Life is Not a Fairytale
Once upon a time, there was a fabulous chic by the name of Single Ma. From the outside looking in, she had it all: a nice home, nice car, nice clothes, nice job, money in the bank, good credit, a good kid, reliable friends, and a dating prospect with long term potential. For the most part, this fabulous chic was happy. But deep down inside, there was one thing was missing.
Ya see, there was a group of people she admired – “the cool kids” aka “healthy people” – and Single Ma wanted to be down. These people were fascinating to her because they always appeared to be healthy, active, and energetic. Secretly, she envied their lifestyle because she often felt sluggish and tired, so she wanted to be just like them. Instead of learning and applying the steps to lead a similar lifestyle, she ignored the green eyed devil and accused them of being “obsessed” with whatever made them so perky. Not even her then-boyfriend, who was also a personal trainer and body builder, could persuade her to change. She made herself believe that she was just fine, not to mention FABULOUS. Life continued as usual, but her envy and fatigue grew more and more each day.
One day, she had an epiphany. It was a regular day at the office when something changed. In a meeting, her colleagues were depending on her to make a recommendation, but she couldn’t think straight to provide valuable input. This was unusual. As she shifted in her seat, her suit jacket felt a little too snug. This was also unusual. She felt tired, unhappy, and dare I say it – UNfabulous. Now this was down right strange. To make matters worse, after eating her favorite snack (i.e. chocolate), it made her nauseated. The earth must have turned on its axis and the cow jumped over the moon because something clicked in her brain and said – IT’S TIME.
It was finally time to join the cool kids. Immediately, she developed a new attitude and added regular exercise to her previous sedentary lifestyle. In addition, she cleaned house to remove all temptation of old cravings, balanced her financials to estimate her remaining grocery budget, and made her first trip to Trader Joe’s.
With $63.28, she purchased lots of fruits and vegetables (mostly organic), chicken, ciabatta bread, regular staples, and healthy snacks. A second trip to a different grocery store required another $26.55 to purchase items she needed that Trader Joe’s didn’t carry. For a grand total of $89.83, less than the estimated budget, she loaded up with the following items:
- Chicken breast
- A whole chicken
- Tuna
- Turkey sausage
- Lean ground beef
- Broccoli (frozen and fresh for comparison)
- Roasted potatoes
- Onions
- Peppers
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Thyme
- Minced garlic
- Lawry’s seasoning salt
- Pizza dough
- Lowfat cheese
- Marinara sauce
- Vegetable eggrolls
- Chicken empanaditas
- Salad
- Carrots
- Eggs
- Oatmeal
- Tangerines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Bananas
- Lowfat Yogurt (taste test only)
- Favorite Yogurt
- Granola bars
- Bread
- Cereal
- Milk
- Water
- Crystal light mix
Her family had enough to fuel their bodies for at least two weeks. Armed with good food, willpower, and a determination to live a healthy lifestyle, she battled temptation and completed the month of February without reverting back to her old ways. She has not eaten a piece of chocolate since this day, and on average, she exercises 3x per week.
Message From Single Ma: It has NOT been easy, but I look forward to entering the first full month of “My Journey on My Terms.” Thank you all for your support!
This blog is a personal account of my journey to become Healthy & Wealthy. If you like what you've read, feel free to subscribe via (feed reader) or (email) to follow along.
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Fabulous Financials » Annual Goals Update: February Status (Pingback), 3 March 2008, 16:51
[...] but it was added out of necessity. Matter of fact, it isn’t a goal at all. It’s a lifestyle change and I am committed 110%. Last month, I cleaned house and started a new healthy living routine. [...]
Good for you! I’m so proud that you’ve taken the step to make it on your own terms. Groceries tend to be an issue for a lot of people – with all of the overspending, their budgets get tighter and tighter. Congrats, and keep it up!
Girl I can feel you. I’m like a crackhead going down the “snack” isle at WholeFoods. Well actually I CAN’T go down those isles because I will undoubtedly end up with some sh*t I’m not suppose to eat. Good for you girl!
Congrats! I am trying to be like you when I grow up.
I need to slow down when I am grocery shopping…I can’t believe you got all of that for under $90 from Trader Joes!
Great choices! It seems you are on your way to a healthier diet. I really wish there was a TJ’s closer to where I live. I would go more than once a month or so. A Whole Foods is opening 10 minutes away from me, I will be so tempted, lol.
I will (need to) follow your lead!
So are you cutting out choclate period or just choclate candy? Bcuz I had to the same thing with my choclate habit. To prevent going back to the habit I started to drink Trader Joe’s choclate soy milk(on the shelf not refrigeration) & I also eat the Belgian choclate pudding from TJ’s. If the craving it’s you this my help.
All the best to your lifestyle chg!!!!
Cutting out chocolate, period. When I set my mind to something, I’m an all or nothing kind of girl. If I have any, I’ll indulge so I stay away from it completely. Substitutes just make me frustrated.
I’m also a strong willed, so I haven’t had any cravings yet. *knock on wood* The temptation comes from watching other ppl eat it. I’m afraid of my own response when my brain finally catches up with my eyes. Surprisingly, I’ve handled it just fine. [-SM]
This is wonderful! What good is having the money if you aren’t comfortable in it?
Hey, what’s with buying the jug of water? Is the water coming out of your faucets non-potable? And here I thought you were frugal.
The site is called FABULOUS Financials, not FRUGAL Financials, so it’s a good thing you don’t get paid for thinking. [-SM]
Sorry, I have a thing about buying water when I can conveniently get the same stuff for free. Unless you think that jug you are going to toss out is worth $1.50.
Yep, for what I intend to use it for, it is worth the 2/$1 I paid. For your family’s sake, I hope you will ALWAYS have running water in your house. [-SM]