"I don't have the money to be healthy..."

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  • pixtotts
    pixtotts Posts: 552 Member
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    not being able to afford to join a gym i get... gyms are expensive but you can still work out without them!!

    not being able to afford healthy food i dont get ... I was a student not too long ago who had to live off her student loan totally - rent, bills, food, niceties, the others i lived with got a similar student loan but their mum and dad paid for the rent and bills, and i was able to eat just as well as they were. How? i went to the market, i bought fruit, veg, and meat all from the market much much cheaper especially if you go at the end of the day and much better produce! Cheaper to buy bulk? then buy bulk and freeze some :) home made ready meals are the way forward!
    Its about where you shop, when you shop, and how much you buy.
    x
  • MsIvy120
    MsIvy120 Posts: 12
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    I agree most of us on here probably do have the means for a gym. I cant speak for everyone since I don't know anyone's personal situation , but I do know that you can exercise with out a gym . I personally prefer not to be in a gym, going for a jog , walk or bike ride outdoors is always nice. As for the food , Farmers Market is always great for getting awesome deals on fresh fruit & veggies. You will be surprised what $20.00 can get you.
  • Sojaided34
    Sojaided34 Posts: 113
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    I workout at home (I have a Wii fit, about 50 DVDs, 2 sets of weights and an elliptical) and I have a gym membership. I agree that you don't need money to exercise but you need resources (such as weights, dvds etc) that cost money. Depending on someone's situation they may NOT have the money to get these things. You can't really judge people who say that they have no money to "get healthy". With people losing jobs and/or being on social assistance there may not be extra money for things that someone that has money can buy.
  • mhairiloughran
    mhairiloughran Posts: 2
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    I have a family YMCA pass- $65 a month- and free childcare as part of that- my two older kids shoot hoops while I work out- setting good habits for them whilst they also have fun! and my little one goes to the kidszone- Sure there are fancier gyms in the area that cost more money but The Y has everything you could wish for and are in most towns- Also offer free memberships in some cases.
  • alabamaworley89
    alabamaworley89 Posts: 16 Member
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    I agree 100%! I knew when I started MFP and completely changed my diet that I would be spending a lot more money so I could eat healthy, which sometimes means sacrifices... but after losing 50+ pounds in what I consider to be a fairly short amount of time, I can tell you, IT'S WORTH IT.

    I feel like people who say things like that are still grasping at excuses so they don't have to feel accountable for their lack of weight loss. NOT saying that to be mean at all, saying it because I know that was my excuse for years.
  • mstifb
    mstifb Posts: 230
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    ^^this... plus the fact that the ymca offers scholarships... they also have deals worked out with MANY insurance companies to offer low cost memberships

    I agree that even low income people can make some healthy changes. However it's really hard when you are on a budget. Our local YMCA closed leaving NONE in the Central Arkansas area, so options are not always available out there, but there are some low cost options on exercise like walking, if you have an area that's safe enough to walk in, without joining a gym.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    ...It's just about shifting priorities...

    Amen. Everytime I see this excuse I think the same thing myself. It all comes down to choice. I have an EXTREMELY tight budget but I make cuts to non-essentials, because my health is my true essential. For example, I don't have cable or eat crappy food at restaurants. Instead, I use that money to buy fresh vegetables and invest in a good pair of running shoes. Totally cool trade-offs for me. :flowerforyou:
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    I'm living proof that you don't need a lot of money to get healthy. I'm living below the federal poverty line, but I am still able to eat healthy (beans! Chicken! Shop the sales, buy produce in season, use your freezer) and work out (sold my car, bought a bike and a kettlebell).

    I've not been this broke since my late teens/ early twenties. Yet somehow I manage to eat healthy and exercise everyday. I even buy high quality dog and cat food for my pets. I guess since I don't have to pay for a maintenance, insurance, payments and fuel for a car, this puts me up about $800 a month.
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    I workout at home (I have a Wii fit, about 50 DVDs, 2 sets of weights and an elliptical) and I have a gym membership. I agree that you don't need money to exercise but you need resources (such as weights, dvds etc) that cost money. Depending on someone's situation they may NOT have the money to get these things. You can't really judge people who say that they have no money to "get healthy". With people losing jobs and/or being on social assistance there may not be extra money for things that someone that has money can buy.

    Definitely not trying to judge. My point is that many folks either 1) prioritize other things unintentionally and/or 2)don't realize how much a month they spend on random little expenses that are not necessary...all those little things add up.

