Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
One of my primary responsibilities in life is to provide for my family’s needs. My primal side derives great pleasure in ensuring that my clan is well fed so that they have the energy to attack their day, and the nourishment to improve themselves. We have it incredibly easy in the United States today. Food is very readily available at a very low price. For a historically small fraction of the average US wage earners salary, an entire family can be fed. People still try to push that fraction lower and lower. Most of us are on a fixed budget, so reducing any part of that budget will free up financial resources for other “things.”
Let’s step back a moment and analyze what we are really spending our money on. If you take each line item in your budget and assign an inverse weighting factor to its value with respect to your health and longevity, how much value are you really getting out of your money? Let’s look at an example budget with some weighting factors applied.
In this example, the most important items to your health and longevity are shelter and sustenance. I am using a scale where ‘1’ is critical to your longevity and future-self development; a ’10’ is detracting from your potential, and a ‘5’ is neutral.
Your cable TV bill ensures that you catch the very latest episode of The Biggest Loser and rates a ’10’ because it is not contributing to your longevity, it is actually detracting from your ability to improve yourself.
Entertainment is stress relieving and contributes to life enjoyment; a good book, a pass to a state park, or tickets to a stimulating concert.
Some of you will argue the exact weighting factors that I have used here. You are missing the point. Each individual value could be a topic of an entirely different post and discussion. Suffice it to write: these are my ratings, make your own ratings, but be sensible and realistic.
| Item | Cost($) | Weight | Real Cost($) |
| Rent | 1000 | 1 | 1000 |
| Cell phone | 100 | 5 | 500 |
| Cable TV | 100 | 10 | 1000 |
| Food | 300 | 1 | 300 |
| Entertainment | 100 | 4 | 400 |
| Alcohol | 100 | 8 | 800 |
| Savings | 500 | 2 | 1000 |
| Gym Membership | 150 | 2 | 300 |
| Eating out | 100 | 7 | 700 |
Don’t get me wrong, I understand that it is hard to give up the other “things.” I understand that money is tight. It is always easiest to look at the biggest items in a budget and try to reduce them to save money, that is where you can make the most financial impact. My argument is that approach may be short-sighted. The financial analyst in me struggles with making that statement. If we focus on long term financial gain, then every dollar we can save as early in our lives as possible will have a significant impact further down the road. My point here is to consider if saving that dollar now so that you will have more money down the road is the right decision, even if it is going to adversely affect your health. At age 65, would you rather have a million dollars and perfect health to enjoy it with; or have 1.2 million dollars with a failing body and mind? How much extra money will you need to deal with your failing health? Are you actually financially better off in the latter case, or do you have more money and a lot more expenses along with that failing body?
Next time you are at the grocery store and you think that the fresh food costs too much compared to a boxed dinner that will fill you up for the day. Look at the ingredients in that boxed dinner and compare it to the ingredients in the fresh vegetables in the produce isle. Which one is going to protect and enhance your body for the long term? Which one will poison you?
Yes, eating healthy will cost you more. Yes, many of you struggle with you finances already. I respect your right to make the decision that works for you. Make a conscious, informed, decision though – don’t fall into a trap. There are more variables involved in your budget that just dollars. Think about the value and cost of health.