1. It Costs a Lot Less (duh)

I know I already mentioned this, but it’s the single best reason to brown bag it. A typical lunch in a restaurant (even a fast food place) is going to run you about $10 if you add a drink and even more if you have to tip. That’s easily $200 a month on lunches out if you do so every day. Buy yourself about $20 worth of sandwich fixings, salad veggies and fruit and you’re set for the whole week. Cha-ching! Maybe that’s how people stay so rich, huh?

2. A Packed Lunch is a Great Way to Get Rid of Leftovers

Are you finding yourself tossing all your dinner leftovers on the weekend because they have spoiled? Stop it! Start planning to chow down on them at work the next day and you’ll have a meal you can look forward to and that is different than what you ate for lunch yesterday. Plus, you’ll love not wasting so much of your food. That’s more money saved, adding to your riches.

3. Homemade Meals Are Usually a Lot Healthier

Yes, you can most definitely get some pretty decent meals in a restaurant, but the majority of them are loaded with salt, sugar, fat and calories. Even rich people want to be healthy and take care of their bodies, hence the reason why they pack a lunch. You have all the control when you put together your own lunch, which means you can have something tasty that also meets your health goals.

4. You Don’t Have to Go out and Get Lunch

Productive people get raises and move ahead in their career field and you can be way more efficient if you don’t waste time heading to the nearest drive-thru. You still get a lunch break, but you have enough time to actually eat it and get back to your desk, recharged and ready to take on the afternoon.

5. Brown Bagging It Allows You to Eat Anywhere

Need a break from the noise and fast pace of your work day? Bringing your own lunch to work lets you sit in the park with a book while you eat or spend some time catching up with coworkers in the quiet lunchroom at the office. Rich people will tell you that this break is ideal for being more productive (read, better paid) when your lunch break is over.

6. You’ll Probably Be Different than Everyone else

I know this sounds funny, but research shows that the richest people in the world are those that go against the tide. Think Warren Buffett or Bill Gates. Instead of going with the flow, do your own thing. Even something as simple as packing your own lunch can get you noticed, allowing you to show off all the skills that will get you to the top tier of the earning bracket in no time.

7. You’ll Have Time for Bigger and Better Things

Are you pursuing a higher degree or trying to work out the details of a great invention? Having your lunch break to yourself gives you some time to focus on other pursuits, even on a workday. Having your lunch right at hand also means you can devote your entire lunch break to your passion while you eat. You’re getting closer to being rich already!

Do you brown bag it? What’s your favorite homemade lunch?