A new weight loss study shows the power of tracking what we do - a lesson applicable for anyone wanting to use money more effectively as well. The research, conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and described in a U.S. News & World Report article, followed nearly 1,700 overweight people as they used a daily food journal to write down and estimate the calories of everything they ate or drank over a period of six months. Their average weight loss? About 13 pounds. Researchers found that the more days a person kept a careful record of what they ate, the more weight they lost. Another important factor was setting a daily calorie budget.
Matt's View
Participants noted how eye opening it was to see how many calories they were consuming, and that the knowledge better equipped them to manage their choices. The same is true when tracking our spending, which is why I'm such a big believer in the use of a budget. Interested in giving it a try? Download my free three-page quick-start guide
.
Doesn't it seem expensive to eat well? Everything from hormone-free milk to pesticide-free potatoes cost more. But if you know where to look and when, you can buy fresh, chemical-free food without breaking the bank. That's the theme of an excellent article
from The Simple Dollar, which provides helpful links for finding nearby farmers' markets, knowing what produce is in season, and more.
Matt's View
Another helpful resource is Consumer Reports' guide to organics
, which separates the organic foods that are worth their price from those that aren't.
You're in a store looking at TVs or T-shirts or tea bags. The price looks good, but is it really? The answer may be a quick text message away. As noted in a Real Simple article, send a text message to Google at 466453 ("Google" on most devices), type "price," and then enter the name or UPC code of the item. Within seconds you'll get comparison prices at other retail outlets.
Matt's View
Does Google have it figured out, or what? The company offers my favorite free 411 service as well (800-GOOG-411). As opposed to other free 411 services, you don't have to listen to ads to get the number. The only downside is that it only works with business listings.
Lots of us are cutting back on discretionary spending - 9 out of 10 people, in fact, according to a survey from market researcher GfK Roper Consulting. Still, as noted in a CNNMoney.com article about the study, there are some things that people just can't seem to live without - like TV. A whopping half of all Americans plan to buy a flat-screen or high definition TV in the next year. Cable and satellite TV subscriptions are also far down the list of items people are willing to do without.
Matt's View
There's some evidence that people are cutting back on restaurant meals as a way of spending less. One way to still enjoy an occasional night out is to visit Restaurant.com
, where you can buy $25 restaurant certificates for $10. Better yet, first do an Internet search for "restaurant.com coupon codes." Just before finishing this article I found an additional 40 percent off at CouponCabin.com
.
