Brown Bagging It

This week I am in class all week while I am at work. This is cool for a few reasons. One - I am not stuck at my desk. Two - I am finally getting the Green Belt training I have been wanting for about a year and a half. And three - I get to meet new people.

While in class, we have a structured amount of break time and lunch time. Normally, classes give an hour for lunch. This class however gives us only 30 minutes for lunch. Eh, whatever. I rarely take more than that anyway. I may be saying a little too much about my lunch breaks, but they are usually held at my desk and surfing web comics and the wonderful interweb. I can get away with this because I bring my lunch. There is no cafeteria in my building, just a lobby and I feel a little silly eating there.

Today I realized just how many people buy their lunch from the whining that erupted at, "You will have 30 minutes for lunch." I would say it's safe to say that out of a class of 22 people, only 2 of us brought our lunch. There is only 1 person in from out of town, so that leaves 19 people or 86% of various ages and backgrounds that buy lunch. There are a lot of people in my office area that vacate the premises for lunch as well. A lot of people tell me it's a release to be able to leave work for that hour. Whatever. At 9 hours a day (9x80 schedule) adding another hour seems like too much time from start to finish. I would rather be home 30 minutes earlier and out of my work clothes drinking a beer on my porch. But that's just me.

Also, I can't fathom the expense of eating out everyday. I read the Idiots Guide the Finances in Your 20's &30's and they broke it down for me (cause they are good at that). Say you get a a sub, chips, and soda on average and it costs you $7. Well that seems like not a lot, but if you did that every day for a week it's $35 and that doesn't include gas to get there - nowadays you have the through that in there. After a month you have spent $140 on eating out (or $126 on my schedule). That's a new outfit complete with shoes! I usually have leftovers from my meals, so I just move them to lunches. How easy can that be? Throw food in dish (which you would be doing anyway), bring to work, heat, eat. To each his own, but I will be bringing my lunches and enjoying my new outfit.