Why I Joined a Gym

A couple of months ago, I mentioned in a post that I was considering joining a gym.  The problem is that I am not only trying to get healthy I am also trying to get out of debt.  I am cutting back on any extra expenses in order to use the money I save to pay down on my debt.  So why did I join a gym?  Why didn't I just start jogging in the mornings or use my workout videos?
  Everyone has there own set of challenges.  I have tried and failed to loose weight many, many times.  Before I started this time, I first thought back on all of my previous attempts to figure out what went wrong.  The answer I decided was accountability.  When I work out on my own, I tend to get caught up in other things and never get started.  It's not that I don't like to work out, I do, but I get caught up in a TV show or a book or realize I need to do the dishes.  The next thing I know it is time for bed and I still haven't worked out.  The times in my life when I have worked out the most consistently where when I had someone to work out with.  I couldn't put it off if I had someone waiting for me.  In grad school, I went to the gym with my friend Vanessa.  When I live overseas, my roommates and I took karate.
   So what does this have to do with the gym?   Well, I needed someone to work out with.  Most of my friends live too far away to work with.  As for the friends who live nearby, I have a crazy schedule and so do most of them.  I might be able to do one or two days a week with them, but that is not enough.  So I thought of the gym.
   The gym I go to is called Omni and it is right across the road from my apartment.  I have actually been a member in the past so I was already familiar with the facilities.  The deciding factor were the classes.  Classes meet at the same time every week.  Unlike working on my own, I can't put them off.  As I keep going to the same classes, I get to know people and they will know if I do not show up.  I have picked three classes I can attend on a regular basis and I try not to miss.  So far it's working.  I am working out 3-4 days a week for the first time in years.  My clothes are fitting better, and I feel stronger.
   The gym may cost a little extra per month, but I believe that the benefits to my health far out way the price. It's not for everyone, but it works for me.   How do you workout?

TIP:  If you do decide to join a gym, it may be possible to talk their price down.  I paid no joining fees and my monthly payments are less than they quoted, because I talked them down.

Saving On Groceries with Angel Food

   Has anyone seen the prices at the grocery store?  I'm looking at the Harris Teeter sales for this week and what strikes me is how high the sale prices are.  So when I try to shop on a budget, I often find myself buying a lot of carbs and not a lot of protein.  One way I combat this is through Angel Food Ministries.

About 90% of this is from Angel Food

   Angel Food Ministries was founded in 1994 by Joe and Linda Wingo of Monroe, GA.  It is a ministry to provide affordable food to people across the United States.  The concept is simple.  Every month Angel Food publishes a menu on it's website.  http://www.angelfoodministries.com/  This menu has several options or boxes. This month the boxes range from $17 (Just 4 Me- After School Fruit and Veggie Box) to $55 (Pastor Joe's Premium Box).  You can buy one box or a combination of boxes.  This is open to everyone.  They do not check family size, income level, or background.  There is a deadline for order's each month.  To find out what it is you must first find a host site.  The host sites are primarily churches (for my non-christian friends you don't have to be a christian for this I've never had anyone preach at me) you simply type in your address and chose the location most convenient for you.  This site will have list it's deadline and pickup time.  In my area there are about three host site's nearby.  The good thing about that is I can choose the one with the best pickup time for me.  For example, this month my online order deadline is August 21 and my pickup time is August 27 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.  It is extremely important to pick up on time.  They will not save the food.  Any boxes leftover will be donated to a food kitchen.

  So is it worth the trouble?  Well that depends.  Usually the answer is yes.  I look at the menu every month an d decide.  But as a comparison,  let's look at this month's menu and compare it to Harris Teeter sales.  I tried to pick Harris Teeter sales that were similar to what Angel Food was serving.  This month:

 Angel Food's Bread of Life                                   Harris Teeter

1 deli sliced ham                                                    Deli sliced meat: $3.50

Roger Wood Sausage Dogs                                   Beef Franks $4.50

Ground Beef                                                          Ground Beef $7.99

Boneless Chicken Breast 1.5lbs                              Boneless Chicken breast $2.47lb (1.5lbs=$3.71)

Chicken leg quarters 4lbs                                       Chicken Drumsticks $1.27lb (4lbs=$5.08)

Ground Turkey 1lb                                                 Frozen Turkey Breast $1.37lb (1lb=$1.37)

 Steak Burgers 1.5lb                                               Boneless Chuck Steak $3.97lb (1.5lbs=5.96)

Mac and Beef                                                         Quick Sides $3.99

10 other items                                                       

Total: 18 items                                                        Total: 8 items

Cost: $35                                                                Cost: $36.11

I hope this helps.  How do you save money on groceries?

UPDATE:  Sadly, since writing this post Angel Food Ministries has gone out of business.  They will be greatly missed.  I will write again if I can find another similar program.

UPDATE: Organizing my time to organize my home

  In my last blog, I shared a link to print out an awesome planner.  The only problem was how to make something that I could carry in my purse.  I came up with a simple solution.

1. I printed out enough pages for the rest of the year (about 35 pages).  I folded each in half.
2. I laminated a plain black piece of paper. and folded it.
3. I placed the pages inside the black laminated paper.  
4. I punched wholes in the crease on each side
5. Finally, I used a ribbon to tie my book together.

    This seems to be working well.  It was cheap and easy to assemble.  What are some of your money saving DIYs.

