I’m about to make the leap from nutrition-help to self-help.
Only, it’s not actually a leap…it’s barely a hop.
Let’ start with a generalization:
I’m guessing that you would like to have a bit less body fat, a bit more money and a lot more time.
Maybe you want to have a LOT less body fat, a LOT more money and a LOT more time.
The key is- there’s a RELATIONSHIP between these three things.
And it’s a big one.
Here’s a personal fact that plays into this story ==> I spend as much money on snacks, lunches and coffee’s away from my home as I do on gas for my car every month.
And I won’t be vague….I spent $311.22 in November on ‘snacks, lunches and coffees’ eaten or drank away from my home.
Doesn’t seem like that big a deal until you consider the fact that I fast twice a week, don’t take any supplements and typically try to eat responsibly (IE eat a little less).
I think that most of us spend much more money on foods and drinks then we think we do.
I don’t have research to prove this, but let’s assume its true.
So here’s the irony…we want to be leaner and the cause of our extra body fat is how much we eat; and how much we eat directly takes away from how much disposable money we have and how much free time we have.
Here is an ironclad fact – If you are overweight, you’ve spent more money on food than you needed to.
Now I’m not saying I wish that the 300 dollars I spend on coffee etc was actually zero dollars.
After all, I REALLY enjoy my coffee, and I REALLY prefer my coffees out. I like the atmosphere and the break provided by the 3 or 4 different coffee houses I visit each week.
The point isn’t self denial, the point is that responsible eating can also allow you be fiscally responsible (ie more money in your pocket).
Between groceries I didn’t really need and a couple extra coffees or lunches I didn’t really need, I figure that monthly I have about 200 dollars that could be spared.
This is 200 dollars worth of food not contributing to my waistline, and its 200 dollars that could be divided up evenly…100 bucks extra against my morgage, 100 bucks extra dong something fun with my family.
And it’s not just money, it’s your time.
I spend about a half hour in the morning and a half hour before bed doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Granted I’m doing dishes for four, but we’re not exactly a 6 meals a day family, and Heather and I both fast….I can only imagine what kind of time people who have 4 kids and who are overweight must spend in the kitchen.
Dishes…what a collosal waste of time, but…they need to get done.
So here’s the point to this ramble: Food is a very important part of your life…and there’s more than the reason of ‘weight loss’ to really be responsible with how you eat and what you spend your money on.
The facts are, you probably need your car, and the gas you buy to get to and from work. You need gas, electricity etc for your house. You HAVE to pay taxes and your mortgage…so food is one of the few expenses that you can control.
Learn to eat a little less and you:
A) lose weight
B) save money
C) gain time.
Perfect.
So here are 6 tips that have worked for me:
Lunch meetings – Order coffee or tea instead of lunch. For some reason if you order a water or diet soda people look at your funny like you are doing something wrong, but coffee or tea is OK. I don’t know why this is, but I know it works.
Groceries – Once a month take one week and don’t buy anything. Try your best to work your way through what is in your fridge and pantry. Get creative.
Out of home expenses – Set up simple rules that fit into your life that limit times you can eat out of your home. I try my best to never eat in my car. This works for me.
Dishes - Look, if you are trying to lose weight it means at some point you’ve eaten more than you wanted to. so to add some balance AND save time in the kitchen this try this technique…towards the end of the day, clean your kitchen, once it’s clean the kitchen is now ‘closed’. You are not going to go hungry, your kitchen stays clean, you eat less, you don’t spend time doing dishes again… (Obviously if you have young children this only half works)
Dining out – In this day and age there is simply no shame in sharing a meal. Besides, most restaurant meals have at LEAST double the calories you need anyways. Split a personal Pizza AND a dessert. You get way more flavour and probably less calories than if you ordered your own Entre.
Finally – Fast. Once or twice a week.
BP
[...] Save your money, save your life. | Brad Pilon.com [...]
[...] Save your money, save your life. | Brad Pilon.com AKPC_IDS += "6603,";Popularity: unranked [?] Share and Enjoy: [...]
True words, I beg to differ in one point though: Overeating with crap is cheaper than eating less but healthy (I don’t even count organic food which is even more expensive).
I personally love the time I save by skipping lunch. And maybe it’s me, but I think it’s easier to not eat at all than to eat less.
Couldn’t agree more Brad. I’ve got a pretty good budget I work to and what pretty much always seems to happen is that I always end up spending twice as much as I’d like on random things like cappucinos, diet sodas, smoothies and snacks. Most of them are healthier then what most would opt for, but it’s pretty much a needless purchase. When you think about it, the money you save on not buying this stuff could be spent on things you really enjoy like movies, cds, clothes or even just going out and partying with mates… Or you could save it.
Millions of Haitians have had no food or water for going on three days. How about donating the money you save while fasting to people who don’t have ANYTHING to eat? And as long as you’re donating that much money…
I’m just saying.
I thought my bills would go up when I started cooking. Especially since I buy the expensive stuff. Organic and local, as much as possible. But when you consider a large slow cooker meal will feed you and your family for at least two nights, it’s really quite a bargain. I do admit that it’s often less interesting than eating out because even a great cook doesn’t make the variety of foods that you can simply order when dining out. But wow… the savings are adding up.
Tip for Brad: I relented and bought my wife an espresso machine for our anniversary. These are the machines that were going for over $2,000 until the economy crashed. Now you can steal them for under $400. Replacing $6 and $7 drinks will pay for the machine quickly. And just by osmosis, I’ve developed her habit of drinking mochas (no sugar, but real dutch cocoa). Win-win.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brad Pilon, lowfat_recipes. lowfat_recipes said: Save your money, save your life.: I’m about to make the leap from nutrition-help to self-help. Only, it’s not actu… http://bit.ly/8vjgdu [...]
Hey Brad,
I couldn’t agree more with you. It just makes sense. I use to spend alot of money on food and now i have made the changes, i have more money to spend on my family, more time to spend with the family and weight loss, couldn’t get much better.
I am in the middle of my second fast for the week and i feel great. Fasting has given more control of food when I’m not fasting and the food taste soooo much better.
Also, throwing food away is a crime (well should be).
@Hynek, preparing your own food is way way cheaper than buying stuff on the go. Damn, I don’t even spend $300 worth of tea, coffee , snacks and lunches a year. (well, ok all those home made sandwiches will add up over a year so I’ll probably be way over that, but still)
agree….
since i praticed ESE
i have more money to spend for my hobbies , my computer else……
Brad, I’ve always wanted to ask this because I read the ESE book and I don’t believe I read it in there. Is it ok to fast two days in a row? Like I started my fast Friday at 10am, then broke it at Saturday around 12pm, then I eat normally saturday, eat breakfast like 11am sunday, then fast again sunday 11am to monday 11am? The reason is I wasn’t able to do two fasts last week…only one, which was on Friday., and I’d like to get another one in.
Check this out: http://www.marksdietsite.com/vc/index.php?t202id=1496&t202kw=mds-vc
Look at the comments on the bottom from JackMann on 8.14.2009..lol..
Brad,
per our conversation regarding my recent weight explosion..I think i’ve easily been spending $400/month extra on food. That $$ couldve been used for many more worthwhile ventures than making me fat.
Save your money, save your life…
Im guessing that you would like to have a bit less body fat, a bit more money and a lot more time. Maybe you want to have a LOT less body fat, a LOT more money and a LOT more time….
Blog – Save your money, save your life…
Weight Loss – Im about to make the leap from nutrition-help to self-help. Only, its not actually a leap … its barely a hop….