A whittled middle is one of the most sought after status symbols of the day. A great majority of people would trade much of what they have to be in incredible shape, but fortunately, you don't have to.

Earning a killer body with a flat belly doesn't need to be expensive. My favorite part of my recently published book, "The Everything Flat Belly Cookbook" is that it doesn't require readers spend a ton of money to achieve tremendous results. In fact, a lifestyle geared towards becoming leaner should save you tons instead.

Produce is often less expensive than processed foods. Compare bananas at $.59 a pound verus Cheez-It crackers at $4.19 for a 11.5 ounce box. The caloric and nutritional benefits of fruits and veggies also far outweigh that of snack crackers. Annual savings for buying one pound of bananas instead of Cheez-It crackers per week: $187.20.

Alcohol is ridiculously expensive and horrible on your belly. A Margarita can cost you nine bucks and 800 calories per glass. What a rip! Annual savings for ditching one margarita per week: $468.

Lean cuts of meat have less fat and fewer calories and much less of a price tag.

• Prime Rib, 10 oz: Calories, 830 and Fat Grams, 55 -- Price: $19.99
• Choice Sirloin, 10 oz: Calories, 509 and Fat Grams, 28 -- Price: $15.99

Annual savings for buying sirloin instead of prime rib: $208.

These days, we all want to save money, even when it comes to fitness. Maybe you're trying to make your running shoes and sports bras last a little longer, or maybe you've even had to cancel your gym membership. Just because your wallet might not be as fat as it once was, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your skinny midsection.

"RecessionWire" has some brilliant suggestions for getting fit on the cheap, no gym required. And no, I'm not talking about parking far away at the grocery store, or running more outside. As the article points out, if that worked for you, you probably wouldn't have joined a gym in the first place, right?

For the full list, you'll need to visit "RecessionWire," but I'm excited to share some of the more surprising (to me, at least) suggestions here!

Source

Supermarket guru Phil Lempert was on The View the other day, offering all sorts of tips for saving bucks on holiday meals. According to Lempert, 63 percent of us say food prices are so dramatically high, we need to do something about it. Here's what he says we should do.

• Skimp on shrimp. It's all frozen anyway. Even the stuff in the glass case that looks all pretty and fresh has been previously frozen. So march right over to the freezer aisle, and grab yourself a bag of frozen-solid stuff. It'll cost you maybe $8, compared to $25. Make your own cocktail sauce too. Horseradish sauce and ketchup are all you need.
• Buy ham in a can. You can pay $69 for a big 'ol ham or $15 for a canned one.
  
• Ban the bakery and buy store-bought cookies, make your own pumpkin pie and mix up your own egg nog too.

Want more money-saving tips? The gals at The View have got you covered.

Source

Hey, have you heard about the importance of a good breakfast? OK, I jest, because we all know that a healthy start to our day is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. From helping keep us slim to supplying our bodies with enough energy to tackle our busy day, a good breakfast does it all.

Tough to find time for a good breakfast, sometimes, isn't it? What if you could have a solution for a balanced breakfast that is full of nutrition, easy on the pocketbook (about 50 cents each) and a snap to prepare? If that sounds appealing, then you'll want to try this recipe for all-in-one breakfast muffins.

Loaded with protein like eggs, ham, and cheese, these muffins will stick to your ribs so you won't crave the sugary snacks come mid-morning. Plus, scallions and peppers add veggie nutrients.

Source