Hey all! Here are 5 ways that helped me stay on budget and still live a healthy lifestyle when I was broke. Hopefully these life hacks are useful to you as well =)

1. Working Out ~ When you’ve just moved somewhere or you’re really  trying to save money you still can have options and you still can get in the gym! What I would do in these times is research all the gyms in my area or the ones I would like to workout at. Make a list and register with all of them for their free trial passes. Some trial passes go for up to 7 consecutive days! Let’s say you registered with 5 and most of the passes were about 3 days. If you plan your workout days out, that could give you over 4 weeks of time to go have a great time at the gym! This not only helps you save money and buys you time, but it helps you decide which gym you want a membership at when you are ready. Other great ideas to try are sites like Groupon – you can find some massive deals on there. I’ve found deals like 5 classes for $10 in the past! And then of course, there’s YouTube. If you would just prefer to work out at home, there’s a plethora of exercise videos on YouTube! Other than these ideas, going for a run or even a brisk walk (if you make this a habit) are also good options..and are free!
2. Saving Money ~ a great way to see your Savings Account grow is to put 20% of each paycheck in Savings. Once you do that, just try to forget it’s there…and watch your Savings grow! Another idea – I’d you don’t like to “see” your Savings, I know some people that have a completely different bank for their Savings Account. That way it’s not something you see all the time when checking your everyday bank. You can also research accounts that make saving a little easier by offering a higher interest rate (example: Capital One 360 card, some Credit Union Savings Accounts). Either way, keeping aside at least 20% of each check to start with will definitely help build your Savings Account.
3. Eating Healthy ~ Eating healthy on a budget can definitely be hard, I know this! But, some ways that I tried to manage it when I was broke was going to more affordable grocery stores like Winco, Independent Markets, etc. When you bring home your groceries, meal prep. Prepare food for the whole week – healthy food. Use fewer ingredients and stick to some staple foods you know you like.  *** Side note: while we’re on the talks of things in your kitchen…for decor, cooking supplies, storage containers and more utilize your Dollar Store! You’ll be surprised what goodies you can find in there sometimes! 
4. Shopping ~ You don’t have to feel like you can’t go shopping because you’re on a budget. If you have a little extra to spend, need some retail therapy, or just have a budget, walk your happy butt to the back of the store to Clearance Section!! You can still find some legit pieces back there! Allot of the time stores will put items on Clearance because they have new stock coming in and just need room. Don’t feel ashamed, they are still in the store to be sold and if you’re not the one getting that deal, someone else will be. Another idea is those wonderful stores like Marshall’s, Ross, TJ Maxx, etc. … No matter how much money I have or how rich I get, I’m still gonna like those stores #realtalk. You can find some gems there for sometimes more than half the original price!
5. Paid Surveys ~ If you Google things like “Market Research Paid,” “Paid Surveys,” “Focus Group Paid,” “Consumer Opinions,” these should bring you to site where you can sign up in a database where companies will call you to take surveys and pay you for it! When I used to do these, I would often make $150 – $200 for just 2 – 3 hours of my time! Easy money! And they’re actually kind of fun…especially when it was a food tasting test hehe 🙂

These are some things that helped me when I had either first moved somewhere, was broke or needed more ways to save money. I hope these ideas are of some help to you! And remember, if money is here today and gone tomorrow, money can always be re-earned. Life goes in waves, if you’re down today, it won’t be long till you’re back up again ❤