UNITED STATES—I did something for the first time in a very long time, I didn’t eat out the past week. Yes, it was beyond difficult for me to make that happen but guess what America, I did. What was the simple solution? I went to the grocery store, and I loaded up on groceries. I was very and I mean very tempted to grab a bite to eat after leaving the grocery store.

I know this sounds crazy, but grocery shopping does indeed make you exhausted. I told myself, nope, not today, you’re going to get home and cook a meal. Which is precisely what I did. I actually cooked meals almost every day last week, and I had leftovers. I know there are people who are totally against leftovers, but I’m not one of those individuals. I’m a firm believer if you make a good dish, it can taste even better the next day.

Now, after two days you probably don’t want leftovers because you don’t want to eat the same thing over and over again. That is just a bummer. This is not me bringing this up to push the notion of healthy eating or cooking at home, this is to chat about saving money. I know I’m not the only person who sees this, but the cost of food is pricey these days.

It truly is a lot more expensive to eat out then it is to cook a meal at home. I went to lunch the previous week with my dad, and it was easily a $40 outing. Now the food was ok, but it was nothing explosive that blew my socks off. What was spent on lunch that could have been more groceries, and I could have crafted meals for at least two to three days, not just a SINGLE meal for the day.

The reason I’m bringing this up is that the restraint was difficult, but something that impressed me greatly. My wallet felt heavier, and I realized when you’re not out and about, you’re NOT spending money carelessly. That tends to happen for a lot of Americans, and you don’t realize how much money has been tossed into the trash until the end of the month when you’re forced to start paying those bills and or looking at what you spend with your credit or debit cards.

Yes, January is the kickoff of the New Year and with that, it places you in a situation where you start to say, hey I want to get my money and finances in play. What do you do? Start to examine where you can potentially cut unnecessary costs that is taking a toll on your bank account or your wallet. No, it is not easy to get your finances in order in a week, a month, hell a year, it does unfortunately take some time for you to develop those good habits when it comes to money.

There is always that saying that “Money controls many people’s lives.” Why is that? People let the money control them, not the other way around. You control the money, you dictate what is being spent, and you have to treat money precisely like it is: a commodity. However, many of us already know that money is power, and the more you have the more power you have in a way.

When you put yourself in control of your money, it gives you the power over your money. Remember you can always say no to spending, it may not be easy, but it can be done with simple things.