Hey Family!
I'm trying to really save some money. I've set a budget, but I was wondering if anybody had any tips on how to stick to the budget, where to shave off a few extra cents every month, or how to eat super cheap (that is still relatively healthy...apparently man is not meant to live on instant rice alone). Oh, and that's another thing, is regular rice cheaper? How do you make regular rice without a rice cooker? Does rice have nutritional value? Holly eats a lot of it, so I always assumed it did.
I'm trying to eat healthier so I have more energy. I'm trying to eat fruits, veggies, etc. Any good tips? Is it okay that I drench my veggies in ranch? I'm not trying to loose weight, just gain energy...so ranch is fine, right? I drink tons of water. Therefore I'm not hungry for milk. (I usually have milk in my cereal only, and I only have cereal like 4 times a week) Are my bones going to fall apart Holly? Is there a cheaper way to get calcium besides milk? I like milk, and it isn't that expensive...i just don't go shopping very much, so I always try to make one gallon last two weeks. I learned that I can freeze it, so I keep a gallon in my freezer, and use that for the second half of the month. Am I going through it way too slow? I want to save money, but osteoporosis does not sound delightful.
The other problem with drinking a lot of water is this: I cannot go two hours without needing to use a restroom. This poses a problem...of my three class I am in right now, two of them are two hours long. Also, I work long hours. I can excuse myself whenever I need, but still....it's kinda ridiculous. And, we are going through toilet paper like no other in my apartment. Oh the joys of trying to change a habit. This is a problem I don't need help solving. I just wanted to share, and you are probably thinking, why is she sharing this...
This is what it feels like:
Along the healthy lines...I'm obsessed with youtube right now. It has some awesome work out videos. You just type in how much time you have, and what muscles you want to work out and bam. A new workout video every time, free of charge. It's my best friend. :)
These are the questions that go through my head all day long, but whenever I have one of you on the phone, I usually forget to ask.
WARNING: Dad, don't get your hopes up because of the following question. No decisions have been made. I'm just trying to prepare, just in case. How much do you guys think it would cost to go on a mission? Not just the monthly payment, but the cost of clothing and other things I'll need before hand. I bet it could add up real quick. How much should I be putting away? Anybody have any good guesses.
I love you all.
Kimmie
P.S. Notice the green...money, eating veggies....yeah, I thought that out.
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9:48 AM
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11 things to say:
I'll ask Jenny about the mission thing. She served state-side.
As far as calcium. It is healthy to get calcium in a variety of ways. You are probably drinking enough milk (especially if you actually drink your leftover cereal milk - all the fortifications from your cereal fall into the milk, so drinking the leftovers is doubly healthy). Other ways to get calcium - broccoli, yogurt, cheeses, maybe even your ranch dressing). Making sure your bones are growing properly now (good calcium and resistance exercise) will fortify you for later in life. Right now, your bones are still building (as long as you're eating right), but in the future, even if you eat right, your bones will just start depleting so make them as dense as you can right now.
You don't eat enough calories, so putting lots of ranch on your veggies shouldn't hurt as long as there isn't a bunch of cholesterol that will stay glued to your arteries.
You are right about juice, it doesn't give you quite the vitamins nor the fiber that a fruit would give you. Unfortunately, it probably is cheaper, so you may want to supplement a fruit (50cents) for juice (the way i buy it, about 12 cents for a 6oz serving) every once in a while. A serving of fruit in juice is 6oz so you can do the math with your grocery prices in Provo to figure out how much cheaper it actually is.
Rice and beans (real beans, not precooked canned beans) are both super duper cheap. Beans, especially black beans, are pretty healthy. They both give you lots of protein, fiber, vit b1, and iron to name a few things. Rice has a couple of vitamins and iron because the US requires it be enriched with such. However, brown rice can have more vitamins and you may want to look into how expensive it is. You don't need a rice cooker to make rice. It just takes simmering it in the correct amount of water for 20 minutes (or until the water is dissolved). I used to make it this way all the time. Then I add cream of chicken sauce (1 can of crm of chicken and a little milk or water heated up). Cream of chicken isn't the healthiest, but I always say "welp, I do need the protein" and eat it anyway. Plus, if you add milk, then there's your dairy too!
Okay, Canden just woke up so I goota go.
Love ya!
Oh my funny Kimmie!
Did you take that pic of the money on the roll? Probably not but still FUNNY!
This is the live cheap philosophy of Shelly:
Rice has nutritional value but brown rice has MUCH more (it cost more but not a lot.) When I'm feeling poor I use half white and half brown. Yes you can cook rice on the stovetop (Youtube that!)
Along that same line, potatoes are pretty cheap. If I were you I would go in on a bag with a friend though as they go bad faster than anyone would like (only spend about $2 for 10lbs- $1 from you, $1 from friend)
You are drinking enough milk. That sounds fine.
