So here I was just after xmas, I get home from visiting my parents and put on my work clothes to go back to work. I felt great because for once I didn't have to suck in my stomach to put on my pants and they were a little loose. So went to the grocery store bought a bunch of healthy food like stuff for salad, chicken, bottle of water and light snacking stuff.
I only get paid two times a month, at the end and in the middle. Well last week I ran out of pretty much of the healthy food I had (I work 12 hour shifts so most of my food goes towards those days.) and now i've been eatting junk the last two days because that's all I have left until I get paid on the 15th. I can only used a certain amount for food which is 100 every two weeks.
I worked out the last two days but found myself tired and not wanting to do it yesterday because the video was a little boring, or I just wasnt into it. I really want to lose weight but I don't know how to keep healthy food around the house to last two weeks and whole wheat or multi grain bread is soo disgusting I've tried eatting it and really its just . (does anyone have other suggestions for bread?)
I'm dying to loose this weight and I really want to but lately i've just feel discouraged and unmotivated and I dont know what to do. Any suggestions for the girl on an extremely tight budget?
I totally hear you about trying to keep fresh/healthy foods around while on a tight budget. I'm in the same boat, sister! I have found that my freezer is my new best friend. I shop the sales and try to find coupons in the paper. When something is on sale (like chicken or fresh veggies) I buy them up, cut them up, and freeze them. Something that I have found super easy to do is to cut up chicken or steak, onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc, into pieces for Shish-Kabobs. Then I put two kabobs-worth of meat and veggies into individual baggies and freeze them. I make a ton of them at once, then I can just pull out one bag at a time and there's my dinner! You can use different seasonings each time and grill them, bake them, whatever. But it allows you to keep healthy foods around without them going bad.
Also, if you hate whole wheat/ whole Grain Breads, I suggest you just look really carefully at the labels and choose ones that are low calorie. Try something else healthy like Pumpernickel or Rye. You can eat anything in moderation, but enriched flour and simple carbs found in white bread are high in sugar and can have negative effects. Good luck!
Have you tried nature's own whitewheat bread? I used to hate wheat bread, but my mom would get this stuff, and it tastes just like white bread, but isn't as bad for you!! I hope that helps!!
I get burnt out on exercise videos as well. I wonder if you could get some cheap ones from the store, or even try to rent some new ones! I bet a video store would have them, and they probably wouldn't be expensive!!
some of my favorite LOW budget healthy items at the grocery store are high fiber canned beans, oatmeal, fruits and veggies on sale, and whatever frozen meat is on sale. they go a long way!
I totally feel you on the tight budget! I only shop for two...me and my little guy, but most of the stuff I buy is for only one or the other of us so it's expensive sometimes.
However, I think it's really important when you're on a budget and have to stretch your food and your dollar farther to really try to purchase foods that you can use a lot of different ways and for many meals (sounds obvious, but really). I think wheat spaghetti is a great purchase because it tastes good and you can make a lot for cheap.
I also like buying the frozen or precooked chicken strips (the cheapest I can find). I can use them for salads, wraps, sandwhiches, stir fry or whatever.
And try to keep the basics around. I always make sure I have peanut butter, wheat bread, cheese, tuna, apples and pickles. None of that is super expensive, most of it will last a while in the cupboard or fridge and will get you through those broke as you-know-what-times.
Good luck girl. I have been feeling off track and unmotivated too...I keep having these moments where I want to throw my hands up and say forget it....but I think these times are what makes it tough. And we're tough too right?! You can do it! You've already done great, just keep plugging away!
I've got 5 people in my family and can shop for about $100 a week, usually a little less than that. That includes lots of cereal and snacks for my kids and hubby. One thing that I've found helps me save at the grocery store is to plan out my meals ahead of time and then go with a list to the store and stick to the list! Using the sale flyer when making your menu for the week can really cut cost also! Cut coupons. Eat leftovers!!!!!!!! I've been able to cut at least one meal a week just by having leftovers for another meal and that can really add up $$!! I also use to hate eating wheat bread but have tried different brands and found a few that I really enjoy just as much as white bread.
I know how you feel: I live with my my boyfriend, and we're both fulltime students with part-time jobs who DON'T take out loans.
