Everyone of us has had the experience or feeling of not knowing what they want to do in one area of their life, or even with the rest of their life. Young people start by trying to figure out their place in the world; but adults experience this too. We usually call this a “mid-life crisis”, or an “existential crisis”, or even an “identity crisis”. Indeed, not knowing what you want or suddenly not knowing what to do with the rest of your life is a scary experience. So, what to do when you don’t know what you want?
For young and old alike, not knowing what you want is usually due to being overwhelmed by the number of things to choose from or from a feeling of having no choice at all. In both cases, you are scared, confused and undecided. You feel helpless and uncertain about the future because you lack direction. Unfortunately, not many people will have someone beside them to point them in the right direction or to tell them what steps they should take next.
If you are in this situation, don’t lose hope. Pluck up your courage instead and do something about it. Trying to know what you want is a big, life challenge. Here are some things you can do to clear the confusion in your head and heart and reset your life.
Focus on The Now
The future is uncertain so don’t let your fears of the “what ifs” scare you. Instead, focus on what you want right now. Take a deep breath and ask yourself: “If money and time are not an issue, what do I want to do?”
There is no right or wrong answer to this question and there might not even be just one answer. So write your answers on paper and list them down as they come to you. You are creating your bucket list of goals and dreams. By creating this list, you are focusing on getting to know what you want. You are starting to clear out the uncertainty in your life and focusing on the things that you are certain about. This is your vision for your future.
For example, you might put down on your list the places you want to travel to, a business you want to start, your desire to be fit and healthy, a wish to learn to sing, your goal of financial freedom, etc. Your answers may seem broad and general, but this puts your goals in focus and they will serve as the direction to help you figure out what to do next. You might want to find a hobby or rekindle a long-forgotten passion that you had as a child thru this list. Already, you are prioritizing things in the order that you list them down but you can always order them as you want once you have your list. Consider this your fresh start.
Plan Out Your Next Steps
Once you’ve written down your list, work on the most important items first. This can be the easiest ones to accomplish or the ones that you need to work on right away. Make a plan on how you can start pursuing that goal. The plan doesn’t need to be detailed; it is just a sketch that will guide you as you go through your journey. It will help you know what you want and need to do and keep you on track with your goals.
You may have more than one thing you want to do for different aspects of your life and that’s quite normal. Your first step is important. Make sure you start small and don’t take on too much at once. Sketching out a plan on how to work on each goal in your daily life is a good start. Start with baby steps. Think of small things you can do each day to move you forward towards your goals. This will help you develop the mindset and the habits you need to succeed. You can worry about the details when you need to later on. The important thing at the moment is to have a plan to reach your goals. This is YOUR LIFE SKETCH which you will flesh out as you figure out the next steps along the way.
Act On Your Next Steps Immediately
Now that you know what you want and need to do; you can work on your first steps right away. Your plan serves as an outline or road map to reach your goals. If you need to ask help from friends or family members, colleagues or other professionals, do it. Don’t hesitate at the start of your journey. This is the time to be decisive. Yes, the future is still uncertain but you are certain of what you want right now and what you can do right now; ACT ON IT.
Once you’ve taken the first steps, the feedback you get from the people around you and from your own feelings should guide you to your next course of action. Remember that working on yourself is not an easy process. Take it one step at a time. Don’t worry too much about the future; the important thing is to start and to START RIGHT NOW.
One more important thing to keep in mind in this journey to self-discovery is to believe in yourself, keep an open mind, and an attitude of gratitude. Even when you don’t feel like it; challenge yourself to show up everyday for your goals. Even if you’re just sitting in front of your desk unable to do the work; you can still use the time to visualize your goals. Trust that things will fall into place as you keep doing your best to pursue your dreams.
Whether young and confused, or in a “mid-life crisis”, or experiencing an “existential crisis”, or going through an “identity crisis”; don’t panic. Take a deep breath, get pen and paper and start writing your “What I Want to Do” list or your Bucket List. This may seem silly at first, but it will help you know what you want and you can gain a deeper understanding about yourself. More importantly, it will serve as a light to the path you should take when you feel like you’re in a dark place in your life.
Updated. First posted on 2020.01.18. Feature Image: Original Photo by Soroush Karimi on Unsplash.
Tell your self, “Not today.” If you’re thinking of quitting, turning back, ending it all; then tell your self, “No, not today.” Everyone is trying to realize their dreams. We look up to those who have already succeeded. Those who are still pursuing their dreams are taking it one day at a time.
All of us have experienced a point in our lives where we just want to quit or turn back or let go of something we want or committed too because it’s too hard to go on. You don’t want to suffer anymore. You think you have sacrificed so much already. But won’t your sufferings and sacrifices be for nothing if you quit now? You can’t always get up and continue, or redesign your life and your goals.
