#I need a better way to track expiration dates for stuff in my fridge but so far everything requires more than my ADHD can handle

[thesaltyace]

Y'all I'm so pleased with myself.

My partner's nephrologist said they need to restrict sodium intake due to their kidney condition, so we're now logging our food in an app to make sure we're doing our best. The app allows us to scan product barcodes which has made the process super easy in most cases.

But we have some food items that are very annoying to remember to scan. These items are typically (1) items bought in bulk and decanted into non-original containers for daily use, such as Costco Olive oil; (2) items that are refrigerated - I hate holding open the fridge door to find and scan items; or (3) items that require additonal prep steps, so we often throw away the packaging long before we remember it needs to be scanned.

I made note over the past few weeks which items we used often but forgot to scan, and decided to put my niche skills to use.

BEHOLD!

A barcode cheat sheet for the fridge door! All it took was copying the originating barcode numbers and creating identical digital version with a free UPC barcode generator tool. And because I'm always a little ✨ extra ✨ I included photographs of each thing to make it visually easy to match what I want to scan. 😊

I also measured the volume that our cups and ladles hold so we can cook and portion easier in the moment, then use the reference sheet later for logging.

It's always such a good feeling to banish small annoyances. 😁

[jessiesresources]

Howdy y’all, I’m back with another post, this time on being an adult and grocery shopping. This is divided into three sections, Before going to the grocery store, In the store, miscellaneous, and some extra stuff! Hope you guys find this useful. -Jessie💜

Links:

YouTube Channel | Pinterest | Blog

Part One: Before

Make a List! - Make sure you always have a list, it'll make life 10x easier I promise. It can also help you stay within budget!

Have a budget! - It's important to keep track of how much your spending, especially at the grocery store. You can burn up your money pretty quick in there.

Meal Planning! - This one can be entirely optional because I understand that meal planning doesn't work for everyone. But for those it does work for/wants to give it a try, there are a lot of free printables online to kick off with! (Pssst, here are some free printables to help you get started!)

Don't Go When You're Hungry! - Kind of a general rule, but one that's good to follow. I've made this mistake far too many times to count!

Keep a List on the Fridge! - This way you'll have quick access to the list in case you need to add something quickly/add something before you forget!

Keep Track of What's on Sale! - You never know what may pop up when things are on sale, it's always wise to keep up with sales!

Clip Coupons! - It may seem like a lot of trouble, but it can save you a lot of money in the store, like 10-20% off. Which is useful in the long run.

Part 2: At the Store

Tally it Up! - Keep up with what you're spending inside the store, bring a notepad/something to write on to help keep track of what you're spending in the store! 

Purses! - The world isn't as safe as it used to be, and it's not that hard for someone to steal your purse while it's in the buggy. So here's the easy solution if you get a bigger buggy with a child's seat: take the child's seat belt and clasp it around your purse, that way it'll stall someone for a few seconds if they try to steal your purse.

Soda Bottles! - The bottled sodas like Mountain Dew or Coke, that typically come in an eight-pack can be put on the side/lip of the buggy. Halfway in and out of the buggy and that'll save more room for other things!

ALWAYS CHECK THE EGGS! - I don't know about you guys, but my family can go through a dozen eggs kind of quickly and it's disappointing when you come home and you find 1, 2, or even 3 cracked eggs and that you wasted a little bit of your money. So. Always. Check. The. Eggs.

ALWAYS CHECK EXPIRATION DATES! - Kind of another general rule, but some people actually don't do this (I used to be one of those people).

Specials are Cool! - Always check out the specials, but make sure it's something you'll definitely use because if you don't why get it?

Store Brands! - Store brands can be great if you’re on a strict budget, and there’s hardly any difference between store brands and name brands, so if you need to go for the store brand (or if you want to). (Note: Sometimes the calories/servings can be different from name brand, so be mindful of that.)

Before Heading to the Register! - Rearrange some stuff so that when you get to the register things won't be a mess for you when you get back home. Like the bread being smashed by a heavier item. Put the cold stuff altogether, put the produce together, and put the breads together. Group them together so when you get home it'll be easier on you.

Be Watchful at the Register! - Keep the cashier on their toes, make sure they don't overprice you AND make sure they don’t miss anything.

Find Out the Busiest Time For Your Grocery Store! - For example, the busiest time of the week for my grocery store is on Sunday, so typically I and my grandmother go on Tuesday when it's not so busy. Find out when the best time is good for you.

Try Shopping at More than One Store! - It's important to check out other stores, you may save more at them. The two main stores I frequent for food is either my local based grocery store and Walmart.

Buy as Little Junk Food as Possible! - It's important to maintain a healthy diet, so try and prioritize healthier food vs junk food. (Not an easy thing, I know, but give it a try!)

Use Store Saving Cards! - They can be VERY helpful and trust me when I say it all adds up.

STICK TO YOUR LIST! - I know this one will be a harder thing to do than most of the other tips/tricks on this list, but please just keep trying to stick to your list! You'll be thankful if you do later!

Part 3: Miscellaneous

Keep stocked on Quick and Easy Meals! - Let's face the facts, if you do have a meal plan, you're not always going to follow it. Some days you're too tired to work on cooking, so make sure you have those just in case.

Avoid Waste! - Try to avoid waste if you can, for example before the apples go bad my grandmother fixes up stewed apples or makes banana pudding with leftover bananas. Try to use up all your food!

Drink More Water! - If you're someone who drinks a lot of tea, coffee, soda, etc. then you may want to think about converting to drinking a bit more water. It's a lot better for you and cheaper.

Part 4: Extra Stuff

(VIDEO) How To Shop At The Market: Pantry Essentials

(VIDEO) How To Shop At The Market: Dairy and Meat

(VIDEO) How To Shop At The Market - Vegetables and Herbs

(VIDEO) How to Shop at a Farmers Market

(WIKIHOW) How to Go Grocery Shopping

(BLOG POST) How I Grocery Shop

[creeping-shadow-heralds-storms]

Most people never cooked at home more than they did in 2020. If you started last year with no plans to cook more, you might still be stuck with an inefficient kitchen setup that’s miserable to use. No matter your current feelings on cooking, now is the perfect time to overhaul your kitchen organization—and there’s no better system than FIFO.

The first-in, first-out (FIFO) system is exactly what it sounds like; it ensures older things get used before newer things. In order to keep this up, the older stuff has to be the first thing you see when you open the fridge or pantry. That’s why grocery stores put the oldest stock at the front of the shelf, and why everything in professional kitchens is stored with the label facing out.

For home cooks, FIFO is synonymous with labeling everything in your fridge. While it’s an excellent system for keeping track of leftovers and reducing food waste, there’s so much more to it than fridge management. Your entire kitchen can and should be organized around the main FIFO principle: “If you can’t see it, you won’t use it.” Keeping this in mind when reorganizing makes the kitchen you have easier to use, no matter how cramped or inefficient it may be. And, since FIFO is all about using what you have, you can do it without buying a single thing.

The specifics of a FIFO makeover will look different for every kitchen, but the end goal is universal: To arrange the stuff in your kitchen so that you can see as much of it as possible. There are four main ways to do this, starting with your container situation.

Streamline your food storage

Pantry clutter is the enemy of a FIFO system, so unfortunately, that’s where you should start. You might think the solution involves spending a ton of money on identical glass jars—what’s easier to see through than glass?—but it doesn’t have to. Organizing your pantry so that everything (or nearly everything) is visible at all times is easier with similarly-shaped containers in a variety of sizes.

A chaotic jumble of misfit Tupperwares won’t work, either. Sort through your food containers, keep matching sets, and dispose of the one-offs. Next, fill in the gaps, starting with stuff you already have. Repurposed food packaging is fantastic for pantry storage, especially if you’re loyal to a certain brand and have a ton of the same containers. (There are a lot of glass jars that once held Adams peanut butter and Bonne Maman jam in my pantry.) If you need to buy new, soup containers are ideal for small-volume storage because they come in multiple sizes but have universal lids.

For bulk foods, skip the overpriced “bulk storage” bins on Amazon and go straight to the hardware or restaurant supply store. I buy flour 50 pounds at a time, and nothing beats a 5-gallon plastic bucket with a twist-off lid. They cost less than $20 at the hardware store and last forever. Buckets do take up a lot of space, though, and aren’t exactly stackable. If you’re strapped for space, look for Cambro containers at restaurant supply stores. They’re smaller and more expensive than plastic utility buckets, but they come in both square and round sizes and stack securely.

Label everything

Labeling your perishables is a signature element of any FIFO system, and with good reason. Clear labels tell you, at a glance, what’s inside a container and how old it is; FIFO doesn’t exist without them.

