Many of us struggle with our weight. Some stress over 5 pounds, while others have a bit more to deal with, myself included. With so much going on in our lives, it can be difficult to find time to work out or cook a healthy meal. Recently, I was watching Dr. Oz and he set a challenge for his viewers to cut out soft drinks for a month. I am not a big soda drinker but that seems to be an easy way to help with weight loss. But, did you know that if you eliminate soda from your diet for a year you could lose 10 pounds?! That is a lot of weight just from cutting out a beverage. What's even crazier is how much money you can save with the weight loss. According to the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), the average U.S. Household spends an estimated $850 annually on soft drinks. That is a lot of money to spend just on beverages. You could buy a whole new wardrobe with that cash after the weight loss.

The soda idea led me to other simple ways we could cut back to trim down the waistline while padding our wallets. It is so convenient to pick up a quick meal for lunch or dinner instead of making something from home. If you spend $5 everyday for lunch at your favorite sub shop, thinking it's cheap and easy, you are wrong. A $5 sub everyday will cost you around $1825 a year!!! Add that to the soft drink tab and you end up spending $2675 a year. That is a lot of money! If we cut back on eating out and shopping for convenience we can save money and shed some pounds. Next time you feel like grabbing something quick, think about saving that money for a nice beach vacation while showing off your slim bod in a new bikini!