If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.
Martin Luther King Jr.
That’s not how successful people become successful. They too have suffered and sacrificed. They only overcame their challenges because of their attitude. Each time they encounter an obstacle; they tell themselves, “Not today.”Winners don’t quit. They just take a rest and get up to fight another day.
Of course, not quitting is not the only thing you have to do in order to succeed in your goals. Many people also want to succeed and have made up their mind not to quit on their dreams. This is the best mindset and attitude to have. But if you don’t have a plan for how to reach your goals, then you won’t know how to work around the obstacles along the way. Having a plan can be the difference that gives you major advantage in whatever goals you are pursuing. You can’t just keep wishing and hoping; you need to do some planning.
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Not having a plan can be the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t. A plan gives you an idea of what to focus on at each stage of your journey. This serves as your guide so you never lose your path, or lose hope for your dreams. A plan helps you to tell your self that you won’t quit, not today, anyway. Because it helps you identify what paths are worth pursuing and what not to continue on.
So if you’re feeling left out, helpless and unsure; then tell your self that you won’t quit on your self; not today, not until you succeed; not until you achieve your dreams. Use your imagination, ask your heart, get into your magic shop and seek your dream. Then draw your self a plan for your future steps. If you decide not to give up on your self and your goals each day; then every tomorrow becomes an opportunity to realize your dream.
Failure is not the opposite of success; it is a stepping stone towards it. Failure allows you to learn so that you can be better prepared for achieving success.
A lot of us feel down after a failed attempt at a business or a career change but this shouldn’t be the case. Failing at something lets you see what to improve to increase your chances of success next time.
Failure is just there to point you in the right direction.
— Oprah Winfrey
An Experiment
Scientists often make experiments in their laboratory expecting for most of their attempts to fail. However, each failure gives them more information about what to do next so they get closer to the results they want to achieve for the next batch of experiments. They understand that failure is part of success. So they never quit and they go on experimenting until they get their desired results.
Failure helps you realize what is truly aligned with your deepest goals. Failure can even pave the way for new and better ideas that will bring you closer to the opportunities to help you succeed.
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
— Robert Kennedy
A Review
So next time you fail at something; get up and review why you failed. Don’t feel down after a failure. Get back up and get ready to fail again. Just like any experiment, success is learned thru trial and error. An important thing to remember is to have fun in the process.
If you learn from defeat you haven’t really lost.
— Zig Ziglar
Another Chance
Try again but be prepared to accept and learn from your failure. Those nuggets of wisdom that you learn each time you fail, are what will bring you closer to achieving your goals or show you another path to your life’s dream.
In the meantime, you may want to start by defining or reviewing what success means to you and what failure means to you as well so you have a clear idea of the two. Then you can review your plan on how to succeed in your goals.
Updated. First published on Pinoy Smart Living on 2018.11.24. Feature Image: Original Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels.
Are you making time to work on your dreams? All of us have a dream but most of us are not working on our dream. Instead, we are working daily to make other people’s dreams come true.
Why not work on our dreams right now? Take the Big 3 Challenge and start working on your dreams even as you go about your regular work activities.
Unless we make time for the things that are important to us, we will never be able to feel satisfied with our accomplishments for the day. We may have done so many things throughout the day but they don’t really contribute to our long-term goals or to realizing our dream.
The Big 3 Challenge
Your challenge is to take the time to plan out your day so you can launch yourself into action as soon as your day starts. Before you go to sleep, take a notebook, your journal or planner and sit down to write. Write down all the things that you need to accomplish the next day.
From your list, highlight the 3 big things that you need to accomplish on that day. These items are your Big 3 and you need to prioritize accomplishing these tasks. This means that even if you don’t check off all the things on your To Do list for that day, as long as these 3 things have been done, you can be satisfied with your day.
You should be able to come up with a Big 3 list for your work but you should also have one for working on your long-term goal. You may even list down a Big 3 for other aspects of your life such as for your health and finances.
There will always be many things that you think you need to do each day. However, setting your priorities will allow you to feel focused on the most important tasks so you can actually see and feel your progress. This also helps you to jump on to the next set of important tasks for the next day.
Finishing major tasks also gives you more motivation and confidence to tackle the smaller, not-as-important, but still necessary things that need to be done.
If you’ve already been practicing prioritizing your Big 3 daily, then level up your progress by taking on any of the Launch Challenges. See how you can use them to get closer to your goals and dreams.
