If you are someone who is striving to live a healthier and more financially secure life, you could benefit from several tips that will simultaneously lead to a decrease in health related problems and an increase in the amount of money in your savings account.

Invest in Healthier Eating Habits

Contrary to most theories on saving, spending more now can save you more money when it comes to your health. Maintaining a diet consisting of little sugar, sodium, additives, preservatives, and fats can help prevent medical issues that require expensive treatments. Stores like whole foods, and items in the organic section of your supermarket can be more costly. Though, that’s not to say that you can’t get inexpensive healthy food. But even taking into consideration the price difference between healthier and organic food versus their counterparts, the cost associated with a healthy diet are lower than the cost associated with an unhealthy lifestyle. Prescription for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes can be upwards of $500 a year per prescription.

Ditch the Gym Membership

Get rid of that gym membership that you don’t use nearly enough, but still manage to get a good workout in. If you live in an apartment complex or community, or work at an office with a free workout room then take advantage. Why pay $50 a month when you could get access to some of the same machines for free. If you don’t have access to workout machines for free, you still have cost friendly options for working out. The internet is filled with free exercise videos that you can stream on your computer or TV. There are also free phone apps that you can use to get in a good workout with cost-friendly or no exercise equipment at all.

Avoid Fast Food

Whether you are cooking healthy or unhealthy meals at home, it’s cheaper than continuously grabbing fast food. With studies suggesting that Americans are spending an average of $1,200 on fast food every year, you have to wonder just how much money you can save by taking an hour to prepare your own meal. Plus, we all know how unhealthy the fried, salty, sugary food is for our bodies.

Don’t Drive if you Can Walk

As you may already know, walking has many health related benefits. And considering the cost of gas and vehicle maintenance, walking can have financial benefits as well. It might not be practical to walk everywhere you need to go, but if you are running an errand, visiting a friend or relative, or going to work and your destination is well within walking distance, consider ditching your car keys for a comfortable pair of shoes. The money you save not filling up at your local gas station, is money that you can spend on something you can enjoy much more than gasoline.

Actively Pursue a Healthy Lifestyle

Our time in this life is up when it’s up, but you can increase your chances of living a long life by pursuing a healthy lifestyle. A proper diet and stringent exercise regimen, as well as preventative health services are key factors when it comes to living a long life. By living well into old age, you increase the amount of opportunities that you have to benefit from all of the money that you managed to save.

If you could live a healthier life and cut back on your spending at the same time, why wouldn’t you? If you are looking to improve your health and finances, you may want to determine which (if not all), of these aforementioned tips you can apply to your life today!