Staying Healthy Without Blowing Tons of Money
For students and recent graduates, it seems like there are two options: spend your entire paycheck on organic groceries, supplements, a gym membership and a personal trainer, OR save all your money buy living off cheap junk food and never working out. Throughout my undergraduate career I varied between the two, and ended up either loosing sleep wondering how I was going to pay my bills, or feeling like crud all the time. This summer, I'm determined to NOT settle for either. My health is an important investment, but it's not an investment that should eat up all of my financial resources.
So, for those who are interested, here are some steps I'm taking now (and some tricks I've learned in the past) to be healthy on a budget.
1) I refuse to be ripped off at the grocery store.
The nice thing about living in a big city is that I have lots of grocery options to choose from. There are some stores (i.e. Whole Foods) that advertise pure, organic foods free of preservatives and other toxic chemicals. However, they sell their products at astronomically high prices- twenty dollars can get you one or two items at the checkout.
Thankfully, we also have several Trader Joe's, a chain store known for selling organic groceries at low prices (but not at the expense of their employees or the surrounding communities!). I've had nothing but good experiences with the food, the customer service, or the prices I've found at Trader Joe's, so I try to do a lot of my shopping there. Some of my long-distance friends have told me that when they travel to the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, or other areas, they stop at Trader Joe's and stock up on non-perishables or even bring a cooler to load with frozen foods.
Even if you don't have a Trader Joe's or other similar store nearby, you do NOT have to go to an overpriced grocery store to get healthy food! Any other grocery store will have an organic section, and they have to follow the same laws as Whole Foods or other stores to label their food as organic. Another option during the warmer months is to visit your local farmer's market for fresh produce at a reasonable price (plus, you are supporting your local farmers!). Of course, the most cost-effective method is to grow your own produce in a garden, but, for an apartment-dweller like myself, that's a someday-dream!
2) I try to make cost-effective food choices
The tricky thing with produce or fresh foods is that, being single, it's hard for me to eat it fast enough before it goes bad (and I don't really have the time or gas money to go grocery shopping more than once a week). I do buy some things frozen so that I don't have to race against time to eat them. With fresh produce, I've found some guidelines to helping them keep longer, like the ones listed in this article I found on pinterest.
One of the biggest challenges I've faced is getting enough protein in my diet. I try to look for veggies that contain protein, such as spinach or avocados, as well as non-perishable, grab-and-go foods such as nuts or all-natural peanut butter. Of course, lean meats are the best source of protein, so my go-to is frozen chicken breasts. I can always thaw one in the microwave and boil it in a pot of water for about 7-10 minutes for an easy lunch or dinner, but I've started learning some other fun chicken recipes, too! Another favorite of mine is the organic turkey-burgers- easy to cook and taste like a regular burger, but much lower in saturated fats and cholesterol. Of course, eggs are another inexpensive source of protein that are easy to cook!
Finally, keeping my eyes open for useful coupons always saves me a few bucks. Trader Joe's doesn't use coupons, but if I need to pick up an item from another store closer to campus, it's always a plus! The catch with coupons is to make sure you are using them on things you really need- not buying junk food or other unnecessary items just because you have the coupon!
3) I am working on drinking more water.
I'm sure I don't need to list all the health benefits of water, or the low cost! Being conscious about drinking enough of it also helps me avoid the temptation to blow money on soda or other beverages that are loaded with junk. The catch is, I've found that the water in the Twin Cities is pretty gross- thankfully, a one-time investment in a Britta pitcher (or adding a slice of lemon or cucumber) can work wonders!
4) I don't pay to work out.
Okay, once I get an actual teaching position I will probably look into investing in a gym membership, but that's not an option right now- and, since I'm not currently enrolled in any classes, using the gym on campus would cost of a chunk of change. However, I can run or walk outside for free!! Plus, I've found some great body-weight only exercise routines on youtube and pinterest- all I have to do is press the "play" button on youtube and follow along! Here are my two favorite videos:
And a few of my favorite moves from pinterest:
(Seriously, try to do 25 or 30 of these- you will feel the burn!)
