Welcome to Kennedi’s Intent! Just being here shows how important health and happiness for your family is to you. This is the perfect guide to help you get started on your wellness journey. Every family is different, which means wellness looks different for everyone, but the pillars are all the same. Healthy family living is about creating balance in our lives. It’s about treating our bodies the way they are meant to be treated. It also involves being in tune with our needs. And of course….. all these things can be done on a budget!!
When I say living healthy as a family on a budget, I am talking about living on less than $3000 a month which in this world is not easy. BUT IT CAN BE DONE, with healthy food on the table and healthy habits infused into our lives. It is a common misconception that to be healthy you have to spend a lot of money. Health is NOT expensive supplements, fancy protein snacks, an overpriced gym membership, lofty medical bills, or thousand-dollar wellness retreats. Health IS: a well balanced diet, a walk around the neighborhood, a moment of stillness, connecting with those you love, and smiling a little more.
In this guide we are going to explore all the facets to wellness. We will also talk about why they are important to your family and how to incorporate them into your life. Of course making changes is always difficult. There are always a million things we could all do better! A FREE TOOL will help you and your family find the best place to start your health journey.
- Why Budgeting and Health Go Hand-in-Hand
- 8 Pillars of Wellness
- Allergy-Friendly Grocery Shopping for a Family on a Budget
- Fitness That Doesn’t Break the Bank
- Mental Wellness on a Budget
- Financial Freedom on Your Budget
- Connection is Crucial
- Learning and Growing with our Families
- Spiritual wellness, a Key Part of Family Wellness
- Budget-friendly Ways to be Environmentally Friendly as a Family
Why Budgeting and Health Go Hand-in-Hand
If you’ve ever owned a car you know the importance of routine maintenance. If you don’t fill it up with gas when the tank is low, it stops working. If you never change the oil then the life of the car decreases immensely, not to mention while it does still work it doesn’t work very well and it is less efficient. If you don’t rotate your tires or replace them when necessary then your car will no longer be safe or simply unable to used. Does maintenance cost money, oh yeah, but is an oil change, a new set of tires or even a repair less than a new car, definitely. It is the same with our mind and bodies, if we fail to do the daily up keep to keep ourselves balanced and healthy, the cost builds up.
Suddenly your life span is shortened, you are unable to do things with your family that you’d like to, you can’t make it through the day without a nap or some caffeine, you feel sluggish, your mental health declines, you feel less satisfied with life, etc…. This list can go on and on about how poor health and affect us. Don’t forget each of these no only applies to you but to every member in your family, even the youngest of children. This is why our health is OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE.
As we find budget-friendly solutions to our family’s health we are able to cut cost and increase health and life satisfaction for all of our family members. As everything increases in cost we must cut costs so that we can live as freely as possible. When you’re not worried so much about money and you feel good in your own skin while not losing sleep at night wondering if you could do more for your family, life is just so much better. Focusing on any area of wellness especially while staying within your budget can lower stress, increase long-term savings, create better family habits, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and enable you to better manage current health conditions. If I haven’t convinced you that change is possible and change is important then just keep reading!
8 Pillars of Wellness
Emotional Wellness: Understanding and managing your feelings and emotions.
Physical Wellness: Engaging in regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy diet.
Social Wellness: Building and maintaining healthy relationships and support networks.
Intellectual Wellness: Engaging in creative and stimulating activities to expand knowledge and skills.
Spiritual Wellness: Finding purpose and meaning in life, which involves religious beliefs or personal values.
Occupational Wellness: Achieving personal satisfaction and enrichment in one’s work life.
Environmental Wellness: Recognizing the importance of a healthy environment and taking action to protect it.
Financial Wellness: Understanding and managing your financial resources effectively.
Allergy-Friendly Grocery Shopping for a Family on a Budget
Nutrition is one of the main topics people think about when they think about health. There will be no mention of diets or getting thin in this guide because there is so much more to healthy food! Feeding a family without allergies can pose just as many problems as feeding a family with allergies. The most important thing to consider when thinking about your family’s diet is they are going to eat (or only have the option to) what you buy. If you don’t have donuts in your house, your kids won’t eat them, I really think it’s that simple.
