It is not always the case that big spenders have a more unhealthy life, but it is often the case that people with unhealthy lives spend more. Your finances and your health are connected in more ways than you might think and bad spending many times are also bad for your budget. Taking care of your finances are equally important as taking care of your health and neither should be neglected.
Physical Health
I have mentioned before that the time I actually managed to lose weight was when I had a very tight budget, that was the main reason for my weight loss and not my aspiration to actually lose weight. I did not lose weight because I stopped eating, but instead I made sure to eat what I was supposed to eat in the right amount. Accidentally eating two portions because the food was just too delicious also doubled my food expenses for that meal. All the snacks like candy and potato chips has absolutely no nutritional value and is often quiet expensive as well (in terms of food) and should be cut out.
When I talk about weight loss I’m not indicating that it’s important to lose weight, what’s important is to not over eat and avoid harmful food. By doing this we will achieve a healthy weight which is important for our overall health. The other important aspect is what you feed yourself with. Cutting out all the snacks is not only good for the budget but as I said, it has no nutritional value, and most of the cases it contains ingredients and even chemicals that will do harm to your body. By eliminating these you will improve your well being and eating the right nutrition will give you more energy, can make you sleep better and increases your ability to concentrate. In addition to these health benefits you will also improve your finances.
It should also be mentioned smoking which literally is paying for self destruction. There are absolutely no benefits of smoking and it is a long term expensive habit. As my brother use to say it is not that you can’t quit smoking, it is that you don’t want to quit smoking. You have more power over yourself than your cigarettes, it is hard, but it is how much you want it that determines your success.
Mental Health
Our personal finances can either open up a lot of opportunities for us or it can cause a lot of stress. Not being able to pay the bills on time, receiving payment reminders with added fees and not being able to afford the essentials can cause a lot of stress in life. By creating a financial strategy and setting up a savings account instead of randomly spending your money on things that isn’t really that important will reduce a lot of stress. You might not have this kind of financial stress at your current situation in life but you never know what happens in the future and it is never bad to be well prepared for possible crisis.
Spending a lot of money also results in owning a lot of stuff, even I who don’t spend that much own a lot more things than I need. This results in clutter which requires the constant tidying and it is not only stressful but also time consuming. I am sure that we all have heard about the new trend of minimalism which is a great way to relieve ourselves from this stress and save us a lot of money in the process of cutting all the excess spending. You don’t need to go full minimalist to make a positive impact on your mental health and finances, but you will achieve better results in both areas if you strive towards it.s
Strategies
Eat for your body not for your mind – In every meal you eat you should reflect about whether it’s for your body or your mind. Does the meal contain nutrition, is it the right portion and are you even hungry? A lot of us feel the urge to eat something when we’re bored and it can easily become a habit. I built a habit of eating when I watched series which resulted in that I wanted to eat every time I was about to watch series. The problem was that I eat so fast that I finish before the intro was done and the risk was high to keep eating even though I finished one portion. That is a typical example of eating for my mind instead of my body. Detect these habits in your life and make sure to change these. If you’re bored find another activity to replace the eating and you can exchange your snacks with a cup of tea.
Save before spending – A lot of people live according to the “spend and then save” model and this means that they will always be one step behind in life. Instead, make sure to have a routine of saving money each month, make it a habit and eventually you won’t even feel that you are putting money aside. When you already have savings you are prepared for anything in life, whether it’s a crisis or an opportunity you can handle it without any problems or stress.
When starting to save we reserve an amount of money that we cannot spend. In most cases this doesn’t mean that we have to cut back on life essentials, instead it means that we need to decide on what we really need and what we’re ready to give up. You are then more likely to cut out some things that doesn’t mean that much to you and would’ve been a waste of money. When you have gone through the effort of saving money before spending you are also more likely to carefully choose what to invest your savings in. These are ways for you to avoid wasting money on things that will just lie around in your home and cause stress.
Differentiate need and want – there are many things we want but not that many things we actually need. The want is often more temporary than we expect or might not fulfill any need at all. When you see the perfect bag the want is quiet strong to buy it, even though you already have three other bags that fulfill the same need. In this case ask yourself if you’re ready to give up on your old bags. If you’re still attached there is no need to buy a new one, but if your bags are never used you should try to sell them or give them away. Reflect over the things that are lying around in your home that you once wanted but wouldn’t buy again, it will make you more conscious in your buying process to determine things you spontaneously want but is just a waste of money.
Always make sure to take care of your health as it is the foundation of your life. By boosting your financial health you will have great side effects on your physical and mental health as well and a financial mindset can lead to a happier life.
