Frugal Healthy Living Tips?

[geniebird]

I know many people think they just can't afford to live a healthy lifestyle. I was one of them for many years. Finally we were faced with either making more changes or spending the rest of our lives sick -- not to mention the money on doctor bills. Staying well, still costs less than treating illness. Yes, a healthy lifestyle can be expensive, but it should not be something reserved only for the rich.

Here are a few things I use to keep our budget under control. Anyone else want to share their tips for frugal healthy living?

If you take vitamins or herbal supplements look at buying online. You may be able to get really good prices as well as free shipping, especially if you can afford to order a supply to last several months. We use i-herb.

Many employers now offer a variety of "wellness" programs to their employees as a benefit. These can be anything from health fairs, classes, printed information, weight-loss and stop-smoking programs, to onsite health clubs. Some employers also have special arrangements with local health clubs for employee discounts. It is a good idea to get current information on your benefits package from time to time -- these things do change.

Remember health food stores have sales. Many also put out sale fliers. Don't forget the free magazines they put in your bag.

There are coupons for available of natural/organic/vegetarian foods. Look for ads is organic/health/natural living magazines. The sometimes have coupons. Many organic food  companies also have websites and e-letters with coupons. Also check product packaging. Morningstar Farms sometimes prints coupons on the inside of the box.

In my city the regular grocery stores (Kroger, Super Saver, etc.) are expanding their natural/organic food sections due to popular demand. Last time I shopped these products  were scattered throughtout the store. Many are the same brands you would buy at a health food store and may be less expensive. If your grocery store does not carry these items ask to talk to the manager. If he does start carrying a few items be sure to buy them and also remember to thank him personally.

Health clubs sometimes have special offers. You may be limited to days you can use the club, but the savings are usually substantial. If you local community center has a fitness center it may be less expensive. You can usually purchase punch cards and are only charged per use. We saved money by dropping our Y membership when we moved into an apartment community with a fitness room (no rent increase). Of course walking is still the best exercise.

You don't need fancy clothes, equipment or accesories to work out. Regular sweats you already have at home work fine. Some gyms require shoes that have not been worn outside -- but you don't have to buy NIKES. They also last forever if you only wear them at the gym. While hand weights may be nice, soup cans work just as well.

Try to limit your personal library to a few good reference books. Our health related books are limited to Prescription for Nurtritional Healing, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and a good basic meditation/energy healing book (can't remember the title). We refer to these all the time. Look for anything you think you might just read once at your local library.

Sorry, this got so long, I kept remembering more.

So, what are your frugal healthy living tips? I can hardly wait to hear them. I'm always looking for good ideas.

[britbunny]

I think we do many of the things you've already said. I'm constantly having this conversation with people who either say that it's impossible to live healthily without spending a lot of money or that we're clearly depriving ourselves becasue we spend so little. The point that the people I speak to can't seem to grasp is that you give some stuff up to get what you want, and you don't have to sacrifice things you like, you just have to find out what's important to you.

It's another one of those interesting things, when you have a frugal mindset then you find yourself doing things or looking for things to help you rather than just throwing money at them.
For example, I decided to learn about different foods and why they were good or bad for us in order to get the most from my grocery shopping. Then finding out which nuts and things I could buy in bulk and freeze to save more money.

The knock on effect of this is that we have a menu plan, this means that we aren't tempted to go out and eat unhealthy food, which is good for us and the budget. we haven't gone over budget at all this year which means we are both happier. And you're more likely to be healthy if you're happy!

Another thing is that the more healthily we've been eating and the fitter we're becoming, the less we want to go out to the pub and drink alcohol and inhale other people's cigarette smoke. so again we keep in budget, reduce the amount of laundry, spend more time together, relax, talk to each other, not waste a day feeling terrible etc.

Instead of going to the gym I tried to be just generally more active in my daily life, abandoning the labour saving devices and getting on my hands and knees to get the housework done.

