Today we are lucky to have a post from my blogging buddy Erin from Journey to Saving. Enjoy!
Work.
It’s where we spend the majority of our weekdays. Consequently, it’s often the place where we face the most temptation to spend.
Between food, networking, and business attire, we are constantly being pressured to keep up with our coworkers. It’s almost like trying to keep up with the Joneses, which isn’t surprising, given that we typically spend more time with our coworkers than our own family.
This is especially true for those that are just entering the workforce, or starting a new job. We want to be sure we’re making a good first impression! The good news is that this can be done on the cheap, all while avoiding the peer pressure we might encounter from coworkers.
While I no longer work a traditional 9-5, here are four tactics I have personally used to avoid being pressured to spend at work.
1) Brown bagging lunch
Going out to lunch is common at many jobs, but it’s not always for the purpose of networking. I have worked at several places where it was normal to purchase breakfast every day. And lunch. And snacks at the gas station across the street. And possibly Starbucks. The amount of money some of my coworkers dropped on food some days was $20+!
I was asked several times if I wanted to put in an order for lunch, and every time I declined, I was told I was missing out. Missing out on what, exactly? Saving $50 a week? By bringing my lunch bag to work, I was able to pack plenty of snacks, as well as lunch, so I never went hungry. Plus, it’s healthier for you and your bank account.
2) I ignore the fashion trends
We want to dress to impress, right? That doesn’t necessarily mean going out and buying a brand-name outfit that costs a couple hundred dollars. Every week. I have to admit, this was the toughest temptation for me to fight. There were days I went into work and felt completely under-dressed compared with some of my coworkers that seemed to never wear the same thing twice.
Our office had a “business casual” policy, and our bosses were stricter with what the men wore more than the women. It helped that they had no clue what flats were. They never mentioned my work clothes to me, and they weren’t afraid to reprimand others for breaking the dress down code on Friday, so I had to remain confident that my clothes were a non-issue. It’s unlikely that people are going to remember what you wore a week ago.
Instead of going with the latest trend, buy classic pieces or solid colors to make sure your wardrobe can stand the test of time.
3) Being happy with a car that gets me from Point A to Point B
At any job I held, it was almost a given that my car was one of the oldest in the parking lot (it’s a 2002 – not that old!). I happened to have coworkers that loved to lease new cars, or buy new ones. They were constantly talking about what car they were going to lease next, just weeks after trading in their last car.
Every day, when it came time to leave, I would feel a little pang of jealousy walking to my car while everyone else had already started theirs remotely. They had the comfort of heated seats to look forward to in the winter, and sunroofs to let in the breeze when the weather was nice. I had power steering and windows, and a defroster that took ages to work.
However, when I thought of how much they were paying a month to have that luxury car, the jealousy faded. I can live without heated seats and sunroofs as long as my car is reliable. That’s all that matters!
4) Not being an “early-adopter” when it comes to technology
Many of my coworkers and bosses were big on having the latest and greatest when it came to their gadgets. They were the type of people to camp outside and wait in line for the new iPhone. I kid you not, one of them actually went around the office bragging about how he was the first one to have the 5s.
He then asked everyone when they were planning on upgrading, as if keeping our old models wasn’t an option. At the time, I had the 4s, and it was still doing its job just fine. I was perfectly happy with what I already had, and upgrading never crossed my mind, as I wanted to get out of my contract, not into a new one.
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What it comes down to is knowing that your possessions and clothing aren’t what make you a valuable employee. It’s not as though you’re being asked about them in the interview!
Take it in stride when your coworkers inevitably poke fun at you for bringing food with you, and stop comparing yourself to them. Remember that it’s up to you to care about your finances. No one else will.
Have you ever been tempted to keep up appearances in the office? Have you given in on occasion? How do you stay frugal at work?
Erin M. is a full-time personal finance freelance blogger and virtual assistant. She’s passionate about helping other millennials get started on their financial journey. She blogs about frugality, being happy with less, and tackling student loan debt on Journey to Saving.
