subject: 6 Ways To Ensure You Can Drop Pounds Without Spending Them [print this page] Depending on how you do it, losing weight can either be particularly expensive or something which is relatively cheap. Buy a gym membership, for instance and you'll be looking at around 50 pounds a month, which although a great way to lose weight, is often too much for some to pay regularly. Take a look through these 6 points, however and you can lose weight without putting a strain on your bank balance.
1. Always, always, always write a shopping list - if you go shopping without any type of list, apart from the fact you're likely to forget several items, chances are you'll buy items you don't actually need and will be tempted by unhealthy products. Write a list before you go and stick to it; it will work out a lot cheaper at the till.
2. Buy the basics in bulk - whilst some type of food only have a short shelf life (items like bananas, for example, will not often keep longer than 5 days), there are many that can be kept in storage for months.
With these products (which are generally your basic items such as pasta and rice) try and buy them in as large quantities, as the more you can buy, the cheaper they become.
3. Don't be afraid to buy own brand goods - there is somewhat of a stigma behind a supermarket's own branded products, as because they're cheap, people automatically assume that they're of a particularly poor quality.
Yet whilst some items will not be as high in quality as the leading brand's equivalent (for instance, some own brand pork sausages can contain less than 50 percent pork), items such as tinned peas and sweet corn aren't going to vary in quality considerably no matter which brand you choose.
4. Buy 1 treat - when you're losing weight, you need to keep your motivation levels high and the best way to do this is to give yourself 1 treat once a week.
What the treat is depends entirely on what you prefer as an individual, but whether it's a glass or two of red wine on a Friday evening or a chocolate bar mid-week, don't feel guilty for having a treat - just make sure it's in moderation.
5. Go shopping once a week - if you're the type of person who heads to the supermarket 3 or 4 times a week, you'll find that by going just the once, you'll instantly reduce the amount of money you spend on grocery shopping.
The reason behind this is if you're going 3 or 4 times a week, you have 3 or 4 occasions where you can be tempted by offers on other products that you don't necessarily need. Only go the once and you instantly reduce the likelihood of buying additional items that aren't needed.
6. Buy something sweet but low in calories - one of the problems that a lot of people face when losing weight is that they find the lack of sugar in their diet can make them tired, lethargic and weak.
Rather than trying to fight through this, give in to it - have something like 1 plain biscuit or a spoonful of artificial sweetener in a cup of tea or coffee or even some honey in a cup of hot water. This way, you'll get the sugar boost you need and your motivation levels for your diet will remain high as you won't feel as though you're missing sugary foods.
