Today’s Lesson is about the dreaded word “Diet.” I am finally revealing my “Money Diet” to you!
I’ve been on the money diet for about two years now. Finally a diet that really works!
So what is it? No carbs after 8? All protein? Drink 47 kale shakes a day? NO
The money diet is simple. Put a dollar sign next to everything you eat. Is that dollar sign Red or Green? Is this meal, drink, snack, helping or hurting your goals?
Green = good!
Red = bad!
Let’s say you make $100 a week. You work Monday – Friday. During the week, you are eating right & exercising. Friday at 5pm comes and you got that $100 deposited into your account. You worked HARD so let’s reward ourselves. Saturday night you go out with friends. Few beers, blue cheese burger, maybe even a shot. Let’s say this night out cost you $25. You can afford that. You made $100 during the week. So what…it’s only $25!
This is also just assuming you are “splurging” once a week. If you are guilty of that nightly scoop of ice cream ($ ) or cookies before bed ($), your $100 is disappearing even faster. The little expenses are adding up, and we don’t realize that we can save so much time and money if we get rid of those small red expenses. So many of us suffer from this “I can afford it” mentality. The salt, the calories, the fat adds up. 
You can workout, but you can’t out work a bad diet.
I don’t allow myself to think “I can afford” it because my goals are expensive. Every time I eat $, my goal gets further away. When I eat $, I am closer to my goal !
If you want a six pack stomach, you can’t expect it to happen over night. Just like you can’t expect to save $1,000 if you never put any money away. The money diet changes your mentality that you are eating your money. The little things add up!!!
So next time you reach for those potato chips or the 2nd scoop of ice cream, can you really afford it?? Is it a green dollar sign or a red one?? Will this moment of satisfaction help me reach my ultimate goal?
A penny saved is a penny earned!
-Professor Stern
