Welcome to my 52 Ways to Save $100 a Month series. We’re serious about saving money in 2016. Sometimes it’s the little things and sometimes it’s the big things. I’m here to walk you through some little things that can add up to BIG savings. 52 little things to be exact. Every week, join me back here for another small money saving tip or idea that might not seem like significant savings until you see the overall yearly savings. It might just blow your mind. So pop in each Tuesday and read a new tip that will help you on your way to save $100 a month!
Americans drink a staggering amount of soda. Like an absurd amount. According to a recent Gallup poll, half of all Americans (men, women and children) consume at least 1 can of soda per day. But the average soda drinker consumes 4+ cups of soda per day. WHAT?! That is crazy talk. Before we dive into a few tips on how to kick the soda habit, here are a few reasons why it’s a super good idea to stop drinking that fizzy poison:
1. It’s ruining your health: You might not see it on the outside, but it’s wreaking havoc on your insides. Soda drinkers see a drastic increase in harmful hidden fats, like liver and skeletal fat.
2. It’s prematurely aging you: The phosphoric acid in soda reverses all the help your anti-aging creams and potions do for you. Soda is lowering your bone density, eroding your teeth, and causing kidney problems. Seriously, soda is the worst!
3. It’s wrecking your diet: Calories from beverages make up 25% of the total daily calories consumed by Americans over 2 years old. That’s a crazy high amount. You could be having that chocolate cake for goodness sakes! And switching to diet soda won’t help either. The ingredients in diet soda come with their own set of health problems. In a shocking study, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center monitored 475 adults for 10 years and found that participants who drank diet soda saw a 70 percent increase in waist circumference compared with those who didn’t drink any soda. So diet doesn’t solve any problems, it just creates them.
Now let’s talk about how to quit. It’s so much easier said than done. I’ve been there, done that with my tea drinking habit. That caffeine addiction is no joke! But I guarantee that if you buckle down and power through, the benefits will totally outweigh the first 2 weeks of feeling like junkity junk!
Set a Goal: Are you planning on going cold turkey? Do you want to be off the juice in 60 days? Are you going to take the slow and steady approach? Whatever it is you decide to do, write down your goal. Write down your reasons for quitting and your time frame. Then write your HOW. And then post it everywhere for a constant reminder. Put it up on Facebook and ask for moral support. Tape it to your fridge or your bathroom mirror. Visuals help keep you going and motivate!
Manage That Caffeine Craving: This my friends is the hardest part. So so hard – I’m not going to lie. But good news. It’s also VERY doable. I’ve done it and so can you! Here are my best tips on How to Break Your Caffeine Addiction.
Have Alternatives on Hand: If you are used to drinking a 2 liter a day, you body is in the habit of consuming that much liquid. Have a plan to replace it with something else. Maybe try mineral or coconut water, iced tea, fruity vitamin water, Crystal Light or sparkling water. If you take a sip of something else each time you are craving a soda, you’ll eventually retrain your body not to crave that fizzy stuff!
Switch to Caffeine Free: While this is not a permanent solution, it will certainly help in the beginning. If you come off caffeine and soda at the same time, it might be craving overload. So try to slowly wean yourself off soda by switching to caffeine free. Once you have that caffeine craving under control, then slowly wean yourself off soda altogether.
Turn to Water: Increase your water intake. Try doubling it if possible. This will not only help with your overall health, but it will really help with caffeine withdrawal headaches. Plus, if you are full of water, there’s no room for that soda!!
Are you an avid soda drinker? Have you ever gone cold turkey? Any tips for anyone thinking about quitting?
How Much Can You Save: $900+ A Time Magazine study found the average American household spends almost $900 a year on soda alone. {Americans also blow $11 billion on bottled water, but that discussion if for another day!} And that’s the average which includes the non-soda drinking households. That means the households that DO consume soda are probably coughing up even more. Yikes!
More Ways to Save:
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Clean Out Your Closet {Week 1 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Break Up with Cable {Week 2 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Barter Better {Week 3 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Change Your Own Oil {Week 4 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Adjust Your Thermostat {Week 5 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Take Advantage of Your Perks {Week 6 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Pack Your Lunch {Week 7 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Make It Yourself {Week 8 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Preserve Your Bounty {Week 9 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Keep the Change {Week 10 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | The Art of Borrowing {Week 11 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Ditch the Gym {Week 12 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Clip a Coupon {Week 13 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Start Your Garden From Seed {Week 14 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Learn to Cut Hair {Week 15 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Become a 1 Car Family {Week 16 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Make a Phone Call {Week 17 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Shop Christmas in July {Week 18 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Grow a Garden {Week 19 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Just Say No {Week 20 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Go Generic {Week 21 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Make a Budget {Week 22 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Use the Library {Week 23 of 52}
jennifer says
I have been off diet mountain dew for awhile but I used to be completed addicted to it. I worked long night shifts in the ER as an RN and I felt it helped me keep going when in fact, it did not. It actually left me feeling tired and dehydrated. What I have found is that you kinda just have to start forcing yourself to drink water. No matter what you do or what restaurant you visit order water, even if you want something else, no matter what. I usually order it with lemon and and when I want an extra treat I add a splenda packet to it( right there on the table for free!) and have a diet lemonade for the cost of plain old water. Eventually this will feel normal and water is what you will crave. I no longer have headaches anymore since I made the switch. Now, I will allow myself a diet mountain dew if I want it but I have found that they just don’t taste good now that I am not addicted to them. I love drinking water because it’s something I can have as much of it as I want and don’t have to feel guilty.
