by Adam Dawson
It may be too early to say conclusively, but I think the breakfasts out problem may be solved. My new employer has a break room stocked with juices, greek yogurt, granola bars, several types of cereal, dried fruit, nuts, several varieties of fresh fruit, V8, milk, soy milk, almond milk, bread/toast, PBJ, and some other things. What a treat! And to top it off, they cater in breakfast tacos on Friday.
Previously, I think I was eating breakfast on the way to work 4-5 days a week at times. This had a terrible effect on my health as well as our budget. I think bacon and eggs at home would do me well sometimes, but this ensures I won’t go without breakfast. This could be an $80-$100 savings every month. There are a lot of carbohydrates in this selection, but there are healthier options as well. I have been thinking through the idea of getting a single serve blender and some protein powder to supplement the free options.
Turns out there are very few restaurants near the office, so it seems more people bring their lunch here, which will be good for me. Today I brought leftover stir fry.
In addition to the smorgasbord, I’ve also learned that there is an adequate, free gym in our building, and the company also offers 50% reimbursement on membership to the gym of your choice. I’m also excited that one of the free drink options is La Croix sparkling water, which is a nice easy let down from the diet soda I have been wanting to cut down on.
Obviously this isn’t a health blog, and I would be the least qualified person to write one anyway. But I’m excited that the new job might provide an opportunity to improve both the budget and healthy habits!
What is this magical employer with all this lovely food? I feel pretty fortunate to get free Diet Coke and coffee at mine.
Yes, I am very excited about this. My previous previous employer didn’t even provide coffee. This is great.
Indeed! We get free coffee, but it’s pretty lame – it’s like a cheap Keurig. I always buy my coffee at the little cafe downstairs. Luckily, I think the cafe, cafeteria, and convenience store are subsidized by my employer so they’re not as expensive as going to Dunkin Donuts or CVS for coffee and snacks.
Well, that beats my normal toast and peanut butter every morning! We are thankful, that we have a good break room that everybody pitches in to keep stocked. You are blessed, if your employer does this for you!
Yes, I am definitely thankful.
This is really nice! We get free coffee now but at my old job, it was mandatory we had to pay for coffee. We paid $20 per quarter. That really kind of ticked me off. I would love to have my employer provide a breakfast like this.
Eat breakfast at work every single day. Bring lunch every single day except if people are going out for an occasional bday or something then you can go, otherwise allow yourself to go out with coworkers one time a month (the bonding is good for morale and you don’t want to be seen as anti social). You’re going to save hundreds a month and thousands over the year.
Oh and obviously, for the love of God, use the free gym.
Free breakfast is awesome. I try to make my lunch (bring leftovers) everyday but if not we do have a cafeteria (I’m a school counselor) and the lunches are under $4.
If you do the Greek yogurt w/fruit, you’re getting protein along with your carbs and some probiotics. The protein powders are mostly just an expensive non-necessity. Try getting by on just your employer’s offerings. I’d think you would save way more than $80-$100/month.
The diet/health issue tends to creep into the discussion because they are all tied to superintending your life.
well to be fair, i did bring it up.
Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and nuts are all good sources of protein. Sprinkle a few nuts on top of the Greek yogurt and you’ll have a pretty healthy breakfast. I’m diabetic and have to watch my carb intake so I know how frustrating most breakfast options can be
Breakfast is something that costs a lot of money especially when you eat out. I would take full advantage of the breakfast available at your workplace, it definitely makes sense to use as many benefits as you can to cut costs so you can save more. Thanks for sharing.