If you’re already in the habit of labeling the contents of your fridge and freezer, awesome—but don’t stop there. Most items in your kitchen can and should be labeled. Bulk pantry items in opaque containers are the obvious use case, but slapping a label on DIY cleaning solutions, countertop fermentation projects, and even the shelves in your pantry will make your kitchen easier to use. No more losing track of sourdough starter feedings or wondering which shelf you put the coconut milk on; you can look at the label and get on with it. Just make sure those labels face out. Spring for a label-maker if you like, but masking tape and a Sharpie work just as well.

Consolidate, consolidate, consolidate

Labels are great, but they can’t help you if you you can’t see them. This is especially an issue in the fridge: If last night’s takeout gets buried in a graveyard of half-empty soup containers, it’ll expire before you remember it’s there.

Consolidation is the secret second step after labeling your food. It’s easy: Just transfer the contents of larger containers to smaller ones as you use them up. (Universal lids are especially clutch here, because you can downsize without getting a fresh lid.) Ruthlessly consolidating your leftovers and pantry items frees up precious storage space so you can actually see what you’re working with. It also makes it easy to know when opening a new package is actually necessary, and when certain items are running low.

Bonus round: Take inventory

The final boss of FIFO is taking inventory. To be honest, I don’t inventory my kitchen and have no plans to—but I cook for myself and one other adult. If you’re feeding a big family, keeping a detailed inventory can simplify your life.

Inventorying is all about tracking what you have so you know what to buy and when. If you’ve never done it before, start small. Pick one kitchen area—pantry, fridge, or freezer—and write down the name of every food item, how much of it you have, and its expiration date. (Spreadsheets, paper lists, dry erase boards, and even the notes app on your phone all have their pluses and minuses, so use whatever feels natural.) Update the list as things get used up. When you sit down to make a grocery list, consult your inventory to see what you actually need and what can wait. There’s no one perfect system, so play around until you find what works.

If all of this sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is. Running a kitchen is an enormous job; doing it on top of your regular job gets old in a hurry, even if you love to cook. A FIFO setup won’t eliminate the relentless churn of daily cooking and cleaning, but it will make it easier to actually use your kitchen.

[ilaaer]

Everything You Wanted to Know About Food Pantries

Food pantries are kind of like the soup kitchens you may be picturing, and kind of not. Some do serve hot meals, but our primary goal is to provide your family with groceries that will last you at least part of the week. We're basically here to help fill in the gaps left by inconsistent or insufficient benefits, sudden unemployment or debt, homelessness, being a poor student, and generally having to live hand to mouth. Long post incoming.

If you often find yourself wondering "I have nothing in my fridge; what's the best way to stretch fifteen dollars until I get paid next week?", look us up. Seriously. If you are struggling, and if you've been raised in a culture that looks down on poverty and accepting aid I can promise you this: we never will. A lot of us have been where you are or know people who have been. A lot of us even understand that it's possible to own a smartphone and still need food assistance, because life and emergencies happen. Life is difficult. We're here to make it a little bit less. Pass the info on to anyone in your life you think it might help:

If Things Are Hard For You

Find the food pantry that serves your area. Whether or not you're accepted to be registered generally depends on whether you live in a town or county that this particular pantry covers. If one of the local pantries is full to capacity, they will usually direct you to another.

Find out what you need to register. This is going to vary by organization. Some will ask for proof of need (tax forms, etc) while others are fine with just something to establish your identity. This stuff is all confidential; the organization uses it to figure out how many people need to be fed, and to make sure people aren't registering more than once. Your employer, your family, and the government are not gonna find out.

Have a photo ID of some sort. This is the baseline pretty much everywhere. It's our best way of making sure the system runs smoothly because we need to keep track of households. If they let you register ahead of time, do so. If you don't see any way of doing that, bring what you need and ask to speak to the person in charge when you come in: they can sometimes register you on the spot.

Find out what time the pantry opens and closes. Often, it's better to show up a half hour before the official opening so you can get registered and settled in. The earlier you show up, the more choices you will have.

You don't have to show up consistently. The idea is that we're here when needed. If your life situation improves and you don't need to come anymore, we'll be cheering for you. If you're doing well when things suddenly take a turn for the worse, you can come back.

Remember: we are happy to be there for you. But if you still feel like you want to do something, you can volunteer your time and receive help.

If You'd Like to Help (Everyone)

Look up your local food pantry and show up. Literally walk through the door and we will find you a job 9 times out of 10. You don't need an appointment and you will not be beholden to come on a regular basis. Bring your kids, bring your friends.

If you can't stick around for an hour or two as a volunteer, ask the pantry manager if they need any pickups or deliveries done. We get a lot of donations from grocery stores, local bakeries, and food warehouses; sometimes we just need people to physically bring that into the pantry at the stat of the day.

We love bilingual and polyglot volunteers in particular. :D Every pantry is going to have at least some clients who are not fluent in English (or at all). And that's to be expected: we are a nation of immigrants after all. Your skills can really help clear up someone's confusion and—often times—make them feel welcome. I've never met a person who wasn't happy to see someone make the effort to speak to them in their mother tongue.

If You'd Like to Help: Advanced User's Guide

Consider straight donating money to the organization. I know literally nobody likes to do this, but it's important. The pantry managers can get really, really good deals by buying in bulk, especially on perishable items like meat that otherwise are not going to be donated to us. We can get a lot more value out of a dollar than the average person: one dollar in cash goes further than one dollar in pasta. Around this time of year you can donate to the local pantry organization or to the food bank (our supplier of subsidized goods) at the checkout counter of a grocery store.

Find out what's needed. Some pantries publish their most needed items on their website, or public fliers.

If you're donating nonperishables out of your own kitchen, check the expiration date first. A sealed sack of flour that's two months past due will probably still be okay. A can of beans from 2008 probably isn't. Use your best judgment. Make sure that whatever you're donating isn't open; we'll end up throwing it out.

Please don't donate homemade meals (unless told otherwise). Most places can't accept them. Sorry, it's just a liability for us since we can't be totally sure of what's in it. However, you can still volunteer your services at the soup kitchen and actually cook on-site.

So. Pass it on to your loved ones, pass it on to your neighbors, pass it on to anyone who needs help. Come find us if things are hard for you. Wrangle your local cub scouts together and pester your friends into coming. Help us feed everyone, and help us feed you.

[thecoroutfitters]

Just about any food item that you pick up is going to have a date that says something along the lines of “sell by,” “best if used by,” or “use by.” The question is, though, how important are those dates? Well, in some instances, they’re important. In others, not so much.

Baby formulas have strict dates on them – they’re about the only foods absolutely required by law to have them. Stores can’t sell them beyond that date and it’s not recommended that you use them beyond that, either.

Perishable Items

Perishable items such as milk, eggs, and meats should be used by the date on the package. Most meats have a “sell by” date, which means that the store or producer has likely figured that you’re going to keep it in your fridge for up to a week after that, so they allow a little wiggle room.

If you buy perishables that are within a couple of days of the “sell by” date, either use it or freeze it within a day or so just to be safe. It’s always a good idea, especially with meat, to eat it or freeze it within a few days of buying it even if you haven’t reached that date. (Poultry – 1-3 days, other meats, 3-5 days) It’s better to be safe than suffer food poisoning.

Now, if you’re talking about perishables that came from your farm, you may have a little more wiggle room.

Discover the ingenious recipes that helped our ancestors stay alive!

Eggs

Eggs most certainly last longer – It’s not uncommon for an egg to be a couple of weeks old by the time you buy them at the grocery store so if you’re pulling them straight from under the hen as soon as she lays it, you have some extra fridge time on those babies.

When you buy them from the store, you still have a minimum of 3-5 weeks that they’ll be good. Want to know if an egg is bad? Use the water test. If you put it in a container of water and it sinks, it’s fresh. If it sort of hover-floats with one end sticking up, but the rest trying to sink, it’s not so fresh anymore but edible. If it floats like your bobber in the middle of a choppy sea, toss it.

Milk

Milk, on the other hand, may not have any extra time, especially if you don’t pasteurize it – which we never did. The good thing about milk is that you don’t have to guess if it’s good or not. One solid swig of spoiled milk and there’s no doubt left in your mind! I’ve found that the “sell by” dates on my store-bought milk (oh how I miss the good stuff!!) usually allows me a week or so beyond it to drink it up.

Other foods, such as canned foods or shelf-stable foods, have the same tags, but this often has more to do with quality than safety.

For instance, I found a box of mac and cheese in the cabinet (I rarely cook that type of food, so it had been there awhile). The mystery cheese powder was a little dark and I found that the “best by” date was nearing. Like within a week. I mixed it up and, though I didn’t get sick, it didn’t taste that great. This is a good reason to practice the First-In-First-Out rotation method.

Food Preserved at Home

Food that you preserve at home has expiration dates, too, or at least some of them do. So, let’s talk about expiration dates, when they’re relevant, why they’re important, and how you can keep track.

The best way to determine if perishable foods are good is to look at them, feel them, and give them the sniff test. Bad meat will smell “off” and may look a little discolored and feel slimy. Especially with poultry, if you suspect it may be bad, pitch it – it’s not worth the risk.

