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According to a recent survey American workers spend more than $20 a week on coffee ($5 a day). That adds up to $1,092 a year! In comparison, commuting costs for the average worker come out to around $1,476 a year. Consumerist.com, who shared the information, puts it this way: “when you consider the volume of your typical coffee  drink versus a gallon of gasoline, it looks like we place a higher value on our java jolt than we do on the 87 octane in our gas tanks.”

Another huge expense we typically choose to ignore is lunch. 66 percent of the American workforce buys their lunch rather than pack one, costing around $37 a week. The daily mid-day meal is quite a bit more expensive than commuting or coffee.

Younger workers (aged 18-34) usually spend more money on coffee and lunch than their older counterparts. They spend $24.74 a week on coffee while older workers (45 and older), who are more likely to visit locally owned coffee shops rather than the major franchise Starbucks, spend $14.15 a week. For lunch, younger workers spend $44.78 a week, compared to $31.80 for older workers.

With gas prices so high, it’s surprising that American workers typically spend more on lunch than filling up their vehicle. In fact, Consumerist added: “Worth mentioning here is that, when asked what they thought their biggest work week expense was in the last year, 42% of respondents thought it would be commuting costs, and only 11% chose lunch expenses.”