With only 29% of Americans considering themselves to be financially healthy, it can often seem as if you have to choose between two options: your health and your money.
After all, it’s cheaper to live in an unhealthy way — right?
Not necessarily! There are ways to balance your health and your financial responsibility to get the best of both worlds. Read on to find out how to do that.
Plan Ahead for Food
Planning ahead is ultimately the best way to stay healthy and keep your finances in shape. Before you go grocery shopping, make a list. Start by creating a budget for the week and see how much healthy food you can dit into that budget.
It’s also a good idea to meal prep. Buying ingredients that you can use over and over, such as spices and frozen vegetables, are great because you can batch cook things and freeze them.
This often works out far cheaper than eating a freezer meal every night, and it’s healthier!
Shop Around
Smart shopping means shopping around. Instead of defaulting to your usual grocery store one day, take the time to look around the others or do some online research and see if there are cheaper alternatives available.
Going to a farmer’s market can also be a great way to find cheap produce and vegetables that might be as much as double the price in grocery stores.
Even when you’ve found a store to shop at, make sure you check out the alternatives of actual items. There may be different and cheaper brands of things that taste exactly the same.
It’s also okay to indulge in a few things you really love that may not be the healthiest! The key to staying mentally healthy is balance, so allow yourself some cravings — otherwise, you may just end up stressed and miserable, which is counter-productive to keeping your body and mind in good shape.
Get Savings Together
Knowing that you’re living paycheck to paycheck can often have a terrible effect on your mental health. It’s essential to start putting money away so you know it’s there if you ever need it.
Although it’s easy to fall into bad money habits, there are many creative savings strategies you can use. Some bank accounts offer a service where they will pile away any ‘spare change’ from a transaction into a savings account, and you can watch savings pile up that don’t even feel as if they’re leaving your checking account.
Balance Financial Responsibility and Health
The key to balancing financial responsibility and health is to plan ahead, create some savings, and eat well within your budget. While all of this might sound impossible for someone who’s been struggling, you just need to take some steps in the right direction.
Remember, your finances are directly linked to your health and it’s equally as important to take care of both.
For more lifestyle and health tips, check out the rest of our site.
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