If you ever run across a commercial can of food that’s bulging or leaking, toss it. If your home-canned goods are leaking or the seal has popped, toss it. If, when you open either commercial or home-canned goods, the food is frothy, discolored, milky, slimy, or smells off, toss it. Those are all pretty good signs that botulism is present.

After you throw it away, scrub your hands in hot, soapy water. That’s a bug that’s meaner than old Aunt Sally when she’s lost her teeth and her panty hose are twisted, and you don’t want to mess with it.

Canned Foods

I grew up on a farm and learned about food preservation early. We always canned enough to get us through for two years each season. That means that often, even when we rotated the foods out, we had foods that didn’t get eaten for several years because we may have overestimated.

Mom always said it was better to have too much put back than not enough. Of course, foods like apple pie filling didn’t usually last that long! We lived on a farm and we all hunted, which means that we had plenty of meat. We typically canned the majority of that. We’d make spaghetti sauce, canned meatballs, soups, and other meals in a jar, in addition to canning them separately.

Some we dehydrated into jerky, but that was usually just for fun – it never lasted more than a couple of days.

As far as home-canned foods are concerned, most “official” agencies will tell you that it’s good for anywhere from 5-10 years. Some even speculate that it’s good for up to 20. I loved the part in the movie “Holes” where the kid was trapped in the desert and lived off of 100-year-old canned spiced peaches that he dubbed “sploosh” because they were just mush.

I don’t know if I’d let my canned goods go quite that long, but I’d be comfortable eating them at 10 years, for sure. As a matter of fact, I have.

Dried Goods

Foods such as flour, salt, sugar, rice, and beans all have really long shelf lives. As a matter of fact, the only one in the bunch that really has an expiration date is the flour, and even it’s good for at least a year, though some say 6 months. As a baker, I can tell you that I’ve used flour that was a year old and it was fine.

That was all-purpose, though. When you get into the self-rising, it may go bad faster so do a test batch and add more salt and baking powder if you don’t get a good rise.

You can tell when flour goes bad because it gets a rancid smell to it and it may get oily or have a weird, sticky texture and off smell.

The most important step to take to getting the most mileage out of all of your dried goods is to store them properly: keep them in air-tight containers in cool, dark places.

Vacuum Sealing

I’ve taken to buying all of my cheese vacuum-sealed. The same thing goes for deli meat, if you can find it. Air is every food’s worst enemy because bacteria (except botulism) need air to grow. I even smash my packages of cheese, etc. flat and squeeze out as much air as possible, and it’s seriously increased my shelf time since doing that.

If you have a vacuum sealer at home, use it! Seriously, it can double or even triple the shelf life of food.

Dating

Sharpies are your friend. If you’re canning or preserving food at home, date everything that you make with the date that you made it. Then you know how long you’ve had it when you reach for it. For that matter, do the same thing with canned and shelf-stable foods that you buy at the store. Use either the date you bought it or the “best by” date. Then you don’t have to break out the magnifying glass to find the “best by” date.

FIFO

Organize your food so that the oldest food gets used first. This is easy to do by just putting the new food behind the older foods every time you bring in something new. Then you know for a fact that what’s in front is what you should use.

Finally, the shelf life of foods is most certainly affected by how you store it. Canned goods should always be stored in a cool, dark place. Milk, meat, and eggs should be refrigerated at about 35 degrees, and veggies should go in the crisper drawer because the temperature is different there, too.

Just as an aside, milk, butter, and other dairy products will freeze just fine, though they may separate a bit. The texture of your cheese may be a bit weird, too, but it should still taste fine. You can also home-can butter.

Knowing the shelf life of your foods is important, but what’s more important is knowing how to tell if they’re bad. If you even ask yourself, “Hmm. This looks/smells/feels weird. I wonder if it’s good?” then the answer is to toss it. Food poisoning is, at the very least, brutal until you get through it 5-8 hours later, and at its worst can be fatal.

Go forth and eat safely!

Click the banner below and discover our farfether’ survival food secrets!

If you can think of any tips or advice about food shelf life that I’ve missed here, please feel free to mention them in the comments section below!

This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia. 

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[gabriellakirtonblog]

Are You Making Yourself Rich, or Poor? Here’s Why Every Choice You Make Today Matters

I come from a frugal family. My parents taught me to make smart money choices from an early age. Now that I’m an adult—and successful by many measures—those habits have proven so useful that I can’t imagine being any other way.

It wasn’t until I started hiring and mentoring other trainers that I realized just how much money people waste on unnecessary stuff: designer clothes, takeout food, top-of-the-line equipment, supplements. Their lives look great on Instagram, but what you won’t find in their profile is that they’re still sleeping under their parents’ roof because they can’t afford their own place.

I once had a trainer request a pay advance—for $300 jeans. One gym owner I know orders takeout for every meal and pays a $7 delivery fee each time. Factor in food and tip, and that’s easily $1,000-plus a month.

Thanks to the rising cost of living and our culture’s general penchant for extravagance, learning to manage your money early is more important than ever. For young trainers in particular, what you do with your earnings now can mean the difference between struggle and success later on.

A stock trader once told me that wealthy people feel valuable when they save money, and poor people feel valuable when they spend money. That resonated with me because it highlights the true secret to money management: confidence and self-belief.

As the founder of Female Trainer Society, I’ve seen so many young trainers unable to reach that next level because deep down they don’t truly believe they can. They don’t take themselves seriously enough, and that leads them to spend their money on superficial things instead of investing in themselves.

But you can do this. You can make six figures. You can live the life you imagined for yourself. You can achieve anything you want as long as you’re willing to work for it. (Mom and Dad taught me that too!)

It all starts with the right mindset—and a few simple tips.

READ ALSO: “How to Get Started as an Online Personal Trainer”

1. Sell something before you buy something

Look, I love Lululemon too. But when it comes to clothes, my rule is if I want to buy something, I have to sell something.

Trainers get Lulu apparel at a 25 percent discount, and that stuff retains its value. So if you sell it, you may make back almost what you paid for it. I do this all the time on Facebook Marketplace, and I find that brand-name fitness apparel sells quickly.

Just be sure to price it right. Often sellers will overestimate the value of their item. You wouldn’t believe how often people list products at prices that are the same—or higher—than what you’ll find in stores. If it’s available brand-new for cheaper elsewhere, no one’s going to buy it used from you. (And you do want someone to buy it, right? That’s kind of the whole point.)

2. Invest in yourself

There are a couple ways to accrue wealth. You can save. Or you can put your money to work so it makes money for you. That’s what I try to do.

When I see young trainers failing to invest in their business or their self-education, they always give the same excuse: “I can’t afford it.”

If that’s you, I have news: Yes, you can.

When I was 14, I wanted a snowboard. My dad told me that if I could earn enough to pay for half the cost, he would cover the rest. I did laundry, dishes, mowed the lawn … Okay, fine, my dad paid my allowance for those chores, so technically his money was footing the full tab. But my dad was teaching me a lesson: You can afford anything if you work hard enough.

Several years ago, I wanted to sign up for a coaching program. The course was $2,000. At the time, I was making $1,500 a month. (You do the math.) With just a week before the cutoff date for registration, I was selling off everything I could think of—snow pants, shoes, whatever. In the end, I raised enough to fund the course, and I guarantee that investment has paid off many times over since then.

I recently spent $500 on a Facebook ad that brought in $30,000 in revenue. That seems like a no-brainer. But many young trainers will say they can’t afford that initial investment (though their designer boots suggest otherwise).

Entrepreneur Russell Brunson has talked about a concept called “lead or gold.” If you absolutely had to make $500 by tomorrow or you and your whole family will die, you’d find a way to make $500. If you’re serious about your career, pretend that the stakes are that high.

READ ALSO: “What I Learned from 15,000 Training Sessions in a Commercial Gym”

3. Gamify your finances

My partner and I like to make a game of finding deals. We make a competition of it, and that helps us both stay on track. After all, if there’s one thing that motivates us fitness pros, it’s tapping into our competitive spirit.

Tech gives me the edge: I love Flipp, which searches circulars and coupons to find the best deals for all the items on your weekly shopping list.

I also like Mint. It links to all your accounts so you can easily see what you spend money on. It lets you create a budget and sends you notifications if you’re coming close.

I do my food shopping at the end of the day, when near-expired food gets discounted. Just the other week I snagged $100 worth of antibiotic-free meat for $38! Believe me, the rush you get from a deal like that is way better than fancy jeans.

I take the game further by establishing rules. For example, I refuse to throw out any food. At the end of the month, I clear out my cupboards and fridge and eat everything that’s about to go bad. I’m like Pac-Man eating pellets.

Level up!

READ ALSO: “Forget About Setting Goals. Do This Instead.”

