I get questions all the time from people all the time, asking how in the world I feed my family of 3 (plus a few extras) on an average of $100 per week. And NO, we don’t eat Top Ramen (disgusting); I’m a gourmet cook or learning to be!

I learned this with Dani Johnson in her War of Debt program.  Now, if you’re not in debt, that’s great and I’m really proud of you! But don’t tune me out here.   If your debt free then WooHoo!  This is about living a financially independent life. The money you save can be used for investments, savings, and vacations, paying down debt or any number of other things.

One place where people spend the most money is on food. Yes, food is essential. You cannot avoid having to buy food (unless, of course, you grow everything yourself). This is part of life. You really have to look at how much you’re spending and what you’re spending that money on.  Remember that grocery stores are a marketing ploy and they lure you to the sales.

1. Eat out of your pantry. The very first place you can save money on your grocery bill is actually not at the grocery store – it’s in your own kitchen! If you have food in your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer (and for a lot of people, in your second freezer), you do not need to be at the grocery store!  Use what is in your kitchen first. You may need to get creative here, and create some new meals with the ingredients you have. You’ll be surprised by what you can come up with! Some of my family’s favorite meals have come out of this.  Really, my guys were like this is pretty good what is it?  I shop for food once a week now and then we eat all of that food and sometimes run out.

1. Plan ahead. Planning ahead saves you time and money. If you do not have a strategic plan in place to keep you on track, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you do not plan ahead, you will be controlled by your cravings. Your brain shuts off and your body tells you what it wants.  The marketing of the store and sales will call your name and you spend 2 to 3 times more than you can afford.  Instead of setting yourself up for failure, make a list and stick to it! When you make a plan each week, you will save yourself from making those extra trips to the store for one or two items (which always turns into buying 5-6 or 20 extra things you didn’t even need).  This really works so place your list on the frig and add when you run out of the staples.  Be a good stewart of your money with simple planning.  It will save you time and money, and you will be healthier as a result of making smarter choices ahead of time!  It will seem foreign at first then the family will look to the menu to see what’s for dinner!

1. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Believe it or not, everything you need at the grocery store is around the perimeter. I want you to go to your grocery store, and think about what is along the edges. Look at the processed foods and where they are located.  At the perimeter, fresh produce, meat, cheese, eggs. You may have to step into the middle aisles to get bread or a few other things, but go grab those few things and get outta there!  The middle is where you find the boxed, canned, and pre-packaged foods, chips, sodas, ice cream, alcohol, etc. Those things are expensive, and they are not good for you, anyway!  We are talking healthy foods here on a budget and it can be done!

So today I want to challenge you, I want you to use these strategies this week, and let me know what happens. I learned I was spending over $750 a month or more on food.  Ouch!  After using this system I spend on average $100-125 per week.  It can be done!  To your health!

Time Management is all about relieving stress!  We face time stress when we have too much to do, when we don’t have enough time for the important things, when we fail to do what we hoped because we ran out of time, when we are late, and when we hurt other’s feelings with no time for them.  We get up stressed in the morning because our day already has defeated us before we ever begin.  We already know the only outcome is failure.  On those days, we also make it worse by picking a fight with a family member, being crabby, fussing, screaming, and becoming negative.  This adds more stress and takes more time during the day because we certainly didn’t schedule in the time it takes to be grouchy and at odds with others.  At night, we go to bed seeing in our minds the huge list of what we really needed or wanted to do that didn’t get touched!  Yes, usually on that list are the things necessary for hitting our goals and working towards our freedom.

As you are working on your schedule, consider the following.  I am not a big fan of time blocks now that I am not working in a J.O.B.  With that said I can also see the importance of using time blocks for short periods of time and to get things accomplished.

Schedule In the critical.  Everything you allow IN must be a priority or a matter of high importance!  There is a competition for the hours in your schedule so think protectively over your time.

God

Showering/Brushing Teeth

Spouse and Children

Sleep

Meals

Exercise

USANA or Your business or JOB

Schedule OUT the time wasters. The minute you identify a time waster, eliminate it as quickly as possible. Nothing is worse than a time waster sucking your energy out!

Conflict (What a huge waste of time and energy! This is of the enemy so pray on this if consistent)

Unnecessary computer or TV time (a little goes a long way) ( Add up how many hours you waste)

Game playing on phone or technology devices (Add up hours each day then week)

Gossip

Clubs & groups that have nothing to do with your Purpose or Goals (unless you joined them to enlarge your network or increase your influence or to explore new things to add to your life or family.)

Over – sleeping or Under – sleeping

“Hanging out” habit (the habit of doing nothing for hours with others or by yourself)

Delegation – Whenever possible, team up on chores, management, administrative, errands, etc.  Spend time with your spouse, family, friends, or team and design a plan that will allow everyone to use synergy to dig out extra hours for building a Live Free life. This can also be a family building time exercise.

Multi-Task – Look at the times during your day where multi-tasking would be possible and valuable.  If you are working at a J.O.B. and you have a lunch 30 minutes or 60 minutes, this is a perfect opportunity for multi-tasking.  You can take a Nutrimeal shake (USANA) to work and make calls while you sit outside in the sun and have your lunch.  It’s a power lunch full of energy, fresh air, and sunshine.  And it gives you the time to set up appointments, answer questions, train your team, or even do a Consultation.  Maybe you need this time to talk with your spouse everyday for connection in the marriage.

Make it Count – Enjoy and be “in the moment”!  Do NOT think about the millions of other things you should be doing or where you should be at that time.  If it was important enough to find a place in your schedule, then it’s important enough for your undivided attention.  This is huge for say date night or family time.  Be present and make it count for the other person/people to know how important this is.

There is no set age at which all women will start to go through menopause. The average age of menopause in the United States is 51, but it is considered perfectly normal for a woman to go through it at any time between the ages of 35 and 59. Anything above 35 is not premature. It is not known why some women get signs of menopause in their mid to late thirties or early forties. Some women think that if their periods start early, they will stop early as well. However, research doesn’t show that to be the case. You’re not considered menopausal until you’ve gone an entire year — 12 consecutive months — without having a period.
Probably the biggest factor is the age at which your mother and siblings went through menopause — although this only applies to female relatives who experienced menopause naturally (meaning, not surgically or by inducement, as with a hysterectomy). Other factors that may influence when menopause starts include:
• Smoking. Some studies have shown that women who smoke are likely to start menopause one to two years earlier than those who don’t.
• Eating disorders. Women with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa may reach menopause at an earlier age than they would have otherwise.
Stress, excessive exercise, treatments for breast cancer, certain medical conditions, and autoimmune diseases — basically, anything that causes your ovaries to produce less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone — may accelerate menopause.
On a positive note, a recent study by researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that women who experience hot flashes and night sweats when they are just starting menopause may be at lower risk for heart disease, stroke, and death. However, the study also found that if you experience those symptoms later in menopause, you could be at increased cardiovascular risk. The bottom line: You have your own unique biological clock, and it will determine when you start to have symptoms of menopause — it’s usually a quite natural occurrence. Use of supplements, a low glycemic food plan and burst exercise can help lessen some of the side effects of menopause. I know from experience going through menopause at age 44. See you on the other side!