I'm planning on getting out and walking most work days during lunch to get exercise and clear my head. This year I only made about 1/2 of them. Next year.. 3/4 maybe ;)
The first one I started last month and hope to continue through 2010 - take a picture every day. I got a new camera and I want to practice using it, but I also want to improve my photography skills in general, so I set a goal to take at least one picture every single day.
The other goal with hopefully save me money as well as improve my health - I plan to not eat any meat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'm not against eating meat, but I do want to eat healthier and I figure that adding in more tofu and beans while at the same time cutting out some meat (especially red meat) will improve my health, as well as save me money in the long run.
My boyfriend and I are going to be working out at least 4x a week. I told him that if we keep that up until April, starting now, I'll agree to the purchase of a PS3 (or new computer, whichever seems best at the time). We just have to get back in the habit...
In the next few weeks we will be starting a new diet, not for weight loss (though that would be great!) but for health. Lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, that kind of thing.
I'll never understand how people who don't trust the government, their democratically elected government, to handle healthcare, but they are more than happy to trust a profit-driven insurance company to do the same job.
My health insurance is provided by the Government of Canada. My Health care is provided by my doctor. The government never, ever tells me that i'm over my limit, or that I'm not covered because I have a pre-existing condition. But I hear lots of horror stories about how US health insurers do that.
Nope, if my doc prescribes a treatment, I tip my hat and say "thanks doc!" and I don't pay a cent, and I can go and get the treatment without this government interference you're all so afraid of. It's awesome. And no US insurance company saying, "oh look, you had your wisdom teeth out once, that's a pre-existing condition. "
It's not a perfect system by any stretch, but it's a hell of a lot better than yours!
I've decided on two things. I have gotten out of the habit of packing my breakfast and lunch to take to work. I'm going to start doing that again and I have already begun to pack breakfast each day this week. Packing both meals will save about $10/day.
I've also come to rely too much on takeout for dinner. I've already cut way back on that in December.
In an effort to eat healthier I've decided to focus on adding fruits and vegetables to each meal. For dinner, I plan to fill half my plate with veggies. For lunch, I'll substitute edamame or sliced bell peppers for chips I'll add a piece of fruit to breakfast.
I still ignore expiration dates, because 1. They are probably sooner than they should be to avoid legal entanglements, and 2. There is only one person in the world with enough information to decide if the carton of milk in my hand has gone bad, and that person is me, not some robot box-stamper three weeks ago.
Also, it might interest people to know this: The Food Bank in my area keeps cans that are 7 years past the date (they don't keep them that long, but some people donate expired stuff) but if soup or sauce in one of those tetra boxes is past the date, they toss it right away. (They're not heat-sealed)
So remember that when you're donating old food or cleaning out your own pantry.
I'm a diet soda addict, and I'm cutting back! If I cut out just one can a day, that's well over $100 over the year. I've started cuttingback and weening off the caffeine. Wish me luck and Happy New Year!
Growing up in the 60's and 70', my dad was a business manager for our school district, and made very good money. The reason he ate ketchup sandwiches for example is for him it reminded him of his youth. It brought back fond memories. My mom had the grease pot because that bacon grease added so much more flavor to the food. I guess your parents did not grow up during the depression when ketchup was used to even make gravy. So, even tho they were hard time for my parents as kids, the food that came from that era brought back memories for them. And I can tell you I never ate Hamburger Helper, my mom did not get free soup bones, she used the bones that came from our roast dinner the night before. SO, do not be snobby until you have tried some of these things. And do not make fun of people who do enjoy them!
If anyone feels the need to unburden themselves of a toxic Zhu Zhu pet or 2, I'll gladly take them off your hands. My daughter is begging for one and I can't find any at a reasonable price. (And no, Amazon's current price of $36 for a $10 toy is not "reasonable".)
