How do I afford Shakeology?

First off, I am not 'loaded' but I manage my finances very well.  I have learned over the years that 'broke' is defined differently by everyone.  Your broke is not my broke, we all have different priorities.  At this point in my life, my priority is my health and I am doing everything I can to improve that.
I have been and probably always will be very tight with my finances because I love a deal .
Since my first week using Shakeology, I was hooked.  My energy level is beyond anything it has ever been, my mind is the clearest it has been in years and I just overall feel fantastic. It is a priority for me to afford the greatest thing for my health: my Shakeology.
Shakeology has become an every day for me… I have it mostly for breakfast but definitely at least once a day.  I have it delivered to my house every month and I realize how important it is to have in my body. 
I hear the “I can’t afford it” excuse all the time. And even though I try to show and tell different ways to find a way for you to make Shakeology your daily reality, sometimes it doesn’t get through. So today, I want to give you my ten tips on how I am able to afford Shakeology. It CAN be done, and here’s how I do it:

1. Get on Home Direct (“HD”) – HD is the auto shipment program for Shakeology (or any supplement in the store).  It guarantees that your Shakeology will be on your doorstep waiting for you every single month.  Why is this a budget saver?  For one, your shipping is free.  So instead of paying that extra money for shipping each time you order a one-time bag “when you can afford it,” your shipping is waived, and you have a brand new bag every month.  How does getting it every month guarantee a budget check?  Well because by getting on HD, you commit to your health and make Shakeology a non-negotiable part of your day.  You have this bag (or box of packets) and you know that another will be on its way next month, so you’re GOING to use it, you’re GOING to drink it, and you’re GOING to see how amazing you feel.  So my first tip is to get on Shakeology HD.
2. I am a Coach!  Straight up, the initial reason I became a coach was because I wanted a discount on products.  I won’t even lie to you, that was my reason for signing up.  I didn’t have dreams of building a business, I simply wanted the product and because I am always looking for a deal, I wanted the discount.   By becoming a Beachbody Coach, you get a HUGE discount on every single product in the library.  And yes, while you do have a monthly business fee to keep all of your coaching materials up to date without you having to lift a finger in that aspect, the fee is not even CLOSE to the amount of money you save by being on Shakeology HD as a coach.  Bottom line, becoming a coach not only gives me the opportunity to MAKE money, but SAVE money with the obscenely huge discount.
3. I’m not buying multivitamins and supplements anymore.  This speaks for itself.  Since starting Shakeology, I no longer buy multivitamins, supplements, digestive aids, “weight loss” supplements, “energy” supplements, and even the amount of things like Advil and Tylenol I buy is WAY down.  Do you have any idea how much money you SAVE by not having to buy all of these extra things each month?!  Think about how much your last bottle of multivitamins, hair vitamins, skincare fixes, antacids, digestive aids, etc. set you back in your grocery budget.  Chances are every time you pick up a bottle, you look at the price.  So really, compare.  Not only does Shakeology have all of the things that you’re probably already buying in pill form, but it has TONS of extras.  There’s this video with Tony Horton that really shows you the MAJOR price difference between supplements and Shakeology in just a couple of minutes.  It speaks for itself!  And honestly, who ENJOYS swallowing hand fulls of pills?! I’d rather have a chocolate shake. Tip #3: stop buying the multivitamins and see what you save!
4. I’m not buying “breakfast food” or snacks.  Forget the vending machine snacks, the boxes of cereal, the “meal bars,” and all that stuff.  I don’t need it.  It doesn’t go on my grocery list anymore.  Cereal prices are expensive, and it’s not even that great for you!  Shakeology is my breakfast, and it’s healthier than anything else I used to put in my body to start my day!  And forget vending machine snacks or being tempted in the middle of the day by an unhealthy lunch!  Shakeology fills me up.  I don’t need the crappy breakfast food, and on the days where I do have something like steel cut oats or egg whites with salsa for breakfast, I have Shakeology for a midday snack, and it’s the perfect sweet tooth fix.  So my next tip:  save money by not having to budget for breakfast food or snacks.
5. I don’t buy coffee on a regular basis.  Not so much in the summer, but definitely in the winter I love my coffee, I used to stop on the way to work, and even go out of my way to grab some when I was working full time.  “Oh I’m so tired I need coffee!”  Since starting to drink Shakeology regularly, I don’t do that anymore.  Not because “the calories aren’t worth it,” (even though that’s true) but because I don’t NEED that energy boost!  Shakeology does that FOR me!  So where I used to have breakfast AND coffee every morning ($$$$$!!!) I have one glass of Shakeology and I’m energized.  Boom.  Money saver, and a time saver since I’m not leaving an extra 15-20 minutes early to make that coffee run!  Now my only coffee is my daily cup in my countertop coffee pot.  That’s it!  Shakeology saves me time and money by keeping me out of the convenience store.