FYI real oatmeal is a lot cheaper than cold cereal and is a lot better for you.
Water is from heaven and you are doing great. Feel free to use the restroom if you have to. So what?!? Swallow your pride and admit that carrying a water bottle around has it's price and it's worth paying.
Ranch, huh? Well, I know that you are not worried about weight gain but Ranch really isn't that great for you for other reasons. My cholesterol is still in the normal range but it is getting up there. I blame Hidden Valley ;) Not really but I do blame the "I can eat crappy things like Little Debbie Snacks because I'm trying to gain weight" mentality. I think Ranch might fall right into that category. I'm not saying cut it, I'm just saying be careful.
As far as cheap and healthy go, I would say increase your protein. There is protein in milk products (right after saying that you are good on your milk :) so watch for cottage cheese and yogurt to go on sale (I get Fat Free but that is because I eat too much milk fat in my cheese...my weakness.) Buy those frozen chicken tenderloins (watch for sales- I think Smiths has one right now) and protein shakes or bars can work for between meal snacks (if you can afford them.) I also make sure to have eggs every now and again. They are probably cheaper than your cold cereal and much better for you. Oh, and if you eat tuna (you do right?) find tuna on sale (about $0.50 or less) and it offers great protein. I find if I don't have enough protein in my diet I get tired and sluggish.
Fruits and Veggies are great. I like apples because they fill me up and I feel like I got a treat. Onions are really affordable and you can add them to lots of meals and feel like you are getting some veggies. Believe it or not, carrots are great snacks even without ranch.
Cheap but probably not terribly healthy are frozen burritos when they go on sale. And ramen on sale. (do you see a theme here- on sale- I stock up when things are the price I want to pay for them. I check the store flyers before I go)
You should be careful not to over consume cheap starches (rice, potatoes, and pasta) It is SOOO easy to do when you are a poor college student. You just don't have the energy you will need if you do.
If you are really concerned about being healthy and having energy I would take a multivitamin (I have some that I could give you for free! That is a good price)
Decide now that you can't afford anything in the vending machines. It's not any good for you any how. Maybe for a special treat, you can pick a particular day (last day of term) to get whatever you want.
This is kind of a lame trick I would pull when I would get hungry (If you are like me that is roughly every hour and a half or so.) Carry gum on you. You can chew it in class. It has calories and it tricks your body into thinking you're eating so you don't focus on your hunger and you can keep working. (Man, this kinda sounds bad... I did eat!) But once again, I bought gum when it was cheap and would stock up.
WOW!!!
I'm pretty sure there is a beam in my eye but I hope this helped with your mote!
I agree with Holly, beans are another great cheap protein.
Thanks sisters! Maybe I'm crazy, but I have never bought beans that weren't in a can. So...look for a bag of them? I can do that. How do you cook them though? I guess I could youtube it :)
I'm really excited that you guys think I'm doing okay on milk. I'll keep that up.
So I actually don't like oatmeal. I've tried to eat it a number of times, but I always get sick of it before I finish a bowl.Any good add ins besides brown sugar? And sprinkles...I don't know why I did that so much as a kid.
I have low fat ranch (I inherited it from a roommate). Is that better on cholesterol? And just so you know, I eat my veggies without ranch half the time, mainly because I didn't have time to put ranch in a container to take with me for the day. So, I do enjoy carrots and broccoli without the ranch sometimes.
I literally took notes on your guys' suggestions. Thanks :)
I actually didn't take that picture, but it fit in just right, didn't it?
OH, and resistance exercise? what does that mean?
it literally means putting pressure against something. so running is resistance for leg bones, lifting weights is the most well known resistance exercise. let me know if i'm not clear
I forgot to add that though swimming is good exercise, it is considered low resistance because you're not pushing against anything, just a little bit of water. Does that help clarify?
Kimmers- Wow, I miss you. I am glad that you care about what you eat and taking care of your body and budget.
We stopped buying instant rice a long time ago. Regualr rice is so easy to cook on the stove top. Boil two parts water with a little bit of salt. Then add one part rice, turn down heat to medium-low and cover for 20 minutes. Do not open the cover or try to stir it, just let it be:)
I am interested to hear what you do about the beans. We always buy canned, they are so easy and yummy.
This is what you do... You see there is a place called Little Caesar's. They have five buck pizzas. Now if you ration it you can make it last for days. Its good for breakfast lunch and dinner. It usually goes good with soda. Now you don't have to reheat it but I suggest it. Just put in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. If you put it in too long you will have to eat it fast before it gets hard.
Oh David, you can't make a Little Caeser's last for days!?!? One, maybe two sittings is all!
For that same $5 dad can have 5 meals of dollar menu items with a water at any fast food establishment, and Holly could feed herself for a week.
I'm too lazy to log out of High School Musical so this is Shelly as if you couldn't guess
Thanks for the suggestion dave. I'll keep that in mind.
love you!
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