GUEST BLOGGER - Please welcome one of my long time favorite bloggers, Carol, author of the blog Kudos For Low Carb.

Be A Thrifty Dieter-Top 5 Tips For Saving Money On A Diet

As the old saying goes, “Things are tough all over.” The economy has slumped and pocketbooks have been tightened. Gas and grocery prices are through the roof and nearly everyone is feeling the pinch. CNN recently reported that the rich have been hit with losses in stock dividends, the middle class are hit by losses in value of their retirement accounts and property values, and the high prices of gas and groceries are hitting the working poor in their wallets. Frankly, I think if we aren’t clever, we dieters are likely to feel it in our backsides.

Whatever diet you’re on, that grocery list of special foods or those extra gas dollars to go to the gym can strain your budget. Here are five tips that can ease your diet’s impact on your wallet. And while they aren’t time savers, they are waist savers.

Plant A Garden

If you’ve visited the produce section of your grocery store lately, you know vegetable prices are out of sight. I was shocked at how high the produce prices had gone at my local WalMart Super Store. I compared a bundle of carrots and a package of salad to a few packets of garden seeds and the seeds were not only cheaper, they would yield more produce in the long run. (WalMart seeds priced at 99 cents a packet. Prices vary by store).

Not only is a garden a money saver, it’s a waist saver at 272 calories burned per hour of gardening (based on a150 pound person). And an unexpected bonus, gardening is a stress reducer. Spending a little time outdoors with nature is a delicious way to spend some quiet time alone, or to share some quality family time without modern distractions.

Buy In Bulk And Freeze

This tip is particularly suited to lean meats that most diets require. Buying meats in bulk, and especially when they are on sale, can save you hundreds of dollars a year depending on the size of your family. Freezers are a godsend to the thrifty dieter. (Tip: check Craig’s List or another local community exchange to buy an inexpensive freezer. My husband has bought three for under $50 this way).

Many low carbohydrate dieters buy whole steers directly from beef ranchers to save big time. All meats, including seafood, chicken, and beef, are excellent sources of protein and fit into nearly all balanced diets. And a diet high in protein can boost your weight loss efforts even while you count calories: “An energy-restricted, high-protein, low-fat diet provides nutritional and metabolic benefits that are equal to and sometimes greater than those observed with a high-carbohydrate diet,” concluded researchers.

Invest In A Seal-A-Meal & A Food Scale

If you decide to save money by buying in bulk, this tip is a must. A good quality Seal-A-Meal and a food scale can be had for under $50 and they last nearly forever. If you’re going to save money by buying in bulk and stick to your diet at the same time, you will need to portion out your food and freeze them in air tight bags to prevent freezer burn. Seal-A-meal bags are reusable and make it easy to put together your own homemade diet meals. Just make sure you know what a portion size is on your particular diet program and use a food scale or measuring tools to get your portions right.

Learn To Cook

It may seem daunting to non-cooks, but learning to cook can save you lots of money. Restaurant and take-out meals are rising in prices and are usually not diet-friendly. Packaged diet foods are expensive compared to whole foods bought in bulk or your own home grown produce. But if you’re going to pass on the convenience foods to save money, you have to spend some time cooking.

If you’re not a cook, you can find cooking classes at your local community college, community center, or through adult education. You can also buy excellent cookbooks like ‘How to Cook: An Easy and Imaginative Guide for the Beginner’ by Raymond Sokolov for under $12. Be sure to explore the world of cooking websites too. Simply Google “How To Cook” and you’ll find many helpful websites. Some even have step by step instructions and demonstration videos. And watch Food TV Network shows like Rachael Ray’s ‘30 Minute Meals’ or Tyler Florence’s ‘How To Boil Water’ for easy and tasty step by step recipes. Cooking is a skill like any other, and once you master the basics you can be creative.

Most any recipe or dish can be tailored to your diet by cutting out fat, carbohydrates, or simply cutting calories through portion control. Simple ingredient substitutions like replacing regular mayonnaise with an equal amount of nonfat mayonnaise, or using applesauce in place of oil in baked goods, saves hundreds of calories per recipes. Check out Calorie King’s article library for “Smart Substitutes: Your guide to low-calorie cooking alternatives.”

One example where I save loads of dough by cooking my own dishes is making my own diet frozen dinners instead of buying those pricey Lean Cuisine, South Beach, and Healthy Choice frozen meals. I saved the plastic dishes these meals came in and reuse them to control portions. And I seal these homemade ‘tv dinners’ and freeze them so they’re on hand when I need a fast and convenient meal.

It’s fun and easy to spend a Saturday afternoon cooking favorite ‘diet’ dishes and freezing them for later. If you have children you can take this opportunity to the them about healthy food choices, portion control, kitchen safety, and basic cooking skills. You actually save time as well as money in the long run. Most of your food preparation is done in one afternoon and the rest of the week you can reheat your home cooked meals in the microwave whenever you need them.

Walk or Ride A Bike To Save Gas

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. One of the best ways to boost your weight loss efforts while sparing your wallet is to park your car and walk or bike to your destination. We all know walking and bicycling burn calories. (Walking burns 190 calories an hour and biking burns 270 calories an hour). But they pack a double wallop by saving us money on gas while we burn off the fat. What could be better for a thrifty dieter than that? (Other than someone inventing a calorie-free double chocolate cheesecake?)

GUEST BLOGGER - Carol Bardelli is a certified sports nutritionist who writes cookbooks. She explores and writes about the world of food, fitness, nutrition, lifestyle and products at her blog Kudos For Low Carb.

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