25 Ways to Live Better, Spend Less

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The economy's slap is still stinging. Dollars fly off for groceries, heating bills, and school supplies, then before you know it, you're dropping the gym membership. But cutting corners on healthy living isn't, well, healthy. So we've come up with dollar-saving tips for living well for less.

1. Buy Organic -- the Right Way

You may be buying organic when you don't need to. If nature's already supplied a thick skin--like those on avocados, bananas, pineapple, and watermelon--toxins aren't getting through, says Catey Hill, author of Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less. Spend organic pennies on foods more vulnerable to pesticides and hormones like meat, dairy, blueberries, celery, peaches, strawberries, spinach, kale, and grapes.

2. Shop Local

When you shop closer to home you're buying more flavor and nutrition for less, says Heather Solos, founder of Home-Ec101.com and author of Home-Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living. Many local farmers actually grow organic without going through the trouble of being certified. Ask your local providers and farmers' market vendors how their food is grown. If it's organic but not certified, you could save 50 percent on produce that's just as healthy.

3. Buy in Season

"That's the best way to keep produce expenses under budget," says Heather Sokol, founder of inexpensively.com, a national network of frugal bloggers. For example: "Buy berries in summer, winter squash and citrus in winter," she says.

4. Plan Your Menu Around Sales

"If carrots and broccoli are on sale," says frugal blogger Sokol, "create side dishes using them rather than buying green beans at full price." You'll save money and you'll grow your repertoire of vegetable dishes.

5. Join a CSA

By participating in Community Supported Agriculture, "You'll get a basketful of local, organic produce during growing season, often cheaper and fresher than grocery store produce," says Jaimie Franchi, a mother of two in Montreal and a writer for SimpleKids.net. Often, families split a "share" in a CSA to save even more money (and not end up with too many beets!).

6. Plant a Garden

"For less than $3, one seed packet of arugula keeps my family eating fresh salad--and pastas and pesto--all summer," says community garden volunteer Leah Ray, mother of a 7-year-old son and a communications manager at a design firm in Chicago. "And my son is proud to eat the veggies that he's grown with me."

7. Grow Windowsill Herbs

When the weather turned cold, gardener Ray repotted her rosemary and thyme and set them by an inside window. "That's saving me lots of money on fresh herbs," she says.

8. Eat Your Vitamins

"Get your vitamin requirements from your food instead of a pill and you'll save money," says Lisa Reynolds, a savings expert for redplum.com, a coupon website. Unless your doc says otherwise, for instance, get your calcium from healthy greens like kale and broccoli, low-fat dairy foods, almonds, and beans.

9. Stockpile Low-Cost Health Foods

"Flash-frozen vegetables can cost less than 30 cents per serving, and you're still getting perfect produce," says savings expert Reynolds. Dried beans cost 13 cents per serving, brown rice 16, and whole wheat pasta 20. According to a 2007 Wake Forest University study, just 2 1/2 servings of whole grains a day--one-half cup dry oatmeal equals one serving--lowers heart disease risk 21 percent.

10. Buy in Bulk

Sharing with a friend, whether you're buying at the farmers' market or a big warehouse store can pay off: Savings-savvy Franchi and a friend teamed up to buy cases of organic market tomatoes at a better price than if they'd bought fewer. "Then we canned or froze them to use over the winter," says Franchi.

11. Volunteer at a Community Garden

If you do, you just might get some of the produce for a lower price. In Montreal, Motherboard Mom Franchi helps out at a garden where volunteers split the weekly harvest for free. To find a community garden near you, go to communitygarden.org.

12. Download Coupons

For groceries, spend-less expert Catey Hill recommends GroceryGuide.com and CouponMom.com. For coupons or sale alerts on a range of products, sign on to a host of sites like CouponCabin.com, RetailMeNot.com, and PromotionalCodes.com. Remember that even stores that don't issue their own coupons often honor other stores' or manufacturers' coupons.

13. Know Your Stores

Get friendly with the managers at your favorite stores, says savings expert and mom blogger Tara Kuczykowski of dealseekingmom.com. "They can clue you in on what their typical markdown schedule is so you can be first in line to score some big savings on groceries, clothing, electronics, and more," she says.

