Simple Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle on a Budget

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Budget friendly. Healthy lifestyle. Now there are two phrases that go together like oil and water. To live a healthy lifestyle, you definitely have to spend some (a lot of) moolah. If you have a small budget, a healthy lifestyle just cannot be possible. WRONG!

Not only is it possible, but it is totally doable to maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget! I admit, I am still baby-stepping my way to a more budget-friendly healthy lifestyle. Here are some great ideas to implement to keep expenses as low as possible while striving for a more healthy lifestyle!

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Eating Healthy on a Budget

Most of us have heard our health is made up of about 80% diet and 20% exercise. Therefore, it makes sense to focus most of our energy on how we’re fueling our bodies. No matter which “diet” you prefer to adopt, whether Paleo, Mediterranean, Keto, Vegan, etc,  most revolve around real, whole foods. And, yes, those foods do tend to be more expensive than the processed alternatives. And…you can’t find coupons for them either!

So if you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget, how on earth do you keep that food bill down?

#1: Eat at Home

Of course, eating at home has soooo many benefits. You can choose the quality of your food and, therefore, decide yourself what is worth it to spend the money on versus where you can scrimp and save a little. Also, you can plan to have leftovers for lunches, which is always convenient and way healthier than driving through the nearest fast-food joint. 

If you really want a challenge, you can start gardening or at a minimum growing your own herbs. Now that we have a decent backyard, I plan to start a little garden in the near future after learning more about it and what grows in our area. How cool would it be to grow some of your own food?!

Need some tried-and-true healthy recipes no matter what diet you’re planning to stick to? Or even some super convenient ready-to-use meal plans with shopping lists and prep notes? Look no further than the 2019 Healthy Meal Planning Bundle!

#2: Shop Smart

Where you’re purchasing those foods that you prepare at home will be the biggest budget opportunity.

Depending on your geographic location, you will have several different stores and markets available for which to shop. You may have to do some research and scout out some places to determine which are the most budget-friendly. But taking a little time to do this can go a long way when it comes to eating healthy on a budget each month!

Best ways to shop smart while trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget:

•   First, check out your local bulk warehouse stores. In my area, that’s Sam’s Club. Costco is another. My top buys at Sam’s Club are almond flour, nuts, coconut oil, deli meat, produce, and eggs. I can get a large quantity for a lesser price per unit size, so if I know I will use it before it goes bad, of course it is a much better buy.   •   Second, look into “health food” stores in your area. We have a Natural Grocers and Drug Emporium,  which are both amazing and have budget-friendly prices! We also have two other local stores that I can price compare. Again, do the research for your area.

•   Third, if you have an Aldi within an hour of you, definitely go! Guys, if you haven’t gotten on the Aldi bandwagon yet, you totally need to! I pretty much shop there first because I never know for sure which items on my grocery list they may or may not have. But if they have something I need, most of the time they are SUPER CHEAP because they cut out the middle men and operate with few employees. Remember, bring a quarter to “rent” your shopping cart (you get it back when you return the shopping cart) and you also need to bring your own bags or boxes to load your groceries in your car.

•     Look into your local farmer’s markets. This is something I have not tapped into as much as I’d like. But find out where your local ones are! Some will even allow you to negotiate a little–especially if it is the end of the day and they would rather sell than load it back up to take home.

•   This next one was a hidden gem for me: ethnic markets, like Mexican or Indian supermarkets. Apparently, they thrive on cheap, good cuisine! (Makes perfect sense, after all!) I recently went with a friend to check out a Mexican supermarket in my town, and was pretty impressed! I will definitely be going back for some things they buy in bulk and repackage in store. Also, they have in-house homemade tortillas and the best price on bell peppers in our area! You won’t know what you might find at one of these places until you go!

•   Finally, if you don’t have the best local selection of grocery stores and health food stores, check out Thrive Market online. They are cheaper than or comparable to the least expensive grocery stores, especially if you hit a $50 order that qualifies for free shipping!

Now you have several options of places to shop and things to think about when choosing where to shop.

#3: Tips and Tricks for Healthy Eating on a Budget

Here are a few somewhat random, but super helpful tips to help you maintain healthy eating habits on a tight budget.

•   First and foremost, do your best to stay out of the center of the store. In general, this area and the bottom shelves are where all the processed junk is. Processed foods will cost you more in the long run–not just in up-front grocery costs, but also in doctor appointments and healthcare bills! They will also make you stay hungrier, and keep you eating more. So be sure to shop primarily the perimeter of the store.

•   Check out the Dirty Dozen and  Clean Fifteen list put out each year by the EWG (Environmental Working Group).  They do the research on pesticide load to help you determine which types of produce are best to buy organic vs. conventional . If you can buy conventional instead of organic for the “safe foods”, you will obviously save a ton!
 •    Meat and produce that are getting close to expiration date will be marked down during a last attempt to sell. Ask an employee at your favorite grocery store what time of day they mark things down and where these items will be located. My husband works out almost every morning at 5 am. The gym is across the street from the store we shop the most.  He found out they mark down some of our more common grocery items around 6 am each morning, so after working out, he goes to see what is available, grabs what we will use, and we freeze what we won’t use immediately. •   Shop with a calculator in hand and add up items as you shop. The times I have done this, I thought much more about the cost of things I put in my shopping cart. And saw how quickly it added up! This can really help you be more mindful of what you are buying and how much it costs!
•    Consider writing out the price of the item out beside it on your grocery list (whether you use digital or paper).  You can do this ahead of time to have a better idea of how much you’re going to spend, and then in the future, you also have a list of base prices and can plan your menus accordingly. Keeping track of these prices also allows you to gain a better idea of when things are on sale and when you can justify stocking up.