There are a lot of tips and tricks on how to deal with change and they all have some things in common. All of us are undergoing change and have to deal with change at different stages and aspects of our lives. We recognize that change is necessary in order for us to evolve. We also know that most humans suck at dealing with change. Each one of us copes and adapts to change in different ways.
Here are some tips on how you can deal with change more easily instead of feeling helpless about things. This is actually a process that is very helpful to get you in the right mindset. You can tailor it to your specific situation too.
1. Anchor Yourself
It is an overwhelming experience when change sweeps over us. Change can occur so fast that we may feel things are getting out of control. This feeling of being overwhelmed by what’s happening around us can stress us out or leave us feeling helpless and frustrated.
The best thing to do is to take care of your own well-being first. Focus on how to make yourself feel better again so you can have a stable foundation to anchor you as you think your next steps through.
Here are some things you can do to anchor yourself so you don’t get swept away by the whirlwind of change.
Change can show us our inadequacies in a very painful way. However, it can also be an opportunity to identify what our strengths are and how we can address our weaknesses. Before that process can take place, we need to put things in perspective first.
When you’ve taken the time to anchor yourself you can now think about your next steps — you need to come up with a strategy. Think of your strategy as constructing a building from the ground up. You start by figuring out what resources you already have on hand and what else you will need for each phase of the construction. You need to see which of these are easily accessible to you right away and which ones need other requirements to obtain.
This is also the time to figure out what things you can and cannot control. One of the things you can control is your reaction to the situation. Try to be objective about it but consider other people’s feelings when you talk to them to create a strategy together. You can influence other people’s reaction so it is better to have an open mind on both the negative and positive effects of the change.
Try to accept the things that you cannot control and consider the things you can use to help improve the situation.
Think of what you can do at the present moment to make the situation better or at least to improve the future situation. Think, short-term, medium term and long-term. This way, you have a strategy for dealing with any type of hurdles that may come your way. While you aim to accomplish the long-term results, be sure that your strategy is well-definedand flexible enough to accommodate some adjustments when necessary.
3. Thread Slowly but Surely
The time of great change is also a time of uncertainty. Keep in mind that the change you are going through may continue to unfold for a long time. So focus on the present moment and take things one day at a time. Just like threading in water, don’t exhaust yourself by paddling too hard only to find out you’ve moved only a small distance. Instead of reaching the shore, you end up drowning because you are too exhausted to swim your way to shore.
Don’t be too harsh on yourself and others. Be patient as you carry out your strategy. Pace yourself and make adjustments as you need to along the way. Rest when you need to so you don’t burn out. This way, you don’t get stressed out or frustrated when things don’t go as planned.
Keep yourself anchored through self-care practices so you have the mental and physical energy to sustain you through this phase. Celebrate small victories. You may feel disheartened at times but don’t lose hope. Remind yourself that the current situation is temporary and that this too will pass.
Change can be bad or good depending on our mindset. Hopefully, these tips will help you become better on how to deal with change in your life instead of being lost in the transition.
We are nowhere near the end of the Covid-19 health crisis yet we are faced again with another challenge – the economic crisis that was brought about by this pandemic. Millions of people around the world lost their jobs. Many businesses closed. It will take years before we can ever go back to the way it was before. The challenge now for many is how to survive this economic crisis?
I recently attended an webinar on Transformative Leadership. It was about developing business strategies on how to survive a crisis based on lessons from a leading conglomerate in the country. The key point is transformation. There is no way to survive this crisis without making some changes. Abandon the old model and create a new one. I found the lessons applicable on both businesses and individuals.
Here are my notes on the transformation guide and some insights and lessons on how you can apply them not only in your business but in your personal lives as well:
1. Ensure Financial Sustainability
The very foundation for everyone right now should be financial sustainability. Financial sustainability means being able to meet the cash flow requirements of the operations of the business or the monthly household expenses of the individual. There is no telling until when will this crisis last. So, liquidity is very important. It is time to cut down any unnecessary expenses and preserve cash.
For Businesses: Do you have enough cash? Do you have access to capital to continue operating your business? Do you have enough funds to continue paying your obligations? How to continue earning profit amidst the crisis?
For Individuals: How was your income affected? Do you have enough savings? Do you still have enough money to pay for your monthly household expenses? Are there already warning signs that you are living beyond your means? How to continue earning amidst the crisis?
2. Serve Customers
The customers are the foundation of any business. Knowing and understanding the customer needs at this time is essential for any business.
For Businesses: How will you be able to serve your customers without sacrificing your financial sustainability? There is no point continuing a business without profit. You also need to take into consideration that this is a health crisis. So, it is best to consider how to continue serving customers without putting their health at risk?
