Dear repeat offender who overuses the “I didn’t have time to make my lunch last night” excuse that everyone around you is sick of hearing — especially your wallet, Before we get rolling on this rant ridden blog post that I call stop-wasting-your-money-in-foolish-ways, let me preface this by saying that:

1. I don’t care if you don’t like what I have to say.

2. Making your lunch is not hard.

3. No one is buying it. Well, except you that is.

Listen, I get it. Taking time out of your limited evening and television binging hours seems unfair. After all, you spend more time with your co-workers than you do with your couch. It’s asking a lot for you to cut some vegetables, pull out some ziploc bags, and actually use what’s left of your brain power to come up with a lunch you’ll want to eat. Tomorrow.

However, what’s asking even more is avoiding a good habit, and replacing it with one that’s forcing your budget to its limit.

Nine out of ten times when I try to tell people who never bring their lunch that it’s going to save them a ton of money, help their mental and physical health, and honestly, give you more time to actually eat — they scoff. Yeah, I can’t believe it either. People actually scoff at me.

WHATEVER.

Whether you think you’re spending a reasonable amount of money each day dining out, I can beat you every time.

What $10 gets you from popular restaurant(s):

McDonald’s

• 6-Piece Nuggets

• Medium Fries

• Medium Drink

• Apple Pie

Subway

• 12 Inch Basic Sub

• Bag of Chips or 2 Cookies

• Medium Drink

Taco Bell

• 6 Burritos

• Medium Drink

What $10 gets you from homemade lunch:

• Quinoa Salad w/ Lemon Juice & Hummus

• Bowl of Soup

• Loaded Sandwich or Wrap

• Granola Bar or Yogurt

• Banana or Apple

I could literally make three lunches with $10. You could buy an entire meal from your favorite fast food restaurant and still be hungry. Sucks, doesn’t it? Oh, by the way — if you want to eat healthy, you better add another five to 10 dollars to that total.

Since I know there will be some of you who are still on the “buy-my-lunch-if-I-wanna” train, let me spend the next few minutes debunking every excuse you can throw my way. After all, I think it’ll be as easy as you are lazy.

1. My social life depends on it.

That’s cute — but no one is going to disown you if you suddenly want to make a smart financial decision and up your physical health. If you tell them confidently “I’m on a budget and I’m working towards a fitness goal”, it’ll likely challenge them to do the same. Just like that, you might end up with a couple other buddies to keep you accountable. Simple, but true.

2. I hate cooking, and I’m not very creative.

Newsflash: making your lunch doesn’t even need to entertain cooking if you don’t want it to. Go raw and make a vegetable platter for the ages. Stick to meat and cheese. Think back to the lunch kits mama used to pack you. As for creativity, with platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, finding unique ideas for lunches is almost too easy. I can’t believe I even had to remind you of that.

3. I don’t have a microwave or fridge at work.

Take it from someone who also doesn’t have a microwave — you really don’t need one. Most of my lunches are cold anyways, which I’m totally cool with considering my dinners’ are always hot. Moderation is an okay thing to have in life. Personally, I didn’t have a fridge in my office either — so I brought in my old mini fridge and set it up. The money we spent on that bad boy will far outweigh its dollar per use, unlike those french fries. Although, we all survived 12 years of school without fridges. Ice packs are still a thing, guys.

4. My budget is still doing fine without making lunches.

Good for you. How’s your health?

5. Leaving the office is my real break.

No one is stopping you from heading outside for a walk around the neighbourhood, or a quick gym break if it’s nearby. If you need some fresh air, I’ve never heard of a company stopping someone from stepping out and refreshing their mind. Truly not an option? Make sure you’re getting up once a day just to stretch and remove your eyes from the computer screen.

6. I am busy with extra curricula’s at night.

You still have time to make dinner though, right? Why not double the recipe and save your leftovers for the next day? I do it often, and I’ve never once been upset about having stir-fry or pasta twice within 24 hours.

7. Leftovers suck.

FINE, PROVE ME WRONG. If you really can’t stand to have the same meal twice within 24-hours, set an alarm to wake up earlier and spend 10 minutes getting together a homemade lunch. There is always room to make time for something you want to do. Plain and simple.

8. I never feel full after my brown bag lunch.

Make sure you’re realistic in what you pack. Are you eating a big enough breakfast? That could be another reason that you never feel satisfied after lunch time. Try to include some form of protein, or a healthy fat to hold you off until you can get home for an after-work snack. Even better — always keep some fruit or nuts in your desk drawer in case of a “hangry” emergency.

Still don’t have you convinced? Wow. Tough crowd. Good thing I have a free download with 5 lunches you can make in about 5 minutes (and that cost under $10). Please tell me you’re into it. Otherwise, keep enjoying your $200/month habit, and I’ll keep enjoying my hand-picked groceries.