before you know it, your budget is shot.
There is some merit to saving money by making food at home compared to buying it.
Sometimes, it’s better when people see the final numbers rather than the small numbers.
We tend to look at something as only costing, for example, $50 a month, which is a reasonable budget expense,
Over the year, that $50 cell phone bill will now cost you $600 out-of-pocket.
If you know someone you are trying to talk some money sense into, share the importance of budgeting with them.
This coffee and lunch comparison is a fantastic way to tally up the numbers and give them a bit of a financial wake-up call.
Coffee and Lunch Comparison
First let’s talk about the numbers;
**Keep in mind I only purchase items knowing the best price or sale price**
- 1 x 20oz Tim Horton’s Coffee = $1.80 Cost of Coffee per cup (2012)
- 200g Jar of Instant Nescafe Coffee – $3.99 on sale
- 4-litre Bag of Milk- $4.19 @ Shoppers Drug Mart
- 2kg Bag of Granulated Sugar $1.99 on sale
- I used this online conversion site to get my numbers, which was sometimes challenging as we were working with volume against weight.
- 200g Jar of Instant coffee = 36 tbsps or 36 20oz coffees for me 36 coffee’s= $3.99 jar
- 2kg of Granulated Sugar = 2000 grams at 12.5 grams per tablespoon; I use two. tablespoons per coffee, so 25 grams per coffee/2000= 80 x 20 oz coffees
- Milk 4 Litres (3 bags = 1.33 litres per bag) or $1.40 per bag, approx 90 tablespoons- I use 3 tablespoons per 20 oz coffee = 30 x 20 oz coffees per 1.33 litres of milk.
- 80 coffees per 2kg sugar $1.99/2= 40 coffee’s per 1kg =$1.00
- 30 x 20 oz coffee out of 1.33 litres of milk = $1.40 a bag
- So, for about $7.00, I can make 36 x 20 oz coffees with the above or $0.19 per coffee.
- 36 x 20 oz coffee from Tim Horton’s would cost 36 @$1.80= $64.80
- So Mr. Co-worker would be paying $57.80 more than me for the same amount of coffee.
Mr. Co-worker’s Lunch and Coffee Expenses
What does my co-worker bring to work each day, you ask?
The Truth Be Told:
- 4 large 20 oz Tim Horton’s Coffees @$1.80 each= $7.20 daily.
- Mr.Co-worker also spends about $5.00 on eating out for lunch 5 days a week.
- Mr.Co-worker spends about $12.20 daily x 5 days weekly = $61.00 weekly.
- If Mr.Co-worker worked 52 weeks yearly, it would cost him $3172.00 yearly to wet his whistle and fill his stomach.
The Comparison
Adjusting the figures to compare to my work-week habits, the figures would look like this for Mr. Co-worker
- 1 large 20 oz Tim Horton’s Coffee@ $1.80 = $1.80 coffee cost daily or $9.00 weekly.
- Mr. Co-worker also spends about $5.00 on eating out for lunch 5 days weekly = $25.00 weekly.
- If Mr. Co-worker bought 1 coffee daily and ate $5.00 daily for lunch, that would cost him $34.00 weekly.
My Work-Week Coffee and Food Expenses
- 1 large 20 oz Instant Coffee made at home in a re-usable mug = $0.19 each
- I make hot lunches for work and aim to spend $10.00 for 5 lunches @ $2.00 a piece.
- Each day, it costs me $ 2.19 or $10.95 per week for the average cost of a cup of coffee and a homemade lunch
Final Verdict- The Coffee and Lunch Numbers
That is a difference of $34.00 – $10.95= $23.05 a week
That is a difference of $1768.00-$569.40=$1198.60 52 weeks per year.
What does it cost Mr. Co-worker to adjust to my numbers?
Mr. Co-worker’s cost of $1768.00 yearly is $1198.60 more than I spend working 52 weeks at $569.40.
What is it costing Mr. Co-worker?
As mentioned, Mr. Co-worker buys four 20 oz Tim Horton’s coffees in the morning.
He also eats out at about $5.00 per day 5 days weekly.
Doing The Math
- 4x $1.80=$7.20 x5 days = $36.00 per week
- 5x $5.00 lunch per day = $25.00 per week
- Total per week $61.00 or $3172.00 per year – $569.40 what I spend yearly = A lot of money.
