If “you are what you eat” translates into a healthier lifestyle, did you also know it can lead to a WEALTHIER lifestyle? How you approach your grocery shopping and cooking habits can lead to not only a longer life, but to a happier life!

Have you ever considered that what you put into your shopping cart could lead you to financial independence, the freedom to travel, worry-free retirement, a debt-free education for yourself or your children, more time to spend with the people you love doing the things you love?

Believe it or not, I have been able to follow all my dreams of travel, working only 20 hours per week and supporting all the charitable causes so near and dear to my heart, because of how I shop. Using a few simple techniques, I still feed a family of 6 along with frequent mealtime guests, for only $100 a week!

And, guess what, we’re not living on ramen noodles! I’m talking gourmet dining here… the kind of meals 98% of the population would pay hundreds of dollars for in a fancy, upscale restaurant to feed six people.

More importantly, this is all fresh, healthy food — no chemicals, no genetic modifications. And, I personally know thousands of people who use these techniques every day to reach their personal financial goals!

Sure, I could afford to eat at 5-Star restaurants for every meal, if I wanted to. But, how do you think I got to this place financially? And, why would I sacrifice all my other dreams just to eat an over-priced, over-processed meal?! If you would like to have this same financial freedom, then you can start with these simple tips:

1. Keep it fresh: Pre-packaged, pre-processed foods cost you more per serving and contain all kinds of “mystery” ingredients. Shouldn’t green beans be just green beans? Consider weekly trips to your local farmer’s market or think about joining a coop. You’re buying fresh foods AND supporting local food production, while saving money!
2. DIY: Give your time value and if you can save money by becoming a kitchen “do-it-yourselfer” instead of paying for some food merchandiser to do it for you, why wouldn’t you? Pre-chopped, pre-grated, pre-sliced, pre-mixed foods not only include many additives, but also a hefty price tag for their labor. This goes for everything from grated cheese to bottled salad dressings and croutons.
3. It’s all in the cards: Did you know the recommended size for an entree — read that as a piece of meat — serving is about the same size as a deck of playing cards? But, frequently, pre-portioned foods exceed this by double! And, not only are you teaching your body to overeat, but you’re paying extra for that labor, again, to “portion” your meat servings.
4. It’s better the second time around: As the old saying goes, love is better the second time around… well so is your homecooking! Plan your menus to yield multiple meals from one chicken, pot roast, etc. Leftover broth can be saved and used to create amazing stock that would cost you several dollars to purchase at the store.
5. By the book: Invest in a couple of good, all-purpose cookbooks and you’ll be amazed at how far that whole chicken can go. Plus, you’ll learn all kinds of tricks and gain the knowledge, confidence and inspiration to go “off book” to begin creating your own dinnertime masterpieces!
6. Making a list & checking it twice: We’ve all heard the advice to never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry and this one is definitely true. But, I would put another bit of wisdom right up there with it: ALWAYS have a shopping list! Grocery stores are designed to appeal to all your senses and to encourage impulse buying. If you just wander through the store, up and down the aisles — which, by the way you should try to avoid and stick primarily to the outside edges of the store — it is so easy to fall prey to slick merchandising techniques. If you have a plan going in and stick to just what’s on your list, this alone could save you hundreds!

None of these techniques involves making huge sacrifices in your lifestyle or preferences and can result in hundreds of dollars in savings EVERY MONTH! Imagine putting hundreds of dollars every month back into your budget. What could you do with that kind of extra money? Pay off your credit cards? Save for a dream vacation? Increase your charitable contributions? Pay off your mortgage years early? Increase your retirement investments? This list is limited only by your dreams!

If I can do it, then you can do it! And I’m always here to support you, so please follow us on social media and tell me what you would do with all these savings and what you’re doing to save money at the grocery store. Don’t keep these great ideas to yourself, be sure to “Like” and “Share” these thoughts with your friends, family, coworkers and social networks!

In great faith,

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