    I am a single mom of 3. My buying good running shoes and a gym membership means I have virtually zero social life. I don't get to go out to dinners with my friends and such as much anymore. But, for me, it's worth it.
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    ...It's just about shifting priorities...

    Amen. Everytime I see this excuse I think the same thing myself. It all comes down to choice. I have an EXTREMELY tight budget but I make cuts to non-essentials, because my health is my true essential. For example, I don't have cable or eat crappy food at restaurants. Instead, I use that money to buy fresh vegetables and invest in a good pair of running shoes. Totally cool trade-offs for me. :flowerforyou:

    YEP!!! I also cut my cable, sold my car, etc etc etc. My budget is SUPER tight......but I AM WORTH the $40 a month I pay for my gym membership. And I AM WORTH budgeting saving 10 a month so that I can buy nice running shoes once a year.
  • carneson3
    carneson3 Posts: 33
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    BEANS! They're insanely cheep and ridiculously versatile.
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
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    So some of you won't be able to do this, and you won't be able to do it year round, but try growing an herb garden. Seed packets range from $.25 to $2.50 depending on what you get. You can buy cheap pots for a buck or two a piece and stick them on your patio, hang them from your eves, etc. If you're lucky enough to have a sun room you have an excellent location.

    What's so special about an herb garden? Flavor in spades. The difference between a little jar of dried basil and basil you just picked five minutes ago will completely change your mind about home cooking. You'll want to cook at home more and end up finding a bit more time to do something with those delicious herbs in the garden. The best part is that most of those garden herbs go best with lower calorie, higher nutrition foods.

    And if you own your own property you can get some decent exercise digging up the plot, or building a box for your herbs instead of just using pots.

    Currently growing on the porch and a small 2'x8' yard garden:
    Thai Basil
    Mint
    Dill
    Cilantro
    Italian Parsley
    Oregano
    Mixed Peppers
    Roma Tomatoes

    (You can also take the seeds/bulbs from the veggies you eat and use them to repopulate your garden.)
  • mamasyd
    mamasyd Posts: 80 Member
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    While it is true that healthy foods cost more than 'junk' foods, the truth is that they are far more filling and can end up costing about the same overall. My husband and I are on a very tight budget. I could not afford a gym membership, a trainer, any fancy equipment, or any other "help" to losing weight. In fact, we had to wait quite a while to save up for the cardiology appointment that cleared me for any exercise. That being said, it IS possible to lose weight without spending a lot of money. The money you are NOT spending on ice cream or cookies can buy that fresh produce that is so much better for you. The difference between a meal for two at some 'deep fried easy' place (about $15) and the cost of making a huge salad (about $10) is significant. Even once a week and that begins to add up.

    I must admit that, for years, I 'consoled' myself with the fact that I could not afford to eat healthy foods. It's all about priorities. As has been said many times in many ways - you make the choices that are the most important to you. When eating right becomes a priority it is amazing how things fall into place.

    And, just a side note - once I really did start eating healthy foods and losing weight I noticed a savings in my overall food budget. I used that extra money for my regular runs to Goodwill to buy clothes in smaller sizes!! :laugh:
  • shinjite
    shinjite Posts: 51
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    I am a vegan and it is hard being one. Fruits and vegetables cost more than anything else around here. ANd my appetite is small. I have no excess in my budget. After mortgage and insurance and gas food becomes a luxury. I spent the whole summer with no AC at home nor in my car and I live in South Florida.
    I have not eaten out in so long I can't remember. And movie theater? What's that?
    This summer I lived on watermelon and mangoes because they were in season and cheap.
    Staying vegan is a sacrifice but like you said - your health is priceless. I would rather be health and have to tweak my budget than ill and tweaking my budget.
  • Uuuhlexis
    Uuuhlexis Posts: 90 Member
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    I would like to add that if you're spending a little more on healthy options (like I buy expensive veggie chips instead of cheap, crappy potato chips), you're less likely to over eat the healthy thing because you don't want to waste the money!
  • jenneal89
    jenneal89 Posts: 243
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    I wanted to address something I see a lot in real life and here on MFP, especially with women.

    So often women write their plea for help and it's noted with "But I don't have money for the gym" or "I don't have money to buy healthy foods".


    Before those words leave your mouth or your fingers the next time, tell me....what IS your health worth? What is the exact dollar amount that you are willing to pay per month or per year in order to improve your life and possibly be around longer for your loved ones?

