The number one hang up for most people desiring a healthier lifestyle is the pricetag! I get it 100%. Everything I have invested in – from my non-toxic makeup, to my water filter or my essential oils – I remember thinking “I could never afford that”. I want to share all my secrets for how we were able to afford a healthy lifestyle!
*Spoiler alert* – It’s not because we make a ton of money
HAVE A STRONG “WHY”
You’re never going to stick to any goal unless you have a meaningful + powerful “why“. If you’re not familiar with the concept of your “why”, it’s basically the specific reason why you want to achieve a goal. It has to be deeply personal to you, and elicit an emotional response.
A wishy-washy goal like “I want to save money for retirement” isn’t going to be enough when you get an email for a 50% off sale at your favourite store. BUT, a strong goal such as “I want to save up for a larger SUV so my family can go on our dream roadtrip next summer” might keep you on track!
As you go through any journey, your why will change and strengthen.
4 years ago when I started my healthy lifestyle my why was simply “I’m sick of feeling crappy everyday”. Now my why is that “I want to feel BETTER as I get older. I know how it feels to be sick all the time and I’m not willing to go back there. I want to be strong + healthy as I prepare my body to have babies (hopefully) in the next few years.”
These are things I think about every single day. Not in an obsessive + unhealthy way (although I’ve been there before too!) but in a way that keeps me motivated + disciplined.
BE WILLING TO MAKE SACRIFICES
Unless you make $$$ you HAVE to be willing to make sacrifices in order to afford things that are important to you!
My sacrifices are going to look different than yours and that’s OK! We’ve chosen to have only one car which saves us THOUSANDS a year. However, we aren’t willing to sacrifice travel because we have friends + family far away (and we just LOVE travel!). Look at your own lifestyle and decide what big things you can give up for a season!
If you don’t have extra money to sacrifice, maybe you need to sacrifice some of your time to start a side hustle or pick up a second job.
The thing is, these sacrifices might feel burdensome at the beginning, but once our why becomes clear, it is easier to stick to these goals.
Some ways to save money:
- Go down to 1 car OR no cars if you live in the city!
- Drive used cars instead of new
- Give up travelling
- Put less into savings (more on this later ?)
- Do a “no spend” month
- Give up your morning coffee / drive thru lunch / etc
- At home date nights instead of going out
- Only buy used clothing
- Cancel your Netflix / cable / Hulu / Amazon Prime
- Borrow items instead of buying
BABY STEPS TO A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
You don’t need to buy an essential oil set, a non-toxic mattress, full house water filter, a full wardrobe of ethically made clothing, and 92854 supplements all in one month!
TAKE BABY STEPS.
Evaluate your budget and decide on a certain amount of money that you can designate to your goals every month. Whether you have $20 or $300 to put towards your healthy lifestyle goals, it doesn’t matter! What matters is that you’re taking baby steps in the right direction!
It’s also important to take baby steps to avoid overwhelm.
I remember when I started researching non-toxic + healthy living it seemed like there were a million things I needed.
I always recommend people focus on one category at a time and make swaps as those products run out.
Remember, it’s a marathon not a race!
MY HEALTH IS A PRIORITY
Straight up, I prioritize my health. I even prioritize it more than my retirement fund *gasp*. Because the reality is, if I don’t take care of my health right now, retirement is going to suck anyway. Am I right?!
No, I’m not advocating to be irresponsible with your money. Yes, I ALSO prioritize saving money + living debt free. But my health is always going to come first.
EDUCATE YOURSELF
The more I educate myself on certain topics, the more my priorities change.
As I learned about the importance of organic, grass-fed and ethically raised meats, the easier it became for me to prioritize them in my diet. As I understood the process that goes into raising animals humanely, I was able to see their value and why they are more expensive.
As I learned about the harmful effects of fragrance in my products, it became a deal-breaker as I purchased new products.
It’s no longer difficult for me to purchase the {more expensive} laundry detergent without synthetic fragrance or SLS because I now know those ingredients were contributing to my allergies, asthma.
HAVE A LONG TERM PERSPECTIVE
Sometimes it can be hard to prioritize health because we don’t believe that our choices are *that* significant.
When it comes to non-toxic products people will often argue that “they aren’t harmful because the chemicals are in such a small amount”.
That may absolutely be true if you use one product one time. But the reality is that when we’re using dozens of products every day for decades, any *tiny* amount of harm is going to compound.
In every aspect of my life – my marriage, job, health – I have a long term perspective.
I’m less concerned about my convenience or comfort today, and more concerned about how my decisions are going to impact my life 10, 20, 50 years from now!
PRACTICAL WAYS TO AFFORD A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
FOCUS ON THE BASICS
The things that will transform your health more than anything else are:
- Enough Sleep (free)
- Drinking enough water (basically free)
- Daily movement (free)
- Sunshine + Vitamin D (free – although more difficult in the winter)
- Reduce your stress (free)
- Prioritize REAL foods from nature over packaged/man-made foods (this will SAVE you money)
Before you start experimenting with vitamins, supplements, essential oils, and a million other things (that can be really beneficial), get the basics down!
DON’T GET SUCKED INTO TRENDS
There are 948140582 things that the health + wellness industry tells you that you NEED.
You don’t need all of them, I promise.
Healthy living can actually be simple + cost effective.
Instead of stocking your pantry with all the superfoods, protein powders, seeds, collagen, etc focus on the basics – high quality meat, dairy and vegetables.
Instead of replacing all 87 of your cleaning products with a non-toxic alternative, buy some lemon essential oil + baking soda and you’ll be shocked at all the things you can clean!
LEARN HOW TO DO THINGS YOURSELF
So often we are paying for convenience, marketing or popularity.
If money is holding you back from living a healthier lifestyle, be willing to give up convenience and learn how to make things yourself!
Especially when it comes to cooking, learning how to make things from scratch will save you so much money.
Instead of buying that $7 loaf of gluten free sourdough bread from the farmer’s market, learn how to do it yourself!
Learn how to plant a garden and grow your own organic veggies to save hundreds of dollars!
Make your own skincare products instead of buying pricey organic ones.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to support local small businesses. But I also love the satisfaction that comes with making something myself!
USE ESSENTIAL OILS
Ok, I mentioned at the beginning that Essential Oils were one thing that seemed so expensive to me when I started this non-toxic living journey.
4 years later I can see how they’ve actually saved me money!
We’re so used to buying a different product for everything – bug spray, sunburn relief, allergies, sinus pressure, stomach aches, etc. I’ve realized that the 10 starter kit oils prettttty much cover any common ailments that come up! And those tiny bottles last *forever*.
I can’t tell you the last time I had to buy any product from the pharmacy or cosmetic section of the store, because my oils cover everything!
USE REUSABLE PRODUCTS
Ok, this tip is actually more expensive up front but will save you money in the long-term!
Reusable products such as a menstrual cup, reusable silicone “ziplocs”, or even investing in a home coffee maker to ditch the morning drive-thru habit are going to cost you more money up front.
But they very quickly start saving you money!