•   Keep a fridge inventory list. As you unload your groceries into the fridge, keep a list of items you put in it. Write the date beside the item, so you can be sure to use it before it goes bad. You can also add leftover options to this list. Remember to add the date to the leftovers as well!! Somehow we ALWAYS forget about leftovers in our fridge and then can’t remember when we cooked it and if it’s still good. This leads to way too much food waste (and therefore money waste.) 

•   Speaking of leftovers, try to plan meals that make good leftovers, or that you can make extra of and freeze for a meal another time. If you find some things on sale that you know you will use, make a big batch of one of your favorite meals using those ingredients and freeze it for later use. This is something I can’t wait to start doing more efficiently! Saves time and money! Yeah!

•   Plan ahead, create your list, and shop only from your list.  Avoid impulse buys. If you haven’t planned it or if it isn’t going to fuel your body with good nutrition, skip it. Also falling under this category is to only shop on a full stomach. If you’re running on empty, you’re much more tempted to go for the junk food and shop on impulse.

•   Every so often, go through your fridge, pantry and freezer. See what you need to use and plan to use it. This may just be because I’m not naturally organized, but I tend to forget things like this unless I schedule them in my calendar and/or paper planner. So be sure to schedule this task somewhere so you will remember to do it!

•   If you are shopping at a chain grocery store, be sure to take advantage of their apps for saving money. For example, if you shop at Walmart, using your app to pay will allow you to submit your receipt to Savings Catcher. Walmart compares prices to other grocery ads in your area. If you could have saved money somewhere else, they will give you back the savings. Win, win!! •   Bonus organizational app tip: I keep my grocery list on my phone on an app called Cozi. My husband has it on his phone too. It’s actually a life organization app that includes a grocery list, calendar, to-do lists, and many other options. So if my husband adds something to the grocery list, it shows up on my phone too. Super convenient! And if you prefer a paper list in store, you can always write everything down before you head to the store.

And there you go! Decide which of those ideas works for you and your family as you plan meals and maintain your healthy lifestyle on a budget! Put them into place in your household, and your wallet will thank you!

Exercising on a Budget

Now let’s move on to the 20% exercise part of healthy living. We all know we need to exercise. The gym has great benefits–accountability and childcare to name a couple! But it comes with a high price tag! And we want a healthy lifestyle on a budget…so…

First, enough cannot be said about just making regular, daily activity a part of our busy schedules. Go outside for a brisk walk. Breathe in the fresh air and get your body moving. If you have an office job, get up and walk a lap around the building. When shopping or heading into work, park a little further out in the parking lot. Get those steps in!

Next, if you have never done yoga, I highly recommend it. I never understood what all the hype was, but now that I have done some of Yoga with Adriene’s free videos (and participated in Holy Yoga at a local church), I cannot imagine NOT doing it. I FEEL better, my body feels younger, and I have more energy. So even if you’re skeptical, try it! Your body will thank you for it 😉

For the purposes of this article, I decided to keep recommendations to FREE exercises and workouts you can do in your home on your own time.

These are the resources that I, myself, and some fabulous, exercise-conscious friends have decided were worth mentioning here. There are several options to check out based on your interests and various fitness levels.

FREE online workouts to browse and try:

Yoga with Adriene (you can search her YouTube videos based on the specific body part for which you want to improve flexibility and/or relax –shoulders, neck, back, feet, etc.) My favorite are her morning routines! There is even a 5 minute one that works wonders!

Fitnessblender–Includes workout videos for every fitness level

Nike Training Club App–180+ free workouts from strength and endurance to mobility and yoga — featuring world-class Nike Master Trainers in every drill

Jillian Michaels–no introduction needed, enough said 😉 Check out the free online workouts on her app

ToneItUp–your ultimate daily workout app including body sculpting and cardio fitness workouts you can do anywhere

Senior Dance and Fitness Workouts with Paul Eugene–this one really intrigued me! He even has some chair workouts! Very cool for those it can benefit (senior or not!)

And there you go! At this point, you should have all the resources you need to get started with or continue to maintain your healthy lifestyle on a budget. Start with eating real, whole foods at home and becoming a smart shopper! Take your health to the max by adding some exercises and workouts into your daily and weekly routines. Be sure to let me know which of the above tips work best for you, and tell me if I should add any others that would be helpful!

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle on a budget can be difficult, but is totally doable. And when accomplished, it plays a huge part in allowing us to steward our money and lives intentionally! Until next time, continue to steward intentionally!

Heather

P.S. If you would like some accountability in your life aspirations, regarding money, health, or other areas of life, join us on Facebook in the private group Penny Steward Mama Accountability.  Also, feel free to email me at pennystewardmama@gmail.com!

PLUS here are your FREE Savings Tracker and Bill Tracker Printables to motivate and keep you organized as you work on your finances this New Year!! Just sign up for the Penny Steward Mama email newsletter to receive! /> />