A sacrifice can be a blessing in disguise

Good morning Dinks. Well it’s officially over, my 40 day personal sacrifice of giving up my morning coffee shop snacks and drinks is officially over – you know what? I don’t miss it.  Actually I guess what I should say is that I was not as excited to have the option to eat breakfast at my local coffee shop as I thought I would be.  Is it possible that I was only craving my morning stop at the coffee shop because I couldn’t have it?

Changing bad habits

Giving up something as small as my morning breakfast stop at the local coffee shop completely changed my life.  I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.  I had to change my morning routine to wake up early, cut down my getting ready routine and make time to eat at home as well as find appropriate morning snacks.

I used to wake up, get ready and head out the door.  On my way to work I would stop at my local coffee shop and purchase a breakfast sandwich, an iced coffee and some days a yogurt parfait.  That can add up to $5 to $10 that I would spend every morning on breakfast and snacks. When I add in my Thursday eat out lunches with my co-workers this can add up to $50 a week in snacking and eating out.

After changing my morning routine to include a DIY breakfast I realized that $5 a day and $50 a week is way too much money to spend on snacks.

 Motivation to stay financially fit

After 40 days of waking up early to have a bowl of cereal and snacking on protein bars for my mid morning snacks I realized just how much money I was spending, actually wasting, on morning snacks.

I would love to go back to my morning routine of sleeping in late and grabbing my morning snack from the local coffee shop, but I just can’t do it.  I also gave up my weekly restaurant lunches with my co-workers, now I only eat out with them when they grab and go – no more expensive restaurant lunches for me.

I love the fact that I can leave my house on Monday morning with $20 in my pocket and come home on Friday after work still with $10 leftover.  I used to hit up the ATM at least once a week to support my cash flow and now I don’t even need to carry my bank card in my wallet.

I like seeing extra money in my bank account and I like knowing that the money is there if I need it, but I am not dependant on it.

Eating healthy is the smart choice

I no longer have to make sure that I stop at my local coffee shop in order to make it through my morning.  The main reason why I can save money on snacks and eating out is because I am never hungry.  I pack my lunch every night and put it in the fridge for the next morning.  I snack on fruits and vegetables and I make sure that I buy enough groceries to have lunch every single day of the week.

What is your secret to saving money on snacks and eating out?

Photo by ultrakml

Kristina Tahnyak

Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.