Save more and give more by spending less on food!

[Ravi]

I just returned home from a three week trip in India (my plane landed literally 5 hours ago), spending a good chunk of the time in a small rural village.

There are countless experiences to share, but I just want to share one learning about spending/saving when it comes to something very near and dear to all of our hearts and stomachs.....food!

Travelling around south India, I was consistently amazed at how little food costed in terms of US Dollars. The food was simple, but incredible tasty and had plenty of variety. A full lunch or dinner at an average restaurant/canteen would cost about 20-25 rupees! The amount of food would be sufficient to satiate even the most ravenous appetite. I ate very well

Keep in mind that 20 ruppees is only about $.50 USD! Understandably, 20 rupees for a villager in India has a much greater meaning than for someone from a middle class home in the developed world...but my point is that I was able to eat very well by spending what I thought was a paltry amount by US standards.

While biding time in the Newark Airport, I went by a starbucks, noticing the snake-like queue of people just chomping at the bit to spend what would be enough money for a weeks worth of lunches and dinners (for a villager in india) on a single Latte and Pastry!!!!!

I got sick to my stomach. It made me rethink (and appreciate) what I have, and how I really can be much smarter about my eating habits and specifically, being loose when it comes to spending on food. Do I really need that 32oz ketchup when 8oz will do? Do I really need to blow $10 for popcorn and soda at the theater? Do I really need to pay $10 for lunch at work instead of packing a sandwich for 1/3rd the cost? Do I really need a $5 lattee when drip coffee is less than half the cost, or brewing my own latte is even a fraction of the cost?

Food is very dear to me, and when it comes to budgeting, it is the last place I would look to make cuts. However, I now realize I have been framing the issue in terms of myself...and not in terms of how other people would benefit from my actions. My experience in India has shown that the benefit is not just for me (in terms of saving more)...but for all the people who will be able to eat because I could save even a single $1 and donate it to a good charity.

$1 USD could feed someone for an entire day in India (and quite well at that!).

The beauty is, saving a few dollars a day would not take any sacrifices really...it would just require that I avoid spending a ton of money on....ahem...."stupid"...food items and be smarter with my money! And yes, $5 movie theater popcorn falls into the "stupid" category, despite how good it tastes

During my stay in the small village in India, I didn't see a single person walking around with a Starbucks coffee! peopled seemed to survive quite fine without their $5 latte. Nobody seemed to miss this culinary experience. Life moved on. The focus was on the more important things like putting food on the table and spending time with loved ones.

My main point is this: we often develop reference points based on what we see happening around us. When everyone seems to be paying $5 for a latte, or $50 for a haircut, or $100 for a bottle of wine....we assume this is our required standard for living as well. In India, I was eating very very well for the equivalent of a couple of dollars a day. This may not be possible in the US or Europe, but I am confident I could get by on much less than I am currently spending. I don't need to be perfect. I just need to start by first eliminating a couple "stupid" expenditures every week!

For me, it took seeing the poverty and starvation with my own eyes to really wake myself up from my bad habits. I urge others to also broaden your perspective, educate yourself and see how people manage to get by "without" all the fancy food things you think are required for your health and well-being. In the process, you might just realize that those things are not so important to you after all. As a result, you'll be able to save more, and in turn, give more to those in need.

[Still Growing]

Ravi,
I have lived in some developing countries and when I returned back to the US I thought the same thing you did.

Exchange rate and lack of middle class income makes food services cost less in India.

Your feelings upon return are not only a guiltly feeling for being fortunate its also a readjustment on your value of the dollar. You start to value .50 there and now $5 for a latte seems obsurd. Don't forget that when you paid .50 for that meal the less fortunate thought you should just pay .15 and prepare it yourself.

This thinking is a trap. Although you can do without a $5 latte you can put your brainpower towards creating your own income here and sending a portion to India through charities, for example.

In my experience, when you focus on dollars, dollars are what you will get. When you focus on thousands, thousands are what you get, etc.

I don't see money as most do. I see it only as a purchaser of time in the place you now stand. When you are India you buy time with the local market price and when you are here you do the same. By being wise with these purchases and by increasing the imput while decreasing the output it is a good thing.

In conclusion, I think that your post is good and positive but it really is based upon guilt and you temporary change in your currency valuation beliefs. I recommend changing the way you think about money.

