A penny saved…

I work in a social environment.  Correction, I work in a very social environment.  At least once a week, there is a group lunch occasion, though some co-workers eat our every single day.  It has come to present a bit of a quagmire, balancing the desire to be part of the social experience with the absolute need to watch my spending.

To be honest, I’ve begun to wonder whether there is a balance between these points.  I did go out last week for a lunch to celebrate someone’s last day (heck with this group, there’s a lunch to celebrate a new tie or a cloudy day - celebrations are frequent).  And instead of ordering a meal, I had a cranberry juice.

It felt lame.  There I was, nursing a juice for 2 hours while everyone ate.  It was easier on the pocketbook but still cost me $5.  That was one expensive drink.  I almost felt afterwards that it would have made more sense to skip it, I was so conscious of being the only person without a meal.

And therein lies the rub.   I want to join in, to know people on a social level and have fun.  Unfortunately, I don’t want to have to spend  money to do it.  While I’m not exactly tight, I am very sensitive to what I spend money on.  And I don’t want to blow $30 on lunch.

Is there a happy medium?  After all, I shudder at the thought of being a social recluse but the thought of spending $60/week on lunches makes me shudder.  While I know that being frugal AND happy is about choices, I haven’t found a happy medium yet that makes me happy.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS