In any of the personal finance books I have read lately, one common theme seems to keep appearing; look after your health or you will pay a high price. It is really is true if you think about it. The money we put into savings is for our future goals and retirement. If we don’t look after ourselves we are likely to have to spend that money on hospital bills and medications and not on the things we enjoy. Here are some ways that my husband and I work on maintaining good health. Hopefully you find them useful and helpful.
Eat at home. We rarely eat out, maybe once a month. We are constantly keeping busy in the kitchen and cooking meals at home for ourselves. It gives us a chance to spend time together. It also saves money and is a lot healthier because we can control what goes into the recipes.
Eat little meat. My husband loves meat more than I do so we do make an effort to have it in one or two meals a week but we eat mainly meat free. Not only is this healthier due to less fat but it is also greener.
Avoid processed foods. When we eat we eat stuff we make fresh and from whole foods. We don’t buy things in boxes. Not only are the full of chemicals but they usually don’t taste great. If we want cookies, we bake some. If we want soup, we make some. This way we avoid consuming the preservatives and chemicals that are found in processed foods.
Eat seasonally. Now we live in the centre of Canada, so no matter how hard we try we do still have to buy some off season items during the year, but we do try to limit this. We go bonkers in the summer collecting what we can when it is in season. We are like squirrels storing our food for winter. Between the stuff we grow ourselves and the deals at the store, we do quite well at getting healthy food stocked for winter.
Buy local. We try very hard to buy local as much as we can. We are members of a CSA which is where we get a lot of our produce. This works great for veggies anyways. For fruit it gets a bit trickier due to our climate but we do have success at the local u-picks for berries. By buying local, we are helping limit our carbon footprint which in turn keeps our earth healthy which keeps us healthy.
Garden. This year, now that we own a house, we have a garden. We grow a variety of veggies and they really require little work. Just some regular watering. As far as cost it is a money saver to. Seeds are cheap, we never use a whole pack each year and some soil. Start up costs have been minimal. And boy does the stuff taste amazing. Nothing in the store can beat the taste of your own garden produce.
Exercise. We make it a priority to exercise regularly, 4 times a week actually. Not only does this help us clear our minds and unwind but it bonds us closer and ensures we have strong bodies that are ready for any challenge.
Enough rest. We are improving in this area. We strive to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night and if there are days when we are really dragging our butt, we don’t push ourselves. We take time to recharge and pick up where we left off the next day. Many of us underestimate the importance of sleep and the effects a lack of it has on our body. Don’t be someone in that group. Look after yourself and get rested.
These are just a few ways that we ensure a long healthy life that will allow us to use our money to fulfill our dreams.
What do you do to stay healthy and ensure a sound financial future?
