Save Money, Eat Better
One of my goals for 2009 is to save money and dovetailing with that is my ongoing goal to eat better. I have not set any crazy weight loss goals, or anything like that. However, too often my meals are dictated by my schedule and my mood and I would like to get beyond that.
Background:
I live in an expensive city and thus I would like to save money any way that I can to free up money for other things that I enjoy such as video games, bourbon, travel, charitable causes, and entertainment. I would also like to build up my savings account and work towards becoming debt-free.
I have what doctors call a little bit of a weight problem (yes, I am plagiarizing Tommy Boy). It is no secret that I could stand to lose a few pounds. I grew up in a house where I was expected to clean my plate, and so I occasionally find myself with a compulsion to eat what is left on my plate. I also hate the idea of wasting food as it is expensive.
Plan:
I have a few ideas for working towards these goals. Or perhaps a better way of putting it is that I have smaller goals to work towards these themes:
- Cook more meals at home, keep better options for snacks and meals around the house.
- Eat out and order in less
- Put smaller amounts of food on my plate
- Eat slow and stop when I feel satisfied
- Walk more frequently
I like to cook and I am fairly competent at it. I can make complicated meals, meals to feed a lot of people, etc. However, I am often not motivated to make a meal, especially just for myself. I think that one thing that would help me is to make a menu on a weekly basis, make foods with 1-2 leftover portions for when I dont want to cook, and to keep a variety of stuff on hand that I can mix and match if I want to.
These are my thoughts for now. I'd be interested to hear what any of you all think. Later today perhaps I will work on a menu for this week or next.
--Andy
posted by Andy G. @ 11:40 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I would start using a financial software to figure out how much you actually spend. I use quicken and would NOT suggest it. I have heard good things about mint.com, and its free.
The thing about goals is they have to be tangible and have a time line associated with them. Here is a re-write of some goals in your post.
1. Spend less than $X per month on food (Solve for X)
2. Eat food I do not cook less than Y times a week (Solve for Y)
3. Make a weekly (whatever period works) menu, go to the grocery only once per week (/period). Make this menu based on your planned schedule, if you have something to do that night plan an easy meal.
4. Only eat one portion of whatever I cook, regardless of whether I am still hungry or not. (Eat fruit after that)
5. Walk/Excercise Z times a week (Solve for Z). (Put these days on the menu and plan food accordingly)
we use kraftfoods.com to find things to cook (they have a magazine they send us quarterly as well. I like their food because it is simple and it lists nutritional facts and number of servings about each entree. I can send you some PDF's of the stuff we have saved when our power comes back on and the icicles are off my computer. People also comment on the recipe with things they liked/didn't like and how they made the recipe better. We made a Tomato & Spinach Past Toss last week and it was glorious.
Hi Andy,
Whatever you do, don't do a drastic change in your eating habits. This will just set you up for failure and put your body into shock. Instead, make small adjustments. First, make sure you eat a healthy breakfast. Don't skip meals, especially breakfast. And most importantly, you have to exercise at least 5 days a week, at 45 minutes per day. But before beginning any fitness routine, get a physical check up first. Your doctor can let you know if your heart is capable of an intense workout. It would also be good to find out your target heart rate. That way, you can maximize your workout routine. And since the weather is getting better, I highly suggest taking up biking. It's a great way to sneak in a workout, but still have fun. I bike on the bike paths near the lake. And since I live near Clarendon and Wilson, the bike paths aren't far. Whenever you're up to it, maybe we can bike together sometimes on the paths.
"G"
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