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How to save money and live longer at the same time

Can’t afford a personal chef or trainer? You can still optimize your health while sticking to a budget.

Updated on August 6, 2024

a smiling middle aged Hispanic man with a beard wears earphones and a red sweatshirt as he gets ready to exercise outdoors in a park
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With fresh produce being so expensive and gyms charging a fortune for memberships, it can often feel like you have to choose between your health and your paycheck.

But you don’t need to drain your savings to live a long, healthy life. Alan Burgess, MD, an internal medicine doctor in Denver, Colorado offers smart, cost-saving tips that can also add years to your life.

a diverse group of mixed race young adults gathers for a group dinner in a backyard
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Start a meal club with friends

You can save up all week and then splurge on one dinner out with friends. But why overspend at a restaurant when the real longevity benefit of dining with supportive friends is sharing their company?

Get together for rotating meal nights instead: Each friend can cook for the group on aShow More

a young man drinks from a water bottle with a built-in filter after playing basketball on a basketball court outdoors
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Buy a personal water filter for cheap, easy hydration

Water falls from the sky and covers most of the earth. So it should be free. “Incredibly, bottled water can be more expensive than soda,” says Burgess. “Some soda companies actually bottle the same water they use to make soda and then charge more for it.”

Ditch the plastic habit. Invest in aShow More

a young Black woman smiles as she receives preventive health care from a woman nurse practitioner
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Know where to go for free, lifesaving health checks

“One of the best ways to increase your odds of living a long, healthy life is to follow illness screening recommendations,” says Burgess. “Go for your routine mammogram. Get your colonoscopy. Follow the national guidelines.” Doing so could save you from worry, pain, and large medicalShow More

bowls of whole grains and seeds
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Stock up on cheap, heart-healthy whole grains

 

Eating whole grains can help you stick to an overall healthy diet by keeping you full between meals. They’re loaded with cholesterol-lowering fiber, can keep your blood sugar levels stable, and they offer heart-healthy antioxidants.

Store these quick-cooking grains in your pantry forShow More

a young black man in a professional outfit jumps rope "Double Dutch" with two young girls on a city residential sidewalk
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Get a killer workout without spending a dime

Want an amazing workout but can’t afford a gym membership? Pick up a weighted, fitness jump rope for around $15 at a sports or wholesale store instead. Jumping rope is fun, it burns calories, and it works every major muscle group. Just 15 minutes of jumping can burn around 200 calories.

Show More

lentils in bowls
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Choose rich, filling lentils instead of red meat

Legumes like beans and lentils are some of the cheapest forms of high-quality protein, says Burgess. Lentils are a cholesterol-lowering legume that:

  • Are loaded with fiber
  • Contain health-promoting vitamins and minerals like iron, potassium, and B vitamins
  • Are slow to digest, which keeps your
  • Show More
man breaking a cigarette
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Avoid risky habits that can cost you in the long run

A pack of cigarettes can cost between $6 to $12 per pack, depending on your state. But consider the “invisible” dollars that each pack costs in the form of healthcare costs, income losses, and lost productivity. Over a lifetime, smoking can actually set you back more than $5 million,Show More

Slideshow sources open slideshow sources

Bushak, Lecia. Smokers face nearly $3M in costs over a lifetime of smoking: study. MM+M. January 11, 2023.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source. Lentils. Accessed January 31, 2024.
Tangka F, Kenny K, Miller J, Howard DH. The eligibility and reach of the national breast and cervical cancer early detection program after implementation of the affordable care act. Cancer Causes Control. 2020;31(5):473-489.
The University of Chicago. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience. The Real Cost of Smoking by State feat. Dr. Fridberg. January 15, 2020.
The Water Project. The Money Spent Can Be Used Better Elsewhere. Accessed January 31, 2024.
Watters CA, Corrado RS, Chaloupka FJ. Prices of healthy and unhealthy beverages in high and low per capita income areas. Hawaii J Med Public Health. 2013;72(3):76-79.

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