For Individuals: If your income was greatly affected by the crisis, it is time to look for other sources of income. Ask yourself, how can I serve others now using the skills and talent that I have? What can you offer to the community? Instead of chasing the money, focus on how you can be of help to others. Money is a by-product of the service that you rendered. The most successful businesses in the world addressed and solved an existing problem.
3. Protect Your People
The employees are the most important resource of any company. In these trying times, it is important that you have motivated and healthy people around you.
For Businesses: How do you protect your workforce? They are the ones who has a direct relationship with the customers; so, it is important that you protect your people. The success of any business heavily relies on customer satisfaction. In order to stay motivated to do their jobs, employees must first feel safe. Is their work environment safe enough?
For Individuals: Protecting your family and those who are dear to you should be one of your main concerns. It is hard to adjust to the new normal but it is the only way to stay healthy and safe during this crisis. Always remember that first and foremost, this is a health crisis.
4. Abandon the Old and Create A New Plan
Change is a necessary part of life. It is crucial for growth and success. However, it is also one of the hardest things in life. There is always that fear of the unknown. That’s why many people choose to stay in their comfort zone simply because it is familiar and comfortable.
Unfortunately, Covid-19 is here to stay. The world will not go back to 2019. Unless your industry benefited from the pandemic, it will be difficult to stay afloat and survive this economic crisis without some changes. Yes, it is ok to abandon the old plan and change to a completely different one.
For businesses: Assess your business model. Is it still applicable? If not, you need to abandon the old business model and create a new business plan for your company that will adhere to the new normal.
For individuals: Was your work greatly affected? Were your future plans and goals disrupted? Instead of merely just waiting for things to go back to normal, it is now time to reassess your goals and make some adjustments or changes. Redesign your life through a bucket list.
5. Come Up with a Transformation Recovery Plan
A total recovery will not happen overnight. Recovery would be done in stages. Without a plan, it will take longer to recover. This is also the time to have tough goals in order to make it through. Remember, your main concern now is SURVIVAL.
For Businesses: The business transformation recovery plan should include strategies and timeline. It should also include procedures and responsibilities. Tough goals include reduction in workforce, following strict schedules and time frames and coming up with new goals that are totally different from the past. Once in place, regular testing and validation should be done to make sure that the plan is working.
For Individuals: The transformation recovery plan for individuals should start by the creation of SMART goals based on the bucket list that you just made. To ensure success, your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based. Tough goals may include doing work that you have never done before.
6. Transform Corporate Culture
Corporate culture pertains to the shared values, beliefs and behaviors of a particular organization. The transformation recovery plan will only be successful if there is cooperation of all members of the organization. It is impossible to do it alone.
For Businesses: There will be a need to retrain people.You need to work hand-in-hand with your staffs. Make sure they understand. Make sure you are on the same page. You need the complete support of the organization to make it through the crisis.
For Individuals: Just like in businesses, the whole family should be in the same page. Each member of the family should understand what is going on. Everyone should do their share for the common goal.
7. Embrace Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is basically using technology to reach customers, transform processes and implement business solutions. The new normal would be heavily dependent online. That’s why, an online presence is essential for survival. Digitize what you can.
For Businesses: Do you already have on online presence? Can you reach your customers online? What part of your business processes can you digitize? Integrate digital technology in several areas in your businesses.
For individuals: Whether you are selling products or offering your services, you need to take advantage of the digital world. If you are looking into changing careers, there are lots of courses available online. The possibilities are all in your finger tips.
Good luck and let us all emerge from this economic crisis successfully!
Feature Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Images.
How is your year going so far? How are you progressing in your plans for this year? Maybe you need to adjust your plan. Maybe you need to make new plans. A plan is an important part to your success. It serves as a road map to guide you towards your goals.
If you do not have one yet or you need to make changes to a current plan, here are some tips on how to do it.
Define
First, you need to decide what your goals are. You can start by defining your goals for each aspect of your life. Ask yourself these questions:
Where am I in each aspect of my life right now?
What do I want to achieve in this aspect of my life?
How can I improve this aspect of my life?
Why do I want to achieve this goal for this aspect of my life?
How does this goal benefit other aspects of my life?
If these questions don’t work, then try to use your imagination. Ask yourself:
How does it feel like to have a successful life?
What does it look like to be the successful version of me?
What are the things that I do when I have become a successful person?
You can put your goals on a vision board to remind you of your goals daily. You will end up with several goals but you will need to prioritize. Decide which aspect of your life you need to take action on right now and which can follow later. Focus on 2-3 key areas so you don’t get overwhelmed. Remember, you’re taking baby steps to improve your life so choose the top 2 or 3 for now.
