PCOS on a Budget
You can manage your PCOS on a budget.
When you have a chronic condition like PCOS, the bills can rack up quickly. You have doctors’ visits and co-pays, medications, supplements, groceries, gym memberships, and other expenses that come with the territory.
Managing your PCOS can get very costly but it doesn’t have to!
I will show you how you can save money and successfully manage your PCOS on a budget. Healthy living doesn’t have to break the bank if you follow these tips below.
All of these things below are things that I personally use myself.
1. Get started with meal planning
Meal planning is a great way to save money and helps you to stay on track with eating healthy.
All you must do is create your menu for the week and then go grocery shopping. This eliminates buying anything that is unnecessary. Which will save you money.
When you don’t have a plan, you end up spending way more on groceries. And you probably waste some of the things that you buy.
Meal planning also reduces the chance that you will eat unhealthy and make bad decisions. Most of us want to make good decisions but we end up being short on time and then we choose what is convenient.
Don’t have the time or energy to meal plan? Or just not sure what meals are good options to make for PCOS?
There are great services out there like eMEALs that eliminates all the stress for $5 a month. You can try it out for FREE for 14 days to see how it works for you and your family.
I am a member of eMeals and I love the variety that the plan offers. The meals are delicious and very easy to make. Two of my favorite meals so far have been chicken piccata and an orange roasted salmon. eMeals has been a lifesaver for me; it saves me time, energy, and money because I have everything planned out.
eMeals offer a ton of plans to choose from including, budget friendly, clean eating, low carb, quick and healthy, paleo, heart healthy, vegan, diabetic, gluten free, and many more.
Meal planning services are great for busy individuals and especially great for moms who are chasing after their littles. I hate meal planning, so this option is great for me and my family!
2. Start getting cash back for your purchases
Another way to save money when you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle is to use the app Ibotta.
I use this app every time I go to the store. I even made my husband download it when he does the shopping. I don’t want to miss out on any FREE money!
Ibotta is an app that pays you money for buying products that you would already purchase for example groceries, personal items, alcohol, clothing, beauty and wellness, pharmacy, restaurants, travel, and more.
They do offer cash back on:
· Organic foods
· Produce
· Personal items like tampons, toothpaste, makeup, shampoo, and much more.
· Household items- laundry detergent, toilet paper, cold medicines, etc.
· Other food and drink items
Here are just a few retailers who participate; Target, Stop and Shop, Shoprite, Sam’s Club, Whole Foods, Walmart, Aldi, CVS, and numerous others.
Once you start redeeming offers and making some money, you can redeem it through PayPal, Venmo or gift cards.
Don’t miss out on free money. Get Ibotta today and you get $10 just for signing up and using referral code qtfktuw. All you must do is submit your next receipt.
3. Sign-up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Community Supported Agriculture or commonly referred to as a CSA is a pre-paid box or share program where the Farmer sells a share prior to the growing season.
The farmer can then prepare for the growing season by planning the number of plantings for the number of shares. This helps the farmer reduce the cost and they then can pass that savings on to the CSA member.
This is how I get all my fresh produce. They give you a variety of fruits and veggies each week. You can’t beat the quality, quantity, and the savings.
To join a CSA, ask your local farms if they have a program and when you need to sign-up by. The earlier you sign-up the more you can save. I know they knock off $50 if I sign-up by December for the June growing season.
4. Learn how to shop online like a champion
If you are doing any type of online shopping, you need to be using Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates)!
Rakuten gives you money for shopping through them. You can earn CASH BACK for just spending how you normally would online. Rakuten makes a commission for referring you to the store and they share that commission with you!
It is very easy to use. You set up an account which takes 2 minutes and then when you want to go shopping online you click on a store that you want to shop through and shop just like how you normally would.
They have every store you could imagine like Kohl’s, Ulta, Groupon, Old Navy, The Honest Company, Amazon; you name it they have a partnership with them!
What is also great is that you can still use all your coupon/promo codes too! That’s what makes Rakuten so fantastic. Not only are you saving money because you are buying something that is an amazing deal, but you also are making MONEY back on that purchase!!
Here’s an example of how I might use it on healthy living items. I take a good number of supplements to manage my PCOS which we all know can get pricey. I like to buy my supplements from several different companies based on the quality, purity, and price.
I click on the store in Rakuten once I am signed into my account and shop through them. I add my items to my cart, apply my coupons and I get a % of the total purchase credited to my account after the transaction is complete.
Pay attention because on certain holidays they offer double cash back. WOOT WOOT!!
Rakuten will pay you via check or PayPal. Every few months there is a nice hefty deposit into my account just for shopping.
Create your Rakuten account today and when you sign up through my link, you receive a free $10 cash back!
5. Quit paying for shipping
I refuse to pay for shipping. It adds up quickly and takes a bite out of your savings. And why should I have to pay $8.95 in shipping when I am only buying something that costs me $15? Am I right?!
I am an Amazon Prime gal through and through. Why?
Because I love making my life easy, getting items in 2 days (sometimes less), and NOT paying for shipping. Oh, and did I mention I can use my prime membership at Whole Foods and save even more (plus I will scan my receipt on Ibotta when I am done and now, I just saved and made money!!!)
Amazon has everything you could possibly need. I get certain supplements there, workout gear, as well as books to stay educate about PCOS and hormones. Plus, you can stream their shows and music as part of their membership. They offer some entertaining shows!
If you aren’t a member already, click the link and try it for FREE for 30 days. If you don’t like it or use it, cancel it. But if you are like me, it will save you time and money!
Healthy living doesn’t have to cost you a fortune if you know about programs like these. Like you, I didn’t know about these things either and the prices of things did add up. Once, I started saving money on items and then making money back on things that I was already going to buy, it really made a huge difference.
The items listed above are accompanied by affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if a purchase is made through my links. This has no impact on the cost to the consumer. I link to products this way whenever possible, and it has no bearing on the products I choose to review or recommend.