4. Set aside money for taxes

I have friends who gross six figures a year, and because of that assume they don’t need to worry about saving. Then tax season hits, and they understand why that’s a mistake.

If you, like many trainers, are self-employed, you should be setting aside at least 25 percent of your income for taxes. If you make about the same amount each month, you can have your bank automatically transfer a stipend over to savings.

You should also be using accounting software like QuickBooks. For a small monthly fee, you can see how much you’re actually making after expenses. And that’s a number you should know.

5. Treat one client as your pension

If I have one financial regret, it’s that I didn’t start saving for retirement in my early 20s. I convinced myself I couldn’t afford it then, but I’d get to it eventually. When I think about the amount of exponential growth I missed out on, I can’t help but get annoyed with my younger self.

Research shows a way to think more seriously about your future: In one study, people who viewed aged images of themselves contributed more of their earnings to a retirement plan than those who viewed images of their current self. When you relate to your future self, you’re more likely to make good decisions for that person’s happiness and well-being.

Setting aside a couple hundred dollars a month can make a huge difference. Try this easy hack: Take the revenue from one client and put that into a retirement fund. So if you’re charging one client $300 a month, consider that your retirement money.

READ ALSO: “Why You Should Have Dinner with Your Clients”

6. Take your own advice

Trainers are always preaching to their clients about the importance of meal prep—right before they grab another takeout meal.

And I get it. I still remember when I first started and was working all hours, taking on every client I could. By the time I was done working, the only places that were still open sold fast food. I was spending $150 on takeout every week, and it wasn’t even quality nutrition.

Those meal-prep tips we give clients aren’t just lip service. They work. And you can save a ton of money following them.

I make sure to keep quick, ready-to-go foods in the freezer, and I always have cooked chicken prepped and ready to go. After a recent long day, I used that chicken, some frozen peppers, and frozen tortilla shells to whip up fajitas in about five minutes.

As a trainer, you’re setting an example for your clients. When you advise them to avoid takeout, be sure to follow your own advice.

READ ALSO: “A Trainer’s Guide to Protein”

7. Realize something is better than nothing

Thinking about opening your own training space? Good for you! Just don’t feel you need to start out with the works.

I remember one new gym owner who dropped six figures on equipment alone. The gym looked beautiful—they even had brick professionally installed on the walls—but I cringe to think of the sheer number of hours they’ll have to work just to pay off those bills.

A lot of people have an all-or-nothing mindset. I like to teach that something is better than nothing.

Opening a gym with over $100,000 worth of equipment is a big jump. But you can get a solid start by renting a small space inside a larger gym for a fraction of the price. And don’t assume you need the shiny new equipment, either—I’ve found great deals for used equipment online.

People tend to misjudge what will have the greatest impact on their career. Truth is, more than any amount of fancy clothes or equipment, grit and personality will take you much farther. And those are free.

READ ALSO: “Three Mistakes that Could Cost You $100,000 and Sink Your New Gym”

    More Habits of Highly Wealthy Trainers

When it comes to your career and financial success, every choice you make today matters. Learn the two habits you need to break free from the daily grind when you pick up your copy of Jonathan Goodman’s limited-edition, two-book box set The Highly Wealthy Online Trainer.

Compiled here for the first time, these books will empower you to think and act differently, and reap the rewards. Why a box set? Because marketing strategy is worthless unless it is acted upon, and that requires good habits. The two go together.

What you get:

Book #1: Habits of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Book #2: Marketing Breakthroughs of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Don’t wait –> Order your copies today.

    The post Are You Making Yourself Rich, or Poor? Here’s Why Every Choice You Make Today Matters appeared first on The PTDC.

Are You Making Yourself Rich, or Poor? Here’s Why Every Choice You Make Today Matters published first on https://onezeroonesarms.tumblr.com/

[fitono]

Are You Making Yourself Rich, or Poor? Here’s Why Every Choice You Make Today Matters

I come from a frugal family. My parents taught me to make smart money choices from an early age. Now that I’m an adult—and successful by many measures—those habits have proven so useful that I can’t imagine being any other way.

It wasn’t until I started hiring and mentoring other trainers that I realized just how much money people waste on unnecessary stuff: designer clothes, takeout food, top-of-the-line equipment, supplements. Their lives look great on Instagram, but what you won’t find in their profile is that they’re still sleeping under their parents’ roof because they can’t afford their own place.

I once had a trainer request a pay advance—for $300 jeans. One gym owner I know orders takeout for every meal and pays a $7 delivery fee each time. Factor in food and tip, and that’s easily $1,000-plus a month.

Thanks to the rising cost of living and our culture’s general penchant for extravagance, learning to manage your money early is more important than ever. For young trainers in particular, what you do with your earnings now can mean the difference between struggle and success later on.

A stock trader once told me that wealthy people feel valuable when they save money, and poor people feel valuable when they spend money. That resonated with me because it highlights the true secret to money management: confidence and self-belief.

As the founder of Female Trainer Society, I’ve seen so many young trainers unable to reach that next level because deep down they don’t truly believe they can. They don’t take themselves seriously enough, and that leads them to spend their money on superficial things instead of investing in themselves.

But you can do this. You can make six figures. You can live the life you imagined for yourself. You can achieve anything you want as long as you’re willing to work for it. (Mom and Dad taught me that too!)

It all starts with the right mindset—and a few simple tips.

READ ALSO: “How to Get Started as an Online Personal Trainer”

1. Sell something before you buy something

Look, I love Lululemon too. But when it comes to clothes, my rule is if I want to buy something, I have to sell something.

Trainers get Lulu apparel at a 25 percent discount, and that stuff retains its value. So if you sell it, you may make back almost what you paid for it. I do this all the time on Facebook Marketplace, and I find that brand-name fitness apparel sells quickly.

Just be sure to price it right. Often sellers will overestimate the value of their item. You wouldn’t believe how often people list products at prices that are the same—or higher—than what you’ll find in stores. If it’s available brand-new for cheaper elsewhere, no one’s going to buy it used from you. (And you do want someone to buy it, right? That’s kind of the whole point.)

2. Invest in yourself

There are a couple ways to accrue wealth. You can save. Or you can put your money to work so it makes money for you. That’s what I try to do.

When I see young trainers failing to invest in their business or their self-education, they always give the same excuse: “I can’t afford it.”

If that’s you, I have news: Yes, you can.

When I was 14, I wanted a snowboard. My dad told me that if I could earn enough to pay for half the cost, he would cover the rest. I did laundry, dishes, mowed the lawn … Okay, fine, my dad paid my allowance for those chores, so technically his money was footing the full tab. But my dad was teaching me a lesson: You can afford anything if you work hard enough.

Several years ago, I wanted to sign up for a coaching program. The course was $2,000. At the time, I was making $1,500 a month. (You do the math.) With just a week before the cutoff date for registration, I was selling off everything I could think of—snow pants, shoes, whatever. In the end, I raised enough to fund the course, and I guarantee that investment has paid off many times over since then.

I recently spent $500 on a Facebook ad that brought in $30,000 in revenue. That seems like a no-brainer. But many young trainers will say they can’t afford that initial investment (though their designer boots suggest otherwise).

Entrepreneur Russell Brunson has talked about a concept called “lead or gold.” If you absolutely had to make $500 by tomorrow or you and your whole family will die, you’d find a way to make $500. If you’re serious about your career, pretend that the stakes are that high.

READ ALSO: “What I Learned from 15,000 Training Sessions in a Commercial Gym”

3. Gamify your finances

My partner and I like to make a game of finding deals. We make a competition of it, and that helps us both stay on track. After all, if there’s one thing that motivates us fitness pros, it’s tapping into our competitive spirit.

Tech gives me the edge: I love Flipp, which searches circulars and coupons to find the best deals for all the items on your weekly shopping list.

I also like Mint. It links to all your accounts so you can easily see what you spend money on. It lets you create a budget and sends you notifications if you’re coming close.

I do my food shopping at the end of the day, when near-expired food gets discounted. Just the other week I snagged $100 worth of antibiotic-free meat for $38! Believe me, the rush you get from a deal like that is way better than fancy jeans.

I take the game further by establishing rules. For example, I refuse to throw out any food. At the end of the month, I clear out my cupboards and fridge and eat everything that’s about to go bad. I’m like Pac-Man eating pellets.

Level up!

READ ALSO: “Forget About Setting Goals. Do This Instead.”

4. Set aside money for taxes

I have friends who gross six figures a year, and because of that assume they don’t need to worry about saving. Then tax season hits, and they understand why that’s a mistake.

If you, like many trainers, are self-employed, you should be setting aside at least 25 percent of your income for taxes. If you make about the same amount each month, you can have your bank automatically transfer a stipend over to savings.

You should also be using accounting software like QuickBooks. For a small monthly fee, you can see how much you’re actually making after expenses. And that’s a number you should know.

