Giving up caffeine can be quite energizing.

Yes, that’s right. The drug that’s supposed to provide a boost of energy is actually drains it, based on what I’ve re-discovered.

So, it’s now been two months since I haven’t had any caffeine. I tried this before, as I shared last year in my post about a caffeine-free month. That trend lasted a few months, before I ended up getting back into caffeine. However, since the New Year, I’ve stopped caffeine consumption altogether.

My drink of choice was Diet Coke, but had also included some coffee as well as tea. No quick energy drinks were consumed, just the aforementioned beverages.  It became a habit once again.

The thing is, I noticed the same “blah” feeling again after getting hooked on caffeine. It’s easy to get into a cycle of feeling that way, but it’s good to stop and reflect what things were like without it.

Compare life with the habit and life without the habit.

With the habit, I would generally get a drink in the morning. Often this was a Diet Coke, but sometimes coffee or tea. In the afternoon, I would skip coffee, but have a Diet Coke or tea. Maybe I’d have one in the evening too. Three drinks in a day is quite a bit, I think. Even when I would have two, it might not be a single serving. For example, if I was at lunch and there were refills, I might get one.

So, I confess: my 2010 caffeine-free move ended up giving way to the old habit again. And the ups and downs in energy level came back.

We can always try again, right?

Yes, we can keep on trying. Thus far this year, I haven’t had any caffeine. It’s been two months, and I’ve consumed nothing. It was a bit of a challenge at first, but the New Year’s resolution was so strong that I was able to get the momentum going and keep it going. There have been a few weak moments where I’ve felt like having a soda, or a cup of hot tea – especially during this cold weather where I live.

However, I’ve made substitutions, which I recommend as alternatives:

• Instead of Diet Coke – Try sparking water with natural flavors (orange, lemon, etc)
• Instead of Caffeinated Tea – Try herbal tea
• Instead of Coffee – Try decaffeinated coffee

These days, I have been having 2 herbal teas a day, and maybe a sparkling water or decaf coffee every other day.

The costs savings have been present, as I’ve cut my beverage costs by over 50%. That said, the substitutions have not been perfect. Water would probably be beverage perfection….healthy and free!

What about health and well-being? I’m telling you, I feel more energy again. When hooked on caffeine, I noticed ups and downs in energy levels. Spikes up, then a mini-crash. When you combine a poor night of sleep with excess caffeine, you’re not operating at anywhere near optimal capacity.

Without the ups and downs of caffeine, I feel more alert and can sleep better. Those spikes in caffeine aren’t a part of a long-term strategy to improve personal productivity.

What’s interesting is that I’m convinced that people that get hooked onto something don’t realize just how good they would feel without the vice.  As I compare now vs. then, there’s a noticeable positive difference.

Is this permanent?

Realistically, a total personal ban on caffeine shouldn’t be necessary, unless there are medical reasons for that. I can’t imagine that an occasional glass of tea or cup of coffee would be so bad for most of us. Sodas…well, we could probably do without those.

Really, I’m thinking a better longer-term strategy is moderation rather than total avoidance when it comes to caffeine.  If one really fights and takes control of our weaknesses, and develops the discipline to do things in moderation, it can go a long way.

The next endeavor: reintroducing the right caffeinated beverages in moderation.  The key will be to have the occasional tea or whatever when I feel like it, without letting that first one get me on the path to overconsumption. That’s the big challenge, now that I know I can give up caffeine for months at a time.

With moderation, balance, and discipline, we can develop healthy habits that save us money too.

Questions for You:

Have you ever thought about reducing your caffeine intake or giving it up altogether?

Also, importantly: how have you successfully managed your dietary habits to successfully conquer such cravings over the long term? It could be caffeine, carbs, meat, etc. Have you generated monetary savings in the process?

This past New Year’s Eve was really laid back for me.  We didn’t venture out, after being out of town until that evening. Had a good mini-trip, but the real fun occurred upon getting back in town.

