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Why My Health Became a Priority

May 9, 2022 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Why My Health Became a Priority

Growing up, my parents were overweight and inactive. I was chubby through most of my childhood and disliked physical activity. When I was in my 20s, I slimmed down and exercised sometimes, but not much. In my 30s, I still exercised occasionally, but not regularly, and my weight crept back up. I knew as I aged I should exercise more, but I just couldn’t find the motivation. That changed when I began to experience heart issues.

Why My Health Became a Priority

Heart problems run in my dad’s family. I always thought I was fine because despite my inactivity and being overweight, my bloodwork always came back normal. Cholesterol was in normal range as was blood sugar. I knew I’d have to get serious one day about my health, but I kept putting it off.

When I started feeling heart palpitations, I went to the doctor. I had a stress test, and the doctor told me I had a heart murmur, arrythmia, and PVCs. His prescription? Walk two miles every day.

Implementing the Doctor’s Advice

When I received this advice from my doctor, I was obese and inactive. I started walking and watching what I ate. At first, I could only walk a half mile a day. But the more I walked and lost weight, the easier it became. Now, a year after that doctor’s appointment, I’ve lost nearly 50 pounds and am walking two to two and a half miles a day. My heart issues have largely subsided, and even better, my fasting blood sugar has dropped nearly 15 points.

Getting Healthy Doesn’t Have to Cost a Lot

For the first few months, I walked outside. However, I spent $350 to buy a treadmill to avoid walking in the Arizona heat. That’s all I have spent on my journey to get healthier.

Why My Health Became a Priority

When I compare that cost to how much I would pay in medical bills and medicines I would need if I didn’t take care of my health, getting healthier is much cheaper.

Benefits of Prioritizing My Health

There are two major benefits to prioritizing my health.

I Feel Better

Now that I’m exercising regularly, I feel much better. I sleep better, and my body feels lighter and stronger. I am able to get more done in a day.

I Avoid Expensive Medical Interventions

I should have exercised regularly years ago. Who knows? Maybe if I had, I would have avoided having any heart issues or at least delayed their onset. But I can’t change the past. Instead, I’m focusing on eating healthy and exercising regularly. Even starting these habits in midlife can affect the quality of my life as I age and help me avoid expensive medical interventions.

Final Thoughts

Many of us are guilty of thinking we’ll start a healthy lifestyle. . .sometime. But I’m here to tell you there is no time like the present. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll save yourself money by avoiding expensive medical interventions and chronic conditions.

Read More

Healthy Foods to Buy When Broke

How to Coupon for Healthy Foods

Save Money and Eat Healthy: Rent an Apple Tree

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Saving Tagged With: exercise, health, healthy, medical bills

What Will You Do with the Final Days of 2021?

November 22, 2021 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

What Will You Do with the Final Days of 2021?

I’m on several personal finance and healthy eating groups on Facebook. Routinely, right about now, newbies to the groups post about their big plans in January. In January they’re going to start paying down their debt, saving more, eating healthier. They jump right to January even though, as of today, there are 39 days left in 2021. That is 5.5 weeks left. Don’t throw in the towel on your goals just because we’re approaching the holiday season! You can still make a positive impact on your life in the next 5.5 weeks!

How We Self-Sabotage at the End of the Year

Let’s be honest. Many of us can do some significant damage to our lives in the last few weeks of any year. We tend to lose control and let loose. Then, we have to pick up the pieces in the next year. I used to exhibit that kind of behavior every year!

For instance, one year, my husband and I overspent on Christmas gifts. Our budget was extremely tight, and we needed three months of the new year to get out of the hole we had dug! Three months for one night of Christmas Eve shopping.

What Will You Do with the Rest of 2021?
Photo by Food Photographer | Jennifer Pallian on Unsplash

I used to do the same with my food consumption. Starting at Thanksgiving, I would give up and eat all of the good things with abandon. One year, I gained 10 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. I was gaining at a rate of two pounds a week for five weeks. That’s ridiculous!

What Will You Do with the Final Days of 2021?

