Tag: Living Healthy On A Budget

Healthy Habits for Life

Step 4 of Living Healthy on a Budget: Keeping Track of Your Healthy Habits.

Read all previous steps here.
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Now that we’re making healthy menus and shopping strategically for healthy food, what’s going to keep us accountable? How can we keep track of our newfound Healthy Habits and make sure that they don’t fade away?

Honestly, I know that this isn’t the easy way to live life nowadays. It’s not convenient short term and it requires constant vigilance. It’s easy to grow lax and give up on our healthy habits. Trust me, I’ve done it MANY times.

This time around though, I am holding myself accountable. I am surrounding myself with a community that understands and encourages my healthy habits. That won’t let me back down because it gets hard or I want to do the easy thing.

The word habit implies something that you just do. You don’t have to think about it, it just comes naturally. 

The problem with developing healthy habits is that it’s (sadly) not the societal norm anymore. Everytime you turn around, you’ll see reminders of what you are sacrificing (let’s remember these are short term sacrifices though, the pay off long term far exceeds the current sacrifice!).

Maybe you are envious of the mom who can buy the $.69 cent loaf of white bread at the grocery store. You have to spend a bit more or you have to go home and actually make the loaf yourself. How easy things are for her!

She just throws the cheap loaf of bread in her cart and carries on.

That’s her decision, and it’s not for anyone else to judge (I really want to make that clear. We don’t know why she needs that bread. Her finances might be such that that is all she can afford. Throwing that loaf of bread in her cart might NOT be easy for her. It might pain her, upset her, frustrate her. We don’t throw stones here at Family Friendly Frugality). But you know that’s not the decision you’ve made. So you (begrudgingly) carry on, becoming more and more resentful of how heavy your burden to live healthy weighs on you.

Wait a second though, don’t you remember how excited you were to take charge of your health? To develop healthy habits, so that your family could have better health longterm? Where did that enthusiasm go?

This is why we need reminders of why this (this and this and this) is so important to us.

This is why we need to keep track of our healthy habits.

Luckily, there are several methods to make sure your healthy habits stick.

:: Support For Keeping Track of Healthy Habits

Depending on the level of support you are hoping for, you can either try a method that involves an online community, an in person group setting or if you are more personal and private, you can just do it on your own.

Online Support:

Spark People– Keep track of calories. Join groups of likeminded folk. Set goals and record your healthy habits for the community to see.

Livestrong– Similar to Spark People but a bit more streamlined and a bit less overwhelming. That said, this community has some hard core athletes, so if you might find that intimidating, you might look elsewhere.

In Person Support

Weight Watchers Group Meetings– There is also an online forum for Weight Watchers that I found VERY supportive during the time I lost 40 lbs on Weight Watchers. The forum is free, but Weight Watchers is not. However, I think it’s the one “diet plan” that is well worth the money. You can sign up here to do Weight Watchers online (save when you do the 3 month bundle up front) or you can sign up here for Weight Watchers meetings in your area. Weight Watchers fully believes in building healthy habits.

Local Yahoo Groups- Head on over to Yahoo and look for healthy living groups in your area. See if they meet anywhere on a regular basis. If so, meet up with them! Get involved in the community.

On your own, or just with your family? 

I find when I’m expecting to hold myself accountable for something, having it in my face repeatedly (especially in the early days) is so important. This means I need constant visual reminders of why I’m doing what I’m doing and why it’s better than the alternatives.

I created this fun little sign for my refrigerator. I always look in the fridge when I am writing up my grocery list, and this is a constant reminder of why choosing the best foods for my family (while still remembering that, hey! I know how to coupon! And saving a bit of money in the process!) means so much to me.

Feel free to print it if you like (it’s formatted to fit an 8×10 sheet of paper. You will need to download it to your computer first). I made it so I could share it with others  as well!

I also have started keeping track of how many fruits, veggies and whole grains I have each day on a fun Healthy Habit Checklist. Counting calories tends to overwhelm me, but I’m working towards that (I have a decent amount of weight to lose, so I really do need to keep track of my calories).

I created my checklist by filling out the information here on ChooseMyPlate.gov and finding out what they recommend my serving sizes should be for my calorie level. This way even though I’m not strict calorie counting, I’m making sure I’m eating the proper variety/amounts of the foods my body needs.

I just stick the page into my planning binder and mark off as I go throughout my day. It’s a consistent reminder that I have healthy habit goals I need to keep track of daily.

If I get towards the end of the day and I see that my fruit and veggie consumption has been low, I really think twice about having a treat.

:: Not A Diet Plan…A Building Healthy Habits Plan

Now, this series is not a diet plan, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that part of my desire to live healthy is because I am overweight and I do need to lose weight.

You might be able to keep up your healthy habits without the use of checklists or support groups.

If not though, I hope you’ll find this post helpful. I hope you’ll feel encouraged and I hope you’ll keep those healthy habits going strong!

What do you use to keep track of your Healthy Habits?

Read the other posts in this series: Living Healthy On A Budget

One of the biggest misconceptions about healthy living is that it can’t be done easily on a budget. I respectfully disagree. Living healthy is possible on any budget!

The first thing we need to do is throw out today’s meaning of the word “healthy”. Rather than buying expensive “health food”, instead we’re going to focus on buying WHOLE foods. We’ll walk outside instead of paying $100 a month to use the elliptical at the gym.

Now, it’s true that buying a box of sugary cereal with a coupon could feed your family for a week at the cost of just a few pennies. Buying a container of oatmeal or a carton of eggs might be pricier when you look at your up front cost. However, which makes you feel fuller for longer? Which gets you through to the next meal without needing another snack? Which keeps you out of the doctor’s office and from paying pricey co-pays and deductibles?

It’s big picture health we’re going to discuss in this series, and we’re going to do it on a budget.

Step 2 of Living Healthy On A Budget: Grocery Shopping

We chatted a bit about grocery shopping for healthy food on a budget last week when we discussed menu planning.

We talked about shopping the perimeter of the grocery store and checking ingredients.

Now it’s time to grab that grocery list and go shopping.

Not too much of this is going to be news to those of you who have read my series on strategic shopping. However, I do have a few tips and tricks that might bring down your overall grocery budget and invite you to splurge on some better quality ingredients.

Tip #1-Stick to your list, but be flexible

Okay, so you wrote out your list and you have your menu planned out and you are good to go. You walk into the grocery store and head to the meat section. As you are standing there, the butcher walks out with a tray full of chicken that he places in the markdown section. You only have one meal planned with chicken this week, but these are awesome unadvertised prices! Chicken is easily frozen, so now’s the time to stock up.

When you see stock up opportunities in the store, that weren’t advertised for whatever reason (otherwise, you’d have had that item on your list!), don’t pass them by! Stocking up when prices are low is a great way to bring your overall grocery bill down week to week. Be careful, and be sure you know the difference between what the store says is a good deal and what is truly a good deal. Making a price list of rock bottom prices is helpful to know when prices are at stock up levels. Read more about stockpiling here and here.

Here are some items that you can and should stock up on when the price is right:

• Meat
• Cheese (you can freeze cheese for cooking, but I recommend going ahead and shredding it)
• Pasta & Rice
• Canned goods
• Flours & sugar
• Frozen veggies & fruits
• Other non perishables that you use on a regular basis
• Non food items that don’t expire for awhile (paper towels, toilet paper, deodorant, tooth paste, etc)

Now, most of the time deals will be advertised and you can plan to take advantage of them by adding them to your list. So for the most part, stick to your list!

Tip #2-Shop multiple stores if possible

This could be tough for those with tight schedules, but doing all of your shopping in one spot does put you at a disadvantage. Obviously, one store won’t have everything on your list on sale at the same time. So some items on your list will be full price.

I recommend at least going to one grocery store and one drugstore (to play the drugstore game) a week.

Also keep your eye out for online deals from Amazon, Vitacost, etc. Sometimes you can get really fantastic deals by shopping online.

If you have access to a local farmer’s market where produce is fresh, homegrown and cheap…make it a priority to get out there whenever you can.

Tip #3- Use coupons

Now, I’m going to be straight with you here. Yes, the majority of coupons are for junk food. Not ALL coupons are for junk food though. Look for coupons in these categories to help bring down your overall grocery bill (and when you do find coupons for these items be sure to read labels! It’s not a good deal if it’s filled with junk.):

• Health: Vitamins, medicine, first aid, etc. You can almost always find coupons for these items! Combine the coupon with a sale and maybe even a cash back opportunity (like CVS Extra Care Bucks or Walgreen’s Register Rewards) and you’ll save big!
• Beauty: Coupons for beauty products are abundant. You might have to learn to not be picky or brand loyal. That’s true for strategic shopping in general though.
• Paper Products: You might not save huge as these are generally lower value coupons, but every bit helps.
• Cereals, pastas & some canned foods: It’s not always the healthiest brands that offer coupons, but when they do grab them and stock up.
• Dairy: Cheese coupons, sour cream, yogurt and cottage cheese, etc

Items not likely to have coupons (but how you can save on them anyway):

• Meat: Wait until it’s the loss leader (the biggest ad on the front page of your circular usually) and stock up. Check the “manager’s special” section for deeply discounted meats that are getting close to their expiration date. All you have to do is stick it in the freezer and you have cheap meat for a fraction of the cost.
• Produce: Plan your menu around produce that is in season and local. Plant a garden yourself if you have a green thumb!
• Milk: Even when milk goes on sale, it’s usually not that impressive. Some people will buy milk that’s been marked down and freeze it, but honestly milk is just one of those things that I pay for regardless of how much it costs.

Leaving the Grocery Store

Your goal is to walk out of the store at or under budget. The lessons I provided in my Strategic Shopping series would be helpful for anyone reading this series to read or re-visit while keeping the spirit of this series in mind.

If you end up going over budget, you’ll need to evaluate a few things:

• Is your budget logical? Is it reasonable? Are you trying to spend $30 a week to feed a family of 6? That might have been possible before you were buying fresh/whole foods, but it’s not any longer. Sure SOME weeks you might get away with a super low grocery bill when you are well stocked up and only need to do a milk/produce run. Don’t expect to spend as little as you spent when  you were buying foods that weren’t an investment in your health. Remember, we are making sure our priorities accurately reflect our budgeting. So if you need to shift some money from a category that is less of a priority, that’s what you’ll need to do.
• If your budget is logical and reasonable, where did you overspend?
• If you overspent, was any of it on foods that you could make cheaper by doing it yourself from scratch?
• Did you use coupons? If not, could you have?
• Is it possible this was a one time occurrence because you found a great stock up price? If so, just deduct some funds from next week’s trip and call it even.
• Are you using all of the food you are buying each week or is some of it going to waste? If you are wasting food, you’ll need to cut back on what you purchase.

Key Points:

√ Shop the perimeter of the grocery store to find whole/fresh foods

√ Stick to your list unless you find a great stock up price

√ We’re still strategically shopping here, so be sure to read my series on Strategic Shopping!

√ You might want to shop at more than one store

√ Use coupons

Disclaimer:  I am not a nutritionist and I’m not a size 2 fitness model (far from it!). I’m just a mom, trying to do better for herself and her family. Take my advice from mom to mom or parent to parent, woman to woman or human to human, but not as an expert…because that, I am not.

I’m not perfect. We definitely use convenience foods sometimes and I don’t make everything from scratch. We still go out to eat and I have been known to go over budget. I like Doritos and I can’t pronounce 90% of what is in them. However, my family’s health is a priority to me so I am striving towards at least an 80/20 ratio of good whole foods to easy or yummy packaged maybe-not-perfect foods.

I’m doing it on a budget and it’s working, so I know it can be done.

Stay tuned for the next article in the series: Living Healthy On A Budget.

One of the biggest misconceptions about healthy living is that it can’t be done easily on a budget. I respectfully disagree. Living healthy is possible on any budget!

The first thing we need to do is throw out today’s meaning of the word “healthy”. Rather than buying expensive “health food”, instead we’re going to focus on buying WHOLE foods. We’ll walk outside instead of paying $100 a month to use the elliptical at the gym.

Now, it’s true that buying a box of sugary cereal with a coupon could feed your family for a week at the cost of just a few pennies. Buying a container of oatmeal or a carton of eggs might be pricier when you look at your up front cost. However, which makes you feel fuller for longer? Which gets you through to the next meal without needing another snack? Which keeps you out of the doctor’s office and from paying pricey co-pays and deductibles?

It’s big picture health we’re going to discuss in this series, and we’re going to do it on a budget.

Step 1 of Living Healthy On A Budget: Menu Planning

Menu planning is the key to any grocery budget. Whether you are eating healthy or planning to dine on snack cakes for breakfast and potato chips for dinner, you need to have a plan.

Have you ever walked into the grocery store without a real good idea of what your menu is for the week? Trying to keep the meals you’ve already placed into the cart in your head (along with the list of the ingredients for each dish) as you go aisle by aisle, only to get home and realize you only bought for 4 days worth of dinners instead of 7. Or worse, preparing dinner one night, with your hungry family anxious for their meal, realizing that you forgot a vital ingredient.

Well I have. Many times!

It’s not a good feeling.

To avoid making these mistakes, the solution is quite simple. We sit down once a week and make a menu plan. (I provide a printable menu plan and shopping list later in this post)

Now, I’m not going to discuss how to use coupons and store ads to make your menu plan/grocery list for the week in this series. I cover those topics fully in my strategic shopping series.

What I am going to discuss is how to come up with a menu plan that both supports a healthy lifestyle and keeps you within your budget.

Let’s Get Started

First, go through your refrigerator/freezer and pantry. Write down any staples you might need to replenish. See if you have anything near it’s expiration date that needs to be used up this week.

Next, where do you find your recipes? Do you have cookbooks? A folder on your computer? Maybe you browse Pinterest and bookmark recipes like I do. 😉  Concentrate on recipes that:

1. Are full of whole “perimeter of the grocery store” foods and don’t require many (if any) prepackaged foods.
2. Logically fit into your weekly schedule. Don’t choose a dish that takes 2 hours to make on the night  you take one kid to soccer practice and than race across town to get the other kid to dance class.
3. However, foods that you make from scratch will definitely be less expensive and typically are more healthy for you. See if any of your meals have any prep work you can do ahead of time when you are less busy.
4. Use up any foods you might have a surplus of or that might be close to their expiration date.

How Do We Determine What’s Healthy AND Budget Friendly? 

The key to planning a healthy menu that will keep you within budget is to plan for things that you will enjoy and that will nourish you so you don’t feel the need to consistently snack or ditch the planned meal for some tastier takeout.

I recently read In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, and one of the key points the author (Michael Pollen) made that really resonated with me is that so much of what we eat nowadays simply doesn’t fulfill our needs. Which is why we are constantly snacking. Snacks can be expensive. 2 snacks a day add another 14 meals per week/per person! That can really add up. Especially if those snacks aren’t in the form of a bag of apples or oranges.

Think about it, the last time you had a really good balanced meal filled with whole foods…how long did it fill you up for?

Last time you had a doughnut for breakfast, did you make it to lunchtime without gnawing your arm off?

Pollen goes on to give a few rules that I think will be helpful to anyone reading this series and wishing to eat healthy on a budget:

1. “Don’t eat anything that your great-great grandmother would not recognize as food.”

2. Don’t buy anything to eat that’s packaged and consists of more than 5 ingredients. (and if one of those ingredients is high fructose corn syrup…steer clear!)

So our goals here are to fill our bodies with whole nutritious foods so we actually eat less overall and the food we do eat is nutrient rich and good for our bodies.