    Before those words leave your mouth or fingers again, take a real hard look at your budget and what you spend your extra money on. Maybe even track ALL your non-essentials for a month. How many times are you eating out a month?? How many mochas at Starbucks? How many packs of gum did you grab while checking out at the store? How many times did you find some really great deal on a shirt on clearance at Target so you spent the extra $10 on that trip? The reality is that MOST of us here with computers and internet live a life that probably has an extra $50 a month (or more) that we typically spend on non-essential things.

    I'm not judging. And I'm not saying everyone needs a gym membership in order to be successful. What I'm saying is this....you probably ARE worth a $50 a month investment in getting healthy and staying healthy. If that's a couple of boxes of protein bars instead of pop-tarts or a gym membership or a set of work out DVDs or whatever. You're worth it. You probably have it. It's just about shifting priorities. And I think it's ok to make yourself a priority every now and again.

    Yep! Also healthy food doesn't have to be expensive. We used to spend £400+ per month on ready made foods like Kievs, battered fish, jar spaghetti sauce, etc etc etc and now we spend £150 on things like beans, veggies, fruit, pulses, etc etc we eat so healthy and I plan a month's worth of dinners at a time! We also got p90x over a 3 month period so we could afford it. Everything had been so worth it!
  • SFBarbear
    SFBarbear Posts: 146
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    Loving this thread!!

    This is a lesson I jut recently learned at 46 years old. I always had a financial excuse to why I couldn't do more bout my weight and health.

    NEWS FLASH>>

    I actually spend less money at the grocer buying better food because I am full, satisfied, and it rakes my body longer to burn and digest it. When I filled it full of processed and boxed garbage I was always hungry and having to buy more. I use to spend $300.00 a month on groceries just for me! Now i'm spending $200 and feel great!

    The price of dinner and a movie for one person in the Bay area will cost you $30.00 add parking at it becomes $40.00.some Fitness centers have memberships as low as $30.00 a month.

    For the price of one weeks worth of Starbucks you can pay for a month at the gym.

    The cost of two digital download albums of the latest flash in the pan pop star will pay for a gym membership.


    It's all about waking up, seeing the horrible game we have been playing and change the rules.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    I spent the whole summer with no AC at home nor in my car and I live in South Florida.
    I have not eaten out in so long I can't remember. And movie theater? What's that?
    This summer I lived on watermelon and mangoes because they were in season and cheap.

    Sounds like me, haha! I live in Inland SoCal so it's up in the 90's -110's in the summer. It's a good thing I like it hot, because I don't run the AC - too expensive! I've got a box fan that operates for a few cents a day and I wait for that evening breeze to kick in.

    Good point on buying fresh foods in season. In season produce is generally quite affordable. I'll add that frozen vegetables (which are just as nutritious because they are harvested and frozen immediately) are always on sale and I stock up on those. Beans and brown rice, etc. can be bought in bulk, and are cheap as well. I don't find that eating a bunch of packaged, processed crap is really that much cheaper. It's more a convenience thing I think.

    Meat can be expensive, but I don't eat much anyway. If you aren't having it at every meal or eating huge amounts, it shouldn't be a problem. Chicken is cheaper than beef. Eggs are not very expensive. There are a lot of healthy affordable options if you are flexible. Just look for the sales!
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
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    Where there is a will, there is a way. I've found a cheap co-op that gets generous shares (can't recommend bountifulbaskets.org enough).

    I have a crock pot, which is great for all sorts of things. Mostly, I find it eliminates the need for just about anything sold in a can.

    I got a canning starter kit by Ball. I'm going to start taking my co-op veggies and turning them into salsa, pasta sauce, etc.

    I got a freezer (may be out of some folks' budgets, but you never know... Craigslist, Habitat for Humanity, etc.). If I see an awesome deal on meat, I can snag it. I can also make food in large batches and freeze it, eliminating the need to grab food on the go or tv dinners. I recently ran out of frozen stuff when I was sick for a couple of weeks with an earache and then a migraine. Wow, am I feeling the pain of that in my wallet! Already made a big lasagna and plan to do some more dishes and restock.

    Then there's also couponing. Even if you don't really do food coupons because they're mostly for junk food (and I don't blame you), the savings you get on stuff like toilet paper can be put toward your food budget.

    This is pretty much how I feed 2 people on $100 a week eating stuff like organic meat and eggs.
  • LindaWasson
    LindaWasson Posts: 6 Member
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    I would rather spend a little extra money to buy healthier foods than to be paying hundreds and hundreds of dolllars going to the dr's.

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