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Photo by Wagner Fontoura
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When I used to work at an office, all my dept co-workers would go out to lunch and gossip about everyone who wasn’t at the table. Mean-spiritied. For that reason alone I felt better about myself for not being part of that AND saving money.
Beachbudget My first job was like that. Half of my coworkers lived for gossip, and they all went out to eat together. And then got their nails done. No thanks!
I used to always bring my lunch when I had my day job. It was tough on some days, and occasionally I was even made fun of!
I buy lunch for my employees every other week and let them choose where they want to order from and they always come over to get my order as well and I say no I brought my lunch. They think it is pretty funny that I buy but not for myself. I am the only one that brings their lunch every day. Don’t care about going out to eat, too expensive and unhealthy. Kind of drives me crazy that the employees making the least always go out to eat every day, but that is their choice.
When I worked for my last employer, those of us who would stay in and eat our homemade lunch would sometimes get pressured by those who went out for lunch to join them. Notably a couple of them complained about massive credit card debt but I digress. I just did my own thing and didn’t focus much on what others wore or drove.
SenseofCents Same here, but my coworkers always ended up being jealous of the never-ending amounts of snacks I had, so I won in the end. =)
hwincome That’s awesome you buy for everyone else, though! When our bosses treated us, morale definitely went up. I completely agree on the expensive and unhealthy factors. Pizza, Chinese, and McDonalds were daily choices at my old job. I’ll pass!
Kassandra @ More Than Just Money Yep. My boyfriend is noticing this at his job. His coworkers go out for coffee every single day, and rarely bring their lunch, but they have financial worries. Doing your own thing is the best thing you can do!
I have a problem that’s of my own making – I brought in a candy jar so that folks would come by more often to chat, giving me the opportunity to glean information I needed to do my job better. Filling that candy jar is very expensive and people do make comments when I fill it with cheap stuff. But it has worked for me (and probably factored in to my recent, large raise). Some coworkers do bring in bags of candy to make up for all they’ve taken :-)
indebtedmom What?! You’re providing them with free candy and they’ve made comments about the candy that’s in there? *shakes head* I’m glad a few have replenished the jar, at least. I would see if the company would be willing to pay for it, especially if it’s working so well!
These are all great ways to cut down on costs associated with working in an office. When I was in the office I would nearly always take my lunch – it can be a great money saver not to mention healthier. The thing that was the struggle for me was budgeting around all the different gifts, giving to different charities and kids drives. But, now my challenge is staying off of Amazon. :)
I brown bag it everyday beside eating cheaper and healthy, I’m more productive because I’m not running out for lunch all the time. The one issue I’ve come across is chipping in for the office gift for someone. I’ve had co-workers come to me and say you own me $20 for the gift. Typically my reply is thank you for spending my money, next time ask me first.
FrugalRules Gifts were another issue I ran into! I’ve only worked for smaller companies, so thankfully events were few and far between. Amazon can get pretty tempting! I go on there looking for one thing and 15 minutes later I’ve been sucked into the black hole.
DebtDiscipline So true, Brian! At one job, I only had a half hour break, and I didn’t want to run around worrying about making it back in time. It was much less stressful and more productive to stay in.
That’s horrible they didn’t mention it to you beforehand! I have run into issues with gifts, too. Working in a smaller office, it was very obvious when you didn’t pitch in, and I always felt pressured to do so.
I make a lunch everyday for work. It saves a lot of money. I also don’t need the newest or fastest car. As long as my car works and gets me where I need to be, I’m fine.
All of this makes me extremely grateful for the work environment that I have. Honestly, not one of these is a thing at my job!!! Can’t go out for lunch, if you forget yours, you have to use your desk food stash or buy chips from the vending machine; clothes literally get wrecked and acceptable clothing is jeans and a t shirt (though I dress better than that, most of the time); work provides transportation, so I don’t know what most of my coworker’s drive; about a third of people get their phones from work, so it is what it is.
yep. I agree and i think those are the main things that can pressure you to spend while at work. Bringing lunch was the hardest for me, but I am getting the hang of it now. We also have a business casual policy at work and I usually buy clothes that I will also be able to wear on normal days and vice versa
Jason @ The Butler Journal Exactly, Jason! Cars with too many options tend to involve more fixing and are overwhelming (to me) anyway.
moneypropeller That’s awesome that you don’t have to worry about spending at your job! I do have to say I was really relieved at my last job as jeans and whatever were acceptable. You could wear a hoodie, t-shirt, or nice shirt and be fine. No one was judging.
cielbelle When I first started, I kept worrying about what would or wouldn’t be acceptable to wear. There were only two other girls in the office, so I could only base it off of their (fancy) wardrobe! Good for you for bringing lunch! I know it can be tedious, but it really pays off.
