Workplace savings

The Wall Street Journal's Katherine Meyer maintains "The Juggle" blog (requires subscription), about the tradefoffs made by workers juggling work and family. Today, she had a post about eating at your desk.

Meyer writes,

Workers looking to save a few bucks in the down economy have found a new place to cut costs: lunch, according to an article in today’s Journal. Rather than fork over $75-$80 a week on fancy salads and take-out, employees are making their own sandwiches and opting to eat at their desks rather than find a table at the local bistro.

And while brown bagging can save a bundle on food costs, it can also save time. One executive in the article notes that bringing in his lunch has resulted in savings of about $50 a week, and has also made him more productive. “Instead of going out for an hour, walking to the place and waiting on line, I can basically eat in 10 to 15 minutes and catch up on some news,” he says.

Eating at one's desk, carpooling, or biking to work, Americans are looking for ways to cut costs anyplace they can.

Certainly, brown-bagging it can save you money, as well as being healthier (depending what you pack). It also can boost productivity (or give you time to put up a blog post of your own).