Have the words, “I’ll get healthy when I can afford it,” ever crossed your mind? Health is for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status. While challenging, it’s possible to live healthy on a low salary. Consider this your free crash course. Here are six simple tricks to living healthy regardless of the size of your paycheck.
1. Find Free Food
You aren’t imagining things if your grocery bill seems higher these days. The price of many low-salary staples, such as eggs, has increased more than 40% since 2019.
The following ideas can keep more greens in your wallet — and your diet — by providing healthy foods through alternative means:
- Foraging: Chances are, plenty of edible greens, like dandelions, grow wild near you. Use caution and areas sprayed with pesticides.
- Gardening: This hobby can be expensive — or free. Create compost for nutrient-rich soil that needs no fertilizer, and save seeds from organic produce — not hybrids — to produce “crops” like beans that thrive even in urban patio plots.
- Farmers markets and swaps: While some farmers markets have become highly commercialized, you can find bargains at others. If you and a friend both garden, plant different fruits and veggies and share.
- Sample: Free samples aren’t just for Costco shoppers. You can join various online clubs that let you try healthy foods for free.
2. Amass Free Health Resources
Medical bills are costly in the United States. As a result, many people avoid seeking care for all but emergencies, cutting them off from their source of health-related information — their doctor.
However, no one can stop you from using free resources to take better charge of your health. Can’t afford therapy or even an app? Licensed professionals like Doc Snipes and Tim Fletcher offer helpful mental health education via YouTube. You can also read the latest peer-reviewed research and use it to guide your health choices on sites such as:
3. Refine Your Budget
Sit down with your last three months of bank statements and categorize each expense as fixed or variable. Fixed costs include your rent and car insurance, while variable ones encompass gas, dining out, groceries and car maintenance.
Please don’t invalidate yourself — it may well be that every last dime goes toward expenses you can’t readily eliminate, like new tires. However, you might surprise yourself by uncovering overlooked expenses. Sixty-five percent of millennials forget to cancel free trials, incurring monthly fees for services they don’t use. Perhaps you can afford a gym membership once you slay those money vampires!
4. Cover Yourself
You need insurance to protect yourself. However, you might pay too much. Shopping for car insurance once a year by getting quotes from multiple providers can often save you money, especially if you have a clean driving record. Use the savings to nurture your health.
Health insurance is a bit trickier, but you or your kids might qualify for Medicaid or low-cost coverage — find out on Healthcare.gov. On Medicare and have a disability? Many supplements cover the cost of gym memberships and provide a small monthly stipend for healthy groceries and over-the-counter medical supplies. Do your homework during open enrollment, October 15 through December 7.
5. Discover Free Exercise And Healthy Entertainment
Walking, jogging and light stretching require no gym membership. These types of activities may also help get you from point A to B without burning a drop of gas, so your wallet and the planet will thank you for strolling to the corner store.
If you crave group exercise classes but can’t afford a gym membership, turn to YouTube. Scores of fitness influencers offer video versions to build their client base, letting you tune into anything from relaxing Yin yoga to seriously sweaty HIIT for free. Some fitness apps also provide limited free content with no requirement to upgrade to the paid version.
What about entertainment for you and the family? Your local playground is a marvelous place to nurture your child’s health while catching a quick outdoor workout for free. Complement your visits with outings to the following healthy and low-to-no-cost entertainment venues:
- Family days at local museums, planetariums and science centers
- Summer or weekend learning camps
- Concerts and movies at the park
- Recreational sports programs through your city’s parks and rec department or the YMCA
Live Healthy On Any Budget
Living healthy on a low salary can be challenging — but not impossible. Fortunately, a few savvy, low-cost tricks can help improve your wellbeing. The ideas are a great place to start, regardless of salary.
Author Bio
Oscar Collins is the editor-in-chief at Modded, where he writes about health and fitness. Follow him on Twitter @TModded for regular updates on his work, and subscribe to Modded Minute for more!