We are spending £1,840 a year on lunch
Nipping out of the office to buy pre-packed sandwiches and snacks is costing your average British worker a significant chunk of their average salary.
Research suggests 60 per cent of Britons who buy their lunch from nearby shops spend an average of £1,840 a year, over 46 work weeks, splurging in the likes of Pret, Eat and Wasabi.
But organised employees who have time to butter and bag before they go to work end up spending just £552, which equates to overall savings of £1,288 a year, according to the research by vouchercloud.com.
In fact, scrimping on lunch means you can buy a luxury holiday to the paradise island of Bali in Indonesia, a high-spec Apple Macbook Pro or a suit from designer Gieves and Hawkes.
Around one-fifth of Britons buy their work lunches out rather than making them the evening before. Tiredness, time constraints and the wider range of options available were among the reasons cited for eating out.
Matthew Wood, director of vouchercloud.com. said: "It's very easy to slip into a routine of popping to the shop to grab a sandwich rather than planning your weekly or monthly shops to incorporate the components of a home-made lunch, then taking the time to prepare it on top."
"Obviously, there will be times where making your own lunch is just not feasible or even possible. However, when presented with these findings, I think those opting for convenience will be alarmed."