For today’s guest post on affordable lifestyle changes, please welcome back fellow blogger Anum Yoon.
We all want to change our lives for the better, but it’s hard to know how to do that without spending a bunch of money. Eating organic and having gym memberships is great, but it starts to add up. Consider the following lifestyle changes. They might seem small, but they have major benefits. The best part? They’re affordable.
1. Drink More Water
You probably hear this all the time, but it seriously does make a difference. Drinking it from the tap is insanely cheap. Even if your water isn’t the best, an investment in a Brita filter or pitcher is an infrequent buy that pays for itself in the long run. Bottled water creates too much waste, and they’re way more expensive.
Drinking water also helps your body run better. It can clear up your skin, help with digestion and might even help with weight loss. Plus, you’re cutting out all the extra sugar and calories you get with juices and sodas.
2. Buy Canned or Frozen Veggies
Fresh vegetables are always nice to have, but you only have so long to eat them before they go bad. You can waste a lot of money throwing out spoiled produce. Fresh, organic vegetables can also be insanely pricey.
Canned and frozen veggies have just as many nutrients as fresh ones since they’re packed at peak freshness. Check the label to make sure there isn’t extra sodium added for taste, and you’re good to go!
3. Invest in Plants
Growing some air-purifying plants in your home can help reduce chemicals from cleaning products and might help seasonal allergies as well. If you’re not blessed with a green thumb, many of these are low maintenance plants you don’t have to worry about too much. A couple of these can make the air in your house a lot fresher — you’ll notice the difference.
4. Pack Your Lunches
It’s convenient to buy lunch at work from your favorite café that’s next door, but do you realize how much money you’re spending on those lunches? See how much you spend on lunches in a week and do the math. It adds up.
Packing gives you an opportunity to know exactly how healthy the food you’re putting in your body is. You know every ingredient that’s being used, and you aren’t adding a lot of extra salt or sugars for more flavor.
5. Cut Out Coffee
While you’re at it, cut your coffee intake as well. If you buy coffee at Starbucks every day, you’re wasting a lot of money on it. But caffeine is also a legitimately addictive substance, and you can help yourself a lot by cutting it out of your diet.
Once you detox, you won’t get caffeine headaches anymore, and there’s a good chance you’ll be able to sleep better, too. Cutting caffeine can help reduce anxiety and better your mood. You might balk at the idea of heading to work in the morning without your coffee, but after a few weeks, you’ll wonder why you even needed it in the first place.
6. Buy in Bulk
Unless you have a huge family, you probably don’t want to buy large quantities of perishable foods at a bulk store. But, for things like toilet paper, pasta and other nonperishables, it can help save you money in the long run. You’ll make fewer trips as well, saving you money on gas. Bulk stores are known for having cheaper prices for name brand items.
While this doesn’t work for everything in your household, it’s a great idea for a lot of items. You can have things on hand and don’t have to worry about running out for a while. Stocking up on canned veggies and proteins, like chicken or tuna, also means you have healthy food options for a long time.
7. Plan Your Meals
Make a plan at the beginning of the week for what your meals are going to be. Even better, prep parts of them all on Sunday so you have less work for when you’re tired during the week. If we don’t plan, there’s a chance of us getting lazy and just ordering pizza or making something easy and unhealthy. It’s okay to have that stuff once in a while, but not every night.
Planning your meals helps you continue to make healthy choices throughout the week. Prepping beforehand eliminates the worst part about cooking after a long day of work — all the chopping and other tasks. If your Sundays are free, you could even make full meals and freeze them to have for later in the month.
Lifestyle changes don’t have to be expensive. Small changes can have a huge impact on your life. Start implementing them in your daily life, and see how much better you feel.
These changes take a lot of intention at first, but once the power of habit kicks in, it all becomes automatic. I had never thought about having plants in my house for the reasons you mention. I do not have a green thumb, so I’ve accepted that I just don’t have house plants. Time to rethink that one.
I love having some plants around. Not only because it’s good for the environment, but it gives me a feeling during the winter months of at least some greenery. I have one plant that I’ve had since 2003 and she’s still going strong.
I ended up almost hoarding my indoor spider plants. They propagated so much now we need bigger planters. I have mine in a orange planter so it looks like a pineapple haha
If your spider plant is growing out of control, consider gifting some of it to a family member or friend. That will potentially solve your problem and give somebody else a reason to smile.
I need to get on board with drinking more water. I’m going to start leaving a bottle beside my bed so that I drink it first thing in the morning. (I buy the cheapest purified water I can find. I’ve never gotten used to the taste of tap water after leaving NY.)
I may not do everything I’m supposed to do, but over the last few years I’ve broken my soda habit so that now I’m hooked on bottled water (and yes, I buy the cheapest one I can find). I’ve even resort to water with lemon when I dine out. Now if I could only eat a healthy diet more regularly, that would be a real lifestyle change.
Hey, Anum. Excellent advice. I got to work on 3 and 7. For a while now, I’ve been kicking around the idea of planning my meals. Absent a plan, too much sugar and carbs sneak into my diet. Meh.
Absent a plan, too much sugar and carbs sneak into my diet, too, Mr. G. Finding some nice indoor plants is a pretty easy way to not only improve your air quality, but add a little decoration to your home.
#1 regarding water is a much bigger deal than most people realize. The average American drinks WAY less water than their body prefers. I actually measure my daily water intake to make sure I get a minimum of three liters per day. That might sound like a lot but it’s actually what is recommended for my gender, age, and size.
Regarding #7 – I just wrote on that topic and definitely agree!
I’m a big fan of water for a lot of reasons. Number one being the most healthy way to hydrate. Anum has so eloquently expressed how such basics can be simply instituted and so many people make it so complicated. Thanks, Brad, for your comments.