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This taking lunch is ending up in waste.

June 4th, 2014 at 10:46 pm

I can't believe I did it again! This time I took stuff out of the fridge in the morning (an org. yogurt and some cut up fruit and berries on the peak of perfection) and put it in a bag by the entrance, not to forget it. That's where I forgot it.

Yogurt($2) and washed berries($4) will not keep. So it is a waste.
I realized I forgot it 30 seconds after getting downstairs, but I could not go back. If I am even 1 second late for a train, I will be late for work by 35 minutes. I can't do that. So I kept going. And the train was late today by 8 minutes! So I could have gone back, but, of course, I had no way of knowing it.

I was so frustrated by it all that I bought 2!!! doughnuts and ate them for breakfast. ($6.5, not to mention calories).

For lunch, sandwich ($9.50), plus a diet coke for me and snapple for a colleague later ($3.5)

This is not going well at all. I'm frustrated.

13 Responses to “This taking lunch is ending up in waste. ”

  1. Another Reader Says:
    1401922140

    Other people are making a lot of money on your forgetfulness. I'm sure you can come up with a way to remember, maybe by putting the food with your purse. When you do forget, go to the corner grocery store for a yogurt and a piece of fruit. No need to spend all that money on food you can easily create yourself. The more you indulge in the instant gratification when you forget, the less successful you will be.

    It's often helpful to use the "Your Money or Your Life" approach to spending money. How much of your life in time and life energy are you trading for the donuts and sandwich every day? If you invested that money, how much sooner could you get off the hamster wheel you are on now? Where will you be in 20 years if you don't make better choices? Making conscious choices considering all the consequences puts you in control.

  2. ILUVATRAINWRECK Says:
    1401934272



    Leave a note on the door, your purse, house-keys, etc. that says "GOT LUNCH?"


  3. wowitsawonderfullife Says:
    1401934952

    I have a different take on the matter. If I was 35 minutes late more than once or twice my job would be in jeopardy. So I would do as you did and just continue on to the job to be on time. I deal with this situation by buying and storing proteins and other edibles in my desk when I remember. I have cans of tuna and fruit and granola bars and trail mix in my desk for these situations. I buy extras and often forget them in my vehicle but every once in a while I bring them in. I guess my point is to be pro-active.

    Be gentle with yourself. We can't always be perfect. Just do the best you can and there will be times when others make a lot of money on your forgetfulness. At least you will keep your job. And I just need to finish off saying that the more you indulge in "instant gratification" of food intake is not an indicator of how "less successful you will be". Good luck.

  4. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1401948601

    I agree with Wow. Another thought - maybe instead of putting it just by the entrance, could you put it directly in your walking path? That way you'd practically trip over it ... Smile

  5. mamasita Says:
    1401961754

    It seems like you really enjoy eating out for your meals, are you truly ready to start bringing your lunches from home? I ask this not to be snarky, but rather to determine if this is something you truly want to do. It doesn't sound like it, your love for the different kinds of foods available is evident in your beautiful pictures.

    That said, sometimes we have to do things we don't really "want" to do, because we want something else more important (like bigger savings!). So maybe you can make it less painful somehow. Perhaps aim to just bring your breakfast, and resolve to only find lunches under X amount of dollars. Once you get used to doing that, you can slowly add in the home packed lunches.

    Just some suggestions, you might be more of the "cold turkey" type where you dive right into changes, in that case power through the moments where you do forget your food, until it becomes a habit. Good luck either way!

  6. debt-free by thir-ty Says:
    1401972025

    I once read somewhere that it takes 30 days to instill a new habit. When I was trying to get in the habit of working out every day, I printed out a 30-day calendar attached it to the wall, and marked a big red X every time I did it. It kept me accountable and helped me to remember.

    Maybe try something similar? Don't beat yourself up. It's probably a multi-year habit of eating out that you're trying to break. It's not going to be undone in a week or two...

