When money is tight, monitoring your expenses carefully and setting your priorities straight is a must in order to make ends meet month after month. Paying your mortgage, utility bills, and setting money aside for food, transport, and other necessary expenses will probably make it to the top of your list. But as you’re analysing and calculating, health and wellness will probably end up at the bottom of the list.
The truth is that wellness comes at a cost and not everyone can afford to lead the type of lifestyle that health advocates promote, which is why health-related matters are often left on the back burner. Buying healthy organic food costs a lot, gym memberships can add to the financial burden, and going to therapy may be well beyond your budget.
That doesn’t mean you should simply stop caring for your health just because it’s expensive and you’ve got more pressing matters to focus on. If you ignore this aspect for too long, you’ll eventually end up dealing with serious health issues, meaning you’ll need to spend more money to treat a problem that could have been prevented with a less substantial financial effort.
Fortunately, if you’re clever about it, you won’t have to spend a fortune on healthy living. You can take care of your mental and physical health even if you’re not rich. Here are a few ways to make things work when the odds are against you.
Create a health budget
You’ll have higher chances of achieving your health goals if you approach things strategically and come up with a plan in this respect. That plan should include creating a monthly budget and putting money aside that you can only spend on health-related matters, whether that means purchasing food, exercise equipment, going to the gym, or engaging in other wellness activities that you might find useful.
It can be difficult to build a health fund when you barely have enough to pay for the essentials, but once you resolve that improving your health should be a priority no matter what, you may realise that you’ve been focusing on the wrong things all along.
Shop around for healthy produce
A lot of people would like to eat a healthy and balanced diet, but the high costs of fresh organic produce often stand in their way. It’s a well-known fact that healthy ingredients don’t usually come cheap and that’s why our modern diets are filled with processed foods and meals that are anything but nutritious.
But if you do your research and compare the prices of organic and non-organic or processed food, you may discover that the difference is not that big. In fact, as the demand for healthy foods and products containing natural ingredients continues to increase, so does the number of cost-effective options in this regard. So, if you want to eat healthier, explore and compare local suppliers and providers to find the best option.
Ditch the gym
Ditching the gym may sound counterproductive at first glance, but we’re not talking about giving up on physical exercise. The simple truth is that you don’t have to pay for a gym subscription to maintain a workout routine and stay in top physical condition. For some people, the mere thought of having to hit the gym acts like an unwanted pressure that instead of motivating them has the exact opposite effect.
You can work out from the comfort and privacy of your own home without having to spend a dime. YouTube is brimming with exercise videos that are completely free for everyone to use, so go have a look and see if there’s anything that might work for you. Also, if you enjoy spending time outdoors, you can include running or cycling in your workout routine at no cost at all.
Look for support
It’s up to you to look after your health and wellness, but you can also use a bit of support from the outside. Many communities have low-cost gym programs and if you search around, you can also find professionals in every health-related domain, including therapists, that offer their services for free.
Getting help is especially important in extreme situations when special care is required. For example, if you’ve suffered an injury in an accident that wasn’t your fault and you can’t afford to cover medical expenses, you can inquire about the process and the compensation you could receive by making a personal injury claim.
Cook more often
You already know that what you put on your plate matters. Eating out all the time or ordering food from different restaurants can have a negative impact on both your health and your bank account. First of all, you have no way of knowing or controlling how healthy the ingredients that you’re consuming are, and secondly, if you do the math, you’ll probably come to the conclusion that eating out costs a lot more than cooking your own food.
So, if you’ve already got the buying healthy food issue covered, you might want to brush up on your cooking skills next. You don’t have to be a Michelin-starred chef to prepare delicious meals at home. The internet is full of amazing tips and ideas to support you on your cooking journey.
Get a good night’s sleep
It’s true that many factors relating to health and wellness incur expenses, but there are also certain activities that cost no money at all, such as sleeping. It may not exactly count as an activity, since you’re not doing anything, but getting adequate sleep every night is imperative for keeping your mind and body healthy.
Some people think of sleep as a waste of time, and try to cut back on it so they can get more things done. But we encourage you to view sleep as an investment in your own health and wellbeing.
Making small changes can help you develop positive habits that benefit both your body and your budget, so take things step by step and don’t forget that your health is in your own hands.
