Be Healthy AND Save Money!

How often do you grab something from the snack machine or convenience store because you didn't plan ahead and , dang it, your hungry?!  A little planning is all it takes!  Keep a little storage of snacks available.  It will keep you from buying something unhealthy and it will keep you from spending the excess amounts on convenience.

I keep granola bars and a bottle of water in my handbag most of the time.  I have a little stash in my desk drawer at work.  If you don't have a desk drawer, maybe you have a cubby or a tool box drawer, or keep it in your car or tote bag...   be creative with your solution!  At work, I keep nuts, granola, pretzels, crackers, packets of tea and lemonade, and even oatmeal packets!  If you have a fridge available, you can keep cheese, yogert, and veggies.  The oatmeal has really been handy when I forget my lunch. 

Bringing your lunch every day saves money and helps you eat healthy too!  Don't forget the fresh fruit and veggies!  Just plan ahead when you go grocery shopping.  Another tip: mark it on your calendar - prepare your week of lunches and snacks on the weekend when you have more time.

All of this works for eating healthy on-the-run too.  Just a little planning can really add up to being more healthy, losing weight, and saving lots of money....

If you save even just 4.00 per day by bringing your lunch and/or not buying snacks....  and you take 2 weeks of vacation...  then  5 weekdays x 50 weeks x 4.00 = a savings of OVER $1000. PER YEAR!

Some bad things to say at work and in general:

There are some words and phrases people frequently utter, without realizing they’re making themselves sound noncommittal, undependable or untrustworthy. It's a really good idea to limit use of these words and find alternatives. Forbes wrote a more in depth article about the relevance of this pertaining to work, however I believe their points are well taken for all situations.

1. “Try” – Even if you don’t mean it, when you say you’ll try to do something, others will think you’re just paying lip service and have no intention of getting it done.
2. “I’ll get back to you” – People often use this phrase to buy some time, and never actually get back to the person they say it to. To avoid giving that impression, specify the day and time when you’ll touch base.
3. “We’ll see” – This is most often used as a way to avoid confrontation or having to say “no.” Instead, just be honest.
4. “I guess … ” – It’s a common phrase people often tack on to the beginning of their thoughts. But it can also give off the impression you aren’t really sure of what you’re talking about.
5. “If” – People use this as a way to shift blame — for example, by saying something like, “If Bob finishes his part, then I can do my part.” It’s better to avoid the “if” and assume a successful outcome.

I believe all of these statements are vague and don't do the communicator justice.  

Get your financial life in order....

April is financial literacy month.  Getting your financial life in order can be one of the most rewarding things you ever do for yourself!  The sense of accomplishment in knowing that you are on the right path to achieve  security or your financial goals is amazing.  In my opinion, the best way to accomplish a goal is with consistent baby steps.  Here is a website that will help to guide you along the path to financial wellness.  They use 30 steps in 30 days and it will help guide you along your path.  I also found this exercise journal that really gives you a thorough process to securing your financial future.  From budgeting, calculating for retirement, and getting support, this book covers it.

Healthy Nachos & Healthy Substitutions!

It’s all about the choices! Simple substitutions for ingredients that you normally use can make a huge impact on your calorie intact. If you are trying to eat healthier, try some of these simple substitutions taken from Nachos that my honey and I made.


Tip #1: Use baked instead of regular tortilla chips, 8.5% less calories and 68% less fat! A minor change would be white corn instead of yellow corn, but this change alone is 14% less fat.

Tip #2: Add lots of veggies! We added corn and zucchini; it was delicious and more nutritious for us.

Tip #3: Lima beans have no fat! They are by far the best choice for beans. Even if you don’t go with the lima beans, you can still save calories and fat grams. Choose Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, or Red Kidney Beans over Navy Beans and Chili Beans. This simple choice will save you 30% in calories and ½ the fat! And, the Lima bean would save you 36% in calories and all the fat grams would be gone!

Tip #4: The Cheese. Yes, the cheese is a huge culprit no matter how you look at it. However, you can still make better choices, Use American, Mexican Blend – Reduced Fat, Cheez Wiz, Velveeta, or Mozzarella instead of Swiss, Monterey, Colby, or Cheddar. Now cheese is my biggest weakness, so I won’t, probably, follow my own advice. If I did, I could save 28% of the calories and 67% of the fat grams.

Tip #5: Ground Turkey vs. Ground Beef. This one’s simple. It hardly changes the taste and saves 15% of the calories and 20% of the fat grams.

Tip #6: Salsa is Fabulous! Load it on! No fat grams! One ounce has only 7 calories. Make up for smaller portions of meat and cheese with more salsa and more veggies!

Tip #7: Taco sauce is similar to salsa; very low in calories and no fat grams! The green is ½ the calories of the red however. One ounce of green is 7 calories and one ounce of red is 14 calories.

Tip #8: Most spices have very few calories and fat grams. You can use quite a bit to make your foods taste better. There are a few to watch out for though; check the powders. Chili powder and onion powder have more than you would think.

Tip #9: Use sites, such as nutritiondata.com, to compare ingredients and determine what is best for you and your health!

Imagine, you can have 1/3-1/2 the calories and fat by making simple choices! Take these notes with you the next time you go shopping, or check the labels!

Now, if you save ½ the calories, that doesn’t mean you can eat twice as much!

Portion Control is the key!

Daily Health Habits

 

We all need to be concerned with our health.  It makes the difference on how we feel, how functional we are in a day, and how long we live.  I feel that health is the most important thing we have.  If our body is not healthy, it is very difficult to enjoy anything else in this life!  With all of this in mind, I am trying to get into the habit of doing some healthy things EVERY DAY!  So, I've created my DAILY HEALTH HABITS list.  Let me know if you think I'm forgetting something important.

1. Drink Plenty of Water

2. Take Vitamins

3. Stretching & Exercize

4. Eat Healthy & In Moderation (count calories etc)

5. Moisturize & Sunscreen

6. Relax/Meditation/Spiritual

7. Mind Growth & Learning

8. Affirmations & Personal Growth

9. Brush your Teeth

10. Hug Someone!

Now that's not so bad is it?!