- =$2602.60 more than I would spend if I worked 52 weeks.
In the 4 years Mr. Co-worker and I have worked together, the numbers would look like this:
- Mr. Co-worker spent $12,688
- Mr. CBB spent $2277.60
Mr. Co-worker has spent $10,410.40 more than me in 4 years working together.
Do I feel good?
You’re right, I do!!!
Spending Less, Saving More
I might not be making the best coffee in the world, but I’m also not spending a fortune on something I will drink.
The next step in savings would be to convince my work to hire an office coffee service.
There’s no need for me not to make my lunch and coffee at home and have a Tim Horton’s as an occasional treat.
I’m betting you could even go to the coffee bean shop and choose premium coffee blends from many types of coffee beans for cheaper than all the posh coffees you buy all week.
If we want to see our emergency savings increase or reduce debt, OSAP loans to save for a downpayment on a home, these little conveniences will defeat progress.
If you have to have your Tim Horton’s, Starbucks, McDonald’s, or other convenience coffee, do the math and see if you can fit it into your budget.
Discussion: Where would you place the money you saved if you were Mr. Co-worker and changed your spending habits?
Please share your comments, as I always like to hear from my readers.
Thanks for reading,
Mr. CBB
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Couldn?t be weittrn any better. Reading this publish reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will ahead this write-up to him. Pretty confident he will possess a great study. Thanks for sharing!
Love this! There is a lady I work with that I would love to show this too, except she is so clueless she wouldn’t see the point. She eats breakfast and lunch out every day and then spends an additional $5 to $20 on lottery tickets. She has 10 maxed out credit cards, 2 car payments, a mortgage and a second mortgage. Her husband is on disablity payments and she is an hourly retail worker (not making much). She doesn’t understand why she is broke…..like I said, totally clueless.
Show her! Even if they don’t get it, at least you tried. I never give up on anyone. I hope that one day they will wake up from this debt nightmare and just ‘get it’ . The reason I am doing this is to show people that it can be done. You can pay your bills, put money aside in a saving etc just by budgeting. For some they are so far in debt this won’t be magic but it is pretty much the only way to get out of the mess. Cheers and thanks for posting here at CBB! Mr.CBBx
.In my desk/ purse I carry a instant coffee and when I want coffee I just boil water…I am lucky I drink my coffee black…
i bet it make a big difference to your budget. If every time I had a coffee and tossed the money in a jar I’d be a happy Bloke! Thanks for your comment Barb and keep up the good work! Mr.CBB
Whew that’s a lot of math! 🙂 That hurt my brain! Even when I worked full time I brown bagged it to work..so I always had that going for me. And coffee would be a special treat. I think the main point you were trying to make, is that often $5 or $5 there doesn’t feel like a lot, until you look at the big picture in how it all adds up. What I still don’t’ get is 4 coffees? Did I miss something? Why 4? How did he drink them without them getting cold? 🙂
Yes he would drink one on the way to work and microwave the others if they got cold because we can’t just leave work to run out to the coffee shop. Yes with anything we buy over and over if it is just a small amount each time we don’t think of it as much until we see the big picture. That’s why the end of year budget numbers are crucial and why it’s important to stick to the budget all year long. Cheers mate!!
First, thank you for the Lifeguard Tequila Ad. Second, it’s amazing to see how much an innocent habit can affect your financial life. I make my own coffee and bring my lunch about 97% of the time. If I buy coffee it’s always the Starbucks Short or Tall size. I tend to purchase lunch once or twice a month. Luckily I work with educators who as a profession tend to be frugal (maybe because of low pay?)
I pack lunch every day during the school year. We have a keurig but we grind our own coffee and use refillable cups to save money. A typical lunch for me would be 3 oz. of chicken breast, brussel sprouts and a handful of cherries or whatever fruit is on sale etc….YUM! Whole foods and cheaper! Great blog post!
Thanks Karen. I tried the Keurig the other day at the docs office. It was ok but I can’t justify the prices on the bloody things.
Oh I know that’s why we refill the cups as much as possible but I will probably treat myself to some k cups for my bday 🙂
How do you refill the cups? Do you put tin foil on top then put it the machine?
Mr. CBB, there are reusable filters for Keurig sold in many stores. They cost about $10 and you use your own coffee.
That’s interesting. I’m sure they came out after I wrote this post so thanks for the update. 🙂