How not to tax your health (tax season health opportunities!)

Hello!

If you are like me, preparing taxes makes you want to rip out your hair, scream, then order take-out every night until the piles of paper are processed. Not so healthy.

But tax time also provides an opportunity to boost health for the coming year.

It’s a great time to ask whether your spending habits might be tweaked for better health OR for enjoying your healthy habits more. For example:

• If you spent less money on eating out, how much more could you spend on more exciting healthy groceries, like fresh seafood, exotic fresh fruits, fancy mushrooms, etc.?

• Could you get a spa treatment every month (or week!) for the cost of your bar bills?

• If you took healthier & cheaper vacations (e.g., biking or hiking trips), would that fund a year of massages or yoga classes? Or a membership at a nicer gym?

• If you have a big refund to spend, how about spending it on something healthy, like dance lessons or a new bike?

• If you need to cut spending, how about staying in Friday nights, playing music, cooking healthy and trading foot massages? (Giving massage has almost as many benefits as receiving, so it’s a double bonus.)

• Should you find cheaper hobbies, like hiking and biking or recreational sports? Should you bike to work?

Finally, don’t forget the fantastic finding of happiness researchers at Harvard. They report that adding a daily 30-minute walk OR joining a fun hobby club can boost happiness as much as a $50,000 salary raise. That’s gotta be worth a try, right?!

Hope your tax season went smoothly,

Jill & Amy