Divide
Now that you have your goals, you also need to define the milestones for each goal. These become your smaller goals which you can divide according to a schedule. For example:
Long-term goal – the major goal that you need to accomplish in a year, or 3 years.
Medium-term goal – the smaller goal that you need to accomplish in 3 or 6 months time to help you get closer to the long-term goal.
Short-term goal – the even smaller goal that you need to accomplish each week or even daily so you can reach your medium-term goal.
When creating these goals, be sure to follow theS.M.A.R.T. method of goal-setting. This way, you can ensure that your goals are realistic and can be accomplished in a specific period of time.
Give yourself space to adjust to the new schedule. Don’t expect that you can just do it right away or perfectly each time. You’re the one setting your target dates so don’t be too stringent on yourself but don’t be too easy on yourself either.
Dedicate
You have your goals and you have a schedule on how to accomplish them. It’s time to put the effort into getting things done.
The short-term goals can be considered practice. These help to set you up for the medium-term goals and so on. Your short-term goals may consist of daily tasks that you have to learn to do consistently. Dedicate yourself to this and try not to miss a day.
You’re trying to discipline yourself into your new routine but don’t be too hard on yourself. If you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up about it and just resolve to do better the next day. You don’t want to burn out while trying to accomplish the goal. Of course, don’t forget to have fun while dedicating yourself to your goals.
Debug
While you’re trying to accomplish your goals, you may find out that some things don’t work well for you or don’t suit you. This shouldn’t stop you from going forward in your goals. This is the debugging process where you work out the kinks in your plan to make it easier for you to accomplish them.
For example, if you find out that exercising in the morning doesn’t work for you, then reschedule it for the afternoon or evening. Just replace your morning schedule with something else on your daily goals.
You will find that you need to do this constantly for your short-term goals. That’s why it is important to incorporate some time for adjustment when setting your goal targets. You may even need to reset your target date for some goals and that is just fine.
You can use this method for whatever goals you have, big or small, and in whatever path you are in your journey to success. The important thing to remember when planning for success is to be consistent. Keep showing up to accomplish your plan starting with your daily habits.
Don’t be too hard on yourself when you fail at times. Accept that some things won’t work out; try a different approach until it works out for you and keep moving forward.
Most countries around the world have implemented some form of lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Lockdown is the now the new normal. While some places are already beginning to ease restrictions, some are still extended while others are shut down again because of fear for a second wave. If you are one of those people who still do not have the liberty to go out of the house, here are some fun activities that you can do to keep your boredom at bay when you are stuck at home:
1.Binge-watch a TV Series
In normal times, binge-watching is bad because it is unhealthy and unproductive but during these extra-ordinary times, it can be good especially if you are watching shows that you can learn from or increase your emotional intelligence. You can also make it a family activity by watching a marathon of movies that you can enjoy with the kids.
2.Learn a New Language
Learning a new language does not only give you a competitive edge in your career, it is also beneficial to your mental health. It boosts brain power. It improves your memory. Learning a new language also sharpens your mind. It can also help boosts your confidence. In addition, it can help you understand movies or dramas without reading subtitles especially if you are a fan of foreign shows like Korean dramas.
3.Plan Your Next Vacation
In a study that was published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, it shows that a great proportion of people’s happiness comes from planning the next vacation. It is largely due to the anticipation of relaxing, going on a holiday and travelling to a different place.
So, what are you waiting for? List down your travel goalsand start planning for your next vacation!
4.Play Board Games with your Family
While no one can argue with the benefits of technology, sometimes good old fashioned board games is a welcome change. Instead of individual family members holding their different gadgets, why not bond together as a family and enjoy quality time playing with your parents, children or siblings. For sure, it will be fun. It also encourages open communication among family members. You can play board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, Life, Pictionary, Battleship and Cranium.
5.Read Books
Reading books is good for you. It improves your brain function. Through reading, you will be able to increase your knowledge. and broaden your vocabulary. It makes you smarter, improves your memory and enhances your level of concentration. In addition, reading also reduces stress. It also keeps you entertained. The advantages are simply too many.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
Dr. Seuss
6.Redecorate your Home
The way your home looks have a great effect on your mood. A home that is clean, well-organized and has the right atmosphere can help get rid of anxiety and stress. You can start by decluttering and disposing things that you no longer need.
7.Sleep
In this modern world, a lot of people in the urban areas are caught with the hustle and bustle of city life that most are not getting the required hours of sleep that the body needs. Take this rare opportunity to get enough sleep. Remember that sleep is a vital factor in boosting your immune system. Your immune system is your best defence against diseases.
