How to live healthy when you have no money
mystgrl1604
Posts: 117 Member
So...it's january 1, and i have £46 in my bank account. Next payday isn't until the end of this month, and will probably be used to pay off debts that i incur for surviving this month. Rent is paid for (hence the current bank balance), and bills will take me into the negatives. So im basically starting the month with less than zero in the bank.
How to eat? Healthily as well. And afford to go to the gym. Sigh. Looks like this month will be about overtimes, irregular eating, and home workouts when i have the time and energy.
Happy new year indeed. Sorry for being so miserable.
How to eat? Healthily as well. And afford to go to the gym. Sigh. Looks like this month will be about overtimes, irregular eating, and home workouts when i have the time and energy.
Happy new year indeed. Sorry for being so miserable.
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Replies
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If it's not in the budget, don't go to the gym. There's tons you can do at home. Fitnessblender.com has great no equipment cardio workouts, and you can also use them for some no equipment resistance or try something like you are your own gym.
As for eating, go for as healthy as you can in your budget. Buy in bulk when you can. Count calories and you'll be good.0 -
Basic staple ingredients are super cheap (rice, beans, lentils, unbranded frozen vegetables, tinned tomatoes, pasta). You have to put a little bit of effort into preparing them to make meals. But if you spend a couple of hours one day a week batch cooking it's possible to make healthy, but cheap meals that you can just reheat for the rest of the week.
You don't need to go to the gym to exercise. There are plenty of free workout videos available online0 -
Simply being healthy doesn't have to cost extra money. Going for a walk outside is free. Dried beans, lentils, frozen veg...etc are all cheap and healthy and cheaper still when you buy them in bulk. If you don't have extra cash eat less of whatever you've already been eating and do the at home workouts...nothing wrong with that.0
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kyrannosaurus wrote: »Basic staple ingredients are super cheap (rice, beans, lentils, unbranded frozen vegetables, tinned tomatoes, pasta). You have to put a little bit of effort into preparing them to make meals. But if you spend a couple of hours one day a week batch cooking it's possible to make healthy, but cheap meals that you can just reheat for the rest of the week.
You don't need to go to the gym to exercise. There are plenty of free workout videos available online
This !!
Get yourself a big bag of rice, canned beans and throw in any frozen veggies or meat that you have in your freezer. Make a big batch of this and you will have a weeks worth of dinner that is cheap and tastes great !! You can package up each serving and season it different to mix it up. I rely on this recipe for my own dinners because I like the way it tastes and it reheats well all week long. Frozen veggies can taste great! Just get creative !
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The suggestions about beans and rice are spot on. Use meat sparingly, as a taste enhancer mostly. Find the cheapest place for milk, and tap water is free.
And as the others said, waking is free and so are at home bodyweight exercises. And you can always put on the radio and dance!0 -
Tuna, eggs, beans, rice, pasta, frozen veggies. Hit local food banks and see if they offer free cooking healthy on a budget classes. You also do not need a gym, lots of great free videos on the internet also walking/jogging is a great way to lose weight and keep in shape. You just need to get creative and stay active. All the best to you.0
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Bulk buy stuff on offer, and go to supermarkets at the end of the day for reduced produce.
You don't need a gym to be able to work out. You have the internet so get on youtube for workouts0 -
Increase your money in
- get an evening job, babysit, ask for a pay advance, work overtime, ask family for a loan
Maximise your resources
- make a list of all the food you have in your fridge, larder, freezer etc
- Meal plan
- Use budget sites like a girl called jack ..who ate on 7p a day for years ..loads of recipes
- Shop at the end of the day from the just close to expiry knock down aisles
- Use foodbanks if you need to
- Get friends and family to offer you a home cooked meal
- You don't need a gym...walk, use the park, run, use fitness channels on youtube0 -
It's just like losing weight to be honest calories in (money in) vs calories out (money out)
I'd ask myself how I got in this position, where did I spend money to be left with only £46 for the month? Did I overspend at Christmas or is this really my life? If you can't afford to live within your means find out how you can adjust. Where could I have saved. Start writing down every single spend for the next few months. Budget so you don't get in this position again0 -
There is more to health than what you put in your mouth. Stressing about your lack of funds and still trying to afford a gym membership or "healthy" food isn't healthy for you either. Perhaps this month isn't the month to worry about eating 5 serves of vegies a day or becoming a record breaking powerlifter
Do you have family or friends who can help you out? Food supplied at work you can take advantage of? Food banks that have free food or cheap food? Supplies in the pantry or freezer you can put together to make some sort of meals? Buy things like rice/beans/lentils that are cheap, frozen vegies or end of day specials that could be frozen to be cooked later or cooked in to dishes.0 -
Increase your money in
- get an evening job, babysit, ask for a pay advance, work overtime, ask family for a loan
Maximise your resources
- make a list of all the food you have in your fridge, larder, freezer etc
- Meal plan
- Use budget sites like a girl called jack ..who ate on 7p a day for years ..loads of recipes
- Shop at the end of the day from the just close to expiry knock down aisles
- Use foodbanks if you need to
- Get friends and family to offer you a home cooked meal
- You don't need a gym...walk, use the park, run, use fitness channels on youtube
Great Advice0 -
Scrap the gym. Exercise at home or outdoors. I haven't set foot inside a gym for three years and still exercise daily.
