Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Is Your Workplace Affecting Your Wallet?




Let me start off by saying I am absolutely grateful to have a job, but I can't help but notice how the office is affecting my budget, and I'm not even considering transportation and costs to maintain a professional wardrobe.  First there is the pressure to go out on group lunches, which are much more expensive than my homemade or frozen lunches.  Then there is the office party.  At my office, we celebrate birthdays, holidays,  weddings, boss's day, employee appreciation week, and I'm probably forgetting some other party occasions.  We take up a small monthly collections to help with the costs of parties and for office supplies like napkins and cleaning supplies, but each party requires that we either make a potluck dish or pay for catering, and contribute money for gifts.  Each party may call for a small donation, but these $5-$10 add up!

I have to admit, I do love the parties so I always choose to take part in them, but I have come up with a few ways to keep work spending in check:

Office Parties
Suggest a breakfast or afternoon snack party instead of one where the party food is serving as lunch.  This limits the amount of food everyone needs to bring, and everyone can contribute to cheaper food items than  meat items or large sandwich platters.
Offer non-monetary donations.  Bring in decorations, handmade gifts, or games you already own to serve as entertainment.
Suggest consolidating parties.  Instead of celebrating several birthdays individually, have a joint birthday party for co-worker's whose birthdays are in the same month or season.  Likewise, have one big holiday party instead of having back-to-back parties for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

Group Lunches
Take advantage of lunch specials offered during the day to get menu items for a cheaper price.
Split an entree with a coworker to save on costs and keep you both from over-eating :)
Swap a  restaurant meal for B.Y.O.L (bring your own lunch) get-together in the break room or at a nearby park.

So, is your workplace affecting your wallet? How much do you spend on average each month for work related expenses? Feel free to share!

6 comments:

  1. Most of the time when I take a break or go out for a meal, my wallet cries. I’m no good with handling money, so thanks for the tips here.

    catering nyc

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment! I used to spend wayyy to much going out for lunch between the cost of the meal, tipping, and gas money.

      Delete
  2. I guess it's a common thing to give a tip when you're in the restaurant or having buffets. It's a way of saying thank you.

    nyc catering

    ReplyDelete
  3. Actually it is affecting my wallet. I always buy food that I want because of stress. Glad to know these tips. Thanks.

    -Lobster Tails Tips & Recipe

    ReplyDelete
  4. Having no time to prepare packed lunch for work would really increase your expenses. These are good suggestions to save some money up but the best thing I could suggest is to prepare food good for the week on weekends so you would just get there before you go to work. beef jerky australia

    ReplyDelete
  5. Maybe you could just bring Australian ham or other food for lunch so you would not spend much in your office. It is quite expensive to buy food outside everyday.

    ReplyDelete

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