UNITED STATES—I have to be the first to admit that I have not been at the top of my game lately. How so? I’ve been eating quite unhealthy and it’s not because I want to, but because my schedule has been so hectic I don’t have the time needed to properly do what I KNOW I should be doing. Yes, it’s not an excuse, even though I know I’m making an excuse. I know it’s bad because I feel guilty when I eat a somewhat gluttonous meal, even though it’s not laced with fat, sugar or carbohydrates; it’s the money spent.

Yes, I’ve been called frugal, a penny pincher, whatever you want to call someone who likes to conserve money. When I reflect on the amount of money I spent in the last week on eating out, it blew my mind, and worst of all, it left me disgusted. Why? I could have taken that money and used it to purchase a load of groceries, crafted healthier meals and not felt so bad about what I was putting in my body. It sickens me sometimes at how quickly we attempt to rationalize, “Oh, I just didn’t have the time to cook.”

We all have the time, we just have to own the fact that we didn’t want to cook. That’s the problem, I love to cook in the kitchen; I hate the prep work that comes with cooking. If there wasn’t so much prep work that needed to be done when cooking a particular dish, I’d probably cook all the time with no hesitation in sight America. Like I’m dead serious! Think about this you spent $20 for dinner, for perhaps one, maybe two people. Now think about all the things you could’ve purchased with that $20 at the grocery store that could have been used to make several meals (maybe dinner and lunch for at least 2-3 days in the week).

Yeah, you’re probably not the happiest person in the world right now, coming to the realization that you just wasted quite a bit of money and for what? Exactly, food that has come and gone from your system and you probably won’t even remember it to be honest. That’s the true gut punch, it’s not like you ate something that totally changed your world; your perception and placed you into a food coma, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in your entire life.

I tallied up all my receipts on eating out, and I could have done some serious damage at the local farmer’s market or grocery store to craft some delicious meals and still have plenty of money in my pocket to spend on other things. Why are we so wasteful at times with our money? I know we know we have more money coming our way in the near future. Does that expect the wasteful and silly spending?

Not a chance, but you have to live and learn. See from your mistakes and ask yourself was that $12 burger and fries really worth it? Think about it you could have purchased a pound of hamburger, a few potatoes and a few other ingredients at the market, and saved a ton of money had a better burger and some healthier fries along the way.