14. Do a Wellness Check

Before you join a gym or sign up for a class, check with your employer and insurance company for discounts on gym memberships or rebates or bonuses for healthy behavior. A 2008 study by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine found that 62 percent of companies offer wellness programs, including on-site fitness centers.

15. Bargain with the Gym

If you are interested in joining the Y or another fitness club, find out when they waive joining fees or will have their next price-cut promotion. To get the best fitness deal, "Milk free trials and have gyms compete for your business," says savings expert Hill. Gather price information and ask whether the gym will meet others' best offers. The best time to bargain? At month's end when salespeople are meeting monthly quotas. And ask them to waive the initiation fee or throw in an extra month--areas where they have wiggle-room.

16. Join the Y

Local YMCAs often have low-cost memberships. In fact, says bargain-hunter Franchi, "Some YMCAs even offer free memberships to mothers who volunteer in the childcare room. They may offer other volunteer and work programs as well." Other fitness options: Libraries, parks, churches, and schools also sometimes offer inexpensive fitness classes.

17. Create Your Own Gym

If you've got the discipline and a DVD player, go for it. You can find lots of workout DVDs at your nearest used bookstore. Want to invest in a machine? Check out local resale shops or gyms that are replacing equipment. Or visit freecycle.org, a recycle site where you also might find used equipment.

18. Haggle with Your Trainer

If you have to have a trainer to get off the couch, buy sessions in bulk, says Rea Frey, a certified personal trainer and nutrition expert in Chicago.

19. Drink Water, Not Soda

Sodas add calories and rob cash. A 12-pack of Coke costs about $4. Just cutting one pack a week will net you $208 a year. Save more by using a thermos or jug, not plastic water bottles, says Natalie McNeal, author of The Frugalista Files: "You save the environment and your pockets." Skip the heart-revving coffee and sugar-filled juice as well and save even more, suggests writer Cathi Brese Doebler, mother of two in Buffalo, New York.

20. Bike Your Errands

Save gas (and burn extra calories) by cycling or just trotting from store to store. Biking makes for a cheap family outing as well, says Lynn Ballou, CFP, a principal at Ballou Plum Wealth Advisors in San Francisco. "It's great exercise, a great way to enjoy the outdoors, and good for the environment."

21. Practice DIY Beauty

Like luxurious lotions and scrubs? You can actually make some of them yourself. According to dollarstretcher.com, you can whip up 80 ounces of cream for under $5. Find recipes on dollarstretcher.com, beauty-and-the-bath.com, and flawlesscomplexion.com.

22. Watch Expiration Dates

Jenetta Penner, mother of two preschoolers in San Diego and a blogger for frugalfreebiesanddeals.com, scoops up reduced or about-to-expire organic breads, produce, and meats and eats them right away or freezes them. "I've gotten away with real bargains," she says.

23. Don't Forget Your Grocery List

You'll avoid impulse buys of junk food and shop faster. The longer you take, the more you'll spend, says Amanda Yates, marketing director at Food on the Table, a web application that plans meals and grocery lists. And leave the kids and spouse at home, especially if they're hungry, or you'll spend more time and money.

24. Have More Meatless Meals

There's a big price difference between the cost of a can of chickpeas and a pound of meat, says nutritionist Rania Batayneh, M.P.H., founder of Essential Nutrition for You, a nutrition consulting firm in San Francisco. A 4-ounce serving of eye-of-round roast costs about 83 cents, a 4-ounce serving of chickpeas about 50 cents. Both provide protein.

25. De-Stress for Free

You don't have to drop a wad to de-stress, says Michelle McKinney Hammond, author of Divanomics: How to Still Be Fabulous When You're Broke: "Outdoor activities like hiking, biking, a day at the beach cost little or nothing. Or have a potluck picnic in the park with friends."

This article was not authored by SunTrust, is general in nature and does not constitute legal, tax, or investment advice. SunTrust makes no warranties as to accuracy or completeness of this information, does not endorse any non-SunTrust companies, products, or services described here, and takes no liability for your use of this information.

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