5. Treat one client as your pension

If I have one financial regret, it’s that I didn’t start saving for retirement in my early 20s. I convinced myself I couldn’t afford it then, but I’d get to it eventually. When I think about the amount of exponential growth I missed out on, I can’t help but get annoyed with my younger self.

Research shows a way to think more seriously about your future: In one study, people who viewed aged images of themselves contributed more of their earnings to a retirement plan than those who viewed images of their current self. When you relate to your future self, you’re more likely to make good decisions for that person’s happiness and well-being.

Setting aside a couple hundred dollars a month can make a huge difference. Try this easy hack: Take the revenue from one client and put that into a retirement fund. So if you’re charging one client $300 a month, consider that your retirement money.

READ ALSO: “Why You Should Have Dinner with Your Clients”

6. Take your own advice

Trainers are always preaching to their clients about the importance of meal prep—right before they grab another takeout meal.

And I get it. I still remember when I first started and was working all hours, taking on every client I could. By the time I was done working, the only places that were still open sold fast food. I was spending $150 on takeout every week, and it wasn’t even quality nutrition.

Those meal-prep tips we give clients aren’t just lip service. They work. And you can save a ton of money following them.

I make sure to keep quick, ready-to-go foods in the freezer, and I always have cooked chicken prepped and ready to go. After a recent long day, I used that chicken, some frozen peppers, and frozen tortilla shells to whip up fajitas in about five minutes.

As a trainer, you’re setting an example for your clients. When you advise them to avoid takeout, be sure to follow your own advice.

READ ALSO: “A Trainer’s Guide to Protein”

7. Realize something is better than nothing

Thinking about opening your own training space? Good for you! Just don’t feel you need to start out with the works.

I remember one new gym owner who dropped six figures on equipment alone. The gym looked beautiful—they even had brick professionally installed on the walls—but I cringe to think of the sheer number of hours they’ll have to work just to pay off those bills.

A lot of people have an all-or-nothing mindset. I like to teach that something is better than nothing.

Opening a gym with over $100,000 worth of equipment is a big jump. But you can get a solid start by renting a small space inside a larger gym for a fraction of the price. And don’t assume you need the shiny new equipment, either—I’ve found great deals for used equipment online.

People tend to misjudge what will have the greatest impact on their career. Truth is, more than any amount of fancy clothes or equipment, grit and personality will take you much farther. And those are free.

READ ALSO: “Three Mistakes that Could Cost You $100,000 and Sink Your New Gym”

    More Habits of Highly Wealthy Trainers

When it comes to your career and financial success, every choice you make today matters. Learn the two habits you need to break free from the daily grind when you pick up your copy of Jonathan Goodman’s limited-edition, two-book box set The Highly Wealthy Online Trainer.

Compiled here for the first time, these books will empower you to think and act differently, and reap the rewards. Why a box set? Because marketing strategy is worthless unless it is acted upon, and that requires good habits. The two go together.

What you get:

Book #1: Habits of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Book #2: Marketing Breakthroughs of Highly Wealthy Online Trainers

Don’t wait –> Order your copies today.

    The post Are You Making Yourself Rich, or Poor? Here’s Why Every Choice You Make Today Matters appeared first on The PTDC.

Are You Making Yourself Rich, or Poor? Here’s Why Every Choice You Make Today Matters published first on https://medium.com/@MyDietArea

[planthiseatthat]

How Do I Pick My Meals?

I am a person who loves to cook and is absolutely crazy for food. There are lots of people in this world who hate cooking, and there are also people in this world who only eat for sustenance; food just isn’t their jam (pun 10000% intended). That’s a perfectly fine experience, it just happens not to be mine. I am constantly thinking about my next meal with great anticipation. For me, this is all part of the fun and enjoyment, which is why the system works for me. Your mileage will vary! No judgement!

My own personal guidance system, listed in no particular order...

What part of the production process is this?

I read an article in the New York Times Health section a couple of years ago about the effect that eating within a 12-hour window has on the metabolism, and after some obviously-not-very-scientific experimentation, discovered that it really works for me when it comes to maintaining or losing weight, and inversely, can really directly contribute to my own weight gain. As with everything, this may not be true for you. Don’t @me with your well-actuallys... do what feels right for you.

When I’m in rehearsal mode, I am up at 6:45am, out the door at 8:15am, at the rehearsal studio by 9am, breaking for lunch at ~2pm, leaving the studio by 7pm, and home by 8pm. If I eat breakfast at 7:30am, that means a couple of things... I will have to go probably 6½ hours between full meals, and I will automatically be breaking my own 12-hour window rule by eating dinner after I get home. This means that I’m going to plan for a protein-heavy breakfast, a substantial morning snack, a delicious lunch that will be the heaviest meal I’ll eat all day, a quality afternoon snack, and a very, very, very light dinner; I can’t go to bed with an empty stomach, so I’ll prepare something with high-impact flavor and texture but a low calorie/sugar count.

When I’m in 10-out-of-12 mode, I am usually up before dawn, home after midnight, and on my feet for most of the day, so all caloric and 12-hour window bets are off, but I try to focus on big flavors, filling food with a high protein content. I do also try to stop eating by 9pm because otherwise sleep can be elusive, no matter how tired I may be. I’ll be eating breakfast at home, but snacks, lunch, and dinner are all at the theater.

When I’m in show mode, I can sleep 'til 9:30am on a matinee or rehearsal day, and not set an alarm on a one evening show day! I’m out the door at 11 or 11:30am depending on my call time for the former, and sometime between 4-5:30pm depending on my call time for the latter. So it’s sometimes lunch and dinner at the theater, sometimes just lunch, and sometimes just dinner. No matter what, I'm able to cook a fresh hot breakfast once I’m in show mode, and I may not need to pre-prepare any snacks. I try to make a dinner that can be eaten early-ish and sustain me late so that I can avoid snacking when I get home sometime between 11:30pm and midnight. (But, in all honesty, I usually snack when I get home.)

I’m lactose intolerant!

Fun fact: lactose-intolerance can look like many things. To get graphic for a minute: it gives me the most painful diarrhea imaginable (I say this having had salmonella). But it could be worse, because I’m also the kind of lactose intolerant person that has a decent-ish lactose limit, so I can handle hard cheeses, certain processed ricottas, certain yogurts, commercially-produced ice cream, and so on. I cook with Lactaid products, but I don't depend on the pills because it feels too risky. I know what brand and style of sour cream works with my tummy chemistry. I eat soft cheeses in the comfort and privacy of my own home. Etc. The last thing I need is a digestive emergency at work; believe me... it has happened, it was mortifying, and it still haunts me.

Vitamins, minerals, and protein!

Am I eating enough fruits and vegetables? Am I getting enough calcium? (My mom has osteoarthritis, plus I have a pin in my heel holding a fracture together, so this is a real thing I think about constantly.) Am I close to my period, so does my body want extra iron? My brain seems to work faster when I'm eating a lot of protein... am I getting enough of that?

Do I love this food?

I love most food, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE soup, vinegar, hot sauce, cheese (I KNOW!), fennel, dark chocolate, citrus, basil, brussels sprouts, and mushrooms, to name of few of my favorite things. Obviously, a recipe that includes any or ideally several of any of these favorite things is going to be of very high value for me.

Calorie content!

I have a Fitbit (see? new tools are great to add to the overall arsenal!), and use the Fitbit Food Log tools fairly religiously. Within the desktop dashboard interface, I use the “create a meal” feature to input the ingredients of any new-to-me recipe that I’m considering adding to my meal prep routine and use that nutritional info to determine how many meals it breaks down to in a calorically responsible way, and whether that’s workable for my needs. If it’s something I want to make but it’s too much or too little food, I’ll look into freezing some portions for a later date, or scaling it.

Am I going to get bored?

I’ve figured out that 4 times in a single week, a lunch or full dinner (in 10 out of 12s, or show mode) won’t bore me, but 6 times in a single week, it will. I can eat the same breakfast or light dinner (in rehearsal mode) for a week, but then I can’t repeat it for at least a couple of weeks without ruining the experience for myself. I also avoid repeating main ingredients in any given week. This is the version of variety that is, for me, indefinitely sustainable in a manageable way.

Is there a fridge? Is there a microwave?

Some studios have neither. Some studios have one but not both of the above. Sometimes the line for the microwave is going to be half an hour long; sometimes I discover I'll have it all to myself. Some theaters only have a mini fridge for props. These are two big variables to have to factor into my planning. If needed, I can prep all meals that are stable for a while unrefrigerated (or with an icepack in my lunch bag) and are damn tasty at room temperature.

How complicated is the recipe?

In rehearsal mode, I can make soups, calzones, casseroles, braises, fresh bread, etc and still have time left in the day for the other necessary chores plus cuddle time with my dog who has patiently pined for my company all week, as I have for his. In 10 out of 12 mode, I am probably bringing work home on the day off, or sometimes going two weeks without a day off, so I’ll be leaning on previously-frozen food and quickly prepped things like kitchen-sink salads, grain bowls, and sandwiches. In show mode, I can make things like fresh pasta, macarons, and seafood because I have the time for a multi-step process that doesn't allow multitasking, plus I’ll be eating some of my full lunches or dinners at home on real dishes - luxury!