Have you considered not eating bread? I actually stopped eating pasta, since I love white pasta and always overeat it and end up overspending. I still eat white bread because it's cheaper and isn't all that different nutrient-wise from whole grain ones.
Precooked and boxed things end up being the most expensive. I save by freezing, too, and eating a lot of eggs, canned fish, smoked ham bought in large hunks unsliced, and beans, canned when I can afford it, or dried and bagged when I can't (which is VERY cheap.) A head of lettuce, a container of cottage cheese (under 3$ here) for salad variations. bulk oatmeal with yogurt or apples...
I guess you need to whip out your grocery list for analysing!
I make $8 an hour after taxes, supporting myself and a significant other who's still in school (I don't mind because in two years the situation will reverse ), and the only way I can manage to eat healthily is to make practically everything from scratch.
You say you don't like multigrain bread, but have you ever made your own? I too hate the stuff in plastic bags that are rubbery/grainy/burnt-tasting, but I love my homemade whole wheat. The price of flour seems daunting, but think about how many loaves you can make with it. Here's the recipe I use: http://amateurnutritionist.blogspot....lax-bread.html (flax totally optional; if you don't have a bread machine just mix a little of the water and the yeast, wait five minutes for bubbles, add the other ingredients and knead until uniform and elastic, then cover the dough with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for an hour before baking).
Homemade bread doesn't keep as long as store-bought because it doesn't have chemical preservatives, so you can freeze half of the loaf if you don't think you'll get through it before it stales.
I totally know how you feel. When you can't afford to eat what you need you eat what you have which is usually the unhealthy cheap stuff in the back of your cupboard, i've been there, im there now! what i try to remember is that even though i cant eat healthy food I can still continue to make healthy choices. i try to exercise often and hard on the days i dont eat right and i know how it is working long hours but do the best you can, even if it's not everyday. get your workouts in. if you're bored with your video go on youtube, they have a TON of workout videos on there and I do these when i cant get outside, am bored with my routine or just being lazy and dont wanna go to the track. you're right multigrain bread is hard to get used to but now i cant eat anything else. try something like "honey and oak" or something seasoned if you like a more savory flavor (be mindful of the calories and make sure the amount of fiber is worth the calori payoff).
you can do this. just a couple more days and you'll be eating the foods youre used to.
Since I started weight watchers I hardly eat bread at all. I do like to keep a loaf of ww bread in my freezer for just-in-case but I actually eat a lot of wraps and pitas. Wraps are great becasue if you don't like whole wheat you can get spinach or tomato or tons of other flavours. Pitas are great as snacks with like cottage cheese or hummus. We also make a lot of pita pizzas at home - a few slices of ham with some green pepper, mushrooms, onions and a little cheese makes a pretty cheap, filling, low-ca/point meal.
They make these awesome rounds and the brand is Arnolds, they are whole grain white, they taste like flatbreads, i totally prefer them over white bread, and if your on WW there 1 point each but i think there only 100 calories if your not.
I also find it hard to keep healthy stuff for 2 weeks at a time, i get paid every 2 weeks also but i am doing WW so i do buy some junk food and count it in, that helps me strech my dollar
Misa222 - Shish-Kabob man I never thought of that! Thanks for the idea!
Lulu2005 - I never heard of Whitewheat bread but i'll check it out!
The thing pasta for some reason it give's me a stomachache i'm not sure why it does, and it's pretty basic noodles with a can of sauce so I don't eat it as much. I should probably get that checked out...but i hate doctors.
Souvenirdarling - Whipping out my grocery list for analysing...I should probably make one when I got shopping, bit I always forget it lol.
Tkm265 - I never thought about making my own food, then again I can hardly cook really well so that's probably why, but I'll check out making bread maybe i'll get the boyfriend to help me. (which pretty much get's him to make it when he's around lol)
Everyone else thank you for your awsome advice to be honest something as simple as switching the colourful pita breads instead of ww bread would have never crossed my mind and it probably should haha. But thanks it's good to know i'm not the only one who is struggling with crappy pay yet trying to stay healthly and lose weight!
I need help
. (does anyone have other suggestions for bread?)
), and the only way I can manage to eat healthily is to make practically everything from scratch.