Now, I know…this is not easy to do. Especially the 5 ingredient rule!

Putting it Into Practice

My first grocery shopping trip after reading this book (which is an incredible read btw. I’ve barely scratched the surface of how much awesome information is included. Very enlightening stuff.) took me close to 2 hours because I was reading labels and realizing that so much of what we eat would NOT be recognizable by my grandparents!

When you create your healthy menu, keep those rules in mind. Be logical about what your family is prepared to change and be gradual about the change if need be.

Time To Save Money

Expect that you MIGHT spend a bit more at first. Especially if your pantry does not currently have any of the staples for healthy eating.

However, remember that you can use coupons and strategic shopping to save money on your health & beauty items by playing the drugstore game. You can save money on your clothing and other needs by strategic shopping. Long term, you’ll be saving money because you’ll have less doctor bills and better attendance at work and better performance at work as well.

When you come up with your new grocery budget for eating healthy, you might need to add a bit more to it in the short term while you build up your freezer and your pantry. 

This is the point where we need to sit down and look at our priorities and decide how high on that scale having a healthy family is. Make sure your priorities accurately reflect your desire to eat healthy and you’ll find ways to add a bit more to your grocery budget. It’s important to remember that this is likely short term! Once you get into the habit of eating healthy, you’ll still shop the way you always have. Strategically stockpiling when you find good deals and buying in bulk when it makes sense. Using coupons when they are available and combining those coupons with sale prices to lower your overall grocery bill.

Time To Save Time

Is time an issue for you? Trust me, I get it! That’s why I think it’s important that we utilize the tools we have in our kitchens to make our lives a bit easier. With a bit of pre-planning and a bit of delegation, you can have a home cooked healthy meal every night!

• Prep prep prep! You know you are going to need chopped onions for 3 dinners and that you will be serving roasted broccoli another night. Why not go ahead and chop all of that up on Sunday evening while you are tidying up the kitchen? I’ve been using these 1 qt Mason Jars to store my pre-cut veggies and fruits in and it’s worked great! (I bought a dozen for about $12 at Kroger)  They kind of “seal” a bit all on their own so the cut foods stay fresh all week long. I also use baggies for the larger veggies that don’t fit easily into the mason jars.
• Slow Cook it. Have a night of running around planned? Throw everything into the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a fully cooked meal!
• Plan a soup night. Soups are easy and after the initial cutting of the veggies, require little tending. Remember you can do the prep work earlier in the week to.
• Enlist your children to help with age appropriate tasks.
• Do you have a bread machine? An Ice Cream machine? These might seem like pricey expenditures up front, but over time they more than pay for themselves when used on a regular basis. Fresh bread everyday! Ice Cream made with real ingredients for dessert every night!

Make an investment in  your kitchen and it will pay you back in good health and good foods.

I have included a weekly menu plan and shopping list PDF for you to print out and use if you wish. It’s very basic, but it might give you a good springboard to customize something more suited for your own needs, or you might find it works perfectly as is:

Key Points:

√  To eat healthy on a budget, you need a menu plan

√ To make a healthy menu plan, use what you already have on hand and remember to make sure meals are well balanced so they are filling.

√ Choose whole foods and recipes that include minimal convenience items

√ Prep when you can to make weeknights a bit more streamlined

√ You might spend a bit more at first, but know that it’s short term

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist and I’m not a size 2 fitness model (far from it!). I’m just a mom, trying to do better for herself and her family. Take my advice from mom to mom or parent to parent, woman to woman or human to human, but not as an expert…because that, I am not 😉

I’m not perfect. We definitely use convenience foods sometimes and I don’t make everything from scratch. We still go out to eat and I have been known to go over budget. I like Doritos and I can’t pronounce 90% of what is in them. However, my family’s health is a priority to me so I am striving towards at least an 80/20 ratio of good whole foods to easy or yummy packaged maybe-not-perfect foods.

I’m doing it on a budget and it’s working, so I know it can be done.

Read the next article in the series: Living Healthy On A Budget: Grocery Shopping