Money-Saving Ideas

Money-Saving Ideas

These days, people are looking for ways to save money with their food budgets. There are some things you can do to offset the cost of everyday eating, and these choices are often the healthier ones. And eating healthier foods may mean lower health care costs. Here are some tips for recession-proof eating.

Cook at Home

You may have heard this one before, but you might not have been able to implement it all the way. Cooking at home doesn't just mean family dinners, although that's a significant part of it.

Cooking at home also means bringing your lunch to work instead of buying it, eating breakfast at home rather than going through the drive-in on the way to work, and bringing your coffee and tea with you instead of buying a $4 beverage at a local retailer.

It also means bringing your snacks with you to avoid pricey vending machines and $3 energy bars. So rethink some of the ways you spend money on food, and see where you can make your own.

Fast Food Is Not Necessarily Cheap Food

Okay, so you think you got a deal because you bought dinner for two people for less than $10. But did you know you can cook a meal at home for four people for less than

$10? There are resources online to help you plan meals that are healthy, inexpensive, and feed a whole family.

Fast food is not as cheap as it seems at first. Consider even the "dollar menu" at some fast-food restaurants - you can buy yourself lunch for less than $5, but you can make yourself a lovely sandwich lunch for pennies (think slices of homemade bread, cheese, mustard, and veggies).

Beverages

An easy place to spend a lot of money without thinking about it is in drinks. Restaurants typically charge anywhere from $1.50 to $3 for a standard-size soft drink or tea, but you can make your iced tea for mere pennies using large, "family-sized" tea bags.

Bottles of water can cost anywhere from $1 to $4, but bringing your water in a reusable container is an easy way to avoid that cost. A little planning ahead and you can always have drinks available for your family while running errands or hanging out at home.

Stock Up

When something is on sale that you can preserve, it may pay to stock up. It's not necessarily a good idea to stock up on highly-perishable foods that don't keep well, such as bananas; but seasonal favorites like green beans can be frozen, and sales on non-perishable foods like dried beans, rice, and flour can be very cost-effective.

Also, check your store for damaged items. If the packaging is damaged in transport, the item will often be greatly reduced and the quality of the contents is unaffected. Ask your grocer where these flawed items are displayed for sale.

About Monica Denise Hampton, Health & Wellness Coach

In June 2012 I went after what I wanted, a smaller version of me to enjoy life more fully. I wanted to find my purpose and live life out loud. I was 42 years old, a size 26, weighing 286 pounds and just living. Through the convoluted world of nutrition, fad diets, glossed over food plans, and detox cleanses I stumbled my way into being healthy. It was through trial and error I learned how to use food as fuel. From that journey Weight XChange, Health & Wellness Coaching was developed. Weight XChange uses the L.E.A.N. approach to education and empower women to eat whole, real foods, by introducing simple, yet effective, changes which can dramatically improve their health.

I received my health coach certification from the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute.

If you are interested in working with me to reach your health and wellness goals contact me at, monica@weightxchange.com and schedule a 30-minutes consultation or visit www.weightxchange.com to review the services offered.