You see, I did not use up my entire FSA allocation. Because of time constraints and really some procrastination as well, I did not make a few appointments I needed to make. The money allocation was only slightly excessive, but it just didn’t get used. The good news is that I didn’t desperately need medical care for anything, which is nice.  The flip side is that it left me with about $300 to spend on health care items – or else I would lose the money.

Lesson to Everyone: Make and follow a plan to use up all of your flexible health pre-tax dollars, and get the process started early in the year.

To use up the money at the 11th hour, I went to a local Walgreens drugstore and bought as many relevant OTC items I could purchase. Here’s a sampling of my last minute finds:

• Contact lens solution – 5 bottles
• Contact lens cleaner
• Ibuprofen bottle
• First aid kit
• Bandages
• Burn gel
• Antiseptic cleaner
• Gel foot soles
• Cough drops
• Children’s cough medicine
• Tooth pain gel
• Antibiotic ointment

You name it, I was buying it! It was sort of like a shopping spree, where you have a matter of 3 hours to buy things or the money’s gone. The difference is that money was already mine:)

As odd as it may seem, the reality is that most of the things there were things I needed. Well, maybe not the gel soles, and not the tooth pain gel. But they couldn’t hurt to have:) Otherwise, the other things are items that I could probably use anyway.  Besides, I thought it made sense to stock up since many OTC products may not be eligible for pre-tax savings in 2011 (but hey, at least we have the 2011 payroll tax holiday to even it out!). That’s right – FSA eligible expenses are different in 2011. In the end, all was not lost, and it ended up being kind of fun.

A funny moment was when my daughter, getting caught up in the buying frenzy, asked if a singing stuffed animal counted as a medical purchase because laughter is good for the heart. I LOVED THAT! I have to say, since it was on sale for like $8 I bought it for her.

Interestingly, there were many others there who were in the same boat when it came to using up their funds. I had two people approach me asking if I was doing the same thing they were and trying to use up funds. It was like a bonding experience, as we ran into each other in the various aisles, trash talking with each other about how many more band-aids each other would purchase. One guy said that he and his wife had over $1,000 to spend! He was apparently calling family and friends asking if they needed anything at all. Anything.

I guess this is New Year’s excitement as you get older, eh?

We’ll have things planned out better this year, though I have to say, it all worked out pretty well in the end.

What about you?

Do you successfully plan out your pre-tax health care expenses (as best as possible, of course), or do you find yourself catching up at year end?

It’s great to wake up in the morning refreshed, energized, and ready to go, don’t you think? If you have kids, or remember back to when you were a kid, it seems like children can get up and charge into the day. For adults, who have to either go to work or take care of a family at home, it can be an elusive goal.

Many of us can use more sleep, and feel great when we get it. The thing is, we have so much to do that we often end up shortchanging sleep. As a consequence, we might drag in the morning instead of being energized and ready to have fun conquering the day.

Given a choice, isn’t having fun conquering the day better than dragging through the day? I think so.

Getting more sleep can help us with many aspects in our life. You might recall my thoughts on the role of money in our life, where I gave my views on how health, wealth, and relationships are all interrelated. When one is improved, the others can benefit as well. Thus, while getting a great night sleep of course helps our health, it can also help us as we relate with others and can impact our wealth.

Now, I suppose it would have been inappropriate to advocate “sleeping your way to wealth”:)  So, let’s rephrase that appropriately and operate with the premise that one can “spend more time asleep to help make money”.

OK, I know someone might suggest that while one person is getting a great night sleep, someone else is getting an hour less sleep and getting more done. Sure, some lucky people need less sleep, but if you’re cutting out the sleep you need, there will be a price to pay. It’s not easy to get something for nothing!

