Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #3: Know Your Budget

Here is today’s tip for our October Challenge!  One of the most important factors when it comes to keeping on track with a budget is that you truly KNOW how much money you have to work with for each aspect of life that you need money for.

You can’t spend your gym membership money on Jimmy Choo shoes, and then wonder why your membership card doesn’t work when you are ready to hit the treadmill.

You can’t spend your rent money on diet pills, b12 shots and pre-packaged meals for the next 6 months and be surprised that at the pink slip on your apartment door.

Choose wisely and make those dollars stretch!

• Have your budget in mind when you go shopping.
• Make a shopping list.  There are tons of great apps for this for your cell phone
• Be Real…don’t spend what you don’t have.

Your weight loss journey can be financed or not financed as you see fit.  You can lose weight eating food from ALDI, Whole Foods, a farmer’s market or Safeway.  The clean, unprocessed healthy food you seek comes in a variety of stores, brand names and at various prices.

• Look in your local paper and in your mail for info on sales on the healthy foods you’re looking.
• Clip coupons for staple foods like frozen veggies, whole wheat pasta, olive oil and beans.
• Compare!  Make a trip to the grocery chains that you don’t always frequent or check their websites and compare the prices to what you see at the stores you prefer.
• Buy in bulk at stores like BJ’s, Cosco and Sam’s Club.

You don’t have to eat organic or take high priced supplements (not that those things are bad) if you can’t afford to.  Old fashioned eating right can be done on the cheap.  Not having money doesn’t have to be an excuse to be inactive or eat cheaply priced junk food.

• Diet pills are just another thing to buy.  Most people agree that you can skip them and still lose weight.
• Sure, many of us would like to eat all organic, but it can be expensive.  If your budget is tight, look for deals and sales on organic foods or buy them in bulk if your store carries them in this way.
• Buy organic veggies frozen for less food waste.
• Focus on unprocessed, natural foods that are not full of preservatives.
• When eating out with friends, stick with veggie sides, lunch portions, healthy appetizers and salads to keep the cost down.

Oh, and please note: I’m not saying that you have access to much of a grocery store at all or that your money is not severely limited.  I understand.  When you are trying to feed a family or make ends meat, you have to prioritize what your budget is used for.  BE REALISTIC, but know that there are a LOT of people who have been where you are and they were able to find a way to get healthy.  Make the changes that your budget will allow.  Buy the foods you can afford that are the most healthy options.  Do what you can to lose weight affordably.