So, for those who are interested, here are some steps I'm taking now (and some tricks I've learned in the past) to be healthy on a budget.
1) I refuse to be ripped off at the grocery store.
The nice thing about living in a big city is that I have lots of grocery options to choose from. There are some stores (i.e. Whole Foods) that advertise pure, organic foods free of preservatives and other toxic chemicals. However, they sell their products at astronomically high prices- twenty dollars can get you one or two items at the checkout.
Thankfully, we also have several Trader Joe's, a chain store known for selling organic groceries at low prices (but not at the expense of their employees or the surrounding communities!). I've had nothing but good experiences with the food, the customer service, or the prices I've found at Trader Joe's, so I try to do a lot of my shopping there. Some of my long-distance friends have told me that when they travel to the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, or other areas, they stop at Trader Joe's and stock up on non-perishables or even bring a cooler to load with frozen foods.
Even if you don't have a Trader Joe's or other similar store nearby, you do NOT have to go to an overpriced grocery store to get healthy food! Any other grocery store will have an organic section, and they have to follow the same laws as Whole Foods or other stores to label their food as organic. Another option during the warmer months is to visit your local farmer's market for fresh produce at a reasonable price (plus, you are supporting your local farmers!). Of course, the most cost-effective method is to grow your own produce in a garden, but, for an apartment-dweller like myself, that's a someday-dream!
2) I try to make cost-effective food choices
The tricky thing with produce or fresh foods is that, being single, it's hard for me to eat it fast enough before it goes bad (and I don't really have the time or gas money to go grocery shopping more than once a week). I do buy some things frozen so that I don't have to race against time to eat them. With fresh produce, I've found some guidelines to helping them keep longer, like the ones listed in this article I found on pinterest.
One of the biggest challenges I've faced is getting enough protein in my diet. I try to look for veggies that contain protein, such as spinach or avocados, as well as non-perishable, grab-and-go foods such as nuts or all-natural peanut butter. Of course, lean meats are the best source of protein, so my go-to is frozen chicken breasts. I can always thaw one in the microwave and boil it in a pot of water for about 7-10 minutes for an easy lunch or dinner, but I've started learning some other fun chicken recipes, too! Another favorite of mine is the organic turkey-burgers- easy to cook and taste like a regular burger, but much lower in saturated fats and cholesterol. Of course, eggs are another inexpensive source of protein that are easy to cook!
Finally, keeping my eyes open for useful coupons always saves me a few bucks. Trader Joe's doesn't use coupons, but if I need to pick up an item from another store closer to campus, it's always a plus! The catch with coupons is to make sure you are using them on things you really need- not buying junk food or other unnecessary items just because you have the coupon!
3) I am working on drinking more water.
I'm sure I don't need to list all the health benefits of water, or the low cost! Being conscious about drinking enough of it also helps me avoid the temptation to blow money on soda or other beverages that are loaded with junk. The catch is, I've found that the water in the Twin Cities is pretty gross- thankfully, a one-time investment in a Britta pitcher (or adding a slice of lemon or cucumber) can work wonders!
4) I don't pay to work out.
Okay, once I get an actual teaching position I will probably look into investing in a gym membership, but that's not an option right now- and, since I'm not currently enrolled in any classes, using the gym on campus would cost of a chunk of change. However, I can run or walk outside for free!! Plus, I've found some great body-weight only exercise routines on youtube and pinterest- all I have to do is press the "play" button on youtube and follow along! Here are my two favorite videos:
And a few of my favorite moves from pinterest:
(Seriously, try to do 25 or 30 of these- you will feel the burn!)
The second one down is much, much harder than it looks!!
None of these exercises cost me a thing, except the one-time investment in good workout-clothes!!
If you DO find you workout more effectively in a gym, I recommend either a) volunteering or working part-time at your local YMCA in exchange for a free membership or b) checking out your local high school or community college to see if they have open gym hours at a low cost to the public. When I lived in Wisconsin, a friend and I used to meet up at our community college and use their swimming pool for $2 a session.
So, those are my tips for being healthy without spending atrocious amounts of money- please feel free to share your own!!
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