Survey: Average Employees Spend $3,300 A Year On Work-Related Purchases

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- You go to work to make money -- but have you ever calculated how much it costs you to do that?

The money you spend to commute, eat or just get some coffee can add up.

"You have to spend money to make money right?," Phil Catdual, a trainer, said. "I'm driving, I obviously have to eat well, keep up, do my training, pay for my gym stuff for myself, clothes."

A CareerBuilder survey found the average worker spends around $276 a month to go to work -- or around $3,300 dollars a year, CBS2's Alex Denis reported.

"Most people think about their job and what they get in their paycheck. They need to think more broadly about what it costs them actually to earn their paycheck," CareerBuilder Chief Human Resources Officer Rosemary Haefner said. "The cost of getting to work, the cost of business-appropriate clothes, the cost of daycare, pet care -- it all adds up."

Nearly half of those surveyed spend at least $250 a year on clothes for work, and half of the employees who buy lunch spend $25 or more a week.

More than 30 percent of people who need daycare spend at least $500 a month.

But there are ways to cut costs.

"If you really put your mind to it you can probably trim those costs down. Consider bringing your own lunch. Can you carpool?" Haefner said.

For those who can't carpool, many employers offer benefits for cheaper rates on public transportation and even parking to help bring down commuter costs.

CareerBuilder surveyed more than 3,000 workers ages 18 and over.