Even if you think you cannot afford participating in the 401(k) plan, please consider it.  This chart and the two which follow show how almost anyone can build up a large amount over time.

    Let's assume you earn about $20,000/year (a bit less than $10/hour).  If you can only manage to put 2% of your income into the plan, this is still $400/year.  DBA helps out by giving you a "pay raise" (the match, dedicated to your retirement) of another $400/year.  Even the IRS helps out, and you'd only see your paycheck drop by about $320/year.  So, for less than $16 per paycheck, $800/year would be added to your account.

    After 30 years, your account would have over $180,000.  The "9% Return" is arbitrary but realistic.  Your actual average return will depend on the given funds you choose to invest in, and how they each perform.

For less than $8/week (closer to $6 with the IRS factor considered) you can see that there will be a tremendous payout over time.  How much have your lottery tickets earned you?

Curve assumes an average 4% pay raise.
It does not take inflation into account.