OP--Congratulations, your family out-frugled mine! I didn't think that was possible. It sounds as if you grew up in a farm family, or at least in a farm community, because many of the things you did were foreign to us (egg money and the 4H club).
That being said, some of the frugal things we did growing up did have an impact. Now when we make french fries, we save the vegetable oil for the next time we make french fries. It takes a lot of oil to make french fries, and oil isn't cheap, so we figure it isn't a problem to reuse it for the same function. Not about the bacon grease thing...no way, sorry!
These things have absolutely nothing to do with being poor. It was what you had to do to get by in a circumstance and that way of living was passed down through generations. You as a person either chose to use the same methods or go your own way.
I am not poor. I live in a 2000 sq ft brand new condo. We have 2 new vehicles. Brand new furniture. Flat screens hanging on the wall in 3 rooms. We take vacations. And are raising 2 children.
But i still...
-Only use a half pound hamburger in meals even if it calls for more. I will add rice to taco meat, oatmeal and such to meatloaf.
-I save uneaten snacks that my kids will finish off later when they are hungry again.
-Serve spaghetti once or twice a week. Sometimes with no meat.
-Keep heat to a minimum and use layers and blankets
-Anything that is not used on a daily basis stays unplugged until needed.
-Hang laundry to air dry
-Wash and reuse plastic zip loc bags that have not had raw meat in them
-Tend to a garden for almost free fruits and veggies
-Plan my trips accordingly to save gas
-Use coupons and rebates
And many many many many more things. I do this to not waste as so many others do. It also cuts the costs to a minimum and allows us to have the nice things we wish to have without breaking the bank. And all while showing our children that choices have to made and hard work is involved with every aspect of life. It's all about choices. Not if you are poor or not.
I can't help but find it funny when someone discusses how unhealthy or nasty these things are, how their parents were "frugal", and in the same breath mentions family vacations. I guess that point may be the same that others are making. Some of you had parents that were frugal by choice, others of us had parents who were frugal because they couldn't make it any other way.
My family went camping once, when I was 14. That was the only vacation we ever had.
As far as food is concerned, I still clean my plate. I enjoy food, and never put something on my plate that I won't eat. I also try everything at least once.
I saved bacon grease for the first time in years, just last week. I had forgotten how good it is to flavor certain foods.
Gardens, hunting, and fishing provided alot of food for our table. Outside of that, we ate alot of cheap meals, almost always accompanied with slaw, and biscuits. Both of which were cheap. My family ate though 60-70 quarts of canned green beans each year, which came from my grandfathers garden.
Our heat was always on 65, and AC never happened.
While I am now frugal by choice, and have a much easier life then my very hardworking parents did at my age, I do still enjoy many of these same things. I eat much healthier than I did as a kid, but anytime food can be acquired from a garden, farmers market, or from the wild, I'm all for it. (All healthy ways)
I can relate to a lot of these as a child who grew up with a father who couldn't hold a job. We had every color of day-glo mac and cheese the food bank offered, the moldy cheese, a can of bacon grease to eat with our soup beans and on special Sundays, a slice of Spam to go with our beans. Food bank food wasn't (and probably still isn't) healthy. I'm surprised our arteries didn't revolt.
Now that I'm grown, I'm working AND frugal rather but eating much healthier. But I still can't look at mac and cheese without vurping a little.
Run a 10K in under 60 mins, stay married (good for your health), Lose an add'l 10 lbs.
if i'm hungry before going to bed my new habit will be to replace sugary snacks and desserts with snacks based on protein and complex carbs.
Have more focused workouts at the gym in 2010!
I'm planning on getting out and walking most work days during lunch to get exercise and clear my head. This year I only made about 1/2 of them. Next year.. 3/4 maybe ;)
The first one I started last month and hope to continue through 2010 - take a picture every day. I got a new camera and I want to practice using it, but I also want to improve my photography skills in general, so I set a goal to take at least one picture every single day.
