My 600# life
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I've wondered the same thing about the cost of food, it must be astronomical. I work and make a decent living and would be unable to sustain long-term the kind of money these families must be spending on food. I've noticed on a lot of the episodes though that these people must just not be spending money on other things - things that I do spend money on. Many times their homes and cars are older and/or not in particularly good condition, clothing is not in good condition signaling that they don't spend much on clothing, etc. Not the case for every episode, but quite of a few of the episodes I've seen.0
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A lot of these people likely get rent subsidies of some sort, or outright own their own houses, so they don't have to pay rent. They probably get some sort of utility subsidies also, so their bills are largely decreased. Apart from that, they really don't go out to do anything, so they don't really spend any money on entertainment. Add a whole team of enablers onto that who are willing to pay for everything, and you can definitely see how they can spend a couple grand per month on food.0
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singingflutelady wrote: »Jburlen2007 wrote: »Food that is bad for you, is cheaper than foods that are good for you.
I disagree. I can prepare "healthy" meals way cheaper than fast food, etc
I agree that cooking from scratch can be cheaper than buying fast food, but don't think it's a fair comparison. Foods with price supports and powerful trade organizations are cheaper than those without.
http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/farmer-in-chief/
...It must be recognized that the current food system — characterized by monocultures of corn and soy in the field and cheap calories of fat, sugar and feedlot meat on the table — is not simply the product of the free market. Rather, it is the product of a specific set of government policies that sponsored a shift from solar (and human) energy on the farm to fossil-fuel energy.
...After World War II, the government encouraged the conversion of the munitions industry to fertilizer — ammonium nitrate being the main ingredient of both bombs and chemical fertilizer — and the conversion of nerve-gas research to pesticides. The government also began subsidizing commodity crops, paying farmers by the bushel for all the corn, soybeans, wheat and rice they could produce. One secretary of agriculture after another implored them to plant “fence row to fence row” and to “get big or get out.”
The chief result, especially after the Earl Butz years, was a flood of cheap grain that could be sold for substantially less than it cost farmers to grow because a government check helped make up the difference. As this artificially cheap grain worked its way up the food chain, it drove down the price of all the calories derived from that grain: the high-fructose corn syrup in the Coke, the soy oil in which the potatoes were fried, the meat and cheese in the burger.0 -
Back to the OP they are more than likely on disability. And when there is a significant other they seem to be there all the time and they all move closer to the doctor, so I have wondered the same thing.0
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where in Canada do you live that a bag of vegetables is 8$ ??? I'm in the GTA and you can get a good size bag on sale regularly for 2.49...smaller bags for less...[/quote]
Everything is cheaper in Toronto because, as we all know, its the centre of the universe!!
I am about 265 east of you, and only a couple of weeks ago, cauliflower was $8 a head. The price of meat is enormous. The cheapest I have seen recently was a tray of chicken legs (about 12 legs) for $5. Remember, a lot of produce during the winter is shipped from the US to Canada, and the longer it has to travel, the more expensive it is - you would not believe the prices in the North - $8 for a litre of milk - no wonder so many are nutritionally disadvantaged there.
I recently read an article about child poverty and nutrition, and precarious food supply. It says that the children of folks who have precarious jobs will often feed their children what they know they like because they cant afford to try new things that the child may not eat or will spit out. (it takes several tries for a person to acquire a "taste" for new items, according to research). This often translates to processed and nutritionally questionable food, or fast food. It seems we are setting up a new generation of people for nutritionally related problems and obesity.
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Yesterday I wanted to make a nice fruit salad; I bought blueberries, strawberries, mangoes, and red raspberries and the total came to $25. Owch. That's more than I spend on groceries weekly (I'm single). It was a good salad, but something I can't afford to do that often.0
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I wish they would do a show on someone who doesn't do the weight loss surgery. I watched one last night and she lost 60 pounds in two months, prior to the surgery. She drastically changed her diet and it worked! After the surgery, her loss was about the same as before. I just wondered that with her awesome attitude, could she have done it all without the surgery? Even the surgeon said that the WLS is just a tool. She had a supportive husband and I really think she could have been successful without the surgery.0
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Jburlen2007 wrote: »Food that is bad for you, is cheaper than foods that are good for you.
Even so, that's still a lot of food.0 -
Muscleflex79 wrote: »AndrewMartin3 wrote: »williams969 wrote: »Jburlen2007 wrote: »Food that is bad for you, is cheaper than foods that are good for you.
Not necessarily. There's a whole lot of grocery foods(fresh and frozen produce, bulk grains and legumes) for under $1/lb. When I was poor, even McDonald's dollar menu was an unaffordable luxury when I could make dinner to feed 5 for under $5.
I wanna shop were u shop
Its not that hard....i can think of a bunch of meals off the top of my head that will feed 5 people for under $5.
Pulled pork sandwiches, with frozen green beans. $1.29/lb for pork butt...need 1.5#, bag of hamburger buns from aldi $0.85, bag of frozen veg $1.....under $4, or $5 if you want 2 bags of frozen veggies
spaghetti w marinara or alfredo with broccoli...$1 pasta, $1 marinara or $1.99 alfredo, $1/bag of frozen veg....between $3 & $5 to feed 5
Polish sausage broccoli bake half a pack or aldi parkview polish sausage links ($3.99 / 12 pack)..$1.98, $2 for two bags of frozen broccoli..half bag of shredded cheese $1 ..$5 total
Pork chops and itialian rice $1.49/lb thin cut pork chops (1 1/2lb), 1/4 bag white rice ($1.59/bag), $1 jar marinara, bag frozen peas....$4.65
Lentil tacos or taco salad...half bag lentils $1.29/bag), jar salsa ($1.49), 2 packs corn tortillas from aldi $0.48/ea...head of lettuce $1.29.... half bag of shredded cheese $1...$5.42
Chicken soup....chicken drumsticks $0.59/lb....3lbs, bag babybcarrots $1, half bunch celery $1, 1 onion $0.75, half bag noodles $0.50....$5
Some of these prices i have to shop around for or stockpile, but many i can get nearly every week. I dont use coupons.
