How to lose weight on a budget.

You don’t have to have a lot of money to lose weight. In fact, you really don’t have to have any money at all. The weight loss formula is simple: you need to burn up more calories than you take in. In other words, you need to “push away from the table” and “get moving.” And that, my friends, doesn’t require any money at all. What it does require is willpower and support. Here are a few tips.

PART ONE: EATING

1. Decide how many calories you need each day in order to lose weight. The following site will give you an idea: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php

2. Make sure that you are aware of how many calories EVERYTHING that you put in your mouth has. You will be surprised. You can check calories on the following site: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php

3. Eat at least FIVE servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Eat lean meats such as chicken and lean hamburger. Trust me; low calorie foods can be very good. All you need are the right recipes. Check out the Weight Watchers site; it’s free:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/index.aspx

4. When you need QUICK prepared meals, try such microwave meals as Lean Cuisine. The pizzas and Paninis are delicious.

5. You don’t have to cut foods that you love out of your diet; just eat them in moderation. You should still try to keep in line with your calorie limit for the day. For example, there are days when I must have a Big Mac and fries. When this happens, I allow myself to eat the Big Mac and fries, which has approximately 1000 calories. I then know that I have 1000 calories left. (My target number of calories is 2000.)

6. Don’t beat yourself up if you fall off of the wagon for a day, or two, or three, or even 20. Just get back up and start over. It’s a process. It’s going to take time.

7. Support is also important. Weight Watchers actually has online support groups that you can join for free: http://www.weightwatchers.com/index.aspx As a Christian, PRAYER always helps me, too!

PART TWO: EXERCISE

1. MOVE! You’ll feel a lot better! Trust me. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to start exercising is to WALK. Check out this 10-week walking fitness program: http://walking.about.com/cs/walkoflife/a/walkoflife.htm

2. Be aware of how many calories you can burn by participating in various activities. Check out this site: http://sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned_list.asp

3. It also helps if you set an exercise goal like entering a 5K Race.

A Complete Pair of Glasses for $8.00??

Could this be true? Yes it is true. A coworker of mine ordered a complete pair of glasses from Zenni Optical for around 2o bucks. Her glasses were a little more expensive because she has a special perscription, but I checked and there actually are some pretty cool looking glasses for $8.00. The receptionist at he eye doctor's office actually gave my coworker the tip.

Pros: My coworker, who uses the glasses as backups for her contacts, had no problems with hers. She loves them!

Cons: You have to make sure that you have the perscription correct including the "PD-Pupillary Distance". The site tells you how to measure this distance, but I think it's best to get this info. from the eye doctor. My sister measured her own pupillary distance, and when her glasses came back, they made her a bit dizzy. So she was off to LensCrafters:)

If you've ordered glasses from here, I'd love to here about it!

Site: http://www.zennioptical.com/cart/product.php?productid=151&cat=20&page=1

Cheap Bridesmaid Dresses you'll wear again!!

I found this classic dress at AnnTaylor.com that the bride and bridesmaids will like.

If you're the bride:

1.You'll love it because it's beautiful and simple, so it complements, rather than overshadows the bride's dress.

2. It's so inexpensive that you won't feel guilty about asking your bridesmaids to buy these.

3. Since the price is so low, you may even pick up the tab and buy the dresses yourself. Your bridesmaids can buy the shoes.



If you're the bridesmaid:

1. It's less than FORTY dollars!
2. You can wear it again and again!

For this exact dress: http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=16210&cm_mmc=Forward+to+a+friend-_-Email-_-222565-_-na

Ann Taylor is not the only place that has bargain bridesmaid dresses. To find bargains consider the following:

1. Think outside the box. You don't have to get the bridesmaid dress from a Bridal Store. You can find many formal and semiformal dresses at stores like: Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, Bananna Republic, (sometimes TARGET--Yes Target)
2. Many times you'll get more sizes and options from the stores website, rather than the store itself.
3. For some stores like (and when you order online), clearance items cannot be exchanged or return.

Which one of these sweaters came from Walmart??

All three of these sweaters came from Walmart! The green one (in the middle) was $12.99; the grey one (to the left) was FIVE bucks, and the other grey one (to the right) was 12.99. Well, lately, I have noticed a crop of cute sweaters popping up at Walmart. They look just as good as (or almost as good as) sweaters from Ann Taylor Loft or J. C. Penny or Belk.

There are lots of options for these sweaters:

1. Layer them with a button up shirt.

2. Pair them up with a pair of nice slacks and some booots.

3. Pair them up with some nice jeans and some boots or flats even.

If you still don't believe me, the next time you are in Walmart, stop by and just have a look. Let me know what you think!