Speaking of seafood... does my food stink?

There is a human decency factor! A person can’t just go heating up seafood, broccoli, or cabbage in a shared space! I’m not a monster!

What do I have lying around?

Bulk buying is cheap buying. For example, it’s obviously more cost effective to buy the bunch of parsley for $1.99 instead of the single serving container of it for $1.50... that’s good home economics. But to make it actually worth my while instead of wasteful, I keep track of the stuff that’s sitting in the fridge and plan to use it up before it spoils. I can keep herbs alive for 2 or 3 weeks (depending on how fresh they were when I bought them). Cheese can sit for a couple of weeks when wrapped properly. Lactaid milk is actually good for a month after opening (joke’s on you, regular milk drinkers!). And so on. Plus, I generally scale pasta recipes so that I’m eating at most 2-3oz of dry pasta per meal, which means I’m often checking my cupboard and saying to myself “hey, use up that macaroni before you go buying penne.” A lot of my recipe modifications involve using what I have on hand, instead of buying something else.

What time of year is it?

I have long-ago stopped being surprised when my “on this day” memories on Facebook tell me that on this date sometime in my posting history, I made the exact dish that I also made two days ago. My cravings cycle seasonally, and if I’m going to enjoy my food, it of course has to feed those cravings. Winters are for chili, soup, and braised things. Summers are for vegetable risotto and things on the grill. You get it.

Finally, a note on where I’m looking for recipes:

I look everywhere. Occasionally, I make something up but more often I'm modifying someone else's recipe in a way that works better for me for any number of reasons. I’m a member of a couple of recipe exchange groups with friends on Facebook. I poke my friends who post great photos of great food on Instagram and ask them for the recipe. I subscribe to Food & Wine as an actual physical magazine that comes in the mail. I subscribe to the RSS feeds for Food52.com, SeriousEats.com, SmittenKitchen.com (she is amazing!), and the New York Times Health and Food sections; sometimes the RSS articles expire after 30 days before I get to them, but they’re there for me when I have time for them. I have the Epicurious, Food Network, and All Recipes apps on my phone, plus Food52’s (Not)Recipe app, which I regularly look to for inspiration. I talk to people in my real life!! Plus, I have a library of actual physical cookbooks! I used to travel with most of them when I was on tour (my roadbox was heavy); halfway through my time on the road, I got my first Kindle, scanned all of my favorite recipes, shipped my cookbooks home, and loaded up that first generation Kindle with over one thousand PDFs. Now, I have all of those PDFs plus about a thousand more in Dropbox folder organized by chef/source, so that it’s searchable and accessible from whatever device I prefer in the moment.

[theroadtorestoration-blog]

5/26/2017 I would like to hold myself accountable in some way, so I'm going to start posting. Today I binged. These past few weeks have consisted of more binges than these past few months and it's scaring me. I started meeting with my therapist because of this and because of an ample amount of free time. I believe this amount of free time is causing me to think FAR too much about "fixing" myself, which is why I end up bingeing. My breakfasts and lunches have been satisfactory in the eyes of a girl on a weight loss journey, but if you ask my therapist, they are considered restrictive. Anyways, I'm going to be posting before, during, and after binges from now on in order to get a clearer sense of some of the reasons behind WHY I keep falling down this path. I'd really like to make this summer a time for myself to get closer to overcoming this battle of one and I believe the first step is being honest. So, here I am. Post-binge & post-purge as I walk the Weber Center track. My goal for the night is to reach 20,000 steps. Is this overexercise? Probably, but the highly irrational side of my brain is okay with that because... well.. whatever leads to weight loss. While I'm here, I guess I'll say how my day went and maybe I'll discover some potential triggers. 8:00- woke up and showered. I put on a cute outfit but I changed into a more comfortable one that made me feel really bad about my body. I changed bc I thought I'd get cold at graduation rehearsal. I even put on lipstick and earrings! Probably bc I wanted to impress my boo thang 8:15- I had my ACV and then I ate breakfast. I make myself drink this before breakfast bc I believe it's the magic waste loss cure. I wanted some protein so I started out with a strawberry Greek yogurt. I then made some oatmeal and had that as my starch instead of granola because for some reason I thought eating oatmeal would keep me from binging today ??? Who knows. My logic is skewed. I put 1 tbsp of protein in it bc I thought more protein = fuller tummy = lower chance of bingeing. I then had a disgusting overcooked hard boiled egg. My reflux of that was SICKENING. I had a strawberry too. I really wanted to binge but I left.... 8:35- supposed to be at graduation rehearsal @ 9. There was a breakfast from 8-9 that I skipped bc HA. when's the last time I've ever gone to a provided breakfast??? The idea of putting one of those bagels in my system makes me wanna barf. Disgusting carbs. 8:44- I arrive at niles North. I don't wanna see these people. Ugh. I wanna hide myself. I don't wanna walk in front of that crowd and get body shamed. I wanna see vaughn but I don't want him to see me. If I cross my arms over my belly maybe my body will turn invisible. 9:00- the gym is filled with pastries and bagels. Yuck. How does everyone just eat all of that stuff so carelessly? 9:05- the rehearsal is fine and long and I just wanna go and get on with my day. I'm so sick of this place and I hate all of this small talk. I see Uche and vaughn talking. Blah. I see tiselle. I think she hates me. Do I owe her an apology? Vaughn and I aren't even really dating. We've basically just hooked up and had some sleepovers. 9:40- omg there was this thing we had to do when we went to our seats and the person directly across from you in the parallel line would sit at the same time as you and vaughn and I were parallel! Love those coincidences. Also during the ceremony I sat behind manduul. He makes me uncomfortable. I also sat behind Nathan, vaughns friend, and I felt very judged. Am I too much for people? 10:00- I'm free! I zoom toward the exit and to the door and jump into my car. I don't wanna talk to anyone. I head to old navy and call dad. I tell him to meet me there. 10:15- I begin shopping. I enjoy shopping but it can be tough. I like my body now more than I used to, but I've still got some improvements to make. Im really proud of my exercise efforts though. I've been so consistent!!! I can't wait to continue on this fitness journey and to get a better grip on this healthy lifestyle. 1:00- omg, I'm finally done shopping. I can't believe I spent $270 on clothes...... holy shit. I've never done that before. It was my dads money and he was happy to do it but damn. I feel so spoiled. do I even deserve all of this stuff? Probably not. Ugh I'm so privileged it makes me sick. 1:05- dad was gross and flirty with cashier and I really don't wanna be around him but I have a salad at his house I was gonna eat for lunch so I head there and he follows right behind me in his car!!! Oy. 1:15- I eat a green salad from Trader Joe's. It has a lot of fat in it (27 g) but not a lot of protein (14 g) so I'm freaking out and worried about a later binge. Should I have that salmon in there or is it too much? The meal is only 370 calories. Do I need more? Dad comes and eats both of the small containers with salmon. He says it's okay to eat that much bc he worked out!!!! He keeps saying shit like that. It's so triggering. He says it as if you need to earn the right to eat which is such a disordered way of thinking. Is my whole family disordered? Oy vey. 1:30- I try and speed through lunch because this man is driving me insane. I say I'm gonna go to moms house and clean. I end up going upstairs until 2 and I just laid down and looked up things for vaughn and I to do tonight. Couldn't find anything. 2:05- I head to moms house. I grab 2 pieces of gum from dads fridge bc I think it'll rid of the urge to binge. It does for a while. I continue cleaning up and getting rid of stuff at moms while I listen to music. Not aware of the time. I take a break at some point. I head to the fridge and I get a chicken breast from jewel. I heat it up. My favorite part is the fatty skin. Is that completely disgusting? Probably. I'm proud of myself bc I eat it at a controlled pace which is new for me. I also have 3 pieces of shrimp. I'm upset with myself bc I'm watching a movie as I eat it. The love is called Blue is the Warmest Color. It's about lesbians. I question my sexuality for the thousandth time. I see that Jacob (my Ex boyfriends) new friend group posts a picture of themselves with a couch. Why are they mocking my friend group? Whatever! I also make myself a French vanilla cappuccino and I crave some shortbread cookies but I don't let myself. I tell myself to wait it out and let the craving pass because I know I'm not actually hungry. I stop watching the movie at this point and I return to cleaning. I have short text conversation with Spencer about vaughn and then about dammy. I realized that I'm not sure if I really trust vaughn and the relationship I currently have with him is kinda strange and I'm not sure how much I really wanna pursuit it. I really enjoy him though. He's so intelligent and makes great convo. At some point, I make my way to the kitchen again and I let myself have a ton of chocolate. I reach for the box of Fannie may chocolates that I discovered a few days back and rip through half of that, I love the chocolates with raspberry centers. I then reach for a box of European chocolates and they are expired and dusty looking. Yuck. I then eat some m&ms and chocolate squares and it's out of hand. I even have some more maple cookies and I heat up a handheld apple pie from Krispy cream. I heat up a butternut squash ravioli and vegetables lean cuisine and I devour it. I want more pasta. More carbs. I find another pasta dish in the freezer, I heat it, and it's gross. I put it in a container and throw it in the fridge. Wonder what my mom will think about all of the containers and food wrappers in the garbage. I hope she doesn't question me about it. I then have 2 spinach pie triangles and heat them in panini maker. Not very good. Then I make a quesadilla with 2 tortillas and a ton of cheese. I eat that by the tv. I then make another one even though I'm beginning to feel sick. This is the last thing I eat. I drink some water out a wine glass and I'm mad at myself. Go figure. This always ends up happening. I'm not sure I'll ever learn. I go to the bathroom and lay down and I'm in so much pain. I try spitting up my food. Oh yeah, just to mention I was spitting up some of my chocolate earlier on and I did this by running around and drinking water. Anyways, after My binge I'm in the bathroom trying to throw up and my phone is dying so I grab the extension cord thingy and I bring it to the bathroom downstairs bc I enjoy purging into that Toilet better and I charge my phone as I spit food up. Not too much comes up. I watch a video about what to do after a binge. It's not too helpful. I do hear AGAIN that I need to not restrict after a binge. This is so hard to learn bc I always have events coming up. I'm not trying to look like a fat ass at graduation or on birthright!!! 7:20- I decide to head to Weber center to walk. It's raining outside but I need to do something and I don't wanna be with other people. lol I never wanna be with other people. I'm too ashamed of myself. I set a goal for myself to walk 20,000 steps and I compete with everyone walking. Well, that's my day so far. If anything drastic ends up happening, I'll update you in tomorrow's post. Until then, keep on fighting. You are not your illness and I have no doubt that you'll eventually beat this. I love you, rach. Signing off.

