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calculate body mass index and the number of calories and proteins someone should eat based on their goals, but there are (albeit less accurate) tools available online to help you get going. Creating a meal plan — and sticking to it — requires mindfulness. “You have to make it intentional,” Gasquet says. “Know what’s in your pantry and fridge. Think about it — if you are going to go home and you want to cook a good meal, and then you don’t have the garlic or whatever that’s supposed to be in the recipe, chances are you might say, ‘Screw it, let’s order a pizza.’ ” Phoebe Cook graduated with a degree in dietetics from Louisiana State University and is the general manager of dining services at Loyola University New Orleans. She advises shopping the perimeter of the grocery, where you’ll find fresh items such as produce, deli meats, seafood and dairy. “Fresh also tends to be cheaper, because that’s where your (seasonal) specials are,” she says. “Wednesdays are when stores usually put out their ads, so you can do a lot of planning. … Create individual meals so when you get home at night, everything is ready to go.” For breakfast, Gasquet likes oatmeal with blueberries and apple slices. Grains and other high-fiber foods (such as whole fruits) are processed slowly by the body, so you feel fuller longer. For lunch, Gasquet suggests leafy green salads with tomato, cucumber and a homemade dressing that’s low in fat and sugar, with a side of brown rice. For additional protein, baked or roasted fish or chicken is optimal. She recommends buying the fish or chicken whole and having the grocery butcher cut it up into smaller portions. Her favorite dinner is grilled or baked salmon with asparagus accompanied by fresh (not juiced) fruits and veggies. “Fresh is best,” she says. “One-fourth of your plate should be fresh veggies and fruits, but the fruit can come from a can in a pinch — just rinse it off first.” For those who struggle to find the time to do the prep necessary for a week of meals, Gasquet likes
… build a budget
Kemberley Washington of Washington CPA Services says it’s important to first track your expenses for a month or two before you create and (try to) adhere to a budget. “We might say, ‘Oh, I’m only going to spend $200 this month on eating out,’ but when we track the expenses, you might find you’ve been spending close to $1,000 on eating out,” she says. “Not taking the time to track your expenses can really hurt your budget.” Accounting for monthly obligations like rent and debt payments is essential, but Washington says a good budget also will have a savings component. “Every budget should have a small amount built in to save something for a goal, emergency fund, retirement — even if it’s a small amount, you have to save something,” she says. “I always say, nobody deserves your money better than you.” Saving is crucial even if you’re in debt. Washington advises clients to create a debt reduction plan that allows them to chip away at debt while still putting money aside. In the case of an emergency, having that stash can minimize the need to use a credit card or personal loan to absorb an unexpected cost. It’s also important to budget for little splurges. “If you take all the things you enjoy out of your budget, it’s going to be more of a task,” she says. For instance, if you really like getting your nails done, set aside $30 every two weeks to make that happen.
Here are Washington’s five steps to setting up a monthly budget. • There are plenty of digital options to help you craft your budget (Washington really likes Mint.com), but she advises writing it down on a piece of paper. “I think there’s something powerful when you put pen to paper,” she says. “Write it down and make it a habit to go back and look at it. … Think of it as more of a long-term plan. Think about how would I build wealth (with this budget)? How would I invest? How do I start a new business?” • Track your expenses for a while and get an idea of how much you spend on each category. Decide if your budget needs adjusting. • Washington follows a 10-10-10 rule when planning a budget: she recommends taking 30 percent off the top of your income to allocate equally for giving, saving and retirement. Of the remaining 70 percent, 50 percent should be earmarked for monthly expenses such as housing, debt payments and insurance. The rest is for discretionary spending. • Once you’ve got it mapped out, go through your budget and figure out ways to save or redirect money. Do you have any expenses that can be eliminated or restructured?
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• Put a debt reduction plan in motion. Washington offers a template on her website, but the gist is first to list your debts, highest interest rate first, and find niches in your budget that can be reallocated to pay down that debt. “Think of ways outside of your budget that you can earn extra money,” she says. “It could be through your passion, you could be selling items and downsizing, or eliminating expenses.”
C UE M AG A Z I N E •
The ladies of FAIT assembled all the tools necessary to plant a terrarium. Green plants — like the silver lace fern, alocasia and ground-cover ivy pictured here — will thrive in both an open and a closed terrarium with little maintenance. The blue trowel is for picking up cacti or sensitive plants, and the brush is useful for dusting soil or sand off the plants and the inside of the terrarium.
home-delivery services that measure and chop ingredients and even precook meals for you. For singles, cooking several meals a week may not be cost-effective, or they may dislike the monotony of cooking one or two large meals and eating the same thing every day. Cook suggests sharing weekly meal prep with a group of friends. “A great thing to do is get a group of people together and everybody create a meal for the day or for the week,” she says. “You could have Sunday cooking with your friends and … if you get five friends, everybody goes home with a meal for each weeknight.”
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