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- Aug 20, 2022
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How much do fresh grads/young adults realistically budget for lunch nowadays?
GeneralThe other day, a few colleagues and I were wrapping up an external site recce and getting ready to head back to the office. A debate popped up between taking the MRT or booking a Grab.
One of our junior staff (a fresh-ish grad who has been with us for about 2 years) chimed in and said that the MRT was getting expensive these days, so she’d prefer to Grab since it can be charged to our corporate account.
It made me pause. It hit me that she might be on a really tight budget. It also brought back a memory of when we tried a new no-frills, air-conditioned cafe for lunch; she mentioned that $7–$8 for a meal was quite expensive. Personally, I feel anything under $10 for a lunch deal is pretty reasonable nowadays, but it made me realise how out of touch I might be with the reality for fresh grads.
When our team goes out for group lunches (own expense, which isn't very often) we usually try to pick somewhere a bit nicer, like a cafe where a meal runs around $15–$18. Now I’m worried that by suggesting these places, I’m being insensitive and putting a strain on our junior teammates' wallets.
I want to be more mindful, so I’m looking for some ground truth:
- For those in your 20s/fresh grads: What do your daily expenses look like, and what is your realistic budget for a normal workday lunch?
- For occasional splurges: What is the maximum amount you’d consider "acceptable" to spend before it feels like an "expensive" lunch?
