Happiness and Your Overall Health while on a Budget!

Written by Matthew D'Aria
Part of National Nutrition Month 2013

Times can be tough these days for everyone. For one reason or another we are forced to be on a tight budget, in one or many aspects of our lives. Unfortunately, because of these tight budgets we may be missing out on the joys of life; the little nuances that keep us sane and make our hearts fill with joy or for some people, hope. You can still achieve this level of happiness, even on a tight budget, but ultimately, the decision to find happiness lies with you.

Do you like to be outdoors?

Picture by Matthew D'Aria

Try hiking; let Mother Nature distract you from your busy life by soaking up her beauty and calmness.  The National Park Services website has lists of parks and hiking trails in or around your area.

http://www.nps.gov/index.htm

Interested in going out for a night on the town?

Check your town’s website or newspaper of lists of events, most of which are free of charge.

Do you like to cook?

Try “surfing the web” for a recipe that you always wanted to try, wanted to cook for loved ones.  Here are some helpful tips that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics put out while grocery shopping and on a budget.                                                                                                                              

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=5493                                 

              

You can also get your child involved in cooking. Margaret Hopkin of Utah State University’s Cooperative Extension has put together some recipes and ideas for getting your children involved.

http://extension.usu.edu/Morgan/files/uploads/Cooking%20with%20children%201.pdf

Remember, these are only a few options to a very long list. It is up to you to take charge of your overall health and happiness…I implore you, at least once a week, to find that one special thing that separates you from your busy life; so that you can find that calm and soothing state of happiness.  You can live happy, feel happy and be happy…even on a budget! Sometimes, it is just as easy as walking out your front door.

Picture by Matthew D'Aria

References

National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (2013).  National park service.  Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/index.htm.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2013).  10 tips for eating right-affordably. Retrieved from http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=5493

Hopkin, M. (2008). Cooking with children. Retrieved from http://extension.usu.edu/Morgan/files/uploads/Cooking with children 1.pdf

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