This is me after day one of Expo West, staring at my pile of samples, business cards, and brochures, wondering how the heck I'm going to make it through airport security on the way home.
This is still pretty much me two weeks later, only the pile is three times as big and it has been moved to and divided between my sofa, my office, and my dining room table. I'm methodically sorting through everything evaluating whether or not it's got potential to help you, the woman with PCOS, with your quest for better health.
Now that we've got a short list, we're getting ready to launch a new project, a monthly newsletter with coupons and samples from companies we liked, who are very interested in getting to know you! All products have been reviewed by us, are hormone-friendly, primarily green and organic, and from companies we trust.
If you're interested in participating (and we sure hope you are, since we want to help you save label reading time as well as money!), please go to our Facebook Fan page, inCYST Programs for Women with PCOS, and sign up under the"Email signup" tab next to the Mail Chimp monkey. The link to our Facebook page can be found in the right-hand margin of this blog.
I'm not in charge of the monkey, so I'm not sure how he came to be. But he sure is cute, isn't he?
One of the most common complaints I get from clients trying to follow recommendations for healthier eating is that it's more expensive. In this economy, that is not a problem to take lightly.
I would like to challenge you to consider whether you're actually doing your accounting correctly when you come to this conclusion.
First of all, consider that when changing your kitchen cabinets over to your new way of eating, you're completely replacing inventory. If you try to do a one time overhaul, and you're throwing out food in the process, it certainly can feel as if you're spending money in a wasteful fashion. How about, instead, replacing foods that you use up, with healthier alternatives? That can spread the initial investment out over time.
Secondly, if you're eating more at home, think about whether or not your food bill is grabbing your attention because it's concentrated one on receipt. One client I worked with a few years ago felt like his grocery bill had escalated when working with me, but when we factored in all the Starbucks and Subway runs and vending machine snacks that he'd eliminated, he was actually SAVING about $75 a month. That's where people often get nailed, in the nickel and diming that fast and snack foods do to your pocketbook. I like to only spend money on food using my debit card. That way when I enter it into Quicken, I can better track the expenditures I realistically can do without.
Thirdly, if the price you're paying for eating cheaper food is more doctor visits and medications, maybe it's not such a deal. Perhaps if you lump food and medical expenses together for the purposes of analysis, you'll see that even though you might be spending more money on food, the medical savings you experience more than makes up for the investment. That's what happened to the client I mentioned above. Within a month, he was able to cut his blood pressure medication needs in half.
If you're looking for a way to stretch your food dollar while still eating healthfully, check out this website: www.mambosprouts.com. Mambo Sprouts runs specials and manages coupons for stores like Whole Foods. Their website is full of healthy living ideas, recipes, and coupons to help you save money while changing your habits. And there's more! You can sign up for their newsletter and get regular electronic updates…with coupons to help you save money!
When changing behaviors, it's important to have consistent reminders to keep you on track. Simply resolving on January 1 that things are going to be different isn't likely to result in meaningful changes. Having a friendly reminder with money saving opportunities attached can be a fun incentive to actually make the changes that will make a difference.
Make 2009 the year your resolutions aren't just things you look forward to on January 1, but things you look backward to on December 31 and say to yourself,"Hey, I did it and I feel great!"
Why not cruise over to Mambo Sprouts and see what kind of deals they have?
