Why must personal trainers be so expensive? Geez, wouldn't it be nice to get half price or something on a one-on-one fitness session? Maybe you can. Just split the training fees with a friend. FitSugar tells all about this affordable idea. Read here for more.

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Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been trying to make a difference in the nutritional quality of the UK's school lunches for years. Now, Oliver is focusing on another area that needs improvement -- the typical British home. He worries that the tough economic times are further degrading the quality of food served at home.

When Oliver was first zeroing in on school lunches and teaching cafeteria workers to prepare fresher, more nutritious meals, he didn't just encounter resistance from kids. In one South Yorkshire town, cameras caught parents of school children shoving burgers and fries at their kids through the school's fence. So now Oliver is working in that town and trying to teach families how to eat healthfully on a tight budget.

Oliver makes a good point: Historically, when money was tight, people had to become more resourceful -- growing their own produce, using cheaper cuts of meat, and so forth. Now, however, people have the option of buying $0.79 boxes of macaroni and cheese or value meals at fast food joints. Have you seen that recent commercial for KFC? The one that challenges people to buy the ingredients for a bucket of chicken for less than they'll sell it to you? That's just the point the Oliver is making -- when convenience and cost pair together, some people will let nutrition slide.

If you're trying to lower your grocery costs, try these tips for eating healthfully on a budget.

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A good friend and I were chatting on the phone the other day and the subject turned to grocery costs. I thought my grocery bills were high, but compared to my friend's bills, mine are chump change. Her grocery costs were literally triple what mine were. Considering we have similarly sized families, it was kind of shocking.

In the end, we determined that the bulk of the savings is because her family eats a lot of meat and mine doesn't. It's not that my son and I eat 100% vegetarian meals every night -- we don't. But our meals have just a little meat, and larger amounts of grains and produce. Some ideas:

• Make meat stretch. Instead of cooking one chicken breast per person, make a package of chicken breasts spread over several meals. For example, one average-sized chicken breast is enough to feed three people if you serve enough veggies and grains with the meal. Use the remaining chicken for other meals such as a stir-fry or a cold chicken salad. You can apply the same principle with other meats as well. For example, a package of ground turkey can stretch into three meals for my family -- usually turkey burgers, lettuce wraps, and turkey chili with beans.

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Does your company encourage employees to adopt healthier habits? If the answer is no, you could soon see changes in this regard -- according to this article, employers are being encouraged by health insurers to implement higher insurance rates for employees who smoke, or don't eat well or exercise. So you could end up paying for your bad habits -- literally!

In one company, employees undergo health tests, and if they don't pass, they pay high premiums and are encouraged to work with a health coach. And those who refused to take the test automatically paid the high rate.

What do you think about this? A good idea? I think it's a great idea, but I'm biased because I'm one of the people who would qualify for the lower rate.

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There are few luxuries in life that I enjoy more than spending a day -- or even just an hour -- at a spa getting all prettied up. Sure, the results may only last a day or two and it tends to cost a small fortune, but taking the time to relax and rejuvenate, with the added benefit of looking good afterward, makes me feel pretty good about myself.

While I would love to enjoy a spa day at least once a month, it's not really possible because of the cost. I'm sure that many of you are in the same boat. But just because you can't afford to hand over hundreds of dollars on a regular basis for various beauty treatments doesn't mean that you have to go without. Why not try a few DIY treatments instead? Sure you've got to do the work yourself, but it's still relaxing to take some time out to focus strictly on you. Plus, it's a heck of a lot cheaper. It can also be fun to have a DIY beauty night the next time you're having an evening with the girls -- instead of hitting the bars, you can eat pizza, drink wine and have a few laughs while painting your toes.

I've had a look around the web for some good Do It Yourself instructions and found pages that focus on pedicures, manicures and facials, so take a look and see which you'd like to try:

DIY Facial: I think this may be my favorite of all the at-home, on-your-own treatments because it looks really simple and I imagine you'd finish with a really healthy glow. Start with a cleanse using your regular face cleanser, follow with a steam either in the tub or over a bowl of hot water, and then give yourself a massage using an exfoliator. The next step is to apply a mask, then treat yourself to another massage but this time with your regular moisturizer. Finish by applying some eye cream and your skin will look great. If you want to look really fab, check out this site for instructions on how to properly shape your eyebrows so that they perfectly frame your face.

