Do you all Buy Lunch Everyday????
Now with folks heading back to the office...Clearly if someone has a hybrid model that softens the pain a bit...but do all you analysts typically buy lunch out everyday now?
Maybe I'm a cheap bastard, but it's painful whipping out my card every time. Maybe you all justify it by thinking about the free seamless dinner every night instead which mitigates the cost?
Do analysts typically bring a lunch at all and if you do what do you bring? Is the cost difference of buying grocery items and making something really worth it?
NYC is not cheap by any means for grabbing a lunch...there must be a better way!
I've honestly just thought about not eating at all and just pigging out for dinner...thoughts?!
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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Cool, congrats! Very glad for you. Best of luck!
Will outperform this by intermittently fasting everyday
Edit: fuck, hunger is a bitch.
Edit 2: ok fuck this, getting me a sandwich.
Lmfao no one’s impressed they give you a ham sandwich at stifel, my man, but congrats!
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Okay, you post an honest post and people throw dung at you. People, what is the point of posting a helpful post and getting voted down. Lighten people.
Just curious, what bank is this?
Order two items in seamless that you can eat next day. Even if you need to add $4-5, still a better deal
Can you order 2 meals from separate places as long as the total is below the stipend?
No, Gotta eat chipotle twice.
No you can’t at most banks
this is a genius idea lol! im gonna do it. makes sense just expense another portion of dinners and keep for next day. might even be able to expense a ready meal and warm up for next day
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
This is what I do in college
My bank has a canteen and I can get a nice salad + fish/meat for less than £5 ($6.5)
Just go and buy lunch ffs. Going out with my fellow analysts and associates every afternoon to get food was the highlight of the day - allows you to step out, shit talk the seniors, get some fresh air and sunlight, maybe try the new spot down the street...
Fair enough. I think this is a strong point, so appreciate that. Out of curiosity about how much did you typically pay per lunch?
$12-15.
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
Do you really think microwaveable stuff is good for you? Idk isn't that just processed food?
No. They have a kitchen precook the food and then flash freeze (or cool) it. All clean and healthy ingredients. You can look more into either Factor or MegaFit Meals if you're skeptical
Factor and MegaFit meals are about $15 per meal. I can buy a fresh lunch for about the same money instead of storing it for a week in the fridge.
I'll start with a positive and say that MF is very tasty and you will feel like you're eating an actual meal. You won't save a lot of money - MF is not cheap - but for a single person that is willing to pay for it, you will feel like its a personal meal cooked for you and highly convenient. But that only happens when their shipping goes right. Most of the time its a massive shitshow with how they handle their shipping and you'll be lucky to get your meals in an edible state. I had about a 25% failure rate with their shipping before I gave up on them.
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.
If they have a microwave at the office, I will be bringing Trader Joe's Fiery Chicken Curry ($3.79) to work.
If they don't have a microwave, I'll buy one and bring it to the office before I shell out $17 a day for a chipotle burrito bowl. Idgaf.
Even if you can afford to do something doesn't mean you should. You would be astonished on how much money you save over the long run if you resist the urge to buy overpriced lunch everyday to fit your "high finance" ego.
EDIT: I wouldn’t seriously bring a microwave to work bruh. Jesus
I feel awful for the poor analyst who sits next to you after you eat your $3 fire curry bowl for lunch each day
I think we found Fast and Fiduciary coworker.
This man makes the Arby's Boys look like nothing
Jesus chipotle bowls cost $17 in NYC? I get that shit at like half the price in my LCOL state
Bowls are like $12-$13 before tax, and double protien is ~$4.
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.
There are levels of retarded and this one is almost worth screenshotting
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.
Definitely not what I would categorize as one of the great things about London lol
Theyre still 3.00 with the Clubcard.
Also please do a blood test and report back with the effects of daily Tesco meal deals
Side effect is that this bottom-end competition also keeps down lunch prices in grab and go type places - there’s far more lunch options that you can get for about $10 equivalent in London than in NYC. Some markets, for example, will do large wraps, burgers, curries, etc. for £5-6 (obviously not Notting Hill and Camden, but even Spitalfields has most stuff under £7 or 8). You’ve also got the ubiquitous Pret, Eat, LEON etc that are much less expensive than NYC too.
What's the best menu item in your view at Pret?
