Eating and being healthy do not have to be budget busters. You can be healthy on a budget just as well as you can without one.
Have you ever signed up for an exercise program, gym membership, or subscription… only to find out months later you’ve squandered your money and time with no results to show for it?
Eat healthy on a budget
Welcome to the club. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By incorporating simple habits into your daily life, you can get and stay healthy without the monthly fees. Here’s how:
Be Healthy on a Budget by Multitasking with Things You Have to Do Anyway
You love to watch TV, or you spend a lot of time on the computer? Why not health-i-fy these necessary habits and make that time count towards your healthy goals?
Does TV often win over exercise? Make a deal with your partner or roommate that you aren’t allowed to watch TV during certain hours unless you’re on the treadmill, doing yoga, or doing sit-ups.
Work from home? Use your bluetooth on conference calls and do squats around your apartment, or, with particularly casual clients, while walking the neighborhood. It will likely help you focus on the conversation, too, if you’re far away from your pen and paper doodles or multi-tasking online tendencies.
Eat Healthy and Save Money by Buying more Vegetables
Cheaper than chips and popcorn, and a bajillion times healthier for you, using your grocery money to purchase fresh foods like carrots, celery, broccoli, and sweet potatoes will help you keep your costs down (the proof is in the pudding – or lack thereof) and also encourage you to snack healthier when you reach for something in the fridge.
Not only will having healthy options at home encourage you to eat them, but picking out a new vegetable to learn about and cook up will be a fun experiment. Try something you’ve never tried before, like fresh brussel sprouts, beets, or jicama.
Switch out your Personal Maintenance Products
“Getting healthy” also covers using natural products and soaps with as few chemicals as you can find. Start by trying out the “no-poo” fad, saving you monthly and yearly costs of shampoo and conditioner products.
Feeling up for a challenge? Try to find a natural oil to replace your styling products, like jojoba or coconut, and see what kind of hairstyle you can come up with sans hairdryer or curlers.
The same goes for cleaning your home: switching to cleaning products like baking soda and vinegar cost can save you tons each year, and help you rid your home of unnecessary chemicals.
Do you like grand, healthy gestures, or do small swaps work for you? What are your favorite tips for being healthy on a budget?
I make it a point during commercial breaks to get up from the couch and do some sort of exercise. Whether it is pushups or marching in place, it doesn’t matter. I just try to mix in some activity while I am watching TV. It may seem small, but researchers show that even people that fidget are less likely to put on more weight, so anything helps!
This is definitely a great way to “earn” your daily TV dose, haha!
I would also add, grow your own vegetables if that is an option. It is a great hobby, it is healthier and it a skill that is good to have!
Definitely! I’d love to have a garden, and even in an apartment you can grow your own herbs.
“Try something you’ve never tried before, like fresh brussel sprouts, beets, or jicama.” That sentence just scared the heck out of my kids! 🙂 I focus on exercise more to maintain my health. We are careful with what we eat, mostly trying to eliminate junk foods.
Hah! It might even be fun to try a new food once a week as a family, giving the parents a chance to react naturally to it, too. I know my dad HATES brussel sprouts, while I love them!
I really need to try different vegetables…I’m trying to eat healthier, but I just don’t like a whole lot of vegetables. Love fruit though!
It’s surprisingly hard to eat vegetables! Beyond some frozen broccoli and a salad, it just doesn’t come naturally to me. Though it has gotten much better since going Paleo!
In 2013 I ate far healthier than at any time in my life. Eating healthy means rarely eating out, since nearly all restaurant food is inconsistent with healthful nutrition. And eating healthier at home did mean spending a bit more on groceries. But I’ve just been reviewing our spending for 2013 vs. prior years. Our grocery spending went up in 2013 by about half as much as our dining out spending decreased! So I ate far healthier and saved money too!
That’s awesome that you keep track of that info! I’m not surprised about the financials, because restaurants have such a high mark up that cooking at home is always the safer bet.
I usually try to get up and walk around every so often at work. It gives me a chance to take a break and put my mind on something else. It also gives me the chance to stretch my legs and get a simple activity in multiple times a day.
Awesome idea. Frequent breaks and snacks keep me feeling fresh, too!