[nikihawkes]

In case you missed my Introductory Post, my world was in such an upheaval that I was forced to take drastic measures by simplifying and organizing all the things that caused me stress. Each month, in 2017, I’m tackling different aspects of my life that are clutter-stressors by organizing and altering them into things that bring me joy.

April 2017: Food

First off, it feels weird doing a non-book topic… Anyway, I’ll be the first to admit that parts of this post involved excessive organization, even for me. Don’t let me kid you though, I freaking loved every moment of it. The thing is, I had so many food-related goals to tackle, but just wasn’t getting anywhere with them. I was in desperate need of a change (also if one more thing fell out of my freezer onto my foot, I was gonna lose it). As the whole point of Simplifying Life in 2017 is to reduce stress and make life easier, “food” had to be a topic. While working on this project, I realized I had way too much for one post, so decided to split it up and focus on food this month and save health goals for May.

Here’s what I’d hoped to accomplish by the end of April:

clean out and organize my kitchen.

utilize foods from my freezer/cupboard.

stop wasting so much food.

Stay within a budget.

eat better.

The Fridge/Freezer:

The starting point for this project was learning what I had to work with. I pulled everything out of my fridge and freezer and went through expiration dates. I threw so much stuff out – it hurts my heart. Inevitably, the root of my wasteful problems was not knowing what I had. Everything was hidden behind a thousand condiment bottles.

My husband has issues. Only two of these are mine.

Anyway, the initial organization of the fridge was a huge wake-up call for me. I let a lot of stuff get nasty in there, and that is definitely not helping my OCD/germaphobicness at all. I now have “clean out the fridge” on my weekly cleaning list to help maintain what I’ve accomplished so far.

The freezer was next. I learned a few things about what a freezer hoarder I am (is that a thing?). I’d somehow inherited boxes and boxes of freezer foods from my mom and grandma that I knew I wasn’t going to eat, but felt guilty letting them throw out. But maybe, just maybe I’d eat it (nope). After 2+ years of hanging on to it for no good reason – out it went.

Everything came out for evaluation. Almost everything I’d “inherited” was expired, and covered in enough freezer-burn to be almost unrecognizable – gone! I threw away almost an entire garbage bag worth of expired food. I vow here and now that this will never happen again!

Additionally, because we are crashing at my in-laws’ vacation home, we found this nugget hidden at the back of the freezer:

It was a solid block of ice.

The Lists:

Since I’m clearly not in the habit of exploring my freezer for things to eat, I decided I needed a better way to keep track of what’s in there. I grabbed a notebook, labeled it my “food log,” and proceeded to write every item in my freezer onto this nifty little list:

When I plan out meals for the week, I choose from these available items first. Not only does it help me use up my stock of food before it goes bad, but it saves me money. I have a lot of unutilized proteins that go a long way towards feeding my husband and I (when I actually take the time to plan ahead and thaw stuff).

When trying to eat healthy, planning is key. It’s impossible to not feel like you’re starving to death when your only options are unhealthy snacks or nothing at all. Over the last several years, I’ve been slowly introducing foods from this “brain foods” list into my diet and now have a pretty good selection of healthy options to choose from. Every week I create a shopping list in my food tracker which includes all the healthy foods I’ll need to take with me to work along with supplemental ingredients I’ll need to cook whatever items I’m utilizing from my freezer. Paperclipped to the back of that notebook are all of my coupons.

The Thrifter:

Let’s talk about coupons for a minute (because apparently when you turn thirty, saving fifty cents on cream corn is the highlight of your day). I have a strong love/hate relationship with coupons. It seems like in the past whenever I tried to utilize them, I always ended up spending more at the grocery store than originally planned. They make you feel like you’re getting a deal on something that you don’t normally buy or eat. I found myself buying $10 to $20 more in groceries just to save $3 and coupons. This is not good coupon shopping. The key is to only bring coupons for things you buy anyway.

Now, after all of that effort, it means absolutely nothing if you FREAKING FORGET to hand the cashier your coupons. I’d go through the trouble of cutting them out, bringing them to the store, making sure what I’m buying matches their specifications (which required me digging in my purse and pulling out the little wads until I found the right one… Assuming I remembered having them in the first place), and dragging them all the way to the register only to forget to use them. Then there’s the whole debate on whether it’s worth my time to stand in the return in line at customer service to have them make all the adjustments or just go home. For the record, I always just go home.

My new system solved all of those problems.

Right before heading to the store I’d go through and identify which coupons I’d like to use and add the items to my shopping list, writing the word “coupon” next to the applicable item so I’d remember to reference it in the store. Then I’d paperclip only the relevant coupons to the same page as my shopping list and – voilà everything I need is in front of my face. I take this list of the store and buy only what was on it, marking things off as I go along. If I were super savvy, I’d write the prices of everything I picked up next to the items as I cross them off (for future reference), but I’m not quite that far gone yet. Carrying around the notebook is a bit cumbersome, but if I set it down, I’d forget something on it or forget to hand the coupons to the cashier. It stays glued to my hand until I’m in the checkout line, and then it goes on that little counter right next to the credit card pad. I have not forgotten to hand the cashier coupons since, and it actually saves me ten minutes of digging in my purse each time I visit the store.

This method helps me in two ways – 1. I’m saving money on things I buy anyway and 2. I have a clear cut list of things I need to get. Having the list right in front of me means I usually stay within budget.

The final awesome thing that I’ve just discovered is the Walmart “savings catcher” feature on their app. If you scan your receipt after each trip and submit it to their “savings catcher”, Walmart will compare the prices of everything you purchased with competitors in the area and GIVE YOU the difference! Holy freaking crap – why haven’t I been using this feature all along? I’ve been submitting receipts since since the first of February and have already gotten back over $30 in price adjustments. O_o

The final thing I’ve started doing to help me not waste food is as follows:

The Prepwork:

As soon as I get home from the store, I take a minute to prepare fresh fruits and vegetables and put them into containers so they’re ready to eat. I discovered during my evaluation of what causes so much food waste was that most of the fresh produce I throw away was caused by laziness. How stupid is that?

Anyway, my food log now has a section on it for “perishables” in which I list all of the foods I want to make sure to eat before they go bad. When I need a snack, I’ll take a look at that list first. It’s working.

Also, with more room in the fridge, I can cook extra portions (or estimate what we would’ve wasted) and freeze it for later. Bonus meals in a month or two with no real extra effort or cleanup – win/win.

Overall, the goal of this month’s simplification goal was to organize the food I have and make it easier to stay organize going forward. Saving money and eating healthier are fringe benefits that frankly outweigh the initial goals themselves. I’ve been utilizing these new systems for a couple of months now and am loving them! There’s room in my fridge, money in my pocket, and a whole host of healthy snacks to eat every week.

