Do you think frugality makes you healthier? (You buy fewer snacks, pre-packaged foods, bike more, etc.)

Or less healthy? (Buy less organic, cut out the gym membership, etc.)

Overall, what do you think the effect has been on you & your family?

Great question!

For us, I think it's made us healthier in that we

a) rarely eat out
b) rarely eat or buy chips, pop, koolaid, etc
c) walk as much as we can even when it would be more convenient to drive

If we had more money though, I'd like to add

a) more organics
b) more white meat & salmon
c) and I'd join a pilates class!

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It has made us healthier.
1. Less stress about money if you have a budget and know you need to stick to it, as opposed to getting to the last week and realizing you have no money.

2. We eat healthier because we make more from scratch so there are less additives and preservatives.

3. We walk and ride our bikes as much as possible=free exercise.

Made us less
1. We put off doing things that were healthy like continuing WW
2. We put off working out because of gym membership.
3. We turned from eating out to eating convience food at home.
4. Unfortunately I consider the dollar menu at Mc Ds less expencive then buying salad fixing. Yeah we order cheep before healthy.
5. I buy less veggies and fruit because I am more concerned that we will not eat them and they will go bad then buying them because they are healthy and good to have on hand.

So last week I ran into a great deal of free child care and no enrollment fees for the gym so we joined up. Its 7 min from home and offers everything we are looking for. Its a tight addition to our budget and I spent way too much on proper workout clothes (Sports bra ran me $80). Still we weren't getting anywhere sitting at home doing nothing. We are making it a life style change. We go 3 times a week as a family. I am hoping it will do the trick in helping me reach my bigger health goals.

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Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006

I'm on the fence here. It seems that all the fresh and healthy veggies/ fruit are much more expensive than unhealthy options. I have decided though that I would rather pay more for healthy food NOW than to pay more later for bigger clothes, future doctor bills, etc. I eat and workout in as much of a frugal way as possible. It is doable! I Tae-Bo at home video I bought a couple years ago on amazon for just a couple bucks and I run (free). No special workout clothes needed because I am HOME and no one sees me. I eat LESS (frugal/healthy) and I buy my slimfast drinks in powder at CVS for free (with giftcard I get for a prescription for my vitamins (my insurance pays for all but .87cents of it...which means I get a $25 gift card that costs me .87 cents for vitamins I need anyway). I get cheap fruit, such as bananas. I also buy frozen fruit which is cheaper than the fresh alternative, most of the time.

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Mom to Ryan ('06)

Oh, and I also buy the cheaper option for veggies too. Such as carrots, I buy whole carrots instead of baby carrots. And usually I pay for the organic rather than regular because it's only about a quarter difference for a lb of carrots. Also I buy potatoes and other veggies w/a sales ad. Canned is also cheaper. I eat green beans like crazy....usually 1-2 cans per day. Which I can get for 33 cents per can on a sales ad.

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Mom to Ryan ('06)

This is a good question. i can see how it would go both ways. I think if you HAVE to be frugal bc you are broke, the answer would be less healthy. B/c you would be just getting things to get you through. If you are frugal as a choice, but have the money to spend more, it might make you more healthy, b/c you'd be able to seek out healthy, frugal choices, all the while knowing you aren't going to starve....For me, I tend to bake/cook with my kids, make food treats, etc as entertainment, so weight gain is an issue, even if your ingredients are healthier. I see at school a lot of the lower income kids bring chips for their snack while the higher income kids bring fruits/vegs. Not sure if this is a $ issue or a health education issue.