D and I have come up with a couple of new frugal initiatives this year -- relating to food stuffs. He was decided to drink less expensive coffee. That is a big one for him as he has been a bit of a stickler. He will be saving the "expensive" stuff ($17 a pound) for special occasions.
For me, it is less expensive chocolate. I would spend $8 for 1/2 pound and I have found just eating dark chocolate bars or chips to be good enough that I don't miss the other.
The other category that we are considering is vitamins. We take a number of different kinds and I'm going to seriously look at cheaper over the counter substitutes and see if it is worth making the change or make the change and see if I notice a difference. This costs $500/yr right now for supplements that are ordered through a health professional.
Ever considered going without the vitamins and just trying to eat a balanced, nutritious diet?
ReplyDeleteI haven't taken a vitamin supplement in about 15 years and have to say that I can't tell a difference in my well-being.
Yes, we did, for 6 months last year and the latter 2 months was tough. It took 3 weeks of being back on it before I felt "normal" again.
ReplyDeleteWe are taking supplements to help lessen the impact/damage of my job and for D's marathon training injury prevention and recovery (as his job is sedentary) vs. for general nutrition.
Without boring you to death or giving too much away, my job is very physical and even though I am of reasonable strength (ie. can to 3 sets of 15 push ups and 70 sit ups easily), the compression on my joints from work can be severe.
That is why even the men who do what I do, only manage to work max 25 hrs/wk.
There is a definite shelf life to my career. It pays well but I don't want to end up in retirement suffering from various joint problems.
This is also why cutting back my hours is so important to me. I feel much better physically when I'm working less.
Plus I am very stubborn and will not take drugs unless I cannot stand the discomfort anymore. I'd rather concentrate on eating well and keeping as strong as I can.
Left to our own devices, it takes 10 yrs to build up 1 mm of cartilage.