On budgeting and saving money

Besides raising children and attending to endless load of work at home, what else do you find hard to manage? It can cause you a lot of stress especially when something happened unexpectedly.

It’s a struggle to manage family finances especially when you are working on a minimal budget. It’s like a mental torture seeing your bills pile up before payment date arrives. There are just too many bills and dues to pay, house rent, groceries to buy, not to mention those extra expenditures, like health premiums and yes, credit card (if you own one).

You also have to consider setting aside a small amount of your earnings for your monthly savings. Balancing everything is no mean feat. A little creativity and resourcefulness is all you need during these days, to think of some ways to augment the family income and somehow help you get by until the next pay check.

No-Hunger Games: How to Lose Weight the Easy Way

Probably nothing is more frustrating than subjecting your waistline to the tape measure test, only to find out that the numbers still don’t agree with you.  Before you start pulling your hair out from all the frustration, take heart in the fact that there still are effective ways to lose weight fast. 

Some people equate the word “diet” to hunger.  Truth is, it’s not all about hunger games here.  Follow these easy to do weight loss tips for a sexier you:

 

Don’t skip meals.  Starving yourself just won’t work, because that only slows down your metabolism.  What will work instead is eating six small meals each day, because this keeps your metabolism going.  Spacing out your meals too long will slow down your metabolism.  The maximum time between meals should be 3 hours.

Eat a wide variety of vegetables.  When picking out your veggies, keep the colors of the rainbow in mind.  Each veggie color has its own set of nutrients, so if you have a colorful plate of vegetables, you’re sure that you’re getting all the essential nutrients you need to keep your energy level high (not to mention, a visually appealing dinner plate!). 

Drink water.  Throughout the day, be sure to take frequent sips of water.  This will keep you hydrated, because dehydration has been said to slow down one’s metabolism.  More than that, it’ll give you a feeling of fullness, so you won’t have to crave for that bag of potato chips.

Walk the fat away.  No matter how busy you are, you should be able to squeeze in at least half an hour of walking each day.  Instead of using the elevator to get from one floor to another, use the stairs.  Park your car a little further away from your office building.  Baby steps (pun intended!) will definitely go a long way in achieving your weight loss goals.

Lastly, keep your willpower switched on at all times.  Keep a journal of your weight and measurements, so you can keep track of the progress you’re making.  This will help motivate you to work harder.

Sure, there may be occasions when you’ll feel like throwing in the towel and giving up, but that won’t help you succeed.   We all go through hell sometimes, but it’s only a matter of time before we emerge from it.  Pick yourself back up, and tell yourself that you can lose weight.

Happy Easter!

Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life. ~S.D. Gordon

(Illustration by my daughter. More of her drawings and sketches here.)