Bring a lunch or go out on the town?

One of the big questions you face when starting a job is deciding whether or not you are going to pack a lunch and bring it to work or go out with co-workers each day. Deciding this beforehand will help you to plan grocery shopping and of course, that ever important spending account. There are some people you will find that eat out everyday, some just a few days a week or others, not at all, but it is a personal preference. Hopefully in your office you can find people who do both so that you always have someone to take a break with and eat your lunch. Some offices even have little parks or terraces right outside that can be utilized on a nice day.

Personally, I prefer to bring my lunch for a few reasons. Number one, going out for lunch costs between $6-$12. To do that every day would mean an extra $30-60 per week which doesn't really make sense considering that I can do all of my grocery shopping for all meals during the week for about $50. Also, though Chipotle, Panera, Subway and the like are a treat, eating out is not always the healthiest option. I find that I pack more sensible meals, like fruit, vegetables and generally smaller portions when I do it myself. This way, I know what I'm eating.

On the other hand, staying around the office for lunch also means that you miss out on the socializing the goes on if most other people go out. I know at my job last summer only myself and one of my co-workers brought our lunches, so we would eat together or at our desks while everyone else went out or brought something back. Since they were from out of town, but working on our project, they didn't have the luxury of a kitchen, but would always wonder why we never came out to lunch. So, believe it or not, lunchtime can be a win/lose situation. I eventually compromised and would bring my lunch Monday through Thursday and then go out to lunch on Friday as a treat to myself for a good week. But, it's up to you!