I Can't Afford To

Right now I'm at a crossroads in my life. I am not really sure where I am going to wind up and where I am going to be. I know I want to raise my kids right. I know I want to get healthier both in my mind and my body, and I know no matter what happens with my current situation, I want to be loved and accepted for who I am, which I have never really felt except when my children were babies. Well my son is still kind of a baby.

Money is a big problem for me right now, but I need to be honest with myself.Am I creating a block to my own happiness? Am I not doing everything I can to succeed in my choice to live a healthier lifestyle in terms of my eating and exercise choices? Each little purchase we make to provide us with a moment of empty temporary satisfaction may be hindering our longterm health.

Each day at work I spend five dollars or more on snacks and drinks. I usually work three to four shifts a week. I'd say I spend at least twenty dollars on things that if anything for the most part discourage me and make me feel bad about myself because it is usually empty calories that aren't doing my body any good.

If I took that money and saved it in five weeks I would have a hundred dollars. That's enough to buy me a day of shopping. If I saved a year I would have over a thousand dollars. Three years I could take my kids to Disney World for a week! Little things add up.

I have never smoked in my life, but many people I care about do. With cigarettes up to seven dollars or more a pack, smokers now have even more incentive to quit. In addition to the very important health benefits, smokers could save thousands of dollars a year by quitting. Imagine being able to take that Carribean cruise next year because you gave up that one pack of cigarettes a day!

I am a a fan of the baby step. Cold turkey doesn't work for me, I know it takes time. This week my fitness goal is to drink more plain water. I was finding that I was drinking over half my daily calories in ice tea,lemonade and coffee a day. If I had to choose between eating a meal and drinking sweet tea, I'd choose a sandwich any day.No I am not perfect. Yes I will make poor decisions, but every good choice I make is a step in the right direction.

My next goal is to buy a lunchbox. I will get a cool one perhaps with Wonder Woman or Hello Kitty on it. I will bring waters to work spending four dollars for twenty four instead of two fifty for two waters. It's a no brainer. I've said I can't afford the things I want in life, but the truth is I can, and so can you.

My mother has been a constent source of inspiration on this subject. She has a beautiful home, a nice car, and goes on a great vacation every few years. She does this all on about five hundred dollars a week. She hopes to go to the Dominican Republic next year for her fifty fifth birthday. She told me that she would have a cookie every day at work, but decided that she would save the money about four dollars a week towards her trip. It doesn't sound like much, but thats about two hundred dollars a year and the trip will cost her about a thousand.

The truth is I can afford to have a better life and so can you. Each day I strive to do a little bit better. I will celebrate the little victories in my life. I will no longer say I can't afford to, but I can't afford not to.