6 Easy Ways to Make Money with Things You Don't Need

I have a saving problem. Yes, sometimes it can be as bad as a spending problem. I've actually loosened up lately - but only for travel. My heart still sinks when money is taken from our bank account. I completely believe in spending money on quality food, supplements, and travel. Those are the things I believe are worth spending money on but each person has to determine that for themselves.

Ever since I left my corporate job I have been organizing our life and simplifying even more! We wanted to get rid of as much as possible so that we could do some updates around the house without using money in our savings account.

6 Easy Ways to Make Money with Things You Don't Need

1. Sell old DVDs to a movie trade store. We took almost 300 DVDs and received a little over $150. We could have received a store credit for $300 but we do not really buy movies anymore so we took the cash instead. Selling 300 DVDs for $150 doesn't sound like much but we didn't pay much for them either. We usually bought movies when they were less than $5. I even had to dust them off before we took them in so it's just an extra $150 in our bank account!

2. Trade in old video games. Another thing that we have always done is when Scott wants to buy a new video game (he only buys 3 per year: Tiger Woods, NFL, and MLB) he trades in an old game so we don't ever pay full price for the new video game. I remember one of my sister's boyfriends would laugh at me for having Scott do this - but I don't care! What's worse than paying full price for a video game is having old ones sit around and collect dust! I HATE "stuff"!

3. Sell clothes to a local consignment shop. I have always done this but I have just now been able to get Scott to go through his clothes. The hardest part of this is finding a good consignment shop in your area. I take mine to the same place every time, which is also where I buy a lot of my clothes. If you haven't worn the clothes, shoes, or accessories in over a year you probably won't wear them again - get rid of them! At the consignment store I use, you can either get cash or store credit. I usually leave it as credit that way I can go shopping without actually spending money. At any given moment I will have $100-$300 credit and this is coming from someone who doesn't even like to shop in the first place! If you have a lot of designer clothing or accessories you can make a decent amount of money. I just went by and picked up a check for over $200 before we went on our last vacation! Talk about easy money!

4. List items you no longer use on Craigslist or eBay. Really think about what you need in your house. Do you need a TV in every room? We listed a TV, DVD player, and TV stand which resulted in an extra $400 in our pocket and we haven't missed it once!

5. Get rid of your cable or lower your package. This might sound crazy to some people but you CAN live without TV. When we first got married we didn't have cable but then we had to get it so Scott could watch the Cubs games (very important, right?). I called to cancel it again at the beginning of the year. They tried to talk me out of it, of course. They ended up offering us the lowest package for under $5 per month. We did take that offer so we do have local channels in case we need them (I'm not sure what for!). We don't really watch a lot of TV or movies at all anymore but if you are a fan try Amazon Prime (you get a lot of free rentals there) or Netflix.

6. Have a yard sale. I'm not a fan of these actually. Too much work to organize, haggle, and actually work at the garage sale. I've had a few but I guess I just don't have enough stuff to begin with to have a good return. Some people have great success though - if you have a lot of stuff to get rid of...go for it! Advertise it in your local newspaper, put up easy-to-read signs, and post about it in your local Facebook yard sale group. What doesn't sale - DONATE!

We choose to skip the expensive restaurants and designer handbags or shoes but we do travel and buy the best hiking gear. We all have random things we are willing to spend money on...you just need to find a balance (just like with fitness) that works for you and your BUDGET! Unfortunately in life we can't eat everything we want and we can't buy everything we want! ;-)

- Whitney

5 Things We Have Done to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle for 5+ Years

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We've been there before. We've been tired, stressed, and frustrated. You just have to take the first step. Then keep taking steps. They add up. You can transform your life. We did. We lost over 30 pounds; Scott went from waist size of 38" to 32" and I went from a size 10 to a size 2/4 (I was a size 2 but am now a size 4 - you can read more about that here.).

When we were packing for our trip to Jackson Hole this year it really hit me...I have ski pants (one pair because I don't ski often!) that I've been able to pack for four years. I don't even try them on, I just pack them. They are pants I only wear once a year but they always fit. Always. I don't worry if they will fit or not. That is an amazing feeling. You can experience this feeling too! Stop yo-yo dieting and starting living a healthy lifestyle all year long!

5 Things We Have Done to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle for 5+ Years

1. We are consistent, not perfect.

We are always physically active even if our workouts are not always perfect. For example, some days I'll go in the gym to do an upper body workout from our She Sweats Workout Plan but I'll end up doing legs. Sometimes I don't even do anything that I had in mind. Sometimes the gym is just there for us to go to and keep up the habit. I don't always kill my workouts. I rarely ever walk out dripping in sweat. But we go - to keep the habit - to be consistent.

