Tips for Staying Frugal While Dieting + $500 Giveaway!

Spring is almost here and a lot of us are keeping up with out New Year's Resolutions to lose weight (go us!), but it is going to become tougher in the coming months. We are going to find ourselves outdoors more shopping, traveling and enjoying the spring weather. There will be more temptation. Eating healthy can be hard enough without the extra stress that it can put on your wallet. A cart full of "real" (non-processed) food can be expensive. Not to mention eating out. Fast food is not an option for dieters. It is true that you can still eat out if you order the correct things; but Salmon, Beef and Chicken can be expensive at restaurants. I have some tips that may help relieve some of the stress on your wallet and even help you stay on your healthy eating track.

1) Buy meat in bulk

Meat is often cheaper in bigger packages. The best stores to buy meat are membership clubs like Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's. If you have a deep freezer you can really maximize your money by signing up with a company like Zaycon Foods. With Zaycon you buy large boxes (the chicken box is 40lbs!) of fresh meat at discount prices. Just trim and divide the meat into individual servings and freeze. If neither of these are an option that work for you; keep an eye on the circulars and stock up on meat when it goes on sale.

2) Prep, Prep, Prep

It may be a pain to spend a few hours in the kitchen on your day off, but it will make your week so much easier. Plus, if you have food already made in your fridge you will eat at home and not be tempted to eat out. By eating at home you will also save money. It's a win-win for your wallet and your diet. Need some inspiration? Here is a photo of some of the foods I prepped last week:

Included in the picture are Cheesy Egg Muffins (Basically mini omelets made in a muffin pan: Eggs, Cheese, Veggies, Sausage, etc. mixed up and baked), sausage and cheese stuffed mushrooms, sausage patties (yes, I was on a sausage kick! My low sugar and low carb diet allows it), hard boiled eggs, carrots, tuna (mixed with hard boiled eggs, salsa and guacamole), roasted vegetables (carrots, broccoli, squash, zucchini, onions, cauliflower), spaghetti squash. I also made a lot of grilled chicken and some salads.

3) Take healthy snacks with you on the go

If you bring healthy snacks with you then you will be less likely to eat out or hit up that vending machine. Carry some homemade trail mix in your purse at all time (I like walnuts, almonds, raisins and cranberries) or a healthy snack bar if your diet allows it. I also keep a bag of carrots, hard boiled eggs and some strawberries in my fridge at work for munching on when I get hungry.

4) Keep your meat/fish portions small

If you are eating healthy, then you are probably eating a lot of fish, meat and vegetables (unless you are vegan or vegetarian). If you are like my family and have to have meat with every meal, cut the meat portions down and sub in more vegetables to keep your meal price down. Depending on what your diet allows rice and grains are also great for stretching meals.

5) Save money when shopping online

Whether you are ordering a meat or veggie box delivered to your door or purchasing a specialty item that you can't find in local grocery stores; you are bound to purchase some items online. When you do, make sure you visit a coupon website like Rather-Be-Shopping.com to see if there are any discount codes. You can also check sites like Swagbucks to see if you can earn any points for shopping through them. The combination of using Swagbucks and Rather-Be-Shopping has saved me several dollars off of a transaction and helped me find free shipping many times. It only takes seconds to check these two websites and it is normally worth it. 

6) Avoid a yearly gym membership

I know that it is "the thing" right now to have a gym membership and there are a lot of different neat gyms out there that can teach you different things. However, you can save a lot of money by not getting stuck in a yearly gym membership. If you want to have the enjoyment of a group workout see if there is a community recreation center near you. There is normally a small yearly fee and you can then sign up for lots of classes for free or very cheap. It is a lot cheaper than a gym. If you live in a beautiful (and warm) city like I do, it is too beautiful to exercise in doors. Take a walk, jog or go to the beach. If you are in a colder area or are worried about rainy days; there are plenty of exercise DVD's out there. If you are worried about accountability set up work-out dates with friends. You can even Skype workout with your BFF every morning. There are a lot of possibilities out there. If you must work out in a gym; then search online first and see if they offer a free trial. By combining all of the free offers and hitting up different gyms in my area, I could have several months worth of free visits.

7) When you eat out use deal websites

I save a ton of money on eating out by getting deal emails every day. I scan them and see if any of the deals work for me. It is important to remember to read the fine print. I also search for restaurant menu's before buying to make sure that the prices and food items are within my ideal range. Sites I use include Groupon, Living Social, Crowd Savings, Eversave and Restaurant.com. I am also signed up to get local deals from my local radio stations and baseball team. Do not buy more than two or three deals at a time so that you get to use them all before they expire. I also mark expiration dates on my calendar 2 weeks in advance so that I remember to use them.

Hopefully these tips will help you save some money. Do you have any more tips? Feel free to share!

GIVEAWAY:

One lucky person will win $500! 

**TO ENTER- Enter using the Rafflecopter below. Note: It may take a moment for the Rafflecopter to load. If you are reading this via RSS or Email, please visit the website to enter**

a Rafflecopter giveaway