How to Stay Healthy in a Bad Economy

When times have been hard in this country, food and exercise were not on the tops of everyone's list. They had to worry about safety, a clean water supply, etc. These days, we don't worry about these things so much until times get hard. Here are a few tips to help you stay healthy in a bad economy.

Some of the most resourceful people you will ever meet are poor people. Money can buy many things, but when that money isn't there, you soon realize what takes top priority in your life. Your health and body are the only things that take us through our lives. Make them the best they can be. Get rid of that gym membership, the best cell phone plan, the latest video game, or the best clothes and shoes. Replace that with going outside and splitting logs for firewood, or picking vegetables all summer and canning them for winter, and writing a sweet letter instead of texting someone. When it comes to clothes, they don't have to be new. You can get some great buys at your local thrift shop. You can also take time to thin your own accumulation of stuff and help someone else out.

When you do the grocery shopping, don't venture in thinking you will only get a few things. Do just a little bit of work beforehand and prepare yourself. Scour all the local papers for coupons, become a member of the grocery store you shop at most, sign up for their weekly special emails, and make a list. If you arm yourself with knowledge even before stepping foot into the store, you will save a ton of money. It will help if you buy as many items that are in their natural state. What is natural state? Instead of buying a watermelon already cut and cubed, buy the whole watermelon and do the work yourself. Or buy a block cheese and shred it yourself instead of buying a pack of shredded cheese that is way more expensive and less food. If you really pay attention to what you buy, then you realize that you don't need everything you see.

My husband and I follow these thoughts and ideas with good results. We are not rich by any means, and there is a lot that we go without, but not anything we need. Since January of this year until October our grocery store savings adds up to $1105. That is money that we did not have to take out of our pockets. Make the most of what you have right now. Don't worry about what you don't have and enjoy what you do have. I hope some or all of these tips help your family navigate through this down economy.