8.Start a Group Video Conference Call with your Friends
Social distancing does not necessarily mean breaking up friendships. While it may take a long time before you can party and go out with friends again, you can still connect with everyone through video chats. There are many free platforms that you can use like Facetime, Google Hang-out, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Viber, WhatsUp, Zoom and many others.
9.Start a New Hobby
Is there something that you really wanted to do when you were still a kid? Something that you have been putting off simply because you neither have the time nor money to do so. Now is the time to start doing that. There are many indoor hobbies that you can do. You can knit, weave, sew, paint, quilt, cross stitch, origami, make jewelries, write poetry, make a scrapbook, garden etc.
A hobby helps you relax. It allows you to take a break from all the stress and just simply enjoy the moment. It is good for your mental and emotional health.
10. Visualize your Future
Success starts with a vision. When you visualize, you imagine things. You see yourself in the future in vivid details living the life that you want to live. The more specific your imagination will take you, the better it is. By doing so, you are already increasing the likelihood of success.
Visualization is fun. It gives you something to look forward to. It also helps you rise above the storm and challenges in life because it helps focus your energy on the desired outcome rather than the problem. It is all about looking into the future rather than being depressed about the present.
If there is anything that you wish to add, please feel free to do so. Your inputs will help a lot of people go through these hard times.
One of the simple joys of life is to be able to eat the food you love when you want them. However, with the prices of consumer goods, including food items, ever increasing; it has become harder and harder to eat delicious and healthy food at home. Instead, most of us have resorted to fast food fare which can be unhealthy for us physically but also budget-wise. So what are ways to stretch your food budget without depriving yourself of the foods you love to eat and making sure that you and your family are still eating healthy?
How do you survive grocery-shopping with a limited budget? Photo by leonie wise on Unsplash
Here are some tips that can help you stretch your food budget:
1. Plan Your Meals
The best and surest way to maximize your food budget is to plan what you are going to eat ahead of time. The easiest way to do this is to plan at least 2 main dishes and plan the rest of your side dishes and snacks around those dishes. Your 2 main dishes will serve as your menu’s theme for the week.
Here are other benefits of planning your meals ahead of time.
Choose a healthier recipe for a dish or dishes you love.
Include dishes that you and your whole family loves.
Add new dishes that you want to try out.
Include new ingredients that you are interested in.
Think up cheaper options for expensive ingredients.
Identify food items that your family loves so you can include them as your pantry staples.
Create a shopping list that follows your meal plans and budget.
The best benefit of having a meal plan is that you do not waste food. Sometimes you buy items that end up just sitting in your fridge or pantry because you don’t know what to do with them. With a meal plan, every ingredient you buy has a purpose and you will definitely use them.
Your meal plan is what you will be eating for the entire week, so make sure to have at least 2 options so you don’t tire of just eating the same dish every day. After shopping for your ingredients, start washing and chopping and store your food items in the fridge so you can easily take them out to cook.
2. Prepare Your Meals
To save even more money and time; you can also cook your meals ahead and portion them separately for each day of the week before you store them in the fridge. Then just take them out of the fridge and reheat when its time to eat. This is a great way to help make preparing baon easier each day since you don’t have to cook everything, each time. Some people prep their whole week’s meal and then prepare bento boxes daily for themselves and their kids to take to work and school using the precooked and prepared dishes.
Some people have taken meal preparation to the next level by preparing meal ingredients ahead of time and freezing them so they last for months at a time. Each night, they transfer the next day’s meals from the freezer to the fridge to thaw a bit so they can cook and/or reheat the next day.
You don’t have to go to this extreme though. You can start small by planning for each week. Once you have several dishes that you can shop for and prepare without even writing down the ingredients and measurements, then you can eventually plan your meals for a whole month.
Having soup in your menu is a great way to maximize your ingredients and enjoy a hearty meal. Photo by Jade Aucamp on Unsplash
3. Don’t Shop When You’re Hungry
A surefire way to reduce your spending is to eat at home before you go shopping. Studies show that shopping while hungry makes people buy more than what they need. They end up buying things they don’t really need because they were just attractive to them visually.
In the case of grocery shopping, this means that you will buy food that you won’t eat and you will waste more food instead. This would also bust a whole in your budget. So make sure you eat at home first, or you eat your lunch or dinner first before you go inside the grocery store.
Not only will you have more energy to shop but you will also avoid trying to rush through your shopping so you can get a meal afterwards. So shop when you have already eaten so that you also have the energy and patience to read labels and compare prices, if necessary.
The same rule applies when you’re planning to go on a night out. Bar drinks are usually expensive. So invite your friends over to your house instead for a pre-bar session. Ask them to bring a bottle of their favorite drink and sip away. This way, you avoid the cost of expensive bar beverages while still enjoying your favorites. You can even mix your own drinks and create new ones.
