Do you all Buy Lunch Everyday????

I’ve had similar concerns for SA, maybe you could meal prep on weekends? I’d imagine that’s almost certainly much cheaper

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Order two items in seamless that you can eat next day. Even if you need to add $4-5, still a better deal

Why don't you just bring lunch instead of starving yourself until dinner lol.

Or starve yourself, intermittent fasting has benefits and ppl usually eat lunch because they have been told they are supposed to and not because they fee the need

My bank has a canteen and I can get a nice salad + fish/meat for less than £5 ($6.5)

I've been thinking about this too. I'm trying to eat pretty clean so have considered using meal prep services like Factor or MegaFit Meals. Those are the ones that ship you the microwaveable meals. Probably not the tastiest option but they're relatively (?) cost-efficient and definitely good for you. I need to do more research on which services taste the best

I just meal prep, three meals at a time. Takes like 30 minutes twice a week. Cost per meal is like $3 plus it's all super healthy. 

I usually bring a lunch 3 or 4 days a week. I usually meal prep on Sunday for those meals, but still give myself room to be lazy or go out with colleagues. I do it a bit for money, but honestly mostly for health reasons, take out has too much salt and butter for me, cooking at home let's me control that better.

Elon Musk lives off like $40k a year. Doubt he eats our everyday.

This is one of the great things about London. Tesco meal deals are £3.50 each (recently raised from £3.00...). I've lived off of these for lunch for most of my professional career.

Coffee flavored premier protein drink + fruit / granola / yogurt is usually what I bring for lunch.

I always have 1 of these at work. If people are doing things for lunch and I'm not too busy or don't have dinner plans I'll go out with them and just carry-forward what I brought in to the next day.

I'll expense dinner if we're busy, otherwise I might have plans, and if neither then I'll go home and either cook or get takeout depending on how I'm feeling.

I meal prep weekends. Protein, lean carb, and fruit or veggie. Otherwise if no time, I bring a yogurt and a few protein bars for lunch. I’ve found it does help save money. Our firm has a nice subsidized cafeteria though, so in the event I don’t do the above, the cafeteria presents good options (made to order). I get what you’re saying.

The only thing about meal prep, is that by day 2 it all tastes bad. Be creative, man.You could always buy Uncle Ben’s ready rice pouches and canned boneless sardines in olive oil. Might sound like poor man’s food, but keeps you from spending more than you have to. Just something to consider.

btw, I’ve eaten this for same meal for months at a time.

Intermittent fasting is great for you.

But always go buy lunch when your analyst class go together. Great to get out of the office and unwind a bit.

I buy two meals with my dinner budget and have lunch for the next day. Don’t pay for any groceries besides eating out on occasions/weekends and snacks throughout the day 

Might just be more normal for me as I grew up in the UWS, but have you not heard/seen of the halal carts. My absolute go-tos for lunch. If you want to make it healthier you can swap out the rice for just salad and meat. Not to mention that its usually anywhere from 6-8 bucks and is extremely filling. I literally do not notice the dent in my wallet. 

You make enough money to buy yourself food everyday

I steal from the cafeteria at my bank

I enjoy cooking too much

At GS and Citi we had highly subsidized cafeterias. At Citi we had an Au Bon Pain station, omelet station, random food of the day buffet, etc. I used to get the ABP soup and half sandwich everyday I wasn’t going out with other colleagues. When we went out as analysts there were a few cheap options, particularly a Thai place that was like $4. We also frequently had company funded lunches at Nobu and some of the steakhouses nearby. This was a long time ago, but worrying about paying for lunch in NYC was never an issue. 

Yes I do pretty much. However, If im working from home I'll just have my broad of the week make me lunch

Gotta get to a place that has free breakfast food and firm-paid lunch :)

I'll do a protein smoothie (sliced & frozen bananas, skim milk, PB, whey protein, and dates) or some kind of sandwich. Instant oatmeal packets and yogurt are good options for something lighter or as snacks. Also, I can't believe Chiptole bowls are $17 in NYC, that's insane. 

I bring lunch ~3 days a week. Just make 2x the portion size when I cook dinner and pack it up. 

Eating? Haven't you guys heard of adderall?

Meal prepping is probably the best way you can save money. Just buy bunch of lid containers and make some recipes that you can microwave or refrigerate that you can take to work. Tons of online recipes specifically for meal preps too. Plus, it helps you stay healthy and not gain weight. 

I meal prep on Sundays for Monday - Thursday the following week. On Friday I’ll eat out, but I’ll make sure to get something healthy like a salad (without the dressing) or Chipotle (if I’m feeling a bit glutinous).

For my meal preps I like to keep it simple. Brown rice, chicken breast/salmon/tilapia/pork chops etc., plus 2 types of veggies. If I’m feeling the need for something bubbly, I usually would go for a can of LaCroix or sparkling water.

I wonder what are you people saving money for if food / eating well is not one of the priorities (except for meal prep, which is both healthy and cheap). Imagine chasing pReStIgE and them big fat bonuses only to be eating half-assed meals for 10 years.

If you are working in the city even as an intern you should be getting what used to be a seamless budget for the day.  You can spend it however you like, well almost.  The standard is if you are in the office over dinner your firm picks up your meal tab.  Which will be pretty much every day. 

Here's what I do. I have a hybrid wfh/in office model, so its a little easier to meal prep/get stuff done while home. 

- While working at home, usually I'll cook some kind of protein in the oven, takes very little time to prep. 

- Mix the protein with some rice I made and some veggies, thats basically a meal. (can use frozen bag rice/vegetables if in a pinch). 

Cost wise on price, its comes out to about ~$1.50 a meal, usually with a good portion of protein. Biggest hurdle is usually going shopping at the store, I live city adjacent so its easier to drive to the store somewhat. 

At OP, I get what you're saying, just looking for ways to save a little money. I know people I work with who spend $50 and upwards each day on meals/coffee/snacks and suck. Even if you make a lot of money, that can add up quick. 

Could hack it in some ways, do what I said above but buy a protein from the cafe in your office, basically bring half a lunch.