Here are 5 benefits to getting a good night sleep:

1. Better Diet.  So, how does sleep impact diet? Well, I can speak first hand about times in my career when I was tired after work, and either picked up dinner or ate at home but snacked on junk. Lack of sleep can affect our appetite, and can impact our metabolism. Again, back to the health/wealth connection, by avoiding this negative cycle, we can keep ourselves in better shape to make money.
2. Better Attention and Retention.  If you’re tired, it will be tougher to stay on the ball and be fully engaged. Additionally, getting proper sleep will allow you to retain information better than if you’re sleep deprived.
3. Better Mood.  If you’re cranky, impatient, or thinking of sleep, you won’t be as productive as you could otherwise be. Besides, who wants to work or live with a grouch? Get your sleep, and you’ll be more motivated and able to focus on activities leading to wealth creation and preservation.
4. Safety.  I recall one night when I had to work super late for a crunch at work, and was in the office until close to midnight. I was exhausted, and still had to make the commute home. Driving home, I felt myself lose concentration as my car was swerving to the next lane. If I had gotten in an accident, who knows what would have happened to my health? What about my ability to provide for my family?
5. Health.  This could be tied into #1 (Better Diet), but improved sleep can also help with other areas of health, such as less stress and less wear and tear on your body. You’re more likely to get sick if sleep deprived, which impacts your overall life….including ability to make money and good decisions.

My view is that if someone regularly shortchanges sleep in order to get more done, that person will get less done over the long run. Productivity will be down, and other factors can come into play in different ways that can impact health.

Getting a good night sleep as a regular practice can only help health, and ultimately wealth creation.

What do you think? Do you get enough sleep to feel energized and productive throughout the day, on a regular basis? Is this an area in which you need improvement, or do you already prioritize it?

Today marks a one month anniversary for me. A small anniversary, to be sure, but one that has taken some effort on my part to accomplish.

It’s been one month since I last consumed a caffeinated beverage.

OK, so like I said, this is a small anniversary. Perhaps you’re not much of a consumer of coffee, tea, or soft drinks. Or, perhaps you’re highly disciplined when it comes to food and drink, and wouldn’t have any issues with your eating and drinking habits. If so, that’s great! That’s a good place to be.

For me, this is a nice step in that direction.

If you’re like me, you might be someone who has your caffeine during the day at one time or another. Maybe it’s the morning cup of coffee. Or the cola at lunch. Perhaps it’s both. Maybe it’s at multiple times during the day.

There are many people that are hooked on caffeine, whether they realize it or want to admit it.

I have been advocating drinking water instead of less healthy alternatives, and had pushed myself to get to that point for the most part. However, my lifelong taste for Diet Coke emerged in a big way in recent months, with an extremely busy schedule at home and work.  I previously would have one occasionally,  but I slowly escalated my consumption until I was having at least 2 or 3 per day. This was reminiscent of my habits about 10 years ago. Additionally, if I came across free coffee anywhere (bank, office, etc), I would be sure to have it. That might be a few times a week too.

The result was that I just didn’t feel right, and decided that I needed to take steps to get more disciplined with my the food and drinks that I put in my body. So, eliminating caffeine seemed to be a good first step.

The first few days were rough, as I started to get headaches and felt nauseated. It felt as though I had some type of bad flu virus, for those initial days. Interestingly, when it was that bad during that initial time, I ran to a quick-serve place and picked up a fountain drink. After a short while, I felt good. While it was nice to feel better, it made me realize the hidden power of caffeine.

From that point, I resumed staying off caffeine, and I haven’t had any since. It’s been a month now.

No Diet Cokes, no coffee, no caffeinated tea.

Mostly lots of water every day.

There have been a few days where I had juice, and one day when I had two glasses of beer. That’s it.

The result: I actually feel better! Here are four benefits I have noticed:

1. Falling Asleep Easier. Caffeine isn’t preventing me from sleeping.
2. Getting Better Sleep. Once I fall asleep, I stay asleep more often
3. Less Ups and Downs in Energy. There are no bursts of energy followed by mini-crashes and lethargy; rather, I’m consistently at a good enough level of alertness throughout the day
4. Improved Concentration. It seems like it’s a bit easier to maintain focus for extended periods of time

In terms of the pocketbook, I’m clearly saving some money by having water instead of soft drinks, as I frequently suggest. But the bigger thing is that I’m able to maintain energy throughout the day – which I hadn’t been able to do as well before. This, I believe, can only make one a more productive, energetic, and innovative worker. It may not be directly quantifiable, but I think there’s at least a potential financial benefit that could be attributed to those factors.

