Don’t Let a Tight Wallet Mean An Expanding Waist
In these turbulent economic times, we’re all trying to cut back on expenditure. But don’t let a tight wallet cause an expanding waist: being on a diet does not need to be expensive. Here’s your action plan for keeping up with your exercise and healthy eating – whilst saving some precious money.
Keep Exercising Through The Credit Crunch
When looking through the monthly bills, gym membership and a personal trainer’s fees might be two of the things you have to cut. Don’t give up your exercise plan, though: there are loads of ways to stay active and motivated without a gym or a trainer standing at your side to encourage you. How about making some of these swaps:
Change your gym for the great outdoors
If you live in an accommodating climate, you can exercise outside – for free! You could try walking, jogging, hiking, cycling or skipping. It needn’t even take up much time if you walk or cycle instead of driving, on short journeys.
Swap your personal trainer for a buddy
Once you know how to exercise safely and effectively, a personal trainer’s main value might be motivating you to show up and work hard! A good friend can play the same role – for free. Get together for a jog around your local park, a hike in the countryside or a game of tennis or basketball (many outdoor courts are free).
Keep Eating Well During the Credit Crunch
One of the consolations of being on a diet is treating yourself to healthy but pricey foods. Don’t replace these with cheap candy bars or bags of chips – find other options that are delicious, healthy and cheap.
Switch “diet” products for naturally low-fat ones
Anything marketed as a special “lite”, “low-fat”, or “diet” product is likely to cost you more than the non-diet version. Do you really need “low-fat, low-sugar cookies” though? Why not switch to a product which is naturally healthy – you could bake your own fruity breads, for instance.
Change exotic fruits and vegetables to local ones
If you’ve been eating healthily for a while, you’ve probably discovered some of the many wonderful fruits and vegetables out there. Exotic fruits and vegetables can be very expensive though, especially when out of season and flown into your local store from halfway across the world. Why not look for local alternatives? (You’ll be doing the environment a favor, too.)
Go for frozen or tinned, not fresh
Many dieters are under the mistaken impression that fresh fruits and vegetables are better than other sorts. Frozen fruit and veggies are much cheaper and are often higher in vitamins (as they’re frozen straight after harvesting). Tinned fruits and vegetables count towards your five-a-day, though be careful as many fruits are canned in sugary syrup, and vegetables may be swimming in salty water.
Diet-Related Equipment
A sometimes overlooked dieting expense involves all the paraphernalia that goes along with dieting: kitchen scales, bathroom scales, exercise equipment for the home, workout clothes and more. Take a good look at what you really need here, verses what you might like. Chances are, you can cut costs dramatically.
Kitchen and bathroom scales
You don’t need scales which speak your weight aloud, or which have multiple functions and sensors. Just get some basic ones that work well. A lot of department stores sell scales cheaply, and Amazon.com is definitely worth a look (especially as you can read reviews).
Exercise equipment
Think long and hard before buying yourself a treadmill, cross-trainer, or exercise bike: will you actually use it? If you do decide to go ahead, don’t go for the cheapest model you can find, as this is often a false economy (it’s likely to be poor quality and may cost a lot to repair or maintain). Try scouring local classified ads for anyone selling an unused machine: this can cut the cost considerable. Craigslist is also a good option.
Also consider cheap, simple equipment, such as a couple of dumbbells, a skipping rope and an exercise mat.
What expenses do you have that relate to your diet? Which could you cut back on? Comment Below!
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