POOR GIRLS CAN GET FIT!

Fresh produce can be pricey so looking for good deals and shopping at the lesser expensive grocery store helps. BJ's has meat in bulk so you can get more.

BTW, I love BJ's to get my baby boy diapers, wipes, and formula in bulk. I can buy a huge box of diapers for $40, and it lasts me over a month.

Not sure if I have one around here. Wish I did tho. I just shop at food lion & Harris teeter

I miss Food Lion. That is a great grocery store. We shop at Market Basket now.

KATLOVESVU - Its refreshing to see someone accept constructive criticism as well as you do. :flowerforyou:

We all have excuses (good or bad). Its about priorities, and what you really want. Only you can make that choice.

Hey, healthy people!

The tips and discussion are overall helpful! Good news is we're all working toward one thing: BETTER!

Just wanted to chime in a bit because I am learning how to get fit on a very, very modest budget, myself.

I know Walmart may not be the king of healthy food sales, but they do price match produce and meat prices. Right now it's just not in the realm of possibility for us to purchase organic or grassfed, but fresh is always better than many things that used to be on our shopping list.

I search sales flyers for meat and produce prices, make a list of those, and head to Walmart to purchase those things all in one place. Keeps me from wasting gas and time at several stores to get what we need.

I blogged about it here: http://www.practicehospitality.com/blog/2013/7/22/couponing-err-sort-of-take-ii.html

Best to all of you!

I don't believe many said "too expensive, but "more expensive"

"Healthy food is SO EXPENSIVE" - uh no. Stop. If you think Special K and Kashi bars are the definition of health food... They aren't. Those foods need to be eaten in moderation and should not be a staple. And Why don't you skip McBurger Hut and go to Walmart. But stay the heck away from pre-made breakfast and dinners. Find and reach for canned beans, tuna, sardines, tomatoes... Apples, oranges, banana, grapes... Chicken breast, lean ground turkey, lean beef... Frozen mixed vegs.... Fresh onion, garlic, lettuce, salad mixes, celery, carrots, bell peppers... Eggs, low fat milk... Honestly it's about what you stop getting so you can start getting foods that will really bring your body health and in turn you'll see real results.

I find SO MANY clean food recipes and I'm inspired everyday to try a new healthy meal with a new fresh fruit or vegetables. There are so many out there and each have their own way of contributing to your health. Again, you don't need to spend money on healthy recipe books or magazines, there are sooo many online. (YouTube and Pinterest)

Check your priorities. Instead of shopping every weekend for clothes, i spent that time on money on foods to keep me healthy and happy.

And finally, it is not about having the time. It's about making it.

I would love feed back from others on how they manage to stay fit and healthy without spending a crazy amount of money.


*Disclaimer: this is my own personal advice from my own personal experiences. I am not a dietitian, no health expert etc.*

Are you kidding me????? I'm glad you were able to stop shopping to devote the money to eating healthy. Most people can't just reassign their rent and mortgage money for healthier food. Get a clue.

And no, fresh produce is NOT cheap, especially in some places where it's hard to get. I can get a frozen Healthy Choice meal for $2.50 when it's on sale. Banquet meals are usually $1 a piece. Tell me how that's expensive?

I get what you're saying and yes, working out can be free with the things you mentioned. But no, eating "healthy" (and "clean," which, face it, is what you're implying) is by no stretch cheaper than cereal and pasta. You also don't need to eat fresh produce for the majority of your meals to lose weight. Again, get a clue.

edit: I don't mean to be harsh and get what you're saying. Fast food meals can be pretty expensive especially when that's all you eat. But a lot of what you wrote comes off as pretty entitled and frankly, inaccurate. I'm really happy that you are getting healthy and staying within budget, but sometimes people don't even have money for anything extra. If they don't have money for clothes shopping to begin with, they can't make that sacrifice to eat "clean." I think what you really mean is that you can't use being poor as an excuse when you really could rearrange your priorities to get fit and eat better. But if someone really is truly poor, then no, they really can't take a lot of your advice.

Say it sista!

This, and also, a person who is tight on money may not be able to afford to have internet in their home. And libraries are only open at certain times. Finding time can be especially hard if you are work 2+ jobs. I don't think people who define themselves as poor are out buying clothes and then lamenting about how much money they have left over.