Organizing my time to organize my home

   Okay, I have a confession.  I have been doing well with my first two goals (Get financially fit and Get healthy), but I have not been doing as well with getting organized.  For some reason it seems easier to get pumped up about money and fitness.  Cleaning on the other hand is not so exciting.  It's not that I can't organize.  I'm actually pretty good at it.  I just can't seem to keep things organized.  So I sat down and thought about how I can jump start my efforts.  I realized that while I sometimes read sites like getrichslowly.com and peruse any health related article that pops up on yahoo, the only organization site I know is flylady.net.  I don't even visit that one as often as I should.  Therefore I sat out on a mission to find any other websites that might offer valuable tools for keeping organized.
  At first I found what I expected, lots of adds for the container store.  This is not exactly what I need.  After all I am trying to save money, but eventually I did manage to find something really useful.  On a website called simpleorganizedliving.com I found a post about scheduling.  I have long known that this is the key to staying organized, and have been working on finding a system that works for me.  The author spoke of her planner and how the ones she bought did not meet all of her needs, so she made her own.  At the end of the article she has a link to a free download of her finished planner.

   The planner has virtually everything I need.  I am on my fourth day of trying it out, and I love it.  It is set up as daily planning sheets.  For my organization efforts it includes a to do list, a top five to do list, a place to write appointments, a meal plan, a "to buy" list, a space for notes, and best of all a daily routine similar to the one developed by the fly lady.  It also has eight little pictures of water cups for me to keep track of how much water I'm drinking, and a spot to write down how much exercise I'm doing.
  I'm trying to come up with a fun DIY to make a little book out of it to carry in my purse.  Any suggestions?
http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2011/02/09/my-daily-routine-free-printables/

My Purple Dress

I love my purple dress.  It's color suits me, It has a jacket for when it's cold, but when it's warm it transforms into a lovely sleeveless.  When it fits, it flatters me perfectly.  The only problem is that it hasn't fit in a long time.  It's probably out of fashion now, but I don't care.  I keep my dress because I know that some day I will wear it again.  That is my goal.  Some people have a weight goal, but mine is a dress goal.  I read recently in that I should get rid of the clothes that no longer fit me.  The author maintained that these clothes are reminders of our failure to loose weight.  I disagree.  Only clothes that are too big should go.  After all, there is no going back on this journey.  I keep a box of my old clothes, so that someday when my current size is too big I can wear them again.  This time next year I plan to wear my dress again.

Is HAES a good idea?

While surfing the web the other day, I found an article about Healthy at Every Size (HAES).  I had never heard of this and it peaked my interest, so I followed the link to it's web site.  The Health At Every Size movement is based on three ideas:

1. Self-Acceptance
2. Physical Activity
3. Normalized Eating

The idea is that normal diets do not work and can in fact cause more harm than good.  Studies show us that yo-yo dieters are in worse shape in the long run than those who do not diet at all.  HAES focuses instead of accepting yourself no mater what  size you are.  Put away the scale it's not important anyway.  What is important is health.  But how can we become healthy if traditional diets can not keep us healthy in the long run?  First, we need to add physical activity.  This does not mean we have to hire a personal trainer.  We should find something we enjoy doing even if it's just dancing around the house.  As for dieting, HAES argues that restrictive diets are impossible to keep up in the long run.  It encourages people to pay attention to their own bodies and eat only when they "eat in response to physiological hunger and fullness cues."  HAES seeks to dispel myths and prejudices about being overweight by sifting the focus of peoples sizes.

   In general, I applaud the HAES movement.  It recognizes that people come in all shapes and sizes and takes the attention off appearance and on to health.  I recognize some of the things I am trying to do in this movement (i.e. not dieting but maintaining a healthy lifestyle).  There is one thing that concerns me:  "We’ve lost the war on obesity. Fighting fat hasn’t made the fat go away. And being thinner, even if we knew how to successfully accomplish it, will not necessarily make us healthier or happier." (http://www.haescommunity.org/index.php)  I'm not ready to wave a white flag and just accept the way I am. I still think my size is very unhealthy and I wish to change it.  I have what I believe are reasonable goals I wish to reach.  I may not be putting an emphasis on the scale, but by restructuring my life along more healthy lines, I believe the weight will naturally improve.  What do you think about this?  Is this a more realistic way to achieve long term results?  Or is this just a way of saying we give up?

For more information:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar06/health0306.htm

http://www.lindabacon.org/HAESbook/

http://www.haescommunity.org/index.php

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36922036/ns/health-womens_health/t/can-you-be-healthy-any-size/

Goal 1: Finances the Dave Ramsey way

"If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else."

Dave Ramsey

Goal 1: Get financially fit.
   A couple of weeks ago I mentioned in the book The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.  This book centers around a series of baby steps.  Step 1 is "Save $1000 fast".  I have finished this step, and it is an enormous relief to know that it is there.  If something were to break, I have the money at to fix most minor problems.  Step 2 is "The Debt Snowball".  I am working on this one now.  Depending on the amount of debt and income, it can take anywhere from a few months to a few years.  The idea is simple, write down all you debts in order from smallest to largest.  Make minimum payments on all debts except for the smallest one.  Scrape together all the extra money you can and use it to pay off the smallest debt.  When that is paid off, use the money you were paying on that to pay off the next smallest debt.  By the time you get to the last one you are using the same amount of money you were when you started, but paying off debt at a faster rate.  Step 3 is "Finish the Emergency Fund".  Dave says "kick Murphy out.".  You should ultimately have three to six months of expenses saved up.  That way if you loose a job you still have enough money to live on for three to six months.  Plus if your car dies, you could buy a cheap used car paid for in cash.  Step 4 is "Maximize Retirement Investing."  Step 5 is "College Funding."  Hopefully with this your kids will never know the pain of student loans.  Step 6  is "Pay off the Mortgage."  Step 7 is "Build Wealth Like Crazy."  If you finish all seven baby steps, you will have complete peace of mind when it comes to finances.
   I highly recommend this book along with Dave's book Financial Peace.  Dave also has a program available in many churches called Financial Peace University.  I have not taken this course yet, but would like to in the future.  Have any of you taken it?  If so, feel free to share your experiences.