Is Simply Going To Work Costing You Money?
One thing that I have learned recently is that going to work costs you money. And I don’t mean your travel costs getting there and back.
What I am talking about is the money that you spend while at work. All those gifts for people’s birthdays and farewells, morning teas, charitable donations, more gifts, lunches, even more gifts, and well, you get the idea. These all add up.
Last week alone I spent a total of $48.00 on gifts, morning teas, donations and lunches. True, that’s not a typical week, but these costs soon add up and it’s not uncommon for people to spend a large amount each month on what I like to call “office-supplies.”
To be honest, I am over the whole deal. I run a pretty tight budget for myself, and while I allow myself money for these types of expenses I feel reluctant to waste my money on stuff that is so trivial.
I would love to just say “no” to these office-supplies, but then I would easily be labeled miserly and before you knew it I would no longer be a “team player.” All because I failed to put in $5 for an inane morning tea.
So what can you do about this without seeming like a miser or a splitter?
Here are a few things I came up with:
- If you have advance warning of a morning tea you could whip up a batch of brownies or muffins or cup-cakes at home, rather than buying something.
- Give the least amount you possibly can for any gifts. Ask around and find out what everyone else is putting in and put in somewhere towards the lower end.
- Make up some fairly water-tight excuses for missing out on team lunches. Work-related excuses are the best: ‘deadline is fast approaching’, ‘I have a tonne of work to do’; or you could simply be meeting someone else for lunch already. Don’t say you can’t go too soon as any excuse you come up with may be overcome. Try and save it for the day in question.
- If you do have to go to lunch, try and order the least expensive thing on the menu, or if you can, suggest a place you know is cheap!
After all, you go to work to earn money, not spend it.
Are you sick of wasting money at work?
Image credit: Martin Kingsley
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