You want to make an argument that being poor is not an excuse to be unhealthy. It's not. There are ways to do it, but the words you use can come off as offensive to people who are having a hard time with money. They are not buying clothes and pinning desserts on Pinterest. If you want to help, offer some suggestions that really are possible to do for free without money (or internet or TV or anything else that cost money) and don't assume people are buying things they don't need.

I know that some people are in really tough situations, however the suggestions in the OP apply to a lot of people on tight budgets. I hope that anyone who isn't able to get healthy food on their current budget, or lack of it, looks into local food banks, which often emphasize healthy staples, and food stamps. There is assistance out there in many places.

There isn't a whole lot of evidence that organic, free range food is actually better for you, so why worry if you have to get conventional produce and meat instead of organic?

I lived in a neighborhood when I was in college where it wasn't safe to go for a walk, due to a pack of feral dogs and the possibility of getting shot. I exercised indoors, figuring that if guys in jail could stay fit, so could I.

I feel like things like this assume you are already well off enough to be able to afford fast food or going shopping all the time. I get irritated when I read stuff like this. I read money-saving tips like "buy second-hand clothes" "skip gourmet grocery stores and eating out." I don't DO that stuff. I don't have money to. I am spending more money now that I get healthy food. I live in Michigan where a lot of stuff is shipped in over half the year because of the weather. Forget organic stuff because there is no way in hell I'm affording that. I can afford some super-greasy whole chicken on the cheap at Walmart, but I wouldn't consider that healthy. (their meet is horrible.) A half gallon of organic milk is 6 dollars at my grocery store. A gallon of regular old milk is $2.59. There's been weeks in the past where we've a freaking loaf of bread and pack of lunch meat to last us all week. My mom is disabled and I work part-time and go to school full-time and we just barely make ends meet. I don't have a gym membership. We don't have cable or any of the luxuries. We fall back on our mortgage, power, and water bills before. The Internet has been shut off before. Half the time we don't have car insurance. Thank GOD I own my car or, sorry for my language, but we'd be up **** creek without a paddle. So telling me to cut the luxuries is useless advice and insulting.

I agree you don't need to be rich to be healthy. But I know for a fact that even shopping deals, low-cost stores (Aldi, Walmart, etc.), farmer's markets (only an option for three months of the year!), and buying subpar produce and meats still costs more than when I was buying frozen dinners because my grocery bill is a lot bigger than it was. I work out at home. But what about the people who live in little apartments in a big city where there is no yard to exercise in and no room in an apartment? Or heaven forbid, it might even be too dangerous to exercise outside if you can only afford to live in a bad area of your city. You can't say these things when you don't know people's financial and life situations. If someone tells you their situation, you could make suggestions based on what they tell you but this post isn't helping anyone.

Poverty versus "tight cash situation." The distinction is important.

True poverty, really not having enough money for any food at all is more common than most of us know. I do volunteer work at a local food pantry serving 20 counties and tens of thousands of people. The food we give out is the food that is given to us and although much of it is produce because we are in a vegetable growing area, some of it is not very healthy and we don't have the same things week to week. Some weeks there is lots of produce to give away and plenty of lean protein in the form of chickens or turkeys, other weeks not so much.

Most people want to be able to afford food and only hit the food bank when they really need it. Three quarters of the people using this food bank come fewer than three times. But for people who do need it, it's extremely important. This food bank also supports regular Friday take-home food programs for children who may not have access to food at home over the weekend. It provides food to seniors with very little income and a need for food. It also supplies food to several hundred soup kitchens. At some point in our lives, most of us will find ourselves a paycheck or two away from empty shelves and turned off utilities. No one is immune.

Volunteer at your local food pantry. You'll get free exercise packing and distributing the food. Many employers have volunteer-matching programs where they may give you time to volunteer, bonuses for volunteering, or donate a per hour amount to the food pantry based on your volunteering.