I'm not sure if you follow my point but I hope you do.

[Michelle]

Originally Posted by Ravi

I got sick to my stomach. It made me rethink (and appreciate) what I have, and how I really can be much smarter about my eating habits and specifically, being loose when it comes to spending on food. Do I really need that 32oz ketchup when 8oz will do? Do I really need to blow $10 for popcorn and soda at the theater? Do I really need to pay $10 for lunch at work instead of packing a sandwich for 1/3rd the cost? Do I really need a $5 lattee when drip coffee is less than half the cost, or brewing my own latte is even a fraction of the cost?

I may not need any of that, but I definitely want it if possible. Admittedly, I am allergic to the idea that my doing without something will enable someone to have something. And I refuse to feel guilty for enjoying my latte. I love the fact that I live in a part of the world where I can do that. My feeling guilty about it would not benefit anyone anywhere.

Poverty experienced in India has to be largely resolved by Indians themselves, with some support from the outside world.

[Matthew Shea]

I have to disagree with the two previous posters on this. I think you have a great perspective, Ravi. For many of us in the industrialized world, simplifying our lifestyles would give us more power to help others through our abundance. One of the problems with our culture is that we live to excess. That sets a bad example for the rest of the world and results in much higher consumption than we really should have. Personally, I hope the lessons you learned from your trip stick with you for a long time and that they help you to truly keep things in perspective throughout your life. We should all learn such a lesson.

[Michelle]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

Simplifying our lifestyles as Americans would give us more power to help others through our abundance. One of the problems with our culture is that we live to excess. That sets a bad example for the rest of the world and results in much higher consumption than we really should have. Personally, I hope the lessons you learned from your trip stick with you for a long time and that they help you to truly keep things in perspective throughout your life. We should all learn such a lesson.

You assume that the two previous posters are American? You assume America is the example to the rest of the world?

No.

[SeriousKidding.com]

Though I'm not a world traveler, unfortunately, I hear this recurring theme from many of my friends who've experienced the poverty in foreign lands. They say you just can't believe how it changes your perspective forever. It's extremely powerful. And, I believe them!

[Matthew Shea]

Originally Posted by Michelle

You assume that the two previous posters are American? You assume America is the example to the rest of the world?

No.

You're correct. That was an invalid assumption on my part. Eliminate the phrase "as Americans", however, and my point still stands.

[TheIronStar]

Although I definitely agree that simplifying one's life by removing extraneous or frivolous purchases can definitely be of benefit, there is also the matter of a currency's buying power in its locale. I'd not be surprised that you can buy a lot more of anything in India for 20 INR than of anything in the USA for 0.50 USD.

You gave the example of paying a specific amount for a coffee and a pastry. I do not know what something comparable would cost in India or in other places.

I had a former friend once who came to study in America from Oman and was surprised to find he could buy shawarmas here, but was even more surprised that buying a shawarma in America cost much more than buying a comparable quantity of shawarma in Oman. That doesn't make the purchase of a shawarma any more frivolous but rather reflects the buying power of a given currency in a locale.

[Milo Riano]

Yeah, I find it odd when people spend a lot of money on food and afterwards they spend more going to the gym, or buying medicine to shred off their fat.

I find it odd when they pay so much in expensive restaurants and afterwards they feel bad because they are on diet and now worry how they can flush them out.

Just imagine how much money people spend on buying and at the same time increase their fitness plan and spendings to compensate for their weight gain?

[Lynn 007]

My husband and I both quit our jobs for our wedding anniversary and decided to travel for a year. It was a great trip and we met some wonderful people, witnessed extreme poverty and obscene wealth sometimes in the same day.

Although some things we seen were very disturbing for us it really opened our eyes on how fortunate we are for small things we take for granted every day.

We met a number of locals and not once did the conversation of wealth or poverty come up. We talked about family, friends, education system, what they liked about their city or town or any travel experiences they've had. What was day to day life like? Some people we met had never been inside a school as they had to help with the family. They were not embarrassed about this, it was just a fact they did what they had to do for the family. Although we appeared wealthy in terms of items we could afford to buy so many people we met taught us another meaning of wealth which was something we could never buy.

Remember - your mind is like a parachute, best used when open.