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Having a health & fitness community of over 3 million people on Pinterest, I’ve seen all the complaints. That eating healthy is too boring or expensive or time-consuming. And that staying fit is too expensive too.
I can definitely say that I was in this same boat for a long time. Psyching myself out of healthy eating & living because I thought it would be impossible for someone on a budget. BUT after researching & trying out a ton of different methods, eating & living healthy on a budget is definitely my reality!
It might not be easy, but if you follow these tips, I know you’ll be able to start living a healthier & fitter lifestyle today!
MEAL PREP
Meal prepping is a life saver. Prepped foods mean I never have an excuse of being too tired to cook and will save me a bundle on bought lunches at work. What I do for the perfect meal prep:
Figure out what I want for the week
I look on Pinterest for recipes or skim through my favorite blogs for ideas.
What’s on sale
I’ll also cross check what’s on sale on my Ibotta app with the recipes I’m gathering up. If there is a certain cut of meat or vegetables on sale that I know I like, I’ll try to steer my recipes in that direction.
Ibotta is an app that I use almost daily. It has all my favorite stores on it and I can easily get money back with everything I purchase. No more printing out coupons! Just pick your items, scan your receipt & collect $$$.
You can sign up here with my link & get $10 right away just for signing up!
Make a list
I am a list queen! I love making lists of what recipes I’ll be cooking & the groceries needed for them. I always check to see what’s in my pantry first so there won’t be any doubling up. I also love checking out pretty printable lists that bloggers make & print out new ones every week to make my meal planning more fun. You can find my fave pretty meal planners on my post here (they are all FREE!).
Set it & forget it
Being able to take everything I just bought at the store, cook it at the same tie & have an awesome meal without much work is my way to prep. My two favorite gadgets to get this done are the crockpot (this one is high-rated & only $17!) & the Instant Pot. I love these both because you get a ton of flavor with a few ingredients with minimal work. The crockpot is great & super inexpensive, but the Instant Pot gets the same flavor as the crockpot but in a fraction of the time. It also has different uses like a rice cooker, egg cooker, steamer, yogurt maker & more. I would take a look at both and see which one is best suited to you!
Tupperware will change your life
Dramatic statement? Yes. True statement? Definitely yes! I pack all my breakfast & lunch for work every day. I need containers that won’t leak & will keep things fresh!
My top 3 choices:
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WORKOUT AT HOME
I love heading to the gym, a spin class or yoga session but all of those special studio trips can definitely add up! I like to workout about 5 times a week but my wallet would prefer me staying home on the couch with my Netflix subscription.
I have a couple of solutions to still be able to workout without joining up at the gym:
GROKKER: this website has thousands of workouts ranging from HIIT to Yoga to Lifting Weights to Cardio. They also have meal prepping and recipe videos for you to follow too. Another great feature is their calendar. You can schedule yourself different workouts and meal prep videos on the calendar and receive reminders. This is a great way to map out your week or even month and keep you on track.
If you sign up through my link here you get a free trial!
AMAZON PRIME: mostly everyone uses Amazon Prime & with good reason. Not only do you get fast shipping, great deals, free music & a free Audible subscription, you can stream free health & fitness videos! All the videos can be done in the comfort of our own home & there is no limit to what you can watch.
Don’t have prime? If you sign up through my link here
FREEDOM FITNESS BUNDLE: I was so excited to get an advanced copy of this bundle and try it out. For $47 you get 50 different exercise routines, workout videos, training guides and even nutrition plans created by dozens of reputable experts. There really is something for everybody & you can do it all at home.
You can check out more from this bundle or purchase here!
HEALTHYWAGE: This website is great for those that need that extra motivation. You basically bet with yourself on how much you’d like to lose. You can do this by yourself or in a group. You place your bet and if you get to your weight loss? Your money is doubled! There are tons of success stories (both with weight & money) on their website that you can check out.
Calculate your money & weight loss goals or check out successful before & afters here!
DAILYBURN: This website is awesome because they tailor a workout and nutrition plan based on your personal goals. They also have videos from different genres, awesome personal trainers (Bob Harper for one!) & the best part is since it’s online you can access and stream from anywhere.
If you use my link here, you’ll get 1 Month COMPLETELY FREE + save 10% on your first 3 months!
ENJOY LIFE
VINEBOX: So not exactly what some people might view as a health subscription, but I don’t know about you – I LOVE my wine. It’s my one guilty pleasure but I always find myself wishing I could get wine in one of those 100 calorie snack packs. Now, I kinda do have that! I signed up for VineBox right before summer (hello Rose season!) and have been loving it ever since! You get wine delivered to your door every month in convenient single servings. So you can still enjoy your glass of wine in the evening but keep it limited to that one glass.
You can sign up or get more info here.
My top tips for staying fit on a budget! What are your favorite budget-friendly health & fitness musts?
Let me know in the comments below!