I'm on a very tight budget and can only set aside a certain amount for food. We don't have any nearby farmer's markets or grocery stores, so I have to do my weekly shop on the same day due to travel costs. I'm actually spending less on healthy foods than I did on unhealthy foods. I buy frozen veg (nothing wrong with that) fresh fruit and chicken and most of the basics. I get exercise from walking, alot of waking which I love doing and from Youtube workout videos.
My only problem is I need new clothes and can't afford them :happy:

There's absolutely nothing wrong with frozen. They are picked when ripest. This is really inspiring. Thanks so much for posting lol I can understand needing new clothes ! Haha you go!

Frozen is awesome. When buying fruits--don't buy canned though. Same with most veggies. I've heard it lowers the nutrition content. And haha I have to buy new clothes soon....my pants are too big! :P

But what about the people who live in little apartments in a big city where there is no yard to exercise in and no room in an apartment? Or heaven forbid, it might even be too dangerous to exercise outside if you can only afford to live in a bad area of your city.

I've done that! I had to exercise in place. The important thing is that there are many options for exercising in a small space including high impact (jump rope), low impact aerobics, a step, dance, strength training with body weight exercises, yoga, and those are only the things that I did.

These forums are interesting. In one post, folks will blame the poor for being poor and fat. Then in an entirely different post get mad at someone who is saying "hey this can be done on a budget and here is how I am doing it, please offer additional tips and suggestions." This forum world cracks me up.

Anyway, my two cents is that you should buy things on sale and plan your meals around those things. Kroger is always running specials on frozen veggies, $1.00 a bag. I will stock up on those, so that I will always have frozen vegetables around. Same thing with meat & cheese. Stock up on strawberries right now, they can be frozen and used when they are not in season. I have found that since I have started doing this, It doesn't hurt as much to buy some of those expensive healthy food items.

Portion control is key as well. Instead of going back for the second piece of meat, go back for more vegetables or eat a salad before your main course. You will fill up on less and the food will take you further.

Also, keeping your meals simple helps to cut down on cost as well. All you really need is some veggies, starch and protein right. Little salt, pepper etc. and bam you have a well-balanced meal.

I love kroger. I always stock up on the frozen veggies when they are 10 for 10!

Don't shop at walmart... ew. The best place is a local health food store or co-op! By natural and locally grown produce and meat! organic milk etc. also if your town has a farmers market, definitely check that out!

You are kidding, right?

Everything. EVERYTHING is more expensive at a health food store than Walmart, Aldi or any other supermarket. We have a huge farmers market in our town that has only locally grown produce. Everything there is also two or three times the price of supermarket stuff.

When I lived in a terrible part of Oakland, the saving grace was the fantastic Latin Market which had a huge variety of great produce at much better prices than the supermarket. I'm sure it wasn't organic but I couldn't afford organic anyway in those days. Consider Asian markets too, if you live in an area that has them.

Poverty versus "tight cash situation." The distinction is important.

True poverty, really not having enough money for any food at all is more common than most of us know. I do volunteer work at a local food pantry serving 20 counties and tens of thousands of people. The food we give out is the food that is given to us and although much of it is produce because we are in a vegetable growing area, some of it is not very healthy and we don't have the same things week to week. Some weeks there is lots of produce to give away and plenty of lean protein in the form of chickens or turkeys, other weeks not so much.

Most people want to be able to afford food and only hit the food bank when they really need it. Three quarters of the people using this food bank come fewer than three times. But for people who do need it, it's extremely important. This food bank also supports regular Friday take-home food programs for children who may not have access to food at home over the weekend. It provides food to seniors with very little income and a need for food. It also supplies food to several hundred soup kitchens. At some point in our lives, most of us will find ourselves a paycheck or two away from empty shelves and turned off utilities. No one is immune.

Volunteer at your local food pantry. You'll get free exercise packing and distributing the food. Many employers have volunteer-matching programs where they may give you time to volunteer, bonuses for volunteering, or donate a per hour amount to the food pantry based on your volunteering.

Exactly. This thread is "Girls tight on cash can get fit." OP doesn't know poverty if she even suggests the laughable possibility that shopping for clothes over buying food is EVER an option. Throwing the word around like those of us who are among the richest in the world and are writing from a computer inside a house is a slap in the face to the definition of poverty.

It's not about the very reasonable suggestion that people low on expendable income can make healthy choices. It's about slinging "facts" while liberally applying damaging stereotypes.