POOR and HEALTHY

eating healthy on $17K a year

Spring is here! Time for a fresh start, and healthy fruits and vegetables have never been so appealing. The only problem? Healthy food is just so expensive. This long held belief defeated me as well ... until last August.

It all changed when my husband and I began living on $17,000 a year. You read that right. Rent, utilities, gas, car payments, bills, and food; it all had to be covered by us living on $17,000 a year. Now, before you go wondering how we could make so little — we don’t. My husband and I make a fine living. We chose to live on $17,000 for a much greater goal. We are living well below our means in order to pay off student loan debt as quickly as possible.

And if it means living like a college student for a while to get there, I can live like a college student. But I will not eat like one — oh no. The boxed mac-and-cheese and frozen pizzas were just not something I was going to put my body through again. But what choice did I have? I mean, healthy food is much more expensive.

Right? Wrong. At least, not when you buy the right things and follow the right plan. I learned this within the first month of living on our budget. Better yet — it doesn’t require hours of bargain hunting and coupon clipping. The secret is simpler than you think.

1

Set A Food Budget

When you aren’t keeping track of how much you spend on groceries, you will spend way more than you ever intended or needed. Take control of your money and set up a grocery budget. My husband and I have a grocery budget of $100 per week — plenty for two people when you buy the right foods.

2

Buy Cheap Healthy Foods

Healthy eating does not mean the arugula salad with wild morel mushrooms and 10 different ingredients that all happen to be out of season and extremely expensive. Look for cheap healthy foods like eggs, tuna, bananas, carrots and black beans that can all be found for cheaper than a candy bar.

3 Plan Your Meals

Grabbing a healthy lunch on the go can cost you nearly $20. To avoid this, as well as buying more than what you end up using, pack and plan your meals. Plus, a meal plan allows you to make leftovers for the next day’s lunch.

4

Buy In Bulk

You don’t need to be a family of eight to take advantage of shopping at wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club. Buying non-perishables like canned black beans and corn can last you the entire month, while saving you money. Another bonus is that many of these items are available organic at a price still cheaper than buying non-organic at retail cost.

Healthy food. Affordable food. Your body and your wallet can both enjoy a fresh start.

on my phone for everything. I currently have about 18 of them,” says Heidi Gregoire. She makes every minute count in order to juggle her family’s schedule. Her alarms range from waking up, to dropping off kids, to her circuit training class. Some are daily and some are weekly.

Gregoire previously worked in the banking industry, then stayed home for about five years with her three boys: Maccoy, Martan and Maddox. She now juggles the kids’ schedules and works part-time at Bert’s Truck Equipment in Moorhead.

Gregoire says setting priorities in your life is essential, and your health should be one of them. The pace of her exercising matches her life: intense and fulfilling. For the past five years, she has been attending circuit training classes at Sanford POWER. She started with the early 5:45 a.m. classes and alternated days with her husband, Jeremy Gregiore. Now her family’s schedule allows her to attend the noon sessions.

Her husband encourages her to attend circuit class and also helps with the schedules of their three sons.

“I like the group I’m in and enjoy getting to know the others from all walks of life: business owners, stay-at home moms, bankers, and others,” says Gregoire.

She also enjoys the variety of exercises in the circuit class.

“Circuit classes usually last about 50 minutes. Every class begins with the trainer walking through the circuit with us and demonstrating the exercises. Usually there are about 15 stations and we each start at a different station. We repeat the circuit twice, so we have about 30 exercises in every workout. Best of all, the trainer is there to monitor the class to make sure we are doing the exercises correctly.”

Being focused during exercise is a goal. “When I am at circuit class, I turn off my mind for the hour. I don’t think about schedules, meals, laundry or work. I really am only thinking about what the exercises are and what muscles are working. We usually visit with each other as well as the trainers, so the time goes fast.

“When I’m finished, I feel like I completed a good workout and love even more when I am sore the next day or two. I know I worked muscles that needed it.”

“The staff is great at POWER. They all recognize you, greet you and genuinely want you to succeed.”

Gregoire’s workout tips for busy parents:

Make an appointment for exercise. You need priorities in your life and your health should be one of them.

Hold yourself accountable. Or, find a friend to exercise with so you know you have to meet someone there.

Exercise before your day starts or over your lunch break. This will make exercise fit into your and your family's schedule better.

Find a gym or trainer that you are comfortable with. The best trainers are not only interested in working out with you for an hour, they’re also interested in your life, family, and helping you achieve your next training goal.

Set a goal. Or, sign up for an activity and then set time aside to train for it.