Will I keep up this strict regimen? Probably not to this extent, but I hope to reestablish a long-term pattern of limited caffeine, with sodas being only an occasional indulgence once every few weeks. If I have a caffinated drink, maybe green tea would be a good option. We’ll see. 

Regardless, this one month exercise gave me a direct example of how good dietary habits can impact one’s energy, health, and even the ability to earn and save money.

The summer here in the U.S. is often a time where people take to the road. Whether taking time off from work or enjoying a break from school, people drive to see family and friends or to reach vacation destinations.  It can be a fun time of year, and quite warm at times in many place.

It can also be a time for complaining about gas prices.

Being annoyed at the cost of gas is understandable, I suppose. I certainly don’t want to spend as much as I do on gas. The lower the price, the better it is for the average citizen.

That said, most of us pay up anyway. Sure, there is public transportation in some cases, but inevitably we will need to fork over the dough if we want to fuel up that car and get moving. Thus, we will pay since we are dependent on energy. But it doesn’t stop many of us from complaining about how the oil companies and some oil-producing nations are making money hand over fist while we keep paying more and more for gas.

Ok, so they have us over the barrel, so to speak. 

To view this “money gouging” in a different light, let’s revisit these summer driving trips. Aside from gasoline, and a working car, what else do you need for a long journey?

How about water?

Sure, it’s possible (though not altogether healthy) to guzzle soft drinks, coffee, tea, or other beverages instead of consuming any water on a long road trip. But water is needed to make those other beverages anyway, right?

Thinking about it more broadly, aside from road trips, we need drinking water every day. We need it to stay hydrated; we need it for our organs, brain, and overall health.

We simply need drinking water. It’s a must-have. Without it, we perish.

Is gas a must-have? Well one could argue that it’s a necessary resource for us to be able to function in today’s world. I would agree, though let’s ask ourselves which resource we would choose if we were only allowed one: gas or water? I would say water, as would each person reading this.

What’s interesting is that water is available to the general public at a very low cost. For just the price of a water bill at home, and a water bottle to carry around, one can have an ample supply of the resource that’s about as valuable any. That’s a pretty good deal, when you think about it.

So, when we complain about the cost of gas, or really any other item – be it a home, car, shoes, airfare or toothpaste – let’s not forget that we are getting the most valuable resource at an incredibly low price.

Who knows, maybe drinking water will be a commodity that’s traded more fervently than gold. Again, going back to the question asking which would you rather have, let’s substitute gold for gas. Would this change your answer? Probably not. You can have all the gold in Fort Knox, but if you don’t have water, you won’t make it.

There is a never-ending demand for clean drinking water, yet here in the U.S., prices are so low. As long as this continues to be the case, we have reason to be thankful.

When it comes to medical expenses, do you – or anyone you know, for that matter – find them to be surprisingly high on occasion? Do you ever wish that you could cut those costs just a bit to free up more money for other expenses? Or, better yet, for savings?

Many of us would answer yes to at least one of those questions.

A recent article from Yahoo! Finance offers a strategy that may help make that happen. Apparently, one person was able to save $1,000 off a $4,000 medical bill by making a phone call and using this scripted dialogue:

“Hey, my friend told me that if I offer to pay the bill in full over the phone, I get a 25 percent discount.”

That’s it. No negotiating involved. He got the hospital, anesthesiologist, and pediatricians to reduce the charges associated with the birth of his child.

It’s interesting how cash is king, and immediate payment reaps a benefit, even when dealing with medical professionals.

I had always assumed that there wasn’t much wiggle room when it came to medical bills. That perception changed when I had some dental work that needed to be done some years back. After years of having no cavities, my soft drink habits caught up to me and I found out that I had multiple cavities and needed a root canal.  While in the dentist chair at that visit, I casually asked about tooth whitening (mostly to distract myself from the cavity situation). The dental assistant and I joked that if I got all the work done, they could throw in free teeth whitening for a future appointment. It was almost something like wheeling and dealing for health care.