Cheap and Easy Nutritious Dinner Staples
This all starts with a grocery list. A grocery list isn’t something you can throw together 5 minutes before you go to the store, it needs some forethought. If your kids live off of Twinkies, consider what you’re going to replace them with. You want them to eat something a bit more nutritious. If you want them to eat more veggies, you need to know what kind of veggies you’re going to provide. It takes time and research to craft a grocery list and meal plan, that where I come in! You’ll find TONS of cheap healthy family allergen friendly meals on this blog, saving you the time and energy. Some budget-friendly healthy staples that are naturally allergy-free that I like to focus on are:
- A couple healthy packaged snack options
- Canned, frozen, or fresh vegetables
- Cheese
- Canned, frozen, dried, or fresh fruit
- Rice
- Tuna
- Nuts
- Chicken
Budget Grocery Stores
Where you shop matters. The quality of produce you buy is important because you want it to last. Otherwise, you just spent money on compost. Prices do vary from store to store, so ask around and do some research based on the stores in your area. Some stores I like:
- WinCo
- Walmart
- HEB
- Superior Grocers
- Sam’s Club
What We Eat Matters
Eating healthier can be difficult but SO WORTH IT. What we put in our bodies really matters and the saying “we are what we eat” is very, very literal. When we eat food, it gets broken down into tiny tiny building blocks for our body to use and function. If you feed it junk it only has junky building blocks. Eating healthy may not have a noticeable difference in the moment, but once a few changes are made it will change your life.
Benefits of Healthy Eating
- Feeling more rested
- Looking better
- Weight loss
- Increased Energy
- Less Mood Swings
- Less outbursts
and SO MUCH MORE.
If any of those things matter to you, you’re in the right place!
Check out these related posts!
- 10 Healthy Family Dinners on a Budget (Plus Allergen-Friendly Swaps!)
- 25+ Unique School Lunch Ideas That Kids Will Actually Eat
- 7 Easy & Healthy Allergen-Friendly Crockpot Recipes Under $30
- 10 Natural Immune Boosters for Kids That Actually Work (Science-Backed)
Fitness That Doesn’t Break the Bank
Ahh, the dreaded word exercise. There is so much pressure and stigma about heading to the gym or trying to move your body. Would it be nice to have a toned body? Sure, but the benefits that come from the simple act of going out for a walk around the neighborhood cannot be understated.
To name a few, a brisk 20 min walk around the neighborhood as a family a couple days a week can:
- Reduce risk of a stroke or heart attack
- Improved Emotional regulation
- Reduce risk of type 2 diabetes
- Less screen time
- Better performance in school
- Reduce risk of high blood pressure
- Builds strong bones
- Improved mood
- Improved memory and focus
- Better sleep
- Weight loss
- Increased energy levels
- Self esteem
- Greater confidence
- Connection with other
- Stronger relationships
At-home family workouts
These CRAZY AMAZING benefits are easily achievable with some consistency and planning. As a family, exercise can take many different forms.
Some ideas: A Structured workout for yourself or your kids, yoga, playing outside, a family sport game, a walk around the neighborhood, jumping on the trampoline, a bike ride, learning a new skill (rollerblading, skating, playing a new sport), swimming at the community pool, walking the dogIt really is that easy!
Just search “workouts for kids”, “easy workouts” on YouTube, and you’re on your way
Below are a couple links with structured workouts to follow for you and your kids!
15 Minute Kid-Friendly HIIT Workout [Ages 5 +]
Mental Wellness on a Budget
Now let’s talk about something SO important, mental health. Did you know that depression and anxiety symptoms can be decreased, prevented, and even managed without medication through exercise and diet???
That is so amazing!
Everywhere you look there is a mental health crisis, sometimes you don’t have to look further than within the walls of your own home. It is not something that is easy to live with or easy to talk about sometimes, but learning how to THRIVE with and talk about these important things with our kids or spouse could save a life.
Mental and emotional wellness go hand in hand, when our bodies are working correctly we feel better! Managing our mental health is a lot more than going to the doctor, therapy or taking our daily medication. Although those things are CRUCIAL, there are easy everyday things we can do to prevent it in our healthy kids/family members and aid the ones who are amidst the struggle.
Budget Family Mental Health Activities
Exercise is such a great option because of the wonderful endorphins it releases and what it does to balance our hormones out. Click here to see easy ways to get your family MOVING. ANYTHING that help you relax and connect are great ways to manage our mental health:
- Family game night
- Family picnic
- Family spa night
- Mindfulness activity
- Craft night
- Build a fort and read books
- Camping
- Karaoke night
- Date night for parents
- Yard games
Here is a great wellness activity for the family- My work is easy because I use ClickUp
Financial Freedom on Your Budget
There is a reason you’re reading this: you’re trying to be healthy and trying not to spend a ton of money. Whether you already have your finances figured out or your looking a resource to help you get started, I’m here to help.