Just make sure that you and your friends don’t get too tipsy or you might not even get to go out. Or, you might find yourselves deciding not to go out and chatting the night away instead. That would really mean a big chunk of savings for all of you.
4. Stick to Your Shopping List
Most of us have the habit of just popping into a grocery store “just to see” what can interest us. This often leads to buying items mindlessly just because we found them cute or we suddenly are inspired to have a use for them in the future which we immediately forget as soon as we have paid for the item. And then we wonder where our budget got ruined.
After you have done your meal planning, then go shopping but remember to eat first. When you are armed with a list of what you need to buy you are less likely to buy indiscriminately. Of course, it does happen that we keep our shopping list in our side pocket and we forget to take it out as we browse the isles while shopping.
So even before you go inside the store, take out your shopping list and use it. That is to say, STICK TO YOUR SHOPPING LIST and you sure will be able to stretch your food budget.
5. Buy In-Store Brands
You might have noticed the in-store brands in the same shelf as your usual food items. We mostly just pass by them and reach out for our favorite brands instead.
If you’re on a tight budget it’s helpful to check out the in-store items as they are cheaper and more often than not, they contain the same ingredients as popular brands.
In-store brands also get their ingredients from the same suppliers as popular brands. They’re just packaged and branded for the store’s label. So be sure to check out in-store brands, the next time you spot them in the supermarket isle.
That said, there are some exceptions when it comes to your shopping list. That’s what we’ll explain next.
Tomatoes in season? Include spaghetti or pizza in your menu or make some fancy treats. Photo by Kasumi Loffler from Pexels
6. Eat and Buy in Season
When planning your meal, be sure to include food items that are in season. Remember your lesson on supply and demand: the greater the supply and the lower the demand, the lower the price tends to fall.
Vegetables and fruits in season tend to be in lower demand because people see them all around which makes them also lower in price. So make sure to know what fruits and vegetables are in season and use them as your main ingredients in your meal plans.
Buying produce in season helps you stick to your shopping list but it is also a reason to buy more of these items. Another reason to buy more of an item is if they are on sale, in which case, you can BUY IN BULK but make sure to observe these rules.
The item is in your shopping list.
If not in your shopping list, then substitute it for an item in your shopping list.
If not in your shopping list, make sure that you can store it well so that you can use it for your next meal plan.
The expiry date is not too soon (for canned and packaged goods) and you can use it up before the expiry date.
Buying in season and in bulk is one sure way to eat more and still stick to your budget.
Beans are a great addition to your soups and salads to maximize nutrition. Photo by Trần Toàn on Unsplash
7. Focus on Density
While you try to stretch your budget, make sure that you are still eating healthily. A great way to do this is to make sure that your meals include food items that can be used for a lot of different dishes but are also low-priced. This means you get the maximum amount of nutrition from these foods for a minimum cost.
These foods can be part of your pantry staples and may include the following:
Rice – incredibly filling and can be added to soups and stews
Dry beans – also filling and doubles in size when cooked, also a great source of protein
Eggs – can be used for different dishes and a good source of protein
Sweet potatoes – comes in different varieties and can be used alone or as a substitute for other items in many dishes
Peanut butter – a good source of protein and can be used to add flavor to different dishes including sauces and dips and even smoothies
You will find many more high-calorie but low-priced food items as you go along your food budgeting journey so make sure to read the labels as you browse the isles and ask around when you go to markets. It is also a good practice to buy from local fruits and vegetable vendors peddling their produce in your area. You not only help them generate income, you also get local produce at a better price than in the supermarket.
Sunday markets offer more fresh produce and more variety than groceries. Photo by Min An from Pexels
8. Shop at Sunday Markets
To further stretch your food budget, it is a good idea to shop directly from the source of the fruits and vegetables. You are lucky if you live near a farm as you can buy from the farmer directly but if you live in the city, the next best thing is to shop for your produce at the Sunday Market.
There are a lot of vendors in these markets so you have the option to look for those who can offer you the best price for the items you need. Here are some more benefits of shopping at Sunday markets.
Fresher products than in grocery stores.
More variety of produce than in grocery stores.
Learn about your produce from the vendors themselves.
Get to know your local farmers.
Get organic produce for a lower price than in grocery stores.
Become a suki of a vendor and enjoy discounts.
Another benefit is of course, you get some exercise as you lug your purchases around.
