We hear so often from women who desperately want help with fitness/nutrition, but then say they can’t afford to invest in themselves...their health. We often hear from those same women again, months or years down the road. They are in the same place, or worse off than they were the first time we talked. They are typically stressed out, don’t feel well, have high blood pressure or cholesterol, may be pre-diabetic, or have diabetes, or have limited mobility, so they aren’t able to do the things they want to do in life, like keep up with their kids or grandkids.
We get it. Change is hard. Spending money on personal training/fitness is hard because we have it stuck in our heads that we should be able to do it ourselves, without help from an expert. Some people are able to do it alone, but many aren’t.
Hiring an expert (investing in YOU) will help you to get results in a realistic amount of time, using sustainable methods and arming you with tools that you can use for life.
Here are several checkpoints to see where you may be able to redirect funds from something that may be a lower priority than your health:
Daily Coffee
Skip the drive-thru
Average $5/coffee or $150/month
Make coffee at home and use a cute travel coffee mug
There are so many options out there for doctoring up your at-home coffee.
Lunch Out/Take-Out Lunch
Dine-in = $15-$20/day
Take-Out = $10/day
Delivery = $15-$20/day
Prep ahead and pack...you’ll save money and it will likely be healthier for you.
Gym Membership
Have a gym membership that is just sitting there waiting for you to use it? I’ve done this on more than one occasion. I now know that I need more accountability than a standard gym membership provides.
$10-$50/month
Salon
Manicure = $25-$50 every 2-4 weeks
Pedicure = $35-$55 every 3-5 weeks
Eyebrows = $15-$20 every 3-4 weeks
There are so many great options out there for doing your nails at home. Essie Gel Polish lasts up to 2 weeks and doesn’t require a UV light.
Monthly Subscriptions
These are the ones that sneak up on you, and before you know it, you are spending hundreds of dollars each month on things that are not as high of a priority as your health. Check your credit card statement and evaluate how much you really use those services and where it rates on your list of priorities.
Netflix/Hulu/YouTube TV/Apple+/Disney+/Cable
These add up! Pick one and ditch the rest.
Music subscription services
Suck it up and listen to the free version with commercials.
Audible or other book subscription service
You can borrow audiobooks for free from the library.
I went through my monthly expenses a couple of months ago and found close to $400/month that I really didn’t need to be spending. $400! Sure I had to cut back on some entertainment services that I liked and used occasionally, but when I looked at the reason why...my health...it was a no brainer.