Calories Still Count and Counting Them Will Help You Save Money
An undeniable concept; overeating is an expensive habit. We readily recognize that smoking cigarettes or consuming alcohol comes at a price. Now, authors Deborah McNaughton and Melinda Weinstein, a mother-daughter team, expound on the concept in their new book, Rich and Thin: How to Slim Down, Shrink Debt, and Turn Calories Into Cash
In an excellent review of the book, Michelle Singletary, personal finance columnist for The Washington Post notes:
McNaughton and Weinstein’s book contains a “Money Calorie Counter,” which details how much you can save by investing the money not spent on foods that are unhealthy. For example, let’s say you give up the expensive mocha latte you get five days a week. At about $3.35 a cup (with whipped cream), you would save $871 and 104,000 calories per year. If you get a 69-cent doughnut, add another $179.40 a year and 46,800 calories. All told, that’s $1,050.40 a year. If you were to put the money just from the latte in an investment each month that yields a 10-percent return over five years, you would have $5,620.64; in 10 years your money pot would grow to $14,868.33, and in 20 years you could have $55,117.52.