There's a website that used to be called a girl called jack. I can't remember what it's called now. But it's all about trying to eat well on a really tight budget. Lots of great recipes and ideas on I.0 -
This might not be the best advice ever because you are trying to lose weight, but if money is so tight for food right now, then don't overdo it on exercise - do some moves at home, take walks if possible (you could even do "walk in your home" videos) - because the more you exercise the more fuel your body is going to need. It won't be healthy if you underfeed yourself by too much all month long.
Best of luck to you!0 -
Just stick to basics for now (Chicken, Eggs, Oatmeal, Rice). It might not be too exciting, but you will get great results for cheap. Good luck0
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Don't use the gym, there is Youtube, Google and other sites with loads of workouts available if you look. It also costs nothing to go out for a run. You don't need a gym membership to get moving.
As far as food goes, buy in bulk, staples like rice, pasta, potatoes, frozen fruits/veggies, beans, lentils. Use meat as a luxury, or when there's a good deal on.
Go at the end of the day for reductions. A few days ago I was in Morrisons, quite fancied chicken kievs for a meal later on. Had a quick look in reductions as it was around 5pm and there were the exact ones I usually buy, reduced from £3 to 25p. It's very rare to find that good price as people snap stuff up quick, but you usually can find stuff 50-75% of normal price.0 -
You say pounds so I'm assuming your British. Is there any aldi near you? They do super 6 every week 6 different items of fruit or veg for 69p also tesco at about 7pm reduce loads of fruit, veg and meat. We get a massive bag of chicken fillets in farmfoods for £10 I think it's 4kg. Shop around and as others said if that's a push just a bag of rice (tesco value about 60p) and lots of value beans and tinned tomatoes. B & M do a huge tin of tomatoes for around 50p.
Excersise, if you really want a gym Puregym are around £15 a month with no contract so just go as and when you can afford and if not YouTube is fantastic for workouts, I find the 5 min workouts the best to do during the day when I can, before and after work and before bed.
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Scrap the gym. Exercise at home or outdoors. I haven't set foot inside a gym for three years and still exercise daily.
There's a website that used to be called a girl called jack. I can't remember what it's called now. But it's all about trying to eat well on a really tight budget. Lots of great recipes and ideas on I.
Thanks for sharing this info. I found Jack's blog here:
http://cookingonabootstrap.com/
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I suggest eating the food you have at home and you don't have money for the gym. Consider a second job? If I was in your situation weight loss would be the last thing I'd be thinking about0
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Don't worry about having perfect meals this month. You are looking at eating vs not eating right now.
Eat food prepared at home. Look at what you have on hand. Plan meals carefully.
Oatmeal, lentils, beans, rice, pasta, eggs, peanut butter, bread, potatoes, carrots, onion are fairly cheap foods. Make simple things with fewer ingredients (search for "5 ingredients or less" recipes). Look at having meatless meals. http://www.budgetbytes.com/
Cut up foods and put them in something- casserole, soup, stew, curry, stir fry. A big pot of soup is a good way to stretch your money.
Go to a food bank. Go to church suppers. Eat with family or friends.
There are lots of free workouts on you tube. Walking is free.
Reduce expenses to things essential for living. Talk to utilities- or whomever you owe money to this month- about your inability to pay bills in full and see if you can work something out.0 -
mystgrl1604 wrote: »So...it's january 1, and i have £46 in my bank account. Next payday isn't until the end of this month, and will probably be used to pay off debts that i incur for surviving this month. Rent is paid for (hence the current bank balance), and bills will take me into the negatives. So im basically starting the month with less than zero in the bank.
