Like many people, I can’t always get a meal on the table if it means a lot of cooking. Between work, afternoon activities and projects, my family sometimes can’t make it home before dinner. This meant we benefited from the convenience of fast food all the time. However, the value hamburgers and the seemingly cheap dinners of the fast food lifestyle can add up over time. Let’s go over how eating out sank my budget.
After reviewing my expenses for last year, I learned that we’d spent thousands on eating out. For the same amount, I might have jetted to Rome for a week of sightseeing or paid off a car loan. Instead of visualizing these outcomes, I drove my car to my favorite fast food places.
Breakfast Bombshell
To start off the day, it’s natural to want a cup of coffee and a breakfast burrito. Upgrading my coffee to a premium espresso and throwing in an order of hash browns can inflate the bill to close to ten dollars, though. That’s $50 a week or $200 a month for breakfast alone.
By waking up a few minutes earlier, I can brew my own coffee and add the right amount of chocolate syrup and whipped cream. I can also make an egg and ham breakfast sandwich for a few dollars a day, depending on the brands at the grocery store. The savings could let me upgrade to a fancier coffee maker and beans in no time.
The Lunch Rush
I only had half an hour for my lunch break at my last job, so it seemed natural to speed to the nearest fast food restaurants. My husband liked his chicken sandwiches and a large soda, too. Unfortunately, with both of us spending almost $100 a week on these lunches, we weren’t able to reduce our credit card bills like we wanted.
Instead of buying fast food every day of the work week, I now designate Fridays for my taco or roast beef sandwich fix. This lets me have lunch away from the workplace on a regular basis. For my other lunches, I can pack my favorite sandwiches, soda and chips for less than a daily value meal.
With picky eaters and full schedules, letting someone else cook dinner proved alluring for my family. Rather than letting everyone order the biggest meals on the menu each time, I now steer my kids to cheaper options. On road trips and game nights, I can fill a cooler with drinks as well as sandwiches and fruit from home. Salads are another meal I can prepare ahead of time. One neighbor grills extra chicken breasts on the weekend for his salads.
Although a stop at my favorite fast food restaurant made me feel like burger royalty each time, my budget suffered. Setting weekly or monthly spending goals for fast food spending can keep my costs in check. Instead of splurging on fast food each day this year, I’m planning a fun vacation with my family. I won’t let my budget sink under a pile of cheeseburgers and chicken wings again.
Jennifer Willard is a new blogger in the financial community. She writes for her own personal finance blog about her journey out of debt, and her new life as a mother and spender.
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Good post! It’s amazing how quickly eating out at a fast food place can add up over time. I think you have a great perspective on it in seeing how otherwise the money could be spnt.
@FrugalRules Thank you! I agree – I was shocked to see how much I was spending for the illusion of convenience!
I bet your waistlines and health are also happier with less fast food. It looks like slowly altering your behaviour saved you a lot of money, well done :-)
@Ugifter It’s the truth :) So much more energy. Thank you!
After recently starting my first job as a “professional” I noticed I was getting roped into going out for lunch nearly every day. As you can imagine this began to be very expensive! I have since cut back and mostly bring lunches from home. I have saved a lot of money and lost 7 lbs!
@ayoungpro Way to go! The social side of the equation can make things difficult. It’s definitely helpful to find a group of co-workers who also bring lunch!
I did a post once of a comparison about I, who brought lunch and coffee and my workmate who bought coffee and lunch every day. The numbers were pretty out there and enough for me to say, thank goodness that’s not me. I treat myself once in a while but there’s no way I’d be spending that kind of cash every day.
@CanadianBudgetB No doubt about it. I’m glad I’m not a latte addict – it’s a good treat every once in awhile!
This one doesn’t affect me much because I have brought my lunch to work everyday for the last 6 years. My wife and I also don’t each much fast food, actually very little. I know it can be expensive, but people love convenience.
@DebtRoundUp Getting into the habit is key. 6 years is impressive! It’s true that the allure of convenience is undeniable – that perception is a huge, habit-forming hook for fast food companies. I’ve since discovered that it takes less time and effort to pre-plan my meals than it does to sit in a drive-thru or walk to the food court every day. It’s a paradigm shift, for sure!
@Jennifer Willard I have a pretty good system in place by now. My wife and I plan out our weekly dinners and it makes it super easy. We do a lot of leftovers and really enjoy it.
@DebtRoundUp That’s what it takes! Kudos!
Good points! I started packing my lunch for the following day while putting away leftovers from dinner, kills 2 birds with 1 stone. Saves me a ton of money.
@KyleJames1 It’s so simple!
I used to spend so much money buying my lunches every day. And I didn’t do cheap fast food most days. I’d usually get take out from a real restaurant and blow about $12 per day. And I wondered why I wasn’t saving much money! Now I either bring leftovers from dinner or I cook up a huge pot of chili or soup for the week. I’ll occasionally go out for food, but I never spend more than $7-8 anymore (unless it’s something that I can split in half and use for lunch two days). In addition to saving tons of money, I’ve also lost nearly 20 pounds!
@Gen Y Finance Journey Congratulations! It’s amazing to consider what you can do with the money you aren’t ‘eating’. Gotta love chili!
I used to buy lunch out almost daily at $5-$7 a day. I haven’t done that in a few years and probably get by with around $2 per meal when brown bagging. It doesn’t seem like much per meal, but when you add it up, it’s a ton of money.
When I worked in a corporate office I bought my lunch pretty much everyday and yes it did add up quickly even if it was just something from the food court. Looking back, it was pretty crazy.
That’s great you’re changing your habits. Not only is eating out costly, but it’s also not as healthy!
I work in times square so the cheapest lunch you can get is about $12 (and it’s a crappy lunch). If I forget lunch I sometimes walk a few blocks to get a chipolte burrito. They are still expensive, but at least I can eat one for two lunches. That being said I always try to bring my own lunch. Healthier and less expensive.