We also make time for food prep. Sometimes we make every single thing we need and have a huge spread of food covering our counter and sometimes we only make a few things just to get by for a few days. However, we never skip food prep - even if that means buying rotisserie chicken and making a big batch of sweet potatoes to go with it for a few meals. Honestly, we feel like making time to prep healthy food is more important than going to the gym. 

The habit of the habit is more important than the habit itself.

2. We have hobbies that keep us active.

Our workouts are not always in the gym. Any chance we get we climb mountains. Not only is hiking a good cardio workout but it's also a much needed mental break as we prefer places that have no cell service. We also have tennis rackets (notice I didn't say "play" but we do goof off with it...Scott calls it "Whitness" because I make up my own rules) and Scott skis and plays golf. Find something that you enjoy! Remember, health and fitness is not "one size fits all" - just because your best friend lost 20 pounds and loves to run doesn't mean that you will have the same success or enjoy it!

3. We think of this as a lifestyle and not a diet.

This isn't - and has never been - a diet for us. We live this way because it keeps us healthy and able to do all of the activities we enjoy. We don't train for competitions or photo shoots. We don't train for a half marathon and then quit everything. We just live this way to feel our best. There really is no other option.

4. We do not deprive ourselves.

If we want a piece of pizza or ice cream - we eat it. We don't eat it every day or even every week but we also don't really have many things that are "off limits". We do try to get the best version of whatever we are craving - bakery items made without high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, etc and we make a lot of our own treats (have you tried our cookie dough?!). We know our limits and we don't keep junk in the house, when we indulge it is outside of the house.

5. We do not follow and/or worship "fitness celebrities".

We live our own lives. We don't often scroll through social media to "be inspired" (this usually leads to comparison which isn't good for body image). Again, this is a habit for us so we just do it. It's fine to be inspired and motivated by others but you also have to find motivation within. This WILL take time for you to do and there will still be days that you don't want to do anything but that habit will keep you going. Work on building your good habits!

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Budget-Friendly Protein Sources

Here's the first post in our Clean Eating on a Budget "series"! We are SO EXCITED to bring our money saving tips to you! (P.S. If you still haven't started our 12 Month Money Challenge, you have time to join!) We all know protein can be one of the most expensive components of clean eating.  And with so many options to choose from, how do we know which protein source gets us the most "bang for the buck"?  Or should I say "pump for the penny"? ;-)

When comparing the cost of protein sources, it's easier to compare meats based on actual cost per pound (beef vs. chicken or turkey vs. bison), but it gets very confusing when you start adding in other options like fish, dairy, eggs, peanut butter and so on.  So, what we've done is analyzed the cost per 20 grams of protein for individual sources.  Why compare the cost per 20 grams, you ask?  Well, 20 grams should be an average serving size of protein of an active individual.  A chicken breast will have about 20 grams of protein and a cup of Greek yogurt has about 20 grams as well.  So, check out the chart below to see how your favorite protein source stacks up.

There are a few things to consider when looking at this chart...first of all, finding budget-friendly vegan sources isn't all that hard, but it does come with a nutritional cost.  In order to get a decent amount of protein, you have to consume well beyond the recommended serving size and consume additional calories from either fat (additional 15 grams of fat for peanut butter) or carbohydrates.  So, while dry red lentils seem to be the most budget-friendly vegan protein, it probably makes more sense to consume the raw shelled hemp seeds due to the balanced amount of fat, carbs (mostly fiber) and, not to mention, it's a perfect protein.  Hemp seeds also provide an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids and GLA (gamma linolenic acid).  Read more about all the excellent benefits of hemp seeds here.

Our favorite sources of proteins are organic eggs (the whole egg, don't worry about the cholesterol unless your LDL is already high), liquid egg whites (we use them in protein shakes, oats or cooked with veggies), and canned, wild-caught albacore tuna.  Tuna is a great option, because it's somewhat affordable ($1.84 per 20 grams) and it provides a TON of Omega-3s, it's loaded with selenium and provides a great amount of B vitamins (B3, B6 and B12).  One interesting thing to note is that our Costco has the brand tuna we buy (Wild Planet) which costs 50% more on amazon ($4.60 per can) and at least 100% more at our local grocery stores ($6.00 per can) than it does at our local Costco ($3.00 per can).  

All protein sources listed in the chart are of very high quality and are similar to what we would purchase on a regular basis (except salmon).  This chart is meant to show the extremes in costs per servings between types of proteins.

We hope this chart helps guide your decision-making when it comes to filling your pantry (or fridge) with budget-friendly protein sources!

-Scott