The other goal with hopefully save me money as well as improve my health - I plan to not eat any meat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'm not against eating meat, but I do want to eat healthier and I figure that adding in more tofu and beans while at the same time cutting out some meat (especially red meat) will improve my health, as well as save me money in the long run.
I have decided to actually track my workouts. I feel like I go to the gym enough, but I want data to back it up.
My boyfriend and I are going to be working out at least 4x a week. I told him that if we keep that up until April, starting now, I'll agree to the purchase of a PS3 (or new computer, whichever seems best at the time). We just have to get back in the habit...
In the next few weeks we will be starting a new diet, not for weight loss (though that would be great!) but for health. Lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, that kind of thing.
I'll never understand how people who don't trust the government, their democratically elected government, to handle healthcare, but they are more than happy to trust a profit-driven insurance company to do the same job.
My health insurance is provided by the Government of Canada. My Health care is provided by my doctor. The government never, ever tells me that i'm over my limit, or that I'm not covered because I have a pre-existing condition. But I hear lots of horror stories about how US health insurers do that.
Nope, if my doc prescribes a treatment, I tip my hat and say "thanks doc!" and I don't pay a cent, and I can go and get the treatment without this government interference you're all so afraid of. It's awesome. And no US insurance company saying, "oh look, you had your wisdom teeth out once, that's a pre-existing condition. "
It's not a perfect system by any stretch, but it's a hell of a lot better than yours!
A single-payer plan for the U.S. would be great, as long as everyone agrees to live with the consequences.
Right now Medicare covers anything for which there is a billing code, no matter the cost.
That's not the way the rest of the world does it.
Other public health plans evaluate treatments on strict cost-benefit criteria.
In reality, the older you are, the less benefit you'll see, so treatments would indeed be restricted as you age.
We do that backwards right now in the U.S. - the longer you live, the more care you get, without considering the expense.
We cannot afford to do that under universal coverage - hard choices will have to be made.
You can follow it up with some ice cream soup!
I have to start eating smaller portions, and quit eating in restaurants as much, save both calories and money.
John DeFlumeri Jr
I've decided on two things. I have gotten out of the habit of packing my breakfast and lunch to take to work. I'm going to start doing that again and I have already begun to pack breakfast each day this week. Packing both meals will save about $10/day.
I've also come to rely too much on takeout for dinner. I've already cut way back on that in December.
In an effort to eat healthier I've decided to focus on adding fruits and vegetables to each meal. For dinner, I plan to fill half my plate with veggies. For lunch, I'll substitute edamame or sliced bell peppers for chips I'll add a piece of fruit to breakfast.
I still ignore expiration dates, because 1. They are probably sooner than they should be to avoid legal entanglements, and 2. There is only one person in the world with enough information to decide if the carton of milk in my hand has gone bad, and that person is me, not some robot box-stamper three weeks ago.
Also, it might interest people to know this: The Food Bank in my area keeps cans that are 7 years past the date (they don't keep them that long, but some people donate expired stuff) but if soup or sauce in one of those tetra boxes is past the date, they toss it right away. (They're not heat-sealed)
So remember that when you're donating old food or cleaning out your own pantry.
Having been raised by frugal parents, this is a list I can definitely relate to. Excellent job!
I'm a diet soda addict, and I'm cutting back! If I cut out just one can a day, that's well over $100 over the year. I've started cuttingback and weening off the caffeine. Wish me luck and Happy New Year!
Healthy habit - excercise more. Unfortunately it is unlikely I will save money, more likely it will cost me.
My healthy new years habit? Whiskey - neat.
'nuf said.
Growing up in the 60's and 70', my dad was a business manager for our school district, and made very good money. The reason he ate ketchup sandwiches for example is for him it reminded him of his youth. It brought back fond memories. My mom had the grease pot because that bacon grease added so much more flavor to the food. I guess your parents did not grow up during the depression when ketchup was used to even make gravy. So, even tho they were hard time for my parents as kids, the food that came from that era brought back memories for them. And I can tell you I never ate Hamburger Helper, my mom did not get free soup bones, she used the bones that came from our roast dinner the night before. SO, do not be snobby until you have tried some of these things. And do not make fun of people who do enjoy them!
