Health and Wealth Go Hand-in-Hand
It takes discipline to work hard in any aspect of your life. It takes ambition to if you are trying to eat right and exercise to stay healthy, or make a budget and save. Being in shape can benefit not only your health, but it can also lead to a healthier bank account. Here are a few ways that cutting bad habits can not only make you healthier, but it can increase your funds.
1. Saving money on coffee- Coffee is something that many people cannot cut out of their lives. Although stopping at Starbucks or any other coffee shop might seem ideal, the amount of money spent on coffee can add up. According to Business Times the Consumerist cites data indicate that the average worker in the U.S. currently spends over $20 a week on coffee, working out to a grand total of $1,092 annually. There are many other alternatives to spending $5 on coffee daily, brewing it at home can or making a cup at work can save you big. It is no surprise that making your own cup of coffee is cheaper than buying it at a coffee shop, but the savings over time can be eye opening. According to Daily Finance, a 6-ounce cup of coffee made at home, at about 17 cents a cup per day, adds up to $1.19 a week and $62.05 a year. A 16-ounce grande coffee from Starbucks, at $2.29 per day, adds up to $16.03 per week, and a hefty $835.85 per year. In terms of health benefits, an average coffee drink at Starbucks is around 200 calories, versus brewing your own black coffee which is around 2 calories a cup. Talk about saving money and health benefits! If you are interested in how much you are exactly spending on coffee try this calculator: http://www.hughchou.org/calc/coffee.cgi
2. Smoking cigarettes- Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health, but it is also dramatically taking away from your wallet. According to Smoke Free organization if you smoke a pack a day you will spend more than $5,000 a year on cigarettes. In 2012, a 30 packet of loose tobacco costs around $31.50. Someone smoking a pouch a week would spend more than $1,600 a year on tobacco. Not only are you adding on years to your life, can you imagine what you would do with an extra thousand or more dollars every year?
3. Biking and gym memberships- Exercising is key to a healthy lifestyle. For some people going to the gym or exercising just isn’t something that can fit into their lifestyle. If you find yourself swamped with work or simply too busy to go to the gym, try biking. It will not only save you money, but will fit in that needed exercise! Why not drop thousands of dollars on parking, gas, public transportation when you can increase your fitness with biking. If you are someone that has a gym membership, but doesn’t use it often… canceling that gym membership could save you a ton of money. Buying a good pair of running shoes for a run outside, or finding cheap fitness DVDs can save you money and calories. There are also many free fitness apps that will help you keep motivated. Check it out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/apps. My favorites include MapMyRun, MyMyWalk, and RunKeeper.
4. Convenience food and eating out- I’m not saying that you shouldn’t eat out or grab a snack when you’re hungry, just don’t depend on it. To enjoy a healthy lifestyle, your diet is a necessity. When healthy living is a priority, you start to spend less money on take-out and more money on meal planning. When you meal plan, you spend less money on homemade meals than you would if you ate at McDonald’s all week. Think of it this way, a bag of carrots is less than $2.00 at my local grocery store. A bag of chips is usually $4.00 or more, but not as filling. Cut out the costly food and loaded chemicals and choose the healthier route to save some money. You also start appreciating the food that you started to cut out of your healthy diet! To find out how to save on meal planning visit our Pinterest board that has a ton of creative ways to save.