Experts are saying we have a few rough years ahead financially (news flash – last year wasn’t so great either). Here at Marilu.com, we’re going to figure out ways to budget through this, without compromising our health. Look for Budget & Finance tips on the sidebar to the right.
Okay, not yet. As we add budget tips here on the blog, they’ll show up over there in the index.
So here’s the first budget tip to get you started – Make today your financial starting line. Starting now, do not incur any more debt. Do not spend what you do not have in cash, ready to pay out. Another way to look at it – think of every pay period as it’s own fiscal calendar. Never (ever) spend more than you make in a pay period. If you have extra money at the end of a pay period, it just accumulates for a bigger purchase later (yeah – LATER, not now, because you don’t have the cash to pay for it now). Ready to declare victory over your budget? Let’s do it.
January’s class is off to a great start! We’ve been testing out (and testing the limits of) the chat room with Marilu and with each other. It’s great to be reunited with THM® buddies, and to get to know lots of new friends, too!
The Green Machine group is off to a good start. Group members have posted their commitments for the month, listing the health robbers they’re reducing or eliminating altogether, encouraging each other to exercise, and reviewing their plans and successes with Kecia, the Green Machine coach.
The Purple Passion group is finishing up Countdown (a detox and preparatory phase) and will be jumping into Purple Week menus this weekend. The menu plan has been posted on the Class page for members to download. Coach AlaskaKathy continues to hold all group members to a standard of daily posting and following the menu plan.
It’s not too late to join the class. You can start now – and redefine your body, realign your priorities, and redesign your life! Join today.
It’s cold outside for much of the northern hemisphere. That means time for SOUP. This is a favorite soup of THM’ers. It’s easy to prepare, and everyone (even the “I’m not eating healthy!” crowd) loves it. Plus, if you pack a lunch, it travels well.
Red Lentil Soup Purple * serves 4
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
2 ½ cups of vegetable stock
4 ounces of red lentils
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of paprika
small pinch of cayenne pepper
Heat the oils in a frying pan. Add onion, carrot, and celery cook until onions is soft. Add the stock, lentils and seasoning. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and cook for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Serve hot.
On the side, try: green salad or crudite plate, and crusty bread for those with hearty appetites.
Take a walk.
Go for a hike.
Ride your bicycle.
Go inline skating.
Get some friends and play basketball.
Or volleyball.
Tennis, anyone?
Jump rope.
Hula hoop.
Go sledding.
Ice skating.
Skate boarding.
Go for a swim.
Chase the dog.
Chase the kids.
Dance with your sweetheart.
You know what happens when you’re at one kid’s soccer game, and your second kid needs a ride to piano lessons, and that’s fine, but you thought someone else would be taking care of that, but he’s getting a physical … sheesh! Some days are really confusing.
Get one big family calendar for the kitchen, and commit to writing every school function, practice, lesson, party, appointment, concert, and event on it. (Budget tip: calendars are on sale in January!) If you have other planners with appointments in them, commit to transferring the info that affects your family. (Here’s a good test – is a car involved? Then it involves the rest of the family. Either they’re down a car, a driver, or a responsible adult, so they need to know.)
Trade in carbonated beverages for water, and see your weight change and your health improve. It’s not instant, but it’s a small change that will add up fast.
Sodas made with sugar or corn syrup add calories without nutrition, and lead to tooth decay (just ask your dentist).
Even diet sodas cause problems. The chemical sweeteners can lead to cravings for more sweet foods, or for salty foods (to balance the sweetness of the soda). Either way, you don’t need those extra foods. And we really don’t know what all those chemicals are doing in our bodies over time.
Drinking a carbonated beverage means drinking in gas… and then you have to get rid of the gas. No matter which end it comes out, it’s not the image you want to project. At least we don’t think so.
Are you new to Marilu.com? We have message boards open to the public as well as pages on our website, and the blog categories listed on the right. To get to the message boards, click on Community, and you’ll see the link there. Come and join us!