All of this has also helped us be more organised, I've found a tonne of resources that we already had to do with healthy diet, exercise and relaxation. things that were just being wasted before and can now be put to their proper use. The house is now pretty tidy all the time so when DH gets home from work he can just relax and unwind without seeing stuff to be done all over the place.

Not sure if there were really any tips in there but I can't seem to separate one aspect of life from another so it all gets mixed up -in a good way that is!

[bg]

I haven't quite managed to reconcile both frugality and healthy living entirely.

I have started a price book, and both my husband and I contribute toward it.

I suppose the biggest thing I've done lately would be to avoid purchasing items in cans. Cans are heavy and I dislike lugging heavy things around. So I have begun to purchase many dry goods and boil/cook/steam them myself instead of having to pay a company to do this for me.

I used to drink lots of store bought juices, but I am slowly switching to buying more fruits and making juices myself. I do use farmer's markets, local produce stores, and a Whole Foods store to comparison shop and buy fresh produce.

I read the ingredient list of all products I buy and assess whether I can make it myself. I then look up recipes online and look into preparing it myself.

[geniebird]

britbunny -- you are so right! It's all a matter of choices and priorities. I have trouble explaining it to people too, but in the long run it is much less expensive to be healthy than to be sick. We spent a lot of years saying we couldn't afford it till health problems forced us to.

Most of our budget other than the regular bills (rent, lights, phone) and savings goes for food and supplements. Food is a priority. I don't just go to the store with whatever money is left anymore

We have also found that since since changing to a whole foods diet rich in nutrient dense foods (heavy on fresh fruits and veggies) we are eating less. We don't have a recreation budget at all. Since we moved to the country most of our recreation/exercise is hiking in the nature area across the road -- in the winter we use the community fitness room. I also get free movie tickets about once a month from local TV/radio stations and there are a lot of festivals around here that are free. We have also found that we drive much less than when we lived in the city -- which is saving money on gas. As you said we find ourselves more content to be at home. Our car is an old junker but it runs and is paid for. Living in an apartment is also the best choice for us and we don't consider ourselves failures for not buying a house. We both jumped off the fast track career wise years ago and no one understands that. I was at the top of my career field, but it just wasn't worth what I had to give up to get there and stay there. I would rather live with less than go back to all that. It helps that we are not in debt, but we are dedicated to staying that way.

Every so often I look at where the money actually goes to make sure I am putting my money where my mouth is concerning our values and priorities. It really helps keep me accountable.

Again, that you for your post. It's good to know there are others out there actually doing it.

[geniebird]

I forgot a couple of things that someone might be able to use. 

First, we do not eat out anymore -- at all. Our bodies have become used to the whole foods diet and restaurant food makes us sick. It also costs less to eat at home.

Then, at least where I live some (but not all) alternative medical practitioners will barter. I have had two massage therapists and an alternative medical doctor offer to trade their services for my artwork. If you live in the U.S. you need to check the tax code before you do this -- it may be taxable as "income."

[forestdale]

I made a conscious decision many years ago to eat as few foods with preservatives and colourings as I could. Cooking from scratch really helps with this, plus I know exactly what we're eating. Processing really adds to the cost of food so buying all your ingredients and cooking from scratch is very frugal. We never drink soda/soft drinks or processed fruit juice.

Whole foods, food in season and buying local are my best tips.

[happy2B@home]

Thank you for this thread, GenieBird, and for your inspiring message of frugality. It's good to read by others who share a simpler view of life.

I am proud to relate this: My DD (10 years old) hates soda and will drink nothing but water!! Even in a crowd when everyone else is popping pepsis, she's the one with icewater. She didn't get it by watching me or my husband, so I believe she is just a unique little girl. She's my role model for this and I try hard to follow her example. Cutting down on the sodas is an excellent way to save $$. Gotta work on my husband, though. LOL How is it that sodas don't suck the calcium out of male bones??