Ben came home with a standing desk the other day. It was part of some equipment his office was throwing out and he figured he could find something to do with it.
I was so excited when I saw it I immediately set up my laptop and claimed it as my own!
I have always wanted a standing desk!!! I hate sitting all day and get way to antsy. Now I can stand, sit, sway back and forth….you get it. 
I was curious if standing versus sitting really makes that big of a difference in the world of calories. This article from Livestrong says you may burn 50 more calories a day from standing versus sitting. Bonus! 
I have been spending way too much money on food lately, so it’s time for me to budget and stick to it! One small cut I made was buying a loaf of EZ bread instead of the english muffins. They’re not as good, but you get a lot more breakfasts for the same money! 
I really need to save all my pennies though because I dropped too much $ on these Weight Watchers treats yesterday. My mom is doing Weight Watchers and brought these to Disney World. They are super super processed, but I like them 🙂 
Today is the last day to enter my Magic Bullet To Go Contest! There will be four winners – so go for it!!!
Questions:
1. Do you sit or stand most of the day? Does that affect how much you work out (do you work out less because you are standing?)
2. Do you have any cheap food swaps to help me save money and still eat well??
OMG… I am sooooooo jealous. I have always wanted an electronic desk. Sitting all day is not good but I cannot type standing. With an electronic desk, yahoo, that would be sweet. I think you will burn more calories because you will be moving around when you are standing. Ask Ben to get me one tooo, please…LOL
There are 2 parts to my job so it depends. Some day’s I’m onsite that involve lots of walking and physical requirements. Then I have weeks like this past week where I just sit in the office. I definitely prefer moving around more, plus it makes the day go quicker!
I’m at a standing desk right now.
I work at FedEx Office so I’m on my feet running around for 8+ hours a day. I’ve been slacking in the workout dept lately so it’s good to hear that standing burns a little extra.
I would suggest buying staple items in bulk (which I think you already do), using leftovers in different dishes to avoid food waste, price comparisons at different stores, taking advantages of sales on non-perishable items like nut butters and buying fresh seasonal fruit in bulk and freezing what you can’t eat within a few days.
Go for the store brands, always so much cheaper and often just as good!
At my work we have desks that let us stand up but I’m not going to lie.. I am lazy and never use it!! I only stand when I am wicked stressed out.
I tried those WW pretzal bars at one of my meetings and they are delicious!!! I also love their ice cream for a sweet treat from time to time.
No advice on the grocery spending because I over spend myself!
ah ha! so that is the chocolate w/mini pretzels you showed the other day! no?
Also, I started using frozen spinach for green monsters. It acts like icecubes, doesn’t go bad as quickly and is SUPER cheap. The grocery store near me has a box of chopped frozen spinach that’s 16 oz for just $1. I can get three smoothies outta that baby. Otherwise, I pay $3 for a bag of fresh spinach that’s just 12 oz.
You didn’t mention DANCING in your list of things to do while standing 🙂
It seems like I don’t sit that much, mostly because as soon as I sit, I have to get up for one thing or another. But, I’m sure I sit way more than I should.
My daughter doesn’t like to sit when doing work at school. She always stands up at her desk when writing or doing worksheets; I think it’s strange, but her teacher doesn’t mind, so it’s all good.
I spend way too much money on food, as well. My best tip is to stay out of the store. Not helpful, huh? I find that as long as I have a pretty stocked pantry, I can avoid going to the store for longer periods of time.
Also, if you really need to cut back, going to a cash-only system for groceries might work. Each pay period/week/whatever set aside your allotted food money in an envelope and leave your debit/credit card at home (or in the car) so you only buy what you have money for. Just a thought.
Farmer’s markets for veggies! They are usually way cheaper, depending on what is available in your area right now…
I sit all day at my desk but part of my job requires me to get up a lot. So I don’t feel too sedentary.
I definitely sit for the majority of the day and days where I am super active, I feel too tired for the gym. So I think it pretty much evens out in my case. I do try and get up every so often to get my blood pumping and I know how awful sitting all the time is, but it is what it is.
And I love Ezekiel bread,I buy the regular low-sodium version.
I work in retail and I’m always standing and moving. It depends on how busy the day was. Sometimes I’ll make plans to get to the gym in the evening and by the time work lets out I’m so tired I’m crawling to my car! So I don’t stress myself out about it like I use to. I know I worked hard and I was moving a work more then just sitting around.
Some healthy food swaps… hmmm.. I would say buying items in bulk that you enjoy eating can save you some money. I usually buy oatmeal, oat bran, and eggs. I try to find coupons and sales to get an even bigger discount as well. I went to Wholefoods the other day, I spent $18 and ended up saving $8 with coupons!
Love the standing desk— I really want a treadmill with a laptop stand. (A girl can dream, right?!)
I am a mover. I have a hard time sitting still. I really hate going to the movies because that is 2hrs I have to sit. My mind is always thinking of things I could be doing. I do find that I fall into bed at night exhausted, but that is a good thing I suppose. I want a standing desk.
I actually would love to have a standing desk. My job has me sitting down all day long and I get so antsy (and feel so tired and lethargic afterwards, which doesn’t really make the most sense). Plus, I read this really depressing article in the NYTimes about a month ago that was about research that said no matter how much you work out, if you’re sitting down all day, you still have much higher health risks, etc. Lovely.
I have been the same way lately about spending too much money on foods. I guess my only tip would be to buy generic whenever possible. Fortunately there are a lot more organic foods that come in store brands now. And whenever you can, make things from scratch instead of buying the expensive, processed version. Oh, and I find that Trader Joe’s always has the best prices on granola/cereals for some reason.
My job has me sitting all day, so I definitely value my time spent running!
Oh and cheap food swaps – I buy as much as I can in bulk (ex. oats, quinoa, nuts, etc)
I’m a 1st grade teacher so I am on my feet ALL day – even when the kids are at special I am running around making copies, getting supplies ready, etc. I can’t imagine having a job where I sit all day – we recently had an early dismissal so I was at my computer for 3 hours doing report cards and thought I was going to die of boredom. Sometimes I am jealous of people with sit down jobs (mainly because they can use the bathroom whenever they want) but in all reality I doubt I could do it!
Find out when your market or grocery store has fruit and veggies on sale. Buy extra, cut ’em up and freeze them. Frozen fruits and veggies are just as good for you and you will save money by grabbing them on sale. I do this with bananas for my GM all the time!
That’s true! I do buy a lot of the cheaper foods. But, then I cancel it out with an $8.00 box of processed chocolate bars 😉 That’s the habit I need to break.
I probably sit most of the day. It’s more productive if I’m sitting with work, or not at all productive if I’m not.
I think you’re already buying some of the cheapest, healthiest foods: oatmeal, peanut butter, beans