Project Status: Foods Simplified!

by Niki Hawkes

The Obsessive Bookseller Simplifies Life [4]: Food In case you missed my Introductory Post, my world was in such an upheaval that I was forced to take drastic measures by simplifying and organizing all the things that caused me stress.

[thesaltyace]

Y'all I'm so pleased with myself.

My partner's nephrologist said they need to restrict sodium intake due to their kidney condition, so we're now logging our food in an app to make sure we're doing our best. The app allows us to scan product barcodes which has made the process super easy in most cases.

But we have some food items that are very annoying to remember to scan. These items are typically (1) items bought in bulk and decanted into non-original containers for daily use, such as Costco Olive oil; (2) items that are refrigerated - I hate holding open the fridge door to find and scan items; or (3) items that require additonal prep steps, so we often throw away the packaging long before we remember it needs to be scanned.

I made note over the past few weeks which items we used often but forgot to scan, and decided to put my niche skills to use.

BEHOLD!

A barcode cheat sheet for the fridge door! All it took was copying the originating barcode numbers and creating identical digital version with a free UPC barcode generator tool. And because I'm always a little ✨ extra ✨ I included photographs of each thing to make it visually easy to match what I want to scan. 😊

I also measured the volume that our cups and ladles hold so we can cook and portion easier in the moment, then use the reference sheet later for logging.

It's always such a good feeling to banish small annoyances. 😁

[gabriellakirtonblog]

Are You Making Yourself Rich, or Poor? Here’s Why Every Choice You Make Today Matters

I come from a frugal family. My parents taught me to make smart money choices from an early age. Now that I’m an adult—and successful by many measures—those habits have proven so useful that I can’t imagine being any other way.

It wasn’t until I started hiring and mentoring other trainers that I realized just how much money people waste on unnecessary stuff: designer clothes, takeout food, top-of-the-line equipment, supplements. Their lives look great on Instagram, but what you won’t find in their profile is that they’re still sleeping under their parents’ roof because they can’t afford their own place.

I once had a trainer request a pay advance—for $300 jeans. One gym owner I know orders takeout for every meal and pays a $7 delivery fee each time. Factor in food and tip, and that’s easily $1,000-plus a month.

Thanks to the rising cost of living and our culture’s general penchant for extravagance, learning to manage your money early is more important than ever. For young trainers in particular, what you do with your earnings now can mean the difference between struggle and success later on.

A stock trader once told me that wealthy people feel valuable when they save money, and poor people feel valuable when they spend money. That resonated with me because it highlights the true secret to money management: confidence and self-belief.

As the founder of Female Trainer Society, I’ve seen so many young trainers unable to reach that next level because deep down they don’t truly believe they can. They don’t take themselves seriously enough, and that leads them to spend their money on superficial things instead of investing in themselves.

But you can do this. You can make six figures. You can live the life you imagined for yourself. You can achieve anything you want as long as you’re willing to work for it. (Mom and Dad taught me that too!)

It all starts with the right mindset—and a few simple tips.

READ ALSO: “How to Get Started as an Online Personal Trainer”

1. Sell something before you buy something

Look, I love Lululemon too. But when it comes to clothes, my rule is if I want to buy something, I have to sell something.

Trainers get Lulu apparel at a 25 percent discount, and that stuff retains its value. So if you sell it, you may make back almost what you paid for it. I do this all the time on Facebook Marketplace, and I find that brand-name fitness apparel sells quickly.

Just be sure to price it right. Often sellers will overestimate the value of their item. You wouldn’t believe how often people list products at prices that are the same—or higher—than what you’ll find in stores. If it’s available brand-new for cheaper elsewhere, no one’s going to buy it used from you. (And you do want someone to buy it, right? That’s kind of the whole point.)

2. Invest in yourself

There are a couple ways to accrue wealth. You can save. Or you can put your money to work so it makes money for you. That’s what I try to do.

When I see young trainers failing to invest in their business or their self-education, they always give the same excuse: “I can’t afford it.”

If that’s you, I have news: Yes, you can.

When I was 14, I wanted a snowboard. My dad told me that if I could earn enough to pay for half the cost, he would cover the rest. I did laundry, dishes, mowed the lawn … Okay, fine, my dad paid my allowance for those chores, so technically his money was footing the full tab. But my dad was teaching me a lesson: You can afford anything if you work hard enough.

Several years ago, I wanted to sign up for a coaching program. The course was $2,000. At the time, I was making $1,500 a month. (You do the math.) With just a week before the cutoff date for registration, I was selling off everything I could think of—snow pants, shoes, whatever. In the end, I raised enough to fund the course, and I guarantee that investment has paid off many times over since then.

I recently spent $500 on a Facebook ad that brought in $30,000 in revenue. That seems like a no-brainer. But many young trainers will say they can’t afford that initial investment (though their designer boots suggest otherwise).

Entrepreneur Russell Brunson has talked about a concept called “lead or gold.” If you absolutely had to make $500 by tomorrow or you and your whole family will die, you’d find a way to make $500. If you’re serious about your career, pretend that the stakes are that high.

READ ALSO: “What I Learned from 15,000 Training Sessions in a Commercial Gym”

3. Gamify your finances

My partner and I like to make a game of finding deals. We make a competition of it, and that helps us both stay on track. After all, if there’s one thing that motivates us fitness pros, it’s tapping into our competitive spirit.

Tech gives me the edge: I love Flipp, which searches circulars and coupons to find the best deals for all the items on your weekly shopping list.

I also like Mint. It links to all your accounts so you can easily see what you spend money on. It lets you create a budget and sends you notifications if you’re coming close.

I do my food shopping at the end of the day, when near-expired food gets discounted. Just the other week I snagged $100 worth of antibiotic-free meat for $38! Believe me, the rush you get from a deal like that is way better than fancy jeans.

I take the game further by establishing rules. For example, I refuse to throw out any food. At the end of the month, I clear out my cupboards and fridge and eat everything that’s about to go bad. I’m like Pac-Man eating pellets.

Level up!

READ ALSO: “Forget About Setting Goals. Do This Instead.”

4. Set aside money for taxes

I have friends who gross six figures a year, and because of that assume they don’t need to worry about saving. Then tax season hits, and they understand why that’s a mistake.

If you, like many trainers, are self-employed, you should be setting aside at least 25 percent of your income for taxes. If you make about the same amount each month, you can have your bank automatically transfer a stipend over to savings.

You should also be using accounting software like QuickBooks. For a small monthly fee, you can see how much you’re actually making after expenses. And that’s a number you should know.

5. Treat one client as your pension

If I have one financial regret, it’s that I didn’t start saving for retirement in my early 20s. I convinced myself I couldn’t afford it then, but I’d get to it eventually. When I think about the amount of exponential growth I missed out on, I can’t help but get annoyed with my younger self.

Research shows a way to think more seriously about your future: In one study, people who viewed aged images of themselves contributed more of their earnings to a retirement plan than those who viewed images of their current self. When you relate to your future self, you’re more likely to make good decisions for that person’s happiness and well-being.

Setting aside a couple hundred dollars a month can make a huge difference. Try this easy hack: Take the revenue from one client and put that into a retirement fund. So if you’re charging one client $300 a month, consider that your retirement money.

READ ALSO: “Why You Should Have Dinner with Your Clients”

6. Take your own advice

Trainers are always preaching to their clients about the importance of meal prep—right before they grab another takeout meal.

And I get it. I still remember when I first started and was working all hours, taking on every client I could. By the time I was done working, the only places that were still open sold fast food. I was spending $150 on takeout every week, and it wasn’t even quality nutrition.

Those meal-prep tips we give clients aren’t just lip service. They work. And you can save a ton of money following them.

I make sure to keep quick, ready-to-go foods in the freezer, and I always have cooked chicken prepped and ready to go. After a recent long day, I used that chicken, some frozen peppers, and frozen tortilla shells to whip up fajitas in about five minutes.

As a trainer, you’re setting an example for your clients. When you advise them to avoid takeout, be sure to follow your own advice.

READ ALSO: “A Trainer’s Guide to Protein”

7. Realize something is better than nothing

Thinking about opening your own training space? Good for you! Just don’t feel you need to start out with the works.

I remember one new gym owner who dropped six figures on equipment alone. The gym looked beautiful—they even had brick professionally installed on the walls—but I cringe to think of the sheer number of hours they’ll have to work just to pay off those bills.

A lot of people have an all-or-nothing mindset. I like to teach that something is better than nothing.

Opening a gym with over $100,000 worth of equipment is a big jump. But you can get a solid start by renting a small space inside a larger gym for a fraction of the price. And don’t assume you need the shiny new equipment, either—I’ve found great deals for used equipment online.

People tend to misjudge what will have the greatest impact on their career. Truth is, more than any amount of fancy clothes or equipment, grit and personality will take you much farther. And those are free.

READ ALSO: “Three Mistakes that Could Cost You $100,000 and Sink Your New Gym”

    More Habits of Highly Wealthy Trainers

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