Eating food and spending money are two of my favorite past times. Whether the two are related or not is something you can decide on your own, but I have always been a fan of comparisons and analogies. The reasons we choose to spend money are often psychological and can be controlled by simply taking the time to consider whether it’s the best choice for you. I eat in the present, but it affects me in the future – just like spending. The only big difference I can think of is that one of the two goes bad, and it’s definitely not the coins. Regardless of how I used to spend my money (foolishly), I have changed my scope and now follow a few simple rules that save me from myself. Those bad habits were knocked out of my financial life, and since then I’ve also become more invested in my health. So yes, I spend like I eat.

“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.”

The 80/20 Rule

We’ve all heard of this rule. It’s also known as the Pareto principle, but you don’t care about that. Its true definition is “80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes”, but I like to define it as spend 80% and save 20%. However, when it comes to the current analogy (spending like I eat), I eat healthy 80% of the time, and I eat unhealthy 20% of the time. This way, I provide myself with a healthy balance and don’t force myself to go on a week-long McDonald’s binge because I’m in desperate need of sodium. What I’m trying to say is that if you allow yourself to spend 100% of the time, you will.

Greens Are Good

They say that the best produce for you to digest is the green kinds. Lucky for me, all of my favorite vegetables are green: spinach, kale, celery, cucumber, green pepper, and broccoli. It becomes quite easy to make a salad with just green ingredients, and I’m not going to lie, I feel like a million bucks after eating them. What’s another type of green that’s good for you, you ask? Money! The color green represents so many things in our life that reflect successes. Green means go, positivity, increase, life, and financial success. So next time you’re out for groceries or applying for a job, green = good.

Know the Bottom Line

When I go out for dinner or shop for grocery store products that have ingredients I can’t easily define or pronounce, I start to wonder what the bottom line is. Why does my chicken have any other ingredient other than well, chicken? It’s quite terrifying to not know what you’re putting in your body. Just as terrifying as not knowing what’s going on in your financial world. What are those bank fees that you don’t need on your account doing there? I guess you didn’t take the time to read all the ingredients. Spend time researching and monitoring all of your financial matters before it’s too late!

Manners Matter

Don’t you hate when you’re eating lunch at work and someone happens to have been raised by cave people that didn’t know chewing with your mouth open was an appetite killer? I try to be aware of those around me when I eat my food. If they don’t have their elbows on the table, I take note. If they don’t push food onto their fork with their fingers, I try not to either. It’s the little things that matter in any social setting. The same goes for finances. If people are uncomfortable talking money and admitting their financial situation, take note. Not everyone wants to know how much money you saved last week by cutting your cable. I guess only other personal finance bloggers care. Thanks guys.

So next time you’re out for lunch or dinner, please think of your finances. Wait, was that my point? I think what I was trying to say is that there are so many different ways to view personal finance and that we all have unique perspectives on what is best for our wallets.

Do you have a financial analogy that helps you be more successful with money? Let me know in the comments!