DIY Manicure: OK, I find that painting my own fingernails can be a nightmare. Trying to use my non-dominant hand to do anything is tough and adding nailpolish to the equation often equals a huge mess. But I'm sure for those of you who have similar problems, if you take your time, this DIY Manicure will have your hands looking spa-perfect. Start by removing old nail polish, trim nails to desired length, soak hands in warm water and then use cuticle oil to soften. Follow this by pushing back cuticles with a cuticle stick, exfoliate and then moisturize hands before carefully applying polish. I'm sure the time and delicate work will be worth it!

DIY Pedicure: This one is especially useful now that summer is coming to an end. A few months of going bareful has likely left a lot of feet out there looking and feeling pretty rough. A Do It Yourself pedicure is pretty similar to the manicure, which is great because you can use a lot of the same tools. Like the manicure, begin by removing polish and then soak your feet. Once they're nice and soft use a pumice stone to buff off all that rough, dry skin and then exfoliate off any leftover dead skin. Trim your nails before moisturizing your feet and applying cuticle oil. Push back cuticles and finish with a polish. You can either use the same one as on your hands or mix it up by choosing a complimentary color.

Once you've completed your big beauty day you can either stay and home and chill out while watching a movie, or head out on the town and show off all of your hard work.

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Manicures, pedicures, facials and visits to a salon for haircuts, coloring and hi-lites can be incredibly expensive. So what's a girl to do if she wants to maintain a polished, movie star look but obviously doesn't have the same kind of money to spend as a star? Well, you can try some of these tips on getting an expensive look for less.

The piece offers advice on how to keep hair looking shiny, keeping a just-polished look on finger and toe nails and getting celebrity-worthy eyebrows. Tips include not washing hair every day or using mousse as both will make your mane look dry and dull, shilling out for a really great, classic and personalized haircut a few times a year rather than opting for a trendy cut that needs maintenance every six weeks and buffing nails or using light, shimmery polishes -- like opal and taupe -- to keep nails looking like you've just been for a mani-pedi.

Let's face it, unless you've got too much money to throw around -- and most of us don't -- it's not really realistic to try to keep up with all of the treatments and styles that the stars favor, but these hints will help you look great without spending a fortune.

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Eating well can get expensive. Organic foods are quite a bit more expensive than regular ones, and when you're trying to grab something on the go, it's definitely the processed junk that's cheaper and more convenient to pick up. In a perfect world, it would be the opposite--healthy eaters would pay less for food--but we have to make the best of what we're given and try to find a way to save money and eat well.

For the frugal health nut, Yahoo Health's expert nutritionist has come out with a list of some really cheap and healthy meals that you can get pick up for $2 or less.

And here's my own tip -- next summer, why not consider planting a garden? Depending on where you live, you can grow your own fruits and veggies, though if you're green thumb is severely lacking (like mine is -- my man does all the gardening,) consider growing at least your own herbs.

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Since I began writing for That's Fit I've learned about some seriously wild and wacky health and beauty products but the absolute best one that I've come across is the "butt facial". The procedure, which is exactly what it sounds like -- a facial for your butt -- is all the rage at a number of spas across the US.

Going for anywhere from around a hundred dollars to as much as nearly a thousand, clients get their bums scrubbed, polished, bronzed and more, in order to get the best posterior possible. It's mostly women who are are shelling out the big bucks for the procedure, which is meant to make your bum look tighter and smoother.

I think my favorite part is that it's still referred to as a facial, albeit a "butt facial". I think "buttcial" or "bumcial" would be more appropriate. Either way, I know I love getting facials (on my face), so I admit that if I had the cash I'd give a buttcial a try. Would you?

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After a nearly five-year absence from the big screen, there has been a lot of talk recently about how fantastic Michelle Pfeiffer still looks at nearly 50 years-of-age. Pfeiffer has always been one of the most beautiful women in the world (I don't know of anyone who doesn't think she's stunning), and maybe she still looks incredible at her age because of great genetics and a great deal of attention to skin care.

