Self Control. Whole 30. Personal Finance.

Self Control. Whole 30. Personal Finance.

Self Control. Whole 30. Personal Finance. | brokeGIRLrich

Self control is the worst.

The brain is a funny thing, isn’t it?

I just completed my second Whole 30 and it definitely did all the good things again. I slept better. My stomach felt better. I had plenty of energy. I totally saw all the benefits happening. It’s not a myth. I’ve lived how it’s not a myth.

On Day 31, I was like, it’s cool, eat whatever you want, Mel. Then on Day 32, eat the healthy things again and just appreciate that when you go out with friends or for special occasions, you can eat what you want.

Well Day 32 came and I ate ice cream and cookies all day. And a sandwich that was slathered in things that I realized I couldn’t’ve eaten a single part of during the Whole 30.

Day 33 didn’t go much better.

Day 34, I restocked up on Girl Scout cookies (even though they were sold out of Thin Mints… WTF, Girl Scouts?).

So today is day 35 and I thought, well… another Whole 30, maybe? I seem to actually do ok at extremes. It’s moderation I suck at.

The real question though, is why can’t I seem to operate in a healthy balance? This morning, I forced myself to make a veggie egg scramble – breakfast staple of the Whole 30 – and, incidentally, also a breakfast I like just fine and isn’t all that difficult to make. I then made some coffee and decided that it’s not the end of the world to actually use a flavored creamer and enjoy my coffee – since no Whole 30 version I’ve made has ever turned out ok, merely tolerable.

And here I am, post first acceptably balanced meal, both wondering why that was so hard and knowing at the same time that it’s probably going to be just as hard tomorrow.

So why am I rambling about food so much?

Well, it kind of reminds me a lot of personal finance. In a weird way, taking on a ton of debt for grad school really helped me get in the personal finance groove. It was an extreme amount and I went kind of extreme with paying it off. Even going extreme, it was two and a half years to pay back all that money (between Sallie Mae, my credit cards and an amazing zero interest loan from grandma) and you learn a lot about personal finance, frugal living, thrifty tips and side hustles if you immerse yourself extremely for 30 months of your life.

With personal finance, I’ve always had goals. One of the best tips I learned from the pf blogosphere was to have goals. When the debt was finally gone, I splurged on repackaged pudding cups and a bottle of fancy nail polish and then got to work setting up savings goals.

However, I still sort of suck at moderation. If my spending goes a little off track for a month, it’s likely to go way off track. If one pretty well ingrained thrifty habit slips, the next thing I know, several others disappear too.

I’m sure I’m not the only who is constantly battling their own brain to make any progress. I’d actually bet it’s my #1 battle – and possibly yours too.

Fortunately, a few years into my personal finance journey, I’ve found that I don’t slip nearly as far anymore (so maybe a few years into healthy eating and I’ll be able to claim the same? Fingers crossed).

Also on the plus side, between healthy eating and health budgeting battles, I’ve learned this – you can always make a fresh start right now.

It’s easy to think – oh, I’ll start eating healthy on Monday. Or I’ll make the phone call to knock down my internet bill on the 1st of the month. Or May will be the month I’ll get started on that side hustle.

This isn’t wise.

TODAY IS THE DAY PEOPLE!

Carpe diem.

The future starts now.

4 thoughts on “Self Control. Whole 30. Personal Finance.

  1. I’ve never done the Whole 30 (though it sounds like I might want to) but this year I decided to get on track with my health. I counted the calories in what I was eating, only drank on special occassions, and really pushed myself to do some kind of physical activity every day. I was sleeping great, my belly felt good and I lost about 5 pounds. Then I got sick, slacked off on eating moderately and completely lost my groove.

    When I had the goal of better health and when I was seeing results, it was easy to stick with eating moderately and exercising. I also saw the same parallels as with my finances (not surprisingly, my finances have been just as disappointing during the same time period.) Here’s to a new day to start fresh!
    Jax recently posted…Living My Best Joe Biden LifeMy Profile

  2. I’ve never done the Whole 30 nor any program where you do ‘something’ for ‘a number of days’. What happened to you is the precise reason. Anytime you make a big change and then it’s over because of a pre-defined end date, then it becomes the matter that you describe. What happens then?

    I actually started off this year with a direct effort to be more healthy. My goals were more long term and not as abrupt. No more snacking at work. If I have ice cream, I use the small dish instead of the medium dish. Snacks at home are healthier things like nuts, fruits and veggies.

    These are things that I can sustain over the long term. I’ve lost weight. About 7.5 pounds so far this year. I know that I could probably lose that in a much shorter period of time with something like the Whole 30 but I also know that I wouldn’t form habits. I’m trying to form habits now and feel I have a greater chance of success in the long term.

    We’ll see how it goes. Good luck finding your balance.
    Money Beagle recently posted…Perspective: Attending Pediatric Physical TherapyMy Profile

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