Looking to lose weight on the cheap

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ropedancer
ropedancer Posts: 115
in Introduce Yourself
Hello all! I guess this is the part where I introduce myself.

My name is Nancy. Growing up, I never had to worry too much about my weight (was never super skinny, but was always at a healthy weight). Then I graduated college and got one of those super-fun desk jobs. Before I knew it the inactive lifestyle was catching up to me and I had put on 20+ pounds. It certainly didn't help that my job made me miserable and I was doing the dreaded "emotional-eating" stuff.

But now things are better. I have a job that I love (I'm a librarian!), and I'm hoping to get back in shape. Seeing those numbers go down on the scale would be great. Even more so, I'd love to have my jeans fit me better, and be able to walk up a hill without panting to death (there's one in town that kills me every time). The only catch is money's a little tight right now and is about to get a little tighter, so I need to make sure I don't break my budget. I'd appreciate any tips for cheap and healthy food (warning: very limited cooking skills!), or other ways to lose weight with little money. Even if it doesn't work out for me, maybe someone else will make use of it.

Looking forward to meeting everyone!

Replies

  • milaestevam
    milaestevam Posts: 6
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    Hi Nancy,

    My name is Milena, and I am also new. Would you like me to add you as a friend? We can chat and exchange recipes!
    I am a catering manager, and food is my business! Tomorrow I will get a very good recipe for you, and easy too. Some very helth cereal bars, delicious, full of fibre and easy and quick to make. You can do a small tray and it would last a week. Nice cheap , low calory snack to bring in to work ans same those precious $$.

    Cheers honey

    Mila
  • EdgeChic
    EdgeChic Posts: 75
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    Glad you've decided to join us Nancy!

    The way I save money is I meal plan. I compare the weekly grocery ad sales to coupons and plan my meals accordingly. I probably sped $300/month on groceries and that feeds me, my oldest daughter (2.5 years) my little daughter (10 months) to an extent, I usually have 1-2 other adults over for dinner 2-3x a week and I have a 7 year old boy I watch 2-3x a week and feed him snacks/dinner. That $300 is for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

    Planning your meals, using leftovers for lunch, making things that freeze well, etc are a good way to save money. Don't waste your money on premade meals (Lean Cuisines, Stoffers, etc), making things from scratch, using fresh fruits & veggies, buying meat in bulk and freezing, will always save you calories, sodium and money!

    Good luck and welcome again!
  • goldspaula
    goldspaula Posts: 161
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    This is exactly the best way to go. Good luck.
  • sweetheart03622
    sweetheart03622 Posts: 928 Member
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    Hi Nancy! I just joined this afternoon, but let me tell you... I know how to eat on the cheap! My issue with my weight is that I lose control on the weekends, during the week, I'm golden. Two things I'm going to offer to you... the first one is hungry-girl.com. They have tons of "swap" recipes for your favorite treats and a lot of their recipes require the microwave... super easy! The second one I'm hoping you'll be able to take advantage of (depends on your area) is Aldi. A lot of people turn up their nose, but I've been shopping there every week for a year now (recent college grad, took advantage of the home-buyer credit, now I have some equity, but it's stretching me tight!). You can get some great produce at amazing prices as well as pre-made salads, plenty of meat, and great options for snacks. I feed myself and my boyfriend (he does NOT eat for cheap!) on $250/month which usually includes a few bottles of wine and at least one really nice meal.

    Oh! And crockpots! That's how I survive!

    Add me as a friend and we can share some easy, cheap recipes!!
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    Stick to whole foods, cook things from scratch, scour the supermarket fliers. Another thing...join a co-op for fresh fruits and veggies. Give a little time...get tons of fresh produce, sometimes eggs, honey, and dairy as well.
    Another big thing...go meatless 1-2 days a week. My grocery bill is much lower than my meat eating friends (I'm a vegetarian) and I can afford to buy the good stuff because of it. Best of luck on this journey.
  • ropedancer
    ropedancer Posts: 115
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    So many nice replies! I have a feeling I'm going to like it here :)

    Mila- Hello. I'd love to be friends. I really like the idea of the cereal bars, but I must warn you that my cooking experience is rather low. One of my highlights of the past six months was learning how to make mashed potatoes (they're so cheap!), and a chicken dish that didn't involve shake n bake. Still, I'm willing to try new things. If I mess up? Well, the landlord keeps on telling me how he wishes the building would burn down. Really wants that insurance money :)

    EdgeChic- I'm impressed. I currently spend about $200-250 a month on groceries, but only with two people to feed! I agree about the pre-made meals. I tried doing that route once, and it got really pricey. On top of that, I'd be hungry soon after and was probably setting myself up for hypertension with all of that sodium. I have a feeling I need to embrace coupons more (my mother regularly updates me on the amount of money she saves with coupons. I'm not joking), but I always forget to use them. Quite a feat when I keep them in my wallet :)

    sweetheart- I'm not familiar with hungry-girl.com. Thanks for the tip! The microwave was my best friend in college (easy mac, ramen and microwave popcorn. The three major food groups of college students), so I'd love to reacquaint myself with it in a healthy way. Unfortunately, I don't have any Aldis near me. Discount grocery store I take it? Oh, and once I figure out how to add you as a friend, I'll be sure to do it!

    TheMaidOfAstolat- Way ahead of you on the meatless things. I go meatless about 4 days a week now (and it's awful! I'm such a carnivore) and I've noticed some great savings. I'm not familiar with co-ops, but I'll look into that :)
  • SJSchwartz
    SJSchwartz Posts: 131
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    I don't know if you have one in your area, but we have a Scratch N Dent type of store. Where the cans are dented or the labels are a little ripped. They re-sell the items and they sell them a LOT cheaper! I buy boxes of 60+ cans of different kinds of beans for $7.00. Same with canned tomatoes. And it's awesome because the store I go to gets a lot of it's food from health food type places, so they have tons of good-for-you foods on the cheap. Most of the dented stuff isn't out of date, but you do have to keep your eye out for it if it's something you worry about. I've found that unless it has some sort of milk product in it, then it's still good to eat even after the experation date. I usually walk out of the store with 2 or 3 BIG boxes full of a variety of foods for $30 or less. It's awesome! You should check around and see if you have a store like that in your area.

    Oh, and I feed myself, my husband, and our 5 kids for $100 or less a week. It's possible, just hunt for it! :) Good luck!
  • ropedancer
    ropedancer Posts: 115
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    SJSchwartz- I don't think they have that type of store around me, which is too bad. It sounds like a great find. There is a discount grocery store but I've been kind of nervous about checking it out. Perhaps I'll take the plunge after Christmas?

    And feeding a family of 7 on $100 a week is no small feat. I'm very impressed!
  • itsbella
    itsbella Posts: 1,101
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    Welcome ladies!

    Mila, did you post the cereal bar recipe? I would like it!! thanks

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