When you think about doctors, dentists, and other health professionals, why should they be perceived so differently than other business owners? For example, if we buy a car, we haggle. If we want someone to do handywork around the house, we negotiate. Let’s face it: while most prices of goods and services are “fixed”, many are clearly negotiable. So why can’t we try to “negotiate” health care?

In terms of the specific situation described above, I think the guy took a novel approach, and commend him for saving $1,000 just by simple effort. What I don’t agree with is the specific language used about a “friend” telling him he would get a discount if he paid by phone. Is that entirely – or even partially true? Not sure about that.

A more genuine, above board way to pursue the discount would be to say: “If I pay my bill right now, over the phone, I would like a 25% discount”. Yes, I”m nitpicking words, but I’m a stickler for integrity in such situations.

Anyway, the bottom line is that this example illustrates how many things can be negotiable - including a seemingly non-negotiable expenditure such as health care. The thing is, you have to take the initiative to make it happen.

What do you think about negotiating healthcare costs? Would consider taking this type of approach to reduce expenses?

Recently, a new policy took effect in San Francisco which banned the sale of sugary soda beverages from vending machines on city property.  I don’t live in that great city, but this initiative caught my attention. If you’re thirsty and see a vending machine, don’t plan on getting your favorite cola. You may like that tasty, carbonated drink, but you’re no longer allowed to buy one from a machine.

But what about freedom of choice for thirsty consumers? Sorry. It’s gone.

Instead of sugary drinks such as certain sodas, sports drinks, fruit juice that’s not 100% pure, etc – there is to be a healthier set of alternatives.

What constitutes healthier, in this case? Well, diet soda (you know, that noted health food) can still be a small percentage of the offerings. Apparently, water, milk, soy milk, and rice milk are among the others covered in the recent directive.

Just imagine this scenario:

John Doe, doing construction work near city property, wants a break from his hard work, and would like to quench his thirst. He strolls over to the vending machines, ready for his treat.

He then scans the choices, and thinks to himself, “Juice, milk, soy milk. Hmmm….not sure that I see what I’m looking for yet.”

Then he keeps looking, and his eyes freeze on his target. His thoughts scream out at him: “Aha. RICE MILK! I want the rice milk. Just what I crave to quench my thirst! Perfect. There’s nothing like some rice milk on a day like this!”

Sure.

Now, I have to say that while I have a diet soda once in a while, I realize that they’re not good for us to drink. If sodas take the rust off cars, or dissolve coins if given enough time, they can’t be too good for us – particularly our teeth.  So, I do applaud the intent of keeping people healthy. And I have to admit: I do have soy milk on occasion. I even purchased almond milk once, though it didn’t do much for me.

That said, instead of restricting people from making specific purchases, how about educating them on good nutritional choices? Then let people make their own decisions. In schools, I’m absolutely in favor of restricting choices. But as adults we can make our own choices.

A better solution for people, instead of buying drinks from vending machines, would be to carry water. Make a small investment in a reusable canister that you can carry with you, and fill it with water as you leave home. It will save you plenty of money over the course of time. It will also keep you healthier. What’s a better drink for a thirsty person than water?

Let’s say you’re working 250 days a year, and have the existing habit of getting a drink out of the vending machine every day. If the cost of a drink is $1.20, you will be paying $300 over the course of the year.

$300 in savings and a healthy, calorie free drink instead of soda – or rice milk – seems like a pretty good deal to me!

How much would you pay to lose 10 pounds (about 4.5 kilograms)?

This question has come to my mind, as I am trying get in better shape. I’m noticing that what was once easy – getting back in shape and losing weight quickly while keeping it off – is a bit harder as I knock on the doorstep of 40 years old.

We all know that there aren’t any shortcuts to getting in shape.  You need to eat well, and you need to exercise. It doesn’t require extreme behavior, such as eating zero restaurant meals for 12 months, or exercising 2 hours a day, 7 days a week for months on end. It does, however, require a certain level of persistent effort and discipline over a given period of time to make a lasting impact. Losing 10 pounds

That persistent effort and discipline I just mentioned would probably mean behavioral changes, if someone is trying to get in shape. After all, it’s likely that some less than optimal behaviors contributed to getting out of shape in the first place, right?

