Day 277: Money Saving and Weight Loss Tips

Two of my friends got married at the beginning of this month, and ever since then I've been trying to lose the weight I put on for it and save the money that I spent on it. I didn't realize how expensive it was to be in a wedding, actually owe people money now, so I've been trying all sorts of things to save money. The dress that I spent two hundred dollars on also did not fit after I lost some weight. So I also have been going hardcore with re-losing the weight. I figured out some "life hacks" if you will. A lot of sites post these, so I thought I would post a couple of mine.

These are some to lose weight:

• Allow yourself one cheat meal a week, that way you have something to look forward to
• Avoid the chip/soda aisle. There is always something new/on clearance/sale that you will want
• Weigh yourself once a day, at the same time every day. It sucks, but will help motivate you
• When you are stressed/angry/bored go for a walk. Even if the weather sucks walk around the mall or a local grocery store. I like Wal-Mart because it's 24 hours and has non-food sections.
• When you are watching tv/movie have a puzzle going, it will keep your hands busy and prevent you from making a snack.
• Plan your week with little exercise routines built in. I belong to a gym so I look ahead of time to see what classes are offered. 
• Have your friends join you for a walk around a lake/park/neighborhood

These are some to help save money:

• Cancel anything you don't use/need. I still need to cancel my People.com subscription, I never read them
•  When I go out anywhere I will leave my credit cards at home and only take cash, that way I can only spend that certain dollar amount
• Leave cash/credit cards at home. If I'm going to a friend's house/the gym I will leave my credit cards and cash at home, that way it is not even an option to hit up taco bell after doing Zumba
• Along with allowing one cheat meal, allow yourself to only go out a certain number of times a week. Plan your meals according to your grocery shopping. 
• Set an "allowance" for yourself and only go to the atm when it's time for your "allowance"
• Coupon. Just about everything out there has a coupon. I even do the surveys on the back of my receipts for free food/drawings
• When your friends go out, eat beforehand (unless it's buffet) then just get a soda or light dessert. Sure, it's fun to eat out, but my friends go out every time we hang out

I know there are a lot of ways to save money and lose weight, and it's hard. I am still working on getting rid of the junk food in my place and replacing it with better things. I have been shopping the "natural" or "organic" sections of grocery stores. It's a little more expensive, but then I save that money on not eating out all the time. My friends love to go eat out, and usually everybody wants to order a drink. When all is said and done the bill is well over twenty. I also don't go to eat at buffets anymore, it's just too much money and I eat too much.

All this being said, I love my body, but I know that I need to lose a little weight so that I can be a little more comfortable. I know we all say that we're going to lose the weight, but this time I mean it. Time to stop talking and start doing. My "gym money" jar is filling up, so will post on that next week, it's going to be a low month, but I haven't given up.