2009 was a year without gravy for me. Happier and healthier. (actually a little sadder, but healthier.)
If anyone feels the need to unburden themselves of a toxic Zhu Zhu pet or 2, I'll gladly take them off your hands. My daughter is begging for one and I can't find any at a reasonable price. (And no, Amazon's current price of $36 for a $10 toy is not "reasonable".)
OP--Congratulations, your family out-frugled mine! I didn't think that was possible. It sounds as if you grew up in a farm family, or at least in a farm community, because many of the things you did were foreign to us (egg money and the 4H club).
That being said, some of the frugal things we did growing up did have an impact. Now when we make french fries, we save the vegetable oil for the next time we make french fries. It takes a lot of oil to make french fries, and oil isn't cheap, so we figure it isn't a problem to reuse it for the same function. Not about the bacon grease thing...no way, sorry!
These things have absolutely nothing to do with being poor. It was what you had to do to get by in a circumstance and that way of living was passed down through generations. You as a person either chose to use the same methods or go your own way.
I am not poor. I live in a 2000 sq ft brand new condo. We have 2 new vehicles. Brand new furniture. Flat screens hanging on the wall in 3 rooms. We take vacations. And are raising 2 children.
But i still...
-Only use a half pound hamburger in meals even if it calls for more. I will add rice to taco meat, oatmeal and such to meatloaf.
-I save uneaten snacks that my kids will finish off later when they are hungry again.
-Serve spaghetti once or twice a week. Sometimes with no meat.
-Keep heat to a minimum and use layers and blankets
-Anything that is not used on a daily basis stays unplugged until needed.
-Hang laundry to air dry
-Wash and reuse plastic zip loc bags that have not had raw meat in them
-Tend to a garden for almost free fruits and veggies
-Plan my trips accordingly to save gas
-Use coupons and rebates
And many many many many more things. I do this to not waste as so many others do. It also cuts the costs to a minimum and allows us to have the nice things we wish to have without breaking the bank. And all while showing our children that choices have to made and hard work is involved with every aspect of life. It's all about choices. Not if you are poor or not.
I can't help but find it funny when someone discusses how unhealthy or nasty these things are, how their parents were "frugal", and in the same breath mentions family vacations. I guess that point may be the same that others are making. Some of you had parents that were frugal by choice, others of us had parents who were frugal because they couldn't make it any other way.
My family went camping once, when I was 14. That was the only vacation we ever had.
As far as food is concerned, I still clean my plate. I enjoy food, and never put something on my plate that I won't eat. I also try everything at least once.
I saved bacon grease for the first time in years, just last week. I had forgotten how good it is to flavor certain foods.
Gardens, hunting, and fishing provided alot of food for our table. Outside of that, we ate alot of cheap meals, almost always accompanied with slaw, and biscuits. Both of which were cheap. My family ate though 60-70 quarts of canned green beans each year, which came from my grandfathers garden.
Our heat was always on 65, and AC never happened.
While I am now frugal by choice, and have a much easier life then my very hardworking parents did at my age, I do still enjoy many of these same things. I eat much healthier than I did as a kid, but anytime food can be acquired from a garden, farmers market, or from the wild, I'm all for it. (All healthy ways)
I can relate to a lot of these as a child who grew up with a father who couldn't hold a job. We had every color of day-glo mac and cheese the food bank offered, the moldy cheese, a can of bacon grease to eat with our soup beans and on special Sundays, a slice of Spam to go with our beans. Food bank food wasn't (and probably still isn't) healthy. I'm surprised our arteries didn't revolt.
Now that I'm grown, I'm working AND frugal rather but eating much healthier. But I still can't look at mac and cheese without vurping a little.