Do you know that losing weight and saving money are similar? I’ve already done the saving money part. Now, I’m losing weight. Somewhere along the line, I saw a connection.

Let me explain. If you put $25/week away in savings, it isn’t a lot. But over time, it accumulates and turns into hundreds if not thousands. If you cut 100-200 calories/day, it may not seem like much, but over time, it turns into actual progress. Remember, both are slow but slow and steady win’s the race.

Over time, the changes you make to your finances and diet become habits. Are you perfect? Probably not, but once they’re a habit, they’re easier to come back to if you screw up. Starving yourself, saving every dollar, and never making mistakes will not create success. But you will be successful if you eat healthy meals and save from each paycheck most of the time. One bad day won’t kill your progression for either diet or money.

You’ll find you will make trade-offs now for future benefits. For example, you avoid a purchase now so that you can have financial freedom in the future. If you’re losing weight, you pass on certain foods or habits now so that you are healthier, thinner, and happier in the future. These two examples aren’t deprivation, they’re both about delayed gratification.

When I was teaching, I taught with the theory that if you understand why you need to learn something, the how comes. In other words, if you knew “why” something would become important to know, you’d figure out “how” to make it relevant. The same applies here. Figure out why you want to lose weight and/or save money and you’ll then determine how to make it happen.

Moral of the story:

Losing weight and saving money truly are comparable. Losing weight doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy food. And saving money doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy life now. They’re both about balance, not being miserable. Success in one area can create momentum in another. If you find you can follow a budget and savings routine, you can also eat healthier and exercise more.

“Healthy body-better energy-better decisions-better finances
 Better finances-less stress-fewer emotional eating triggers-healthier body
 Everything connects.” by Steve Houghton