Got a favorite comfort food? Teach yourself how to make it. Photo by Creative Free Stock from Pexels
9. Get Cooking
We love sitting at a table to enjoy our “comfort food”, the food which is familiar to us since childhood and which we tend to crave every now and then. But most of us only enjoy these kinds of food when we go to a restaurant and when our mom cooks them for us. Well, why not get the recipe from your mom and learn how to cook them yourself?
Your mom would love to show you how it’s done and you get major points for bonding time with her. And when you’ve perfected her recipe, you can modify it to your own liking and learn more recipes from her too. Once you’ve started cooking on your own, you’ll gain more confidence and you can come up with recipes of your own.
Learning how to cook also means you spend less money eating outside. You can even take your favorite dishes as baon to work. That’s another way to stretch your food budget.
How to get started? There are tons of videos online to help you with knife skills, simple recipes for beginners and so on. Tune up your research skills and start learning.
Instead of using meat, learn to use spices to amp up flavor in your dishes. Photo by Mareefe from Pexels
10. Go Meat-less
Ever heard of “meatless Mondays”? The idea is to eat healthier by eating dishes with no meat during Mondays. Well, you can take this idea and run with it to stretch out your food budget.
Instead of just going meatless one day of the week, you can EAT MEAT ONLY ONE DAY OF THE WEEK.
We all know how much pricier meat products are compared to fruits and vegetables. So try to plan for dishes that require no meat in them and if they do, then use less meat and bulk up the dish with items that can substitute for meat. Here are some of them.
Tofu – the most popular of all, you can marinate it in any sauce and it soaks up the flavor. It also comes in different textures: tempeh, seitan, and TVP (textured vegetable protein). TVP is available and very affordable in your local palengke.
Mushrooms – they are filling and has that meaty “umami” flavor.
Jackfruit – if you like the texture of pulled pork, this is a good substitute; also good for lechon kawali.
Banana hearts – use this to make lumpiang shanghai, burgers, pulled pork and even lechon kawali.
Potatoes – soaks up sauces like tofu and can be fried and mashed.
Beans and legumes – cook them, add a bit of spice and shape into burgers or nuggets.
Cauliflower – ever heard of vegetarian buffalo wings?
Eggplant – can be mashed or fried into slices and soaks up sauces well.
The great thing about experimenting with substitutions is that you will be able to discover more and you get to try new ingredients while still ensuring that you eat healthy.
Those are our top tips for stretching your food budget while eating healthy. Start with a small tweak to your eating habits and you’ll start feeling better physically as well as financially.
If you want to change your life for the better, you need to start implementing some changes now. Don’t wait until tomorrow or next year to start making some adjustments. Success does not happen overnight. It is a product of all the little things that you do daily. The sooner you start making some changes. the sooner you will be able to achieve everything that your heart desires. Start now! Dare yourself to do the 30-Day Just Do It Challenge!
Before you begin, you need to figure out what it is that you want. Start by creating a bucket list. It is a list of all the things that you want to accomplish and do in life. From the list, identify your priorities through the 5/25 Rule Challenge.
Once you have identified your priorities, it is now time to create your very own 30-day challenge. All of us have different goals and priorities. Your 30-day challenge should focus on what is important to you and on what particular area of your life that you want to improve first. It could be about your health, your relationship, your spiritual life, your career, your finances, etc. It all depends on you.
You need to focus. You need to start on one specific area of your life first. It would be difficult if you are trying to accomplish so many things at once. Focus on a single goal. Do not be destructed by other things. You also need to do it for 30 consecutive days. As a general rule, it takes a minimum of 21 straight days for something to become a habit. However, not all individuals are the same. Other people may take longer.
Here are example 30-day challenges that you can apply in some areas of your life:
Health and Beauty
During this pandemic, we have learned that health is the most important thing in life. Thus, your priority should always be how to keep yourself healthy and follow the rules to combat diseases. Your 30-day challenge could be:
Get at least 8 hours of sleep a day
Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day
Do exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
Eat a balanced diet.
Clean face and put moisturizer before going to sleep.
Home and Living
A clean and organized environment is a necessary component of your overall wellness. Now that you finally have the time to stay at home, take this opportunity to declutter and clean your surroundings. Your 30-day challenge can include:
Maybe you want to save for an emergency fund or for your retirement fund.Whatever your money goal, now is the perfect time to start setting financial goals for a better tomorrow. Here are sample challenges for financial improvement:
Your relationship with yourself is important. It is the basis of your relationship with others. Equally important is your relationship with other people. A happy and healthy relationship with oneself and others are vital to our mental and emotional well-being. Here are some things that you can do to improve this aspect of your life.
Call a friend or family member that you have not been in touch for so long.
Say “I love you” to people who are dear to you, “thank you”to those who have always been there for you and “I am sorry” to people whom you have offended.