How to eat? Healthily as well. And afford to go to the gym. Sigh. Looks like this month will be about overtimes, irregular eating, and home workouts when i have the time and energy.
Happy new year indeed. Sorry for being so miserable.
You do not need a gym and you do not need special food to be healthy. Walk more, do some home workouts if you have the time. But, if you cannot afford to even pay bill this month, exercise should not be a priority, looking for overtime or a second job should be and also figuring out how you got yourself into this situation, and what needs to change to prevent it from happening again: new job, moving, cutting down on other bills?0 -
I find there's a close connection between financial budgeting and food budgeting. They both get out of whack from the same kinds of thinking. If you crack the code for living within a budget for one, you'll be able to achieve the same with the other. Everyone above is right: eating less costs less, and cheap food is as good as expensive for that purpose, if not better. Exercise is even cheaper. These things may present a problem because you don't enjoy them, but that's not a matter of money. If you experiment a bit, you'll be able to find cheap food and cheap exercise that you enjoy as much as anything you'd have access to with an unlimited budget. Whatever is holding you back may be formidable, but it ain't the bucks!0
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mystgrl1604 wrote: »So...it's january 1, and i have £46 in my bank account. Next payday isn't until the end of this month, and will probably be used to pay off debts that i incur for surviving this month. Rent is paid for (hence the current bank balance), and bills will take me into the negatives. So im basically starting the month with less than zero in the bank.
How to eat? Healthily as well. And afford to go to the gym. Sigh. Looks like this month will be about overtimes, irregular eating, and home workouts when i have the time and energy.
Happy new year indeed. Sorry for being so miserable.
Go out the front door and just keep walking. That is still free. Unfortunately eating on that much isn't particularly easy but, i'm sure you can get something decent. Do you have a costco like store in your area where you can buy bulk stuff?0 -
WendyLaubach wrote: »I find there's a close connection between financial budgeting and food budgeting. They both get out of whack from the same kinds of thinking. If you crack the code for living within a budget for one, you'll be able to achieve the same with the other. Everyone above is right: eating less costs less, and cheap food is as good as expensive for that purpose, if not better. Exercise is even cheaper. These things may present a problem because you don't enjoy them, but that's not a matter of money. If you experiment a bit, you'll be able to find cheap food and cheap exercise that you enjoy as much as anything you'd have access to with an unlimited budget. Whatever is holding you back may be formidable, but it ain't the bucks!
Ya, and like with food and Calories In / Calories out, when funds are short people can look at ways to increase earnings as well as limit expenses.
When my dog was dying of cancer and I was struggling to pay for his treatment, I went to my employer and asked to be put back on hourly wages (rather than salary) so I could earn overtime. Instead, they gave me my performance review early, gave me a raise, and gave me my year end bonus early. I also cut costs - stopped eating out, etc.
@mystgrl1604 you mentioned overtimes - can you get enough of this regularly to earn enough to live on? What about a second job or a better job? To get you through this month, what about food banks, churches, assistance from family members? Do you qualify for public assistance?0 -
Tight budget like this, just focus on eating for energy. Rice and fried egg (for me). I don't care if it's not nutritious (if it's just for 1-2 months, I'm okay with it). £46 is plenty.0
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I don't go to the gym, I do 90% of my workouts outside -- I love hiking, taking walks, going for a bike ride, ice skating, snowshoeing, etc. Personally I prefer being outside to working out in a gym.
Also, look for free fitness classes and offerings -- you might be shocked at what you find. I know around me there is a lot of free stuff offered or people meeting up for hikes or bike rides.
Good luck!0 -
I go to asda, tesco and marks and spencers at around 7 ocklock at night and find all the bargains that will last me a few days for around £5.0
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I actually spend less in food now than I did before I started Cico because I eat less now. There are great suggestions in this post of cheap food that is filling.0
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In season veggies are always cheaper. Challenge yourself to buy stuff you're less familiar with and google recipes. Soups can be very filling, keep well and nutritious (I am conscious of the high sodium in most stocks).
Don't forget canned tuna--very cheap and healthy (albacore). I'm sure you must have bulk stores there for some staples, too. Sprout's here is always packed on Wednesday because it's double coupon day (last week's deals and the next week's deals). Worth navigating the crowds.
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https://youtu.be/_cYAWnWwVgA
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