Buying healthy and cheap food can be really difficult. Especially during college when you have very little time, and probably a very tiny refrigerator.

We’ve all heard of the terrible Freshman Fifteen, and while we try to avoid it, we just can’t figure out how to make it work with our space and schedules.  I fell into this trap, and ended up gaining a total of about 40 lbs during my 4 years of college.  Luckily,  I’ve managed to lose all of that weight in the past year.  It’s definitely best if you never let yourself get in a situation like that.  The good news?

It’s possible to eat healthy and still be frugal.

These foods are all pretty fast, cheap, and easy:

• Tuna – It has a lot of protein, it’s fairly cheap, and all you need is a can opener.  If you don’t like it by itself, try mixing in some mustard or a little salad dressing.
• Eggs – During college I discovered that you can make scrambled eggs in the microwave.  It’s very easy and very fast.  They’ll cook in about 1 min, just be careful not to cook them for too long!  Hard boiled eggs are also easy, and make for fast breakfasts.  Just make a bunch and keep them in your fridge.
• Vegetables – I prefer fresh vegetables, but if you don’t have space in your refrigerator you can always go with frozen or canned.  All are fairly inexpensive.
• Potatoes, Rice, and Bread –It’s a good idea to go for brown rice and whole grain breads when buying these things.  Otherwise a bag of potatoes is really cheap, and you can easily microwave it for a quick baked potato.  Just don’t forget to poke it with a fork or knife first or it could explode.
•  Oatmeal- If you like oatmeal, then you’re in luck.  A large tub of plain quick cooking oats is really cheap, and super easy to make.  Add some fruit for better flavor.
• Bananas and Oranges – Both of these fruits are fairly cheap, and you can easily just bring them to class with you.
• Dairy Products – While dairy products aren’t that cheap, they are good for you, and they are affordable in moderation.  I always keep skim milk on hand, and occasionally some yogurt.
• Cereal – Cereal can be fairly cheap, and is pretty healthy as long as you don’t get the really sugary stuff.

What else can you do to save?

• Stop drinking soda. Water is the healthiest and cheapest way to go. Buy yourself a water bottle that you can refill.
• Stop eating out.  Not only is it bad for your waistline, but for your wallet too.  When it comes to getting fast food or delivery, just say no!
  
• Learn to cook.  Once you get out of dorms and get more space, this will be a huge money saver!  Keep an eye out for some good healthy recipes from yours truly.
• Be an example.  Help reinforce good habits for your friends.  Don’t give in when they want to go spend money.  This brings up an important point…

Dealing with the peer pressure of spending is probably the most difficult thing to deal with in college.

My friends were always shopping.  If not that, then they were going out or ordering delivery.  This is a bad habit to get into.  Don’t let yourself fall into it.  I am definitely going to write on the peer pressures of spending for later.  I think it deserves an entire post!

So, back on topic now.  What do you do to eat healthy?  If you have a favorite recipe or idea for cheap and healthy meals, share it with us!

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Photo credit: Gullig

I have a confession to make.

I am an organizational freak with my finances.

I over-organize everything when it comes to money.  I have so many charts, budgets, graphs, and lists; you would not believe it. I spend entirely too much time thinking about money.  So what’s my point? Feeling organized helps me stay motivated.  Looking at the numbers helps to remind me of what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.  I really like making visuals that show my progress.  Seeing how far I’ve come already is a little self esteem booster, and helps me get motivated to make more money.

Here’s an example of one of my favorite Excel charts, created by yours truly.

Just click on the pic to download it!

 So, do you  like to keep your finances extremely organized, or can you do without all of the charts and graphs?  What helps keep you motivated financially?

I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty proud of myself right now.  Today I’ve been struggling with feeling like I’m getting nowhere in regards to my debt payments, and this has been a bright spot for me.  My FICO score is now 747, which is much higher than it has ever been before!  Here’s a screenshot from my account today:

 

It’s nice to see some sort of visual confirmation (from a source other than myself) of my progress.  One of my long term goals is to keep my FICO score above 700 for at least 6 months in a row.  Now I’m half way there!  I think my next goal will be to reach a score of at least 800.

See, now I feel motivated again!  Sometimes the small things can really make a difference when it comes to how you look at things.  So next time you start feeling like you’re just treading water, just remind yourself that what you’re doing may be difficult, but it really is making a huge difference in your future!  I know I will.  Have a great day everyone!

Photography has always been a passion of mine, however I haven’t been able to invest in the really expensive equipment needed to make a living from my photos.  This is a problem that many photographers face; how can we make money without putting down a huge investment?

It’s also a problem for those who don’t have time to dedicate hours a day to their photography.  This is where the passive income part comes in!  Passive income usually just requires a one time investment on your part.  Once you’ve done the work, you won’t have to do anything else.  Just make money.

© Photographer: Jocelynbaker | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Selling your images as stock photos is absolutely the best way to generate passive income from your photos.  All you have to do is take high quality images, and submit them to stock photo sites.  Once your image is approved, you can start making money.I am registered through a couple different sites, and all of them generate different amounts of income for me.  But the one site that has generated the most sales for me (by far) is Dreamstime.I like Dreamstime because they seem to have a higher payout that some of the other sites I’ve found.  If you become an exclusive photographer through them, then you make 10% more on each sale.  The only thing that I don’t like about the site, is that the minimum payout is $100.  So you have to wait until your photos earn you that much before you get any payments.  But, that is part of passive income.  It isn’t about making a ton of extra money, it’s about earning a little here and there.  Before you know it, it really starts to add up!

I got my student loan consolidation verification forms in the mail yesterday, and I am officially saving myself $110 per month on my loans.  Yay!!! 

This means I will be able to pay off the rest of my credit card debt within the next 6 months or so.  I’m so psyched about having ZERO credit card debt!  It seemed like an impossible task just a year ago, but I’ve kicked ass in the last 9 months and paid off $7,500 in non-student loan debt.

Once I’m done with my credit card debt, I am going to build up a small emergency savings fund.  After that, I am throwing everything I have at my student loans.  I am finally starting to feel like I have everything under control regarding my finances.

I found this great Debt Reduction Calculator at the Vertex42 site.  This spreadsheet gives you an excellent idea of your debt payments, including estimated pay off dates for every account!

Photo credit: Daveybot