The fact is though that few people look as fantastic at (nearly) 50 as Pfeiffer, at 40 as Nicole Kidman, at 60-plus as Goldie Hawn or (and I can't even believe it's possible) at almost-70 Tina Turner. So what is their secret? In many cases, it has a lot to do with genetics and none of us can improve on what we're born with.

As this piece points out though, many stars do resort in botox injections or expensive and invasive plastic surgeries to keep their youthful look. Many others go with face creams and treatments that most of us can't afford. So does that mean that the rest of us can't possibly age well? Even if you can't afford any of the products and procedures that celebs go for, you can still stay young by staying out of the sun, wearing moisturizer with SPF, eating healthy and drinking lots of water.

Do you have any tips on how to keep a youthful look?

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I'm not a big makeup person but I readily admit that I love expensive face and eye creams. I'm not proud to say that I don't even know if the pricey products do their job any better than cheaper brands available at local drug stores. I just like to think that they do.

Like a lot of you out there, while I enjoy trying out the fancy beauty counter creams and elixirs, I can only afford them once in a while as a treat. According to this though, there are ways to get the most out of your visit to the department store beauty section, and sometimes you can even get stuff cheap or even for free.

The complimentary gift with purchase is a personal favorite because you usually only have to spend $30 or $40 and get to try a number of high-end beauty goods. Also, as the article points out, a number of makeup companies like MAC offer cheap or free skin care evaluations and makeup applications, while others will allow you to try a free sample of a specific product you're interested in (my weakness is eye cream) before you commit to an entire bottle or jar.

For more information, as well as some beauty counter do's and don'ts, read the entire piece here.

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The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, but that doesn't mean you need to follow the crowds and spend money on dieting advice and products you don't mean. After all, if you're eating less, you should be saving money, right? Here are some tips from eDiets on how to save money while dieting:

• Eat in, not out. It saves money and you can keep track of what goes in to your food
  
• Bring your healthy lunch to work
• Buy bulk, as long as it is a non-perishable item
• But be sure to compare the unit pricing. Sometimes the larger size isn't a better deal.
• Cook extra and freeze what's leftover for a convenient meal
• Make your own pre-packaged snacks, and make them healthy ones like nuts or raisins
• Substitute ingredients. If you don't have one, don't go out and buy it -- use something else
• Buy the cheaper cut of meat and throw it in the slow cooker to make it tender

For some more great tips, check out the original article. Do you have any tips to add?

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Fresh foods, organic produce, gym memberships -- let's face it, creating a healthy lifestyle isn't as easy as it should be, and it can get expensive too! But if you're really committed to healthifying your eating habits (and you should be), there are ways to eat well without breaking the bank. MSN has these tips:

• Check out local farmer's markets
• Buy what's in season -- and buy lots of it. You can freeze what you don't use
• Shop around
• Join a food co-op
• Buy a share in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). For around $400, you get fresh produce every week
• Use coupons
• Buy bulk
• Shop the sales
• Learn how to use any ingredient (including leftovers) in your meals

And my favourite:

• Grow your own produce. (I love this idea -- not that I'll be trying it any time soon. Maybe next year)

How do you keep your family healthy on a budget?

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Today, a client of mine told me she didn't wear sunblock all the time, because "sunblock is too expensive". I told her then, and I'm telling you now. Sunblock is cheaper than chemotherapy.

Not that many (or any) of us can realistically afford to spend thousands on a gym membership each year, but it's fun to see just what you would get if you could.

From the latest trends like free-motion equipment to unlimited access to golf lessons and personal training sessions, it probably wouldn't be hard to find ways to spend more time working out in these luxury gyms. But no matter how rich I was it wouldn't be so easy to pay upwards of $20,000 for an enrollment fee, followed by hundreds of dollars each month for membership. Even though I think a nicer atmosphere can make it easier to get going, the bottom line that exercising can be really cheap and all the extras are just frosting on the cake.

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