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
Is ur bank ok with it or do you get shit from ur colleagues for this? Seemed like the most logical approach but ive heard banks frown upon dinner receipts where it looks like you’ve ordered extra on purpose?
I’ve never heard of this but can see that being the case. Pretty common among analysts in my group tho. a $35 budget is a $35 budget right?
That sounds absurdly cheap for the firm. I second buying next day's lunch with dinner budget
If you work for a bank that is so miserly that they check your entire receipt line-by-line then you need a new job. Just stay under the budget and no one should give a shit what you order.
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.
Grew up in Philly and this is my go to. One time I got food poisoning from it though and it’s probably not all that healthy.
It definately is not a sweetgreen type healthy. But I am perfectly fine stomaching the additional 100 or so calories in the meat and sodium in return for food that actually has flavor and is affordable. I have eaten of all manner of the halal carts and have never gotten food poisioning so you got unlucky my friend.
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.
How was ABP enough for you? I be always found the portions to be small even if the price is (relatively) reasonable.
I was going to say the same thing - doesn't your bank subsidize lunch??? At 388 the cafeteria options (and there's a lot of them!) are subsidized and you can get an extra 10% off with a Citi credit card. I think the in-house Starbucks is also subsidized or at least not marked up to NYC standards. It makes eating lunch inside the building every day very reasonable.
Yes I do pretty much. However, If im working from home I'll just have my broad of the week make me lunch
Lol broad of the week. You got a set of whores you keep on rotation?
Do you not...?
Gotta get to a place that has free breakfast food and firm-paid lunch :)
Tech nerd dunking on us finance bros…
Lol I wish, I can’t even write a macro! Come to the buy-side, we have cookies…
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.
Is chipotle really $17 in NYC? It’s the only fast food place I actually like. I can get bowl for like under 8 in Philly.
Lowest price burrito is like $11 or $12 for chicken i forget.. maybe an analyst can chime in lol
Its close -- mine came out to ~$15 the other day (double chicked, no guac for context).
Chipotle guacamole is amazing
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 am also the guy nuking fish in the office microwave.
First year 15 is a myth
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.
don't you know that the best investment bankers are ascetic monks who love money?
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.
Arby's, everyday. Arby's boys 4 life.
Like somebody else above, I just meal prep 2x a week. Once on Saturday and once on Sunday. Makes it 10x easier to control your caloric intake and stay in good shape.
Highly recommend MealPal. You can get Sweetgreen / Just Salad / other great lunch options for $4-6/meal
Trifecta bulk meals are the move. Iykyk
If I’m cooking dinner I’ll make enough for the following days lunch. Same idea if I order dinner in, will order enough for the following day’s lunch. I also leave frozen trader joes meals in the freezer at the office. Occasionally I will run out for food. Breakfast I eat in like 95% of the time.
Something like this-
Eating leftovers 70% of the time
Frozen TJ - 15%
Run out - 15%
20$ for lunch, 50$ for dinner - MF (REPE)
My bank now has a stipend for breakfast and lunch if you're in the office to incentivize people to come back. Dinner is comp'd up to $35 assuming you're working late even if working from home. It's super nice for efficiency since you don't have to waste an hour cooking and getting out of your rhythm.
Wow! What bank?
Look into Ice Age meals (US), or Power Kitchen if you are up in Toronto. IMO good food is not something you should be skimping out on, especially if you are into fitness and health. getting poor quality food is like filling your Mercedes with unrefined oil from Alberta. These come out to $15 per meal and have a variety of nutrition you are looking for, and ends up being less than a full day of eating out for lunch/dinner.
Most people at the office, from what I noticed, ask those, who buy lunch every day, for leftovers. This. Makes. Sense. Just. Like. Your. Question.
Lots of IB analysts come from wealthy backgrounds anyway so who cares
Huge selection bias in these examples considering 95% of my floor eats out everyday, you can definitely afford it. If you like to cook more power to you but for me it isn't worth the time.
I bring my lunch most days - I use the Trifecta meal prep / delivery program. My bank pays for lunch though, so I'll opt in if I want to treat myself and punish my body like Le Chiffre with Bond at the end of Casino Royale.
As a fellow cheap ass myself, I generally bring snacks from home for lunches, but do step out with my colleagues when they're grabbing lunch
Any chance you leave near a Six Flags? I have a solution for you.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vaqq/meet-the-guy-whos-finessing-the-…
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