Luckily, I’ve gotten older and wiser. True, we are entering the holiday season, which can make reining in our budgets and our food consumption a bit more difficult. However, Thanksgiving is only one day as is Christmas. We’re talking two days in the remaining 39 days of the year.

You still have time to make this year different.

Mind Your Budget

Imagine that, for the next five weeks, you stick to your budget. You don’t overspend. Then, when you start 2022, you’re starting with a clean slate. You’re not in the hole from overspending. How great would that feel?

Enjoy on the Holidays

Likewise, feel free to celebrate on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Enjoy the drinks, the food, the company. But just enjoy the food and drinks on that day. If you love pumpkin pie, eat a slice (or two) on Thanksgiving, but then eat normally the rest of the days. Your body can handle one day of indulgence. It can’t handle 39 days of indulgence!

Final Thoughts

Far too many of us self-sabotage as we enter the holiday season. We worry that we’ll miss out. We think that we don’t have any self-control during the holidays. But that’s not true. Instead, we need a mind shift. Indulge on the actual holiday, but the rest of the days, live your normal, typical life. You’ll be so much happier on January 1st if you do.

Read More

9 Ways to Get Your Child a Christmas Gift If You Can’t Afford One

4 Frugal Ways to Keep Kids Busy During Christmas Vacation

What Christmas Expectations Are You Setting for Your Children?

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Frugality, Saving Tagged With: budget, christmas, finances, health, new year, new years resolutions

How to Coupon for Healthy Foods

July 23, 2018 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Years ago, during the coupon craze, I bought my share of convenience foods that I could get for just pennies.  Thanks to couponing and buying the deals, I was able to save a great deal of money on groceries.  But over the years, I found that the money I saved wasn’t really saved after all.  Instead, the money just went somewhere else—to the doctor.

I had high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and after a while, serious stomach ailments that required me to go see a specialist.

I eventually switched to a Paleo diet, focusing primarily on eating fresh fruits, veggies, and some meat.  Since the change, my cholesterol is nearly 75 points lower, I no longer have high triglycerides, and my stomach is much improved.

I still try to keep the grocery budget trim, but it’s much harder to do so without using coupons.

Coupons for Healthy Foods?

Coupon for Healthy Foods
Couponing for Health

For years, I just assumed that there are no coupons for healthy foods, especially foods that aren’t processed, but that’s just not true.  If you know where to look, you CAN find coupons for healthy foods.

Where to Find Coupons for Healthy Foods

The best place to start is the manufacturer’s website.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Organic Valley—sign up for the mailing list, and you’ll receive coupons straight to your e-mail box.

Earth’s Best Organic—you’ll find coupons for baby items here.

Blue Diamond Almonds—sign up for their newsletter, and you’ll regularly receive offers

Whole Foods Coupons—you’ll find coupons for a wide array of products sold at Whole Foods

Other Ways to Get Coupons

There are other ways that I like to get coupons for healthy foods:

Facebook

Some companies will occasionally offer a coupon when you like their Facebook page.  This is my favorite time to like the page.  Also, companies sometimes post coupons on their Facebook page as their status update.

Write to the company

I admit, this sounds old fashioned, but I’ve had great success with writing to the companies individually.  I will find the e-mail address of the company on the product, and then I’ll send them an e-mail.  I usually let them know why I like their product and thank them for making it.  My kids have food intolerances, so if the company makes a product my kids can actually eat, I thank them for that.

I don’t specifically ask for coupons, but more than 50% of the time, they send me coupons.  Some companies are very generous and send several high value coupons.  If you create a stock letter for this type of e-mail, you can send out several e-mails, each to different companies, in a relatively short period of time.

Of course, just as when you’re using coupons for processed foods, the best way to stretch your savings is to stack the coupon with the item when it’s already on sale.

While getting coupons for healthy foods is a bit more difficult than couponing for processed foods, you still can use coupons to lower your grocery bill.

What are your favorite strategies for lowering your grocery bill when shopping primarily for healthy foods?

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Coupons and Discounts, Frugality, Saving Tagged With: coupon, couponing, health, healthy

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