Money Tips #1

Back at the dorm now! All settled in and now just slowly building up my courage to make my way down and heat up the stove. But until then, here are some tips I promised to share.

A good place to start for any college student is money. One of the biggest issues in maintaining a healthy diet is the cost. Let's face it, healthy fresh food can be pretty darn expensive. Not to mention if you're not lucky enough to be close to a farmer's market, you typically have to buy in bulk. And bulk offers the chance of spoiling. Then there is the fact that not every campus has a grocery store or market in walking or biking distance, so for those who have a car you're paying gas bills.

So the big question: With all of this cost, is the healthy route still worth it?

Yes. 110% YES.

This is about being healthy. What you do now can, and typically will, greatly affect your body in the future.

I have high cholesterol. It is from the poor choices and, sadly, genetics (curse you genetics). If I don't do something about this now, I could get very sick in the near future. There will be extra doctor's visits, medicine, and probably would have to visit a specialist. I think a little extra work and a little extra cost now can help greatly reduce cost in the future.

And the same can be said for anyone. So this comes to my first tip:

Tip 1: Don't be put off by the cost. Don't go for the fast-food burger just because it is cheap. That thing can start to cost you greatly later on. So work on saving a little so you can put a little extra in your healthy meals.

But not everyone has time or the talent to instantly drop the fast-food. And not everyone can stand a salad or the thought of getting fresh produce every day. But you don't have to. You just need to be conscious of what you are buying.

Tip 2: You don't have to buy expensive, fresh produce that spoils easily! Don't assume healthy instantly means you're limited to the fruits and veggies section in the store. There are many brands that make healthier alternatives to things you like. Progresso, my personal favorite, has delicious soups that are Light. You can stock up on those and they won't go bad if you don't crave one for a few weeks.

As I write Tip 2, I think back to those diet-frozen meals and it reminds me of the trouble I got into. They don't take up much space, they don't spoil easy, they're easy to cook, and some can taste pretty decent. But be careful. I thought it was going to help me lose weight, but my body reacted the opposite and gained instead. A bit of money was wasted on something I had thought would help my weight loss.

Tip 3: Don't instantly assume that you will lose weight or be healthy simply because "Healthy" is in the name of the product. To save on money, and pounds, start off slow with any healthy product, especially frozen meals. Everyone is different. Everyone has a different body type, metabolism, and reaction to certain things. Don't go and stock up on a certain brand or microwave meal without first checking their nutrition label and experimenting with how you react to it.

This does mean a little extra work when you shop. You will need to slowly learn about what you are buying and what is worth the cost, which takes time. And that will come to my final tip of the day.

Tip 4: I recommend don't go get your weekly or monthly groceries if you are in any sort of a rush. To be healthy will take some time at first. Until you know products really well, you will have do some homework. You will need to check and compare labels. Yes, I am saying you need to be one of the people who stand in an aisle holding two different cans of tomato paste reading them. Taking a few extra seconds per item might be annoying, but you can make sure you are getting your money's worth of something. "What? These cans are the exact same price, but this one has 2% less saturated fat!" It might sound silly, but I think it is worth it.

These are just a few little things, but after you start combining things together I think your money will be saved and, more importantly, your health will be protected. Start off slowly. I am still in the learning stages myself, I will be doing all of this with you. But these little steps can help over time and soon we will all be pro-money-saving-healthy-shoppers!