Those behavior changes aren’t always simple to undertake. There can be inertia and resistance to change. We may like our existing behaviors, even though we know we could make better choices.

That’s where my question comes in. Taking all of this into consideration: How much would you pay to lose 10 pounds?

I’m not talking about losing it over time. Rather, I’m talking about  purely hypothetical scenario where you could – presto! – instantly get into get into better shape.Lose the 10 pounds, and get all the associated positive effects that the exercise would have provided to you: more energy, improved cardiovascular endurance, improved muscle strength, etc.

This type of deal doesn’t exist. But if it did, how much would you pay right now to make that happen? Keep in mind: once you pay, you get the benefits instantly.

Once you have answered that question, please consider this follow-up question: If you found out that you were going to instantly gain 10 pounds – the reverse of the previous example – how much would you pay to avoid that? In this case, keep in mind that if you didn’t pay, you would instantly and unavoidably gain weight and get out of shape.

Do your answers to the two questions differ?

It’s interesting to think about this in the context of how important our health is to us, and how we would trade money for better health. To me, it’s a way of demonstrating how ultimately, no matter how much money we accumulate, it loses some value if we don’t have the other important things in life – such as our health.

Do you ever skip breakfast?

If so, congratulations! You’re eating the ultimate frugal breakfast: a breakfast of nothing!

Of course, while that might be a nice frugal victory, we all know that we shouldn’t skip breakfast. It’s very often described as the most important meal of the day. When you eat breakfast, you’re literally breaking the “fast” that took place while you were sleeping. You consumed no nutrients since the prior day, so your body needs to be nourished to get a new day started on the right foot.

It has been shown that people who skip breakfast, and make up for it later in the day, tend to consume more food later when they eat. Additionally, when hungry, they tend to be more likely to eat higher-calorie, less-nutritious food as well.  Furthermore, without breakfast, we just don’t have the right energy in the morning to optimize our health and attitude as we get the day going.

Ok, so we know that we must eat breakfast. But how can we do it cheaply, and nutritiously?

For me, the choice is oatmeal. Now, I have to say that I never grew up eating oatmeal. I ate more of the processed, sugary cereals that line supermarket shelves than I probably should have. Let’s chalk that up to the ways of the 1970′s and 1980′s (I just can’t blame my Mom and Dad!). 

These days, however, it’s almost like a habit to start the day with oatmeal. While I occasionally have a homemade, nutritious smoothie, it’s oatmeal that’s usually for breakfast.

Why oatmeal? Well, besides tasting good (at least to many of us), oatmeal has the following 3 big benefits:

1) Helps you lose weight by controlling cravings

2) Helps reduce LDL cholesterol

3) Is good for diabetics, as it slows the digestion of starch

4) Provides a good source of protein, fiber, and nutrients

And here’s the part that’s exciting to the frugally-oriented:  it’s very inexpensive.

I recently bought a canister of quick oats, in a non-name brand version, and paid $0.99 for 16 ounces. This comes out to about 11 servings of 1/2 dry cup of oats, which represents exactly how much I have in the morning.

Basic math tells me that I paid $0.09 for my morning serving of oatmeal. That’s it. Nine cents!

Now, I do like to doctor up the oatmeal a bit, and supercharge it with additional nutrients. I usually, depending on the day, add one, two, or all three of the following:

• 1/2 tbsp flaxseed – cost $0.04
• 3 strawberries – cost $0.40
• 1 banana – cost $0.20
• Sprinkle of cinnamon – cost $0.01

The total cost of this breakfast ranges from $0.09 for the basic version to $0.74 for the fully-loaded version.

It’s been a great way to start the day for me, as I’m getting nutrition and doing it at a reasonable cost – without too much prep time.

What about you? Do you have any breakfast favorites that are both quick and relatively nutritious, that would appeal to the frugally-oriented among us?

This article was included in Festival of Frugality #233 at Learn Save Invest