Study: Americans spend $1K on coffee, $2K on lunch each year

While coffee and a nice lunch may be staples for some working Americans, many people may be spending more on those two things than they think, according to a new study released this week.

In a month, many American workers are spending more on lunch and coffee than the cost of their commute, according to a study done by Accounting Principals . About half of Americans buy coffee on workdays and two-thirds of the workforce regularly buys their lunch, the study found.

The study mentions that coffee drinkers guzzle down $20 worth of coffee each week, totaling more than $1,000 spent on java each year.

Younger professionals between 18 and 34 years old spent twice as much on coffee during the week than coffee drinkers 45 and older. Younger coffee drinkers spent about $24.74 each week compared to older coffee lovers who spent about $14.15 per week, according to the study.

When it came to lunchtime, of those who purchased lunch, most spent about $37 per week. That means on average American workers shelled out nearly $2,000 a year on lunch.

Younger workers spent more for lunch than their older counterparts. The 18 through 34 year olds spent about $44.78 per week while workers 45 and older spent about $31.80 per week.

The study surveyed the habits of 1,000 working Americans between Dec. 22 and Dec. 27, 2011, and what they looked forward to in 2012.

To read the full study, go to http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/executive-style/api-workonomix-survey-Q1-2012.pdf .