You know that, for the sake of your budget, you should kick the ever-more-expensive coffee habit. And, for that matter, that you should make yourself a brown-bagged BLT to bring to work rather than getting Chipotle for the third time this week. But mornings are tough! And how much harm could a few cups of coffee, and a few burritos, do?
According to a recent survey of 1000 American workers by Accounting Principals, quite a bit. The firm’s data show that half of American workers regularly buy coffee during the week. This half spent an average of $1092 a year; that’s over $5 a day. An even larger proportion of workers — a full two-thirds — buy lunch at work. These folks spend even more than the coffee drinkers. On average, the midday meal costs lunchers $1924 a year. That’s even more than commuting, which accounts for about $1500 a year.
The workers who spent the most on both coffee and lunch were those aged 18-24. Their low income, it seems, is more than offset by their lack of real-life expenditures and their hunger for fancy foods to get them through the workday.
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