Living within your means, think outside the box but in the budget
The only caveat to financial health is that nothing will help if you keep spending more money than you have.
This world is all about living lavish or giving the appearance of lavish living, covering yourself in high end brands, going on lavish vacations, eating out all time, driving the newest car, whatever it is…. Sorry to tell you, but you probably don’t NEED it.
Wants are good, and I love to treat myself every once in a while (after saving and scraping pennies together to do so), but overspending is never worth the stress and burden that debt comes with. This may require you to think outside the box to fulfill some needs or wants your family has, maybe by:
- Reading a new blog to give you great ideas 😉
- Thrifting
- Meal planning
- DIYing all sorts of things
- Doing free activities
Tracking All Your Spending
You’ll only know if you’re overspending if you track your spending. You might be pleasantly surprised or horrified to find out where your money really goes each month.
There are a billion ways to track your spending but one of the easiest ways for me, is on my phone (since it is always with me) on a free google sheets. Just pop in the amount in one box and next to it the place or a brief explanation of what you spent money on. Now that’s easiest for me, but there are a ton of apps or planners that can help you do that.
One of my favorite apps is Rocket Money. DISCLAIMER, no matter how badly anybody wants you to PAY extra to track your SPENDING, just don’t. Find the easiest cheapest way to do it.
Having a Savings Goal and Emergency Fund
In the book The Psychology of Money, a book I would 100% recommend reading, it talks about how wealth is what we don’t spend. This idea is SO TRUE.
You only see what people spend not what they save. Your neighbor could be a millionaire and because they only spend $80,000/year, you’d never know.
They can take a vacation or some sick days and not have to worry about money. They can retire with peace of mind, and they can handle emergency expenses.
OR you could have neighbors that spend every penny they have. They drive a brand new car and have a huge house but if they miss a single day of work or have an emergency expense they are screwed.
So… SAVE YOUR MONEY.
If you are on a budget your finances are already tight, some paychecks you may not be able to save but when you can DO IT. That week off work will feel a lot better than a couple pairs of shoes or a car a couple years newer.
Freedom is the Goal
When you have money saved you have freedom. When you live within your means you have freedom. When you’re no consumed by debt you have freedom. When your body and mind are free from worry you have more freedom. Finances can really weigh you down when they are out of order and you feel like you have no control. In this blog you’ll find ways to gain control over your health and in turn, your finances.
Connection is Crucial
You might be surprised to learn that an area of family wellness is social wellness. You can spend time with your family for free! No memberships, subscriptions or tickets to look up from your screen, and talk! Although technology connects us more than ever, there has been no other time in history where people have felt more lonely.
Curing the Loneliness Epidemic in our Home
You and your spouse may be ships passing in the night, your toddler may be more enthralled in YouTube than in a conversation with you, and your teenager may seem too busy scrolling to engage in any family activity.
No one in our families should feel lonely!
It’s time to end the loneliness epidemic in our home and foster connection. This is such an important part of a healthy family, a healthy marriage, and mental health. Luckily, connection as a family or couple can definitely be done on a budget.
Free Family Activities You’ll Actually Want To Do
Your kids don’t really care what you’re doing as long as you’re doing it together. Efforts to connect can range from simple no screen family dinners to a 2 week vacation, whatever suits your family best.
- Indoor camp out
- Making dinner together
- Go on a scenic drive and chat
- Find a free community event
- Play charades
- Dance party
- Play hide and seek
- Hotdog roast
- Family movie night
- Write each other a letter
Check out these related posts!
Learning and Growing with our Families
If you haven’t already noticed a trend, all areas of wellness are connected. If you begin working on one, others will generally improve as well. This is especially the case of intellectual and physical wellness.
Cyclical Wellness- How Moving our Bodies Helps our Brains
Intellectual wellness is the idea that our minds are stimulated, we are engaging in critical thinking, and we are experiencing personal growth. Our brains and bodies are, of course, wound together in so many ways. Exercise is especially helpful for our brains. It keeps our brains healthy, builds neural connections and balances the hormones that are critical to a healthy brain. In this world mind-numbing activities are most people’s go to. Our children’s mind and our minds deserve better. Stimulating them helps increase our longevity and our quality of life, those are two things that you definitely want for your family.