Hawaii Planner says
I gave up soda in 2012. I now have maybe 5-10 sodas/year, only when I travel & can’t find coffee. Harder to find in Japan, for example, so when I’m desperate for caffeine, sometimes I cave in. I consider it a rare treat. And, get it for free at work, so don’t pay for it. 😉 But, agree with the impact on your health, even if it has no wallet impact!
Angela D. says
We made the switch to drinking water after my husband had a heart stent placed. We are addressing our family’s diet, as we have genetic disposition to heart disease and diabetes and, unfortunately, we needed the “wake-up” call that my husband went through. Our two teenagers have had the greatest difficulty, as they have been drinking soda and 100% juice their whole lives. It took a couple of visits to the dietitian to educate ourselves about how much sugar is in juice! Now we only have soda as an occasional “treat”, but it doesn’t satisfy my thirst like I once felt it did. We initially went cold turkey and it really wasn’t too bad, with reference to the headaches/mood swings, etc. In just six weeks, my son lost 20 pounds and my husband lost 17! ( I wasn’t quite as lucky.)
Tracy L. says
Oh boy. This is a BIG one for me. I am ADDICTED to Diet Pepsi. From morning till night. I can go through 4-7 in a day easy. It’s my only vice. I don’t drink coffee or tea as they upset my stomach. I do only buy it on sale or at Costco/SAMs. But, I stockpile when it goes on sale BIG TIME. In the summer I do drink more water, but there’s nothing like my Diet Pepsi to quench my thirst!! I know diet is all chemicals, and I don’t like spending the money, so I will keep trying……….
Brianna says
This was my hubby’s vice when I met him and has evolved into our vice 13 years later. I just entered our mycokerewards caps today and maxed out my points for the week. I enter them about once a month. I only drink it around him, but I know I am the one who brings it into the house 90% of the time since I do all he grocery shopping. We also live in GA and the price of Coca-cola here is so cheap as I often find a 2L for $1. I am just as satisfied with a sparking water because it is the carbonation I crave. I thought about getting a soda stream for the carbonation, but that would enable our situation more. I buy canned sparkling water La Croix sometimes, but it is so much more expensive than soda. I think I will try your fruit inspired spa waters. I am just thankful that neither of us like southern sweet tea, especially since it is everywhere here! It has a ton of sugar and reminds me of hummingbird nectar.
Auntie M says
Soda is the devil’s brew! My husband grew up in a soda guzzling household and it’s taken me decades to get him off the stuff! Just say NO! Put that money in a vacation fund.
Teckla says
It’s not the easiest habit to kick, but yes, it can be done and should be. I had tried to cut back before I retired in 2012, for a variety of reasons: cost, diabetes and other health issues, etc. and increase my water consumption. After I retired, I kicked the habit entirely except for a very occasional treat. A few years later I moved to a second story apartment and was even more thankful because I don’t have to haul that stuff up the stairs all the time! No bottled water either! I keep 3 H20 on the Go jugs of water in the frig and rotate them so they are always cold, plus a larger jug for company and backup. I can’t handle room temp water, but cold is fine. I also challenge myself to go drink water every time I use the bathroom to develop and keep my resolution strong. I feel so much better in so many ways and the Dr. is really pleased with my labs as far as kidney function, cholesterol, etc. are concerned. I still have a weight problem because of some of the other meds I take, but am working on that, too. I limit my coffee consumption to 2 cups a day because I like creamer and it’s a way of limiting that as well as limiting the caffeine. My treat is buying Starbucks coffee, either ground or beans. I tried all the popular brands and just couldn’t handle the heartburn they caused. I don’t know why, but Starbucks bold (Sumatra) doesn’t give me that problem.
I truly believe it’s not only healthier for the budget, it’s a lot healthier for my body!!
bobbi dougherty says
I am so glad I never really drank soda. I love, love, love water and it is so good for me! Thanks for the tips!
Dena H says
I gave up pop,(I’m from Michigan and thats what we call it), cold turkey a few months ago. I really missed “the burn”, so I started mixing Crystal Light with sparkling water. It’s a really great replacement! They now make Crystal Light with caffeine! Yay Hurray! I sometimes feel a little silly mixing a Kool-aid type of powder in to “fancy” imported water like Pellegrino but oh well, it satisfies me.
Pamela says
My reason for giving up soda is mostly financial. A decade or so back I was drinking many cans of caffeine free diet Pepsi a day. This was back when you could get them for 5 twelve packs for $10 on sale. I always stocked up then. I knew this wasn’t a good choice though. Slowly those types of sales became fewer and far between. I just stopped buying it. A few times a year I buy diet cranberry ginger ale and a few single cans of cola, but not often. I never get soda when I go out to eat. I can’t justify paying that much for a beverage like that!
Tammy says
My husband and I have never been soda drinkers. We both grew up in households that didn’t drink soda on a regular basis, so I never started buying it when we were married. About 6 years ago when the economy was so bad, my husband was without a job for 10 months and once we were in the grocery store and when we passed the soda aisle, I said I wished we drank soda, so then we could cut that expense out of our (already stretched thin) budget. 😉
Now, I do drink coffee. So there is that. I love, love, love coffee and drink it black so I’m not getting the extra calories that way. But I am getting too much caffeine.
Caroline says
*Diet* soda has zero calories. FYI, you have to consume calories to gain weight. You won’t get them from a diet soda (or 50 diet sodas!) LOL. Same thing as saying water makes you gain weight. 😉
Michelle says
Good Morning Mavis,
Your readers may want to look into fermentation as well. I make my own Kombucha and soda and I think they are delicious! Probiotic as well.
Kombucha is a fermented tea and you would need to have a SCOBY to make it. The sodas use liquid whey, but really no more effort than making a tea and letting it sit for a couple of days. Tons of information is available on the internet. Yummy stuff and good for you.
Enjoy your day,
Michelle