6. I factor Shakeology into my food budget!  To make sure that Shakeology is a non-negotiable part of my life, I factor it into my daily food budget.  I break it down.  About $4 per day, this is WAY less on what I used to spend on lunch!  I make sure that it is part of my budget, and I work the rest of my grocery budget AROUND my Shakeology.  It may sound silly, but it’s TRUE.  Remember what Shakeology is replacing in your grocery list, and factor in the cost to your budget.  Factor it in, and it makes it a regular expense, instead of a surprise.
7. I don’t do unnecessary splurge activities anymore.  This is partially because I want to save money, but partially because I have become healthier.  I no longer purchase liquor on the weekends and the beer purchases are down as well.  We rarely go out to eat, because I enjoy cooking again and finding new ways to make our favorites in a healthier version.   I don’t get my hair and nails done very often, and I don’t go on spending splurges anymore.  I use to take hours every Saturday shopping at Walmart or the local grocery store, now I am mostly buying veggies and they are the best value at Aldi.  I get in and get out, no lingering and buying stuff I don’t need.  We all know that cutting back on these things is going to save you money, but for some reason we continue to do some of them.  The fact is, if you’re serious about your health, you need to make sacrifices.  As you learn to live a healthier lifestyle, some of these changes become easier, but yes, it takes EFFORT to make sacrifices.  Budgeting takes sacrifice.  That’s fact.  Cut back on things that don’t align with your new, healthy lifestyle and cut back things that are unnecessary, and you save a lot of money.
8. When money is tight, I take on extra work.  Just like the rest of you, I have months where money gets kind of tight.  Unexpected expenses or a social even that I REALLY want to go to…these things happen.  When I have unexpected expenses, I work harder. I WANT this.  I am SERIOUS about my health and maintaining my nutrition.  I could just cut out Shakeology for a month, but I know that it is the HEALTHIEST thing I do for my body EVERY day, and there is no way I would cut it out.  Once you have that realization, you think differently.  So when money is tight, I pick up odd jobs.  I work harder!
9. I work HARD at my Beachbody business and I strive to have my Shakeology 100% paid for each month through my income.  The money I make through Beachbody, as I mentioned before, is helping me pay all of my monthly bills.  But the financial GOAL I have every single month, is to work hard enough in my business to…at the VERY least…have my Shakeology paid for with the commissions I have made.  When you have a clear, set, numbered goal, it’s easier to have a REASON to push hard.  I make it a goal each month to have my Shakeology completely paid for so I don’t even have to pay a cent out of pocket.
10. But most importantly, I recognize the VALUE of Shakeology.  I know how I feel when I drink it, and I know how I feel on the days that I don’t.  To me, it’s worth it to not have to take days off of work when I’m sick.  I’m hardly sick…ever.  I hardly get headaches, my internal health is amazing, and my energy is high.  Shakeology makes me feel my best.  I recognize the value in that.  I know how it affects my weight loss goals, my skin, my hair….everything about my life.  I recognize that Shakeology has been the game changer in my life, and it is more than “just a shake.”  It is my daily dose of dense nutrition that improves every single part of my day.  I see the value in spending $4 a day on a healthy, energy boosting, great tasting chocolate shake (or other great flavors) over spending $2 on a greasy cheeseburger at the local fast food place.  I see the value in spending $4 a day to replace bottles and bottles of vitamins, pain relievers and energy supplements.  I see the value in spending $4 every day on a meal replacement shake instead of a sugared up, $5 coffee drink.  I see the value in Shakeology.  I see that it is full of VALUE.  

So that’s how I make sure I am able to afford Shakeology every single month.  And let me tell you.  Even in the months where I wonder “how am I going to afford this bill,” I have never ONCE cancelled my Shakeology HD.  I scrimp and save.  I budget.  I recognize the value in Shakeology and realize that it is the BEST thing I can do for my body.  I have found ways to make the money and be sure that my Shakeology is on my doorstep. I have found a way to do away with all of my excuses.  Every single excuse has a way around it, and if you WANT to get healthier, you CAN do it.  All you have to do is take a long, hard look at your daily life, use some of my tips and methods, and find a way to do whatever it is that you want to do!