When I worked once I was eating lunch at my desk and my boss said “I should give you a raise if you can’t afford lunch”. I was having a delicious stew and the others had gone out to buy sandwiches that taste like plastic and chips. Well they are still in the office now…
RFIndependence Love it, Pauline! It’s funny how people just assume you can’t afford it, too. They never think we’re making a conscious decision to save our money instead.
It’s hard to say no when everyone is going out or ordering take out for lunch. It’s almost like you were back in high school and turning down an invite to hand with the cool kids. I used to feel pressure to keep up with everyone else, but I don’t really care anymore and I don’t work in the same place every day, so that eliminates most of the issue. Besides, I eat too much when I go out and feel like a slob for the rest of the day.
For me its the daily coffees with the team that start to add up. I avoid it by being busy most of the time but sometimes it can’t be avoided.
Nice to see you here, Erin! :) When I was working in an office, my problem was always going out for lunch or coffee. And because I used to bike to work, if the weather was bad, I’d spend more on getting a car2go or take the bus. Glad I don’t have to deal with that right now! There are a lot of temptations in the workplace.
Eyesonthedollar I like the analogy! Feeling icky after eating out is an issue for me as well. I have a small appetite, so I always bring things home and find myself too full for dinner.
ourbigfatwallet I can imagine that’s a bit of a problem! I never had a workplace meeting outside of work that wasn’t paid for. I guess the best thing to do is budget for it, this way it’s at least accounted for, and continue to be busy!
deardebt Thanks, Melanie! Breakfast was my biggest temptation at work. I can’t blame you on the transportation, though – I hate walking outside in the rain, and I would have taken the bus, too.
I just packed hubby’s lunch for tomorrow – great to see you here Erin!!! I love these tips. :)
JourneytoSaving deardebt You needed a contigo mug! My wife and I brew coffee at home each morning and fill up our contigo mugs. Keeps coffee warm for up to 4 hours – HUGE moneysaver considering there is a Caribou Coffee in my office building. Yes, a full Caribou Coffee. I haven’t stopped there once yet : )
BudgetandBees Glad you liked them! I should probably start packing lunch for my boyfriend considering he just brings everything with him, and then I end up wanting what he took. =)
I wished I had done the brown bagging long ago. I hate making my lunch, but if we have decent leftovers it’s not too bad. :-P
debt debs I don’t like making lunch most days, either, but I’m not fond of the other choices. I’ll usually slap together a sandwich or take leftovers if that is an option!
Brown bagging it is definitely my main way of staying frugal at work. I join my coworkers every now and again, if I don’t have leftovers or anything to make for myself. This balance helps me stay social without dropping $50 per week on dining out. I’m lucky to work in a casual office too, so attire isn’t as much of an issue, though I certainly covet outfits of my coworkers from time to time!
HassleFreeSaver It is important to keep that balance, especially if going out to lunch with your coworkers is really the main way of socializing and catching up! I know some people like dressing up for work, but it’s a perk when I can find a job that allows jeans. I like being comfortable!
I have definitely encountered this problem more than a few times at my job. Several of my coworkers order out daily and usually try to get me to split with them or order out too. I always bring my lunch and drinks for the day, along with a snack so I don’t have to spend any money.
My clothes are always bought on sale/clearance or at the thrift store and my car is a ’00 Grand Am with 150,000 miles that gets me where I need to be with no payment!
Thanks for sharing these tips! They will definitely help many people.
John Green Awesome! Sounds like you’re well on your way to avoiding the temptation to spend at work, John.