Hi friend,
I lost 20 pounds in one year without medication, without becoming a fitness influencer, and without paying someone $4,000 to tell me their “secret.”
Plot twist: I actually saved almost $4,000.
And before we go further, this is not a weight-loss podcast. Bodies are personal, health is personal, and nobody here is prescribing what yours should look like.
What I do want to talk about is what happened to my spending when I got laser-focused on one goal.
Where the money went
🏋️ Gym: $1,250 saved
I went from spending $1,450 a year on CrossFit to about $200 a year at a basic gym.
I did pay for a coach who actually helped me reach my goal. The lesson wasn't “always choose the cheapest option.” It was pay for what actually helps you and stop paying for what doesn't.
☕ Coffee shops: $504 saved
Once I started tracking macros, my usual coffee shop drinks and snacks didn't fit easily. Plus, every iced coffee pit stop somehow also ended up with a cake pop for my son.
So I started making coffee at home and limited coffee shop treats to about once a week… while my kids were NOT with me.
🎟 Entertainment: $576 saved
My entertainment spending dropped from about $132 a month to $84.
I chose fewer activities centered around food and alcohol and more parks, libraries, and free events.
Not because restaurants, concerts, or movies are bad. I just know myself. Put me somewhere that sells something I like and expecting me not to buy it is… a lost battle.
🛍 Shopping: $1,717 saved
This was the shocker.
Where did that time come from?
Social media.
I went from walking roughly 4,000 steps a day to 12,000, which meant finding about an extra hour to walk.
That meant less scrolling and less exposure to people wearing, decorating with, eating, and buying things I had been perfectly happy living without five minutes earlier.
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The real “secret”
The number one thing that helped wasn't a food, gym, or workout.
It was having one goal I cared enough about to organize my environment around.
None of these changes started as money-saving strategies. But together, they saved me about $4,000.
So pick one goal you're working toward and ask:
What am I doing every day that makes this goal harder?
Then change one thing in your environment.
And give it time.
It took months before I saw a meaningful difference.
Stick with it while it looks like nothing's happening. Things are happening.
Hear the full story, including where I didn't save money and why walking had such a surprising effect on my shopping.
And, as we mentioned on the show, check out our new app: Spend Smart. It's our brand new coaching app designed to help you stop impulse spending and finally take control of your spending habits.
It’s not another budgeting app or AI chatbot that's going to shame you for buying coffee or make you color-code 47 expense categories.
Spend Smart is built around the same values-based spending framework we teach on the podcast and in our book, Buy What You Love Without Going Broke.
Instead of asking, "How do I spend less?" it helps you answer, "Why am I spending in the first place?"
If you're tired of impulse purchases, tired of feeling out of control around money, or tired of wondering where your paycheck went, Spend Smart can help.
➤ Click here to get started. That link will also get you 20% off!
Your frugal friends,
Jen & Jill 💛
**Means this is a sponsored or affiliate section. We may earn a small fee or commission when you choose to try one of our sponsor or affiliate partners. But opinions are still 1000% our own.