Ways to Grow Cognitively as a Family on a Budget
Trying something new is a great way to learn, this can be anything from picking up a new hobby to watching something educational on TV. Reading books or watching an age-appropriate educational show are easy ways to learn and grow as a family. Creative activities like playing pretend, painting, creating with playdough, or even building with blocks are all ways to stimulate our minds and encourage intellectual wellness for us and our children.
Children need creative outlets and to explore the world, just as much as we do. As adults, we get stuck in the day to day activities, take time to CREATE to PLAY to IMAGINE to LEARN.
Spiritual wellness, a Key Part of Family Wellness
Spiritual wellness might be something you’ll skip over if you’re not a avid church goer or indifferent to any from of deity. Spiritual wellness and a connection to God are very important to society and individuals, but spiritual wellness is more than that. Spiritual wellness is connecting to one’s innerself, grounding yourself and finding or creating a life purpose that fulfills you everyday. This can be found in religion, but even religion requires something we all need, MINDFULNESS.
Mindfulness Matters
Mindfulness is important for adults and children alike, moments of quite to ponder our deepest thoughts and feelings, moments to be in tune with those arounds and ourselves. Our phones, media and busy schedules constantly overwhelm our senses and deprive us and our children of thinking about what truly matters. Mindfulness and spiritual wellness gives us direction in times of distress and keeps us grounded throughout life’s up and downs.
Creating Families Values and Finding Purpose
Helping our children find moments of peace, purpose in life and unwavering positive values are priceless things. These things can be found though small moments of quite for our families with no distractions, conversations about values, a family motto, and a sense of belonging.
A great way to foster this FOR FREE is to create places where you as a family can discuss your values and even make a poster with your motto or values on it, a creative and grounding activity! These small significant moments can bind families together for life and give each member something to anchor themselves to when the inevitable tough times come around.
Budget-friendly Ways to be Environmentally Friendly as a Family
Environmental wellness is not an area of wellness that gets a lot of attention, you probably didn’t know it was an area of wellness. Environmental wellness can be focused toward the earth or your personal environment such as your home. Keep our environment clean is especially important when living with those who have allergies. There are plenty of budget-friendly ways to be clean and allergy-friendly.
Saving the Earth and Saving Money
Saving the Earth does not have to be expensive and can be done it small and simple ways. Recycling can actually make you money!
Using fewer disposable products also saves a ton of money in the long run. Opt for reusable Tupperware instead of plastic bags or containers. There are a million reusable water bottles on the market and that’s a great way to be more eco-friendly. Reusable diapers are a big way to save money as a family, I haven’t convinced myself that they are worth the work yet but I do use reusable swim diapers. Picking up trash that we find outside is also a simple way to care for our earth.
We don’t have to spend an extra $10 on eco-friendly packaging (unless you have the money and really want to). There are tons of ways we as families can create less waste and care for the earth around us.
Creating a Refuge for Your Family
Caring for our earth is important, but your yard being nice and clean doesn’t affect you the way your own home does. When your home is dirty, disorganized, or unsafe, it makes wellness impossible. The basic human need of a safe and warm place to sleep and live is so crucial. You do not have to live in a newly renovated home or an expensive apartment to have a nice home. A home is what you make it and what you fill it with.
Our homes should be refuges where we can grow into the healthy well rounded people that we want to be. Some simple ways to begin creating your refuge is:
- Decorate with things that matter to you
- Declutter
- Clean your space
- Make your home cozy, add some blankets or pillows
- Make your home smell good
None of these things have to cost much more than a few dollars. Thrifting is a great way to fill a home with things full of character. Decluttering is free, all you need is a trash bag! Cleaning your space can mean picking up and putting away some things or wiping down the surfaces with a cheap DIY home cleaner. Making your home smell good can be a simple as doing some laundry to freshen it up, washing the walls with soap and water, or even baking some healthy allergen free cookies! Whatever small act you and your family decided to do to make your space more a refuge will make an impact!
Conclusion
As we’ve explored, budget wellness is totally possible in so many different areas in our life. Most of the things mentioned were cheap, if not totally free ways to be healthier as a family!
Don’t forget this guide is designed for tight budgets, LESS THAN $3000/MONTH!
Giving yourself and your children the life you deserve comes with small steps at a time to make you healthier and happier. Keep in mind that health isn’t the expensive gym membership or crazy supplements, but it is the small decisions we make every day in our homes. Wellness doesn’t have to cost a fortune, but the benefits are priceless.
I’ve included a free “Weekly Family Budget Wellness Planner”! It’s the perfect place to set your first goal and work on it as a family!
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