  7. Nika Says:
    1401976471

    Thank you for the advice, I agree it is a habit.

    I don't really have to change it, but I just thought I would give a try to bringing down food costs a little for a month - since June budget might not balance without extra income (not really a problem since we have savings, but I would rather it balance). And it is interesting to see how low can these costs get without sacrificing the quality of food at all.

    Another reader, what exactly do you mean by hamster wheel?

    And I don't spend the money on food I can make myself. I do not know how to make fluffy coconut cream filled doughnut. Or how to make pork belly that melts in your mouth with picked asian vegetables and freshly baked crusty baguette, or bake a 20 layer crepe cake.

  8. CB in the City Says:
    1401978247

    I understand your frustration. I can't tell you how many times I've set something by the door and left it there. The trouble seems to be my state of mind when I'm leaving. If I'm thinking about something else, forget it! I'd walk over an elephant!

  9. Another Reader Says:
    1401980871

    From reading your blog, you are all about lifestyle. Expensive food, travel, personal trainers, clothes and all the toys are what's important to you. You have a child that you spend a lot on. You also live in one of the highest tax locations in the US. Yet you are funding Roth IRA's, which means your joint AGI is no more than $181,000. Assuming you fully fund two 401k's at $34,000, your income likely is not much more than $215,000. How much are you saving and investing? How long could you continue to live like this if the economy tanked and one of you lost a job? Will you be able to retire and live the same lifestyle?

    Unless one or both families are wealthy and are giving you money, I don't see how you can accumulate enough assets to fund your lifestyle long term. If my assumptions are correct, you will have to work at the same frenetic pace for the next 30 years to maintain your lifestyle and save enough to retire in your 60's. That's what I mean by the hamster wheel.

  10. My English Castle Says:
    1401981921

    I leave a post-it by the door for my daughter to remember her lunch. It helps! But maybe the lure of the doughnuts, pork belly, and 20-layer cake is overriding your memory? It would mine!

  11. Another Reader Says:
    1401984086

    "...since June budget might not balance without extra income (not really a problem since we have savings, but I would rather it balance)..."

    I may be wrong, but this seems to imply that when your husband got the temporary teaching job, you upped the consumption to match the increase in income. Now that the income is going away, you are struggling to reduce consumption. You apparently are not only not adding to your savings and investments, you are in danger of subtracting to fund consumption.

    From a casual observer's point of view, it appears you are living more of an upper class lifestyle on a middle class income. That's a choice, just as being frugal when you have a good income is a choice. If an expensive lifestyle is important to you and your husband, then own that choice and figure out how to make it work for you. Just be realistic about the consequences of your choice, whatever they may be.

  12. Nika Says:
    1401984869

    Yes, I don't see anything wrong with getting quality things if I can. Life does not start only after retirement, it is passing now. I want our family to enjoy life both now and after we retire. We are saving between 15%-20% of our income for retirement, so I don't see why some posters assume that we will be destitute if I don't change my ways. So yes, I am looking for enjoyable experiences while trying to meet our long term goals.

    We are funding our own lifestyle. Our jobs are quite secure. Does not mean that it is impossible to lose a job, but unlikely, regardless of the economy. This "frenetic pace" you refer to - 2 full time jobs and a long commute is a norm in NYC. We are lucky enough to have compressed schedules for both of us and very limited work from home days for DH. But it is not like if we packed our lunch, one job would not be necessary. And as for teaching, while the extra income does help with our goals, the main reason for taking it is that it looks good on the resume - teaching a very advanced class in a very advanced program means you are an expert and are staying very up to date in your field (and it is true, DH had to spend a lot of time preparing for that course and learned even more about latest developments). PS. we generally like our jobs.

  13. LivingAlmostLarge Says:
    1402283729

    Throw some food in your desk and make do. My DH does that.

    When do you project being able to retire? At least you are saving for retirement. Most people aren't.

    I wonder if more people don't consider living on less? That's tomorrows post. Smile

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