Today, May 25, is National Brown Bag-It Day, a holiday to encourage people bringing lunches from home rather than buying them.

CNN's Eatocracy blog has pointed out a few benefits of the bring-your-own-lunch idea. Not only is it cheaper than buying lunch, but you have more control over how healthy (or unhealthy) it is. It's also worth mentioning that the less time you spend walking to a restaurant, ordering, and walking back to the office, the more time you have to enjoy your meal and the break. Moreover, some foods get better over time, like chillis or lasagnas, which means that the left-overs you take into the office will likely be tastier than they were at dinner last night.

There's also such a thing, The Daily Meal points out, as a bag-it party. Throwing a bag-it party means getting everyone at work to bring in a lunch and having it correspond to a theme, like a tour of Italy or a summer picnic. Pot-lucks are another idea.

For those who want to be as concerned with the environment as they are with the economy, bring your lunch in a reusable bag and pack each item in reusable tuperware. Bringing silverwear rather than plastic utensils can also help cut down on trash.

Don't feel bad if you didn't know about the holiday today. You can brown bag-it anytime!