My Frugal Holiday: Resolve to Eat Healthier

New Year resolutions are not something I ever make, I regret them all year long after I break them. This year we weren't given a choice but to make resolutions. We had an unwelcome early Christmas surprise. My husband Bob, had to have open heart surgery on Dec. 22. To us the most important thing about Christmas is being together with family, and our sons were with us.

Our gift was Bob getting a new chance at life. The term "life changing experience" really took on deeper meaning to our family all of a sudden. The little everyday irritations of life were forgotten in a "heart beat" and the bigger obstacles are now simply accepted without a second thought.

Beside the physical changes, I have to learn a new way of cooking. No more spur of the moment "Oh, let's fry a steak and fries". That is out! No more drowning popcorn in hot butter and extra salt. You see the problem only starts there; for all of our 43 years of married life we have had our own well marbled beef. We spent many of those years working on the ranch, which meant chicken fried in lard for Sunday dinner and the flakiest crusts for pies made from lard for dessert, which we had with every meal. But you get the idea that was a way of life, our way of life.

We now share one pork chop, cook fresh vegetables from our garden, and eat a little more salad instead. We share a piece of fruit mid morning and mid afternoon. Bob has never been a fruit eater so this in itself has been a big change for him.

So when we got Bob home, I went through our pantry and freezer making a note of what legal foods we had and what we would need. Bob had checkups with two different doctors in two weeks so I needed to get all we would need at that time including his prescription refills. We can't be making any unnecessary trips with the bills we will be facing. Nothing that isn't absolutely necessary. So, now I plan our meals farther ahead and am trying to use up what we have in stock more than I bothered with before. We knew Bob's blood pressure was a little high, so I had purchased No Salt to use on his food a couple of months ago. If you haven't been one to read labels, believe me it will shock you at the amount of sodium or salt they put in foods. Quite a few foods such as tuna have low sodium versions if you look.

I suggest everyone resolve to cut back before you find yourself in the same position we are. You don't want to spend Christmas in a hospital wondering if it will be your last with your loved one.

By Ann Winberg from Loup City, NE

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