When it comes to living our healthiest lives, we often worry about the financial obligations that go along with that. While fast food restaurants offer affordable dollar menus, cleaner foods often come with a higher price tag, and a gym membership can get costly fast. At Addition Financial, we believe you can create a healthy lifestyle without breaking the bank. Here are a few tips to get started.
Create a meal plan.
To achieve any goal, having a plan in place will help you forge your path to success. Meal planning will not only create a roadmap for what you and your family will eat for the week, but it will also help you reduce food waste and cut costs. By outlining the meals you’ll make at home and accounting for any meals out, you can avoid straying too far from your grocery list and stick to the budget you’ve created for yourself. Choose a time to prep some of those meals beforehand (i.e. chopping vegetables, pre-cooking anything that may need it, etc.) so that after a long work day, you don’t feel tempted to order delivery or pick up fast food instead. While those prices may seem low in the short run, they really do add up over time, especially when you’re feeding an entire family.
Bonus tip: if the fridge is stocked, but you don’t know what to do with the food you have in there, sites like MyFridgeFood will provide recipe inspiration based on what you already have on hand.
Buy your produce in season.
Seasonal foods are not only fresher, but they taste better and are more nutritious, especially when you can source them locally. In addition, seasonal foods typically cost less than out-of-season foods, so you’ll often find those ones on sale at the supermarket. This website will help you identify which fruits and vegetables are in season in your state each month of the year, so you can take the guesswork out of your next shopping excursion.
Look for free or inexpensive workouts.
If you’d rather not spend money on a gym membership, there are still plenty of ways you can keep up with your fitness without buying tons of equipment. You can purchase a set of dumbbells, a yoga mat, or other workout gear of your choice at your local sporting goods store and design a routine from the comfort of your own home. While the costs may be a little inflated upfront with so many of us working out at home during the pandemic, the investment will be a long-term one. You can also find free workout videos online or join a small fitness group at a low cost. If you live somewhere in a climate you love, you can also take your workouts to the great outdoors. AllTrails is a free website and app where you can search for hiking trails in your area, and filter by level of difficulty, length, elevation and other parameters.
Make social activities more active.
As you begin to socialize again, you may want to rethink what that looks like for you. For example, instead of going out to dinner and drinks with your friends, you can meet up for a leisurely walk around your favorite lake or garden, or attend a fitness class together. There may still be a cost associated with whatever social activity you choose, but this shift in social activities may allow you to reallocate certain budget categories.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.
It may not be realistic for you to purchase all organic, free-range, perfectly sourced foods, and that’s okay. Allow yourself to make small shifts and improvements over time that are realistic for you and your household’s needs. There is no such thing as perfection. Be kind to yourself, and know that every small step you take will ultimately lead to greater change in the long-term.
If you’re on the hunt for a new financial institution, Addition Financial is a credit union founded by educators with strong roots in Central Florida. With branches in six counties and growing, Addition Financial is part of the Presto! ATM network for added convenience, and has offered continuous service throughout the pandemic and Saturday hours at nearly all branches. Plus, you’ll earn $100 just for opening your first checking account with Addition Financial! Learn more about the perks of credit union membership here.
Valerie Moses is a Senior Relationship Manager at Addition Financial Credit Union, where she manages public relations and various Central Florida partnerships. When she is not at a community event or cheering on the UCF Knights, she can be found at her lifestyle and travel blog, Wellness & Wanderlust, along with her podcast of the same name.
Corporate Health Fairs Offers:
Employers – complete no-cost health and wellness events designed to engage and energize their most valuable assets… employees and executives. Custom-tailored solutions that empower employees to take a proactive role in their own wellness via direct access to our spectrum of local health development services and service providers.
Healthcare and Wellness Providers – Access to potential clients in an environment designed to foster health & wellness.
Insurance Brokers and Distributors – A unique business model that delivers a tremendous value-added benefit for your clients.
Announcing our new Virtual Adventures! Engage your Employees with Fun and Easy Challenges for Both Individuals and Teams!
Choose from 40 + Challenges & Five Challenge Categories! Learn More Here.
Call us: (407) 463-1514
Email us:
events@corporatehealthfairsorlando.com