This is beside the point, but I have to say I've never seen prices like that. The canadian dollar just went down, so everything's spiked recently, but a bag of frozen veggies is always usually around $8 - maybe $5 on a really big sale. Everything else is at least 2 or 3x the price of what you've listed here. That looks fantastic! A lot of those 1's would be 4's here. I also don't think we have a "dollar menu" at the mcdonalds, though I haven't been to one in a long time so I could be wrong.
where in Canada do you live that a bag of vegetables is 8$ ??? I'm in the GTA and you can get a good size bag on sale regularly for 2.49...smaller bags for less...
I'm in the NWT and a 500g bag of no name frozen vegetables is about 3-4 dollars depending on the variety. More northern communities than where I live frozen vegetables cost that much.0 -
Yesterday I wanted to make a nice fruit salad; I bought blueberries, strawberries, mangoes, and red raspberries and the total came to $25. Owch. That's more than I spend on groceries weekly (I'm single). It was a good salad, but something I can't afford to do that often.
Buy the fruits when they are in season. Right now, they are not.
Personally, I grow the fruit during the summer and fall. I am adding more and more fruit to my garden. Take grapes. Usually they are 8 dollars for a pound. 0 -
I'm in the NWT and a 500g bag of no name frozen vegetables is about 3-4 dollars depending on the variety. More northern communities than where I live frozen vegetables cost that much. [/quote]
I thought so!! I have friends in Iqaluit and they tell me about prices there and I just cant imagine it.
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Personally I do not understand how anyone can buy all that. I LOVE finding deals. We just found ground beef (7.5 pounds) for $16 dollars. That is SO many meals for three people. We grow fresh veggies and fruits to bring down the cost of our produce. We buy locally and can things. Buying foods in season make them much cheaper and healthier.
I find shows like 600#life so sad and somewhat motivating. I don't ever want the surgery. It wouldn't change what is in my mind or how I react. It is an easy option. And if someone can lose weight just by changing something, they should continue to follow the lifestyle that helped them lose. It isn't for me, but their stories sure push me to do better for myself.0 -
AndrewMartin3 wrote: »williams969 wrote: »Jburlen2007 wrote: »Food that is bad for you, is cheaper than foods that are good for you.
Not necessarily. There's a whole lot of grocery foods(fresh and frozen produce, bulk grains and legumes) for under $1/lb. When I was poor, even McDonald's dollar menu was an unaffordable luxury when I could make dinner to feed 5 for under $5.
I wanna shop were u shop
Its not that hard....i can think of a bunch of meals off the top of my head that will feed 5 people for under $5.
Pulled pork sandwiches, with frozen green beans. $1.29/lb for pork butt...need 1.5#, bag of hamburger buns from aldi $0.85, bag of frozen veg $1.....under $4, or $5 if you want 2 bags of frozen veggies
spaghetti w marinara or alfredo with broccoli...$1 pasta, $1 marinara or $1.99 alfredo, $1/bag of frozen veg....between $3 & $5 to feed 5
Polish sausage broccoli bake half a pack or aldi parkview polish sausage links ($3.99 / 12 pack)..$1.98, $2 for two bags of frozen broccoli..half bag of shredded cheese $1 ..$5 total
Pork chops and itialian rice $1.49/lb thin cut pork chops (1 1/2lb), 1/4 bag white rice ($1.59/bag), $1 jar marinara, bag frozen peas....$4.65
Lentil tacos or taco salad...half bag lentils $1.29/bag), jar salsa ($1.49), 2 packs corn tortillas from aldi $0.48/ea...head of lettuce $1.29.... half bag of shredded cheese $1...$5.42
Chicken soup....chicken drumsticks $0.59/lb....3lbs, bag babybcarrots $1, half bunch celery $1, 1 onion $0.75, half bag noodles $0.50....$5
Some of these prices i have to shop around for or stockpile, but many i can get nearly every week. I dont use coupons.
I really need to find these stores! Pork $5.99 a pound or more. Chicken drum sticks $4.99 a pound and buns $3 + here0 -
@aliciamunday7
The next time you are at the grocery store, go to the butcher and ask what days they mark down meat. Some grocery stores mark down meat on a particular day. I am lucky that one of my local stores mark down every day. I pass it every morning. If I feel up to it, I go in and check what they have. I come home, break it down, and freeze it immediately.0 -
cross2bear wrote: »I'm in the NWT and a 500g bag of no name frozen vegetables is about 3-4 dollars depending on the variety. More northern communities than where I live frozen vegetables cost that much.
I thought so!! I have friends in Iqaluit and they tell me about prices there and I just cant imagine it.
[/quote]
I was just in a community for work and a 800 gram cheese block was $21 (compared to $9.99 where I live), a 500g container of anemic looking strawberries was $10 and a bag with 3 heads of romaine lettuce was $8. On the filp side stuff like Kraft Dinner and other processed foods were comparable to the prices in larger towns/cities.
For many places healthy food is cheaper than processed foods but for many of us in remote areas that isn't the case. I'm still choosing to make healthy food choices but it does cost me more than unhealthy food used to.0 -
AndrewMartin3 wrote: »williams969 wrote: »Jburlen2007 wrote: »Food that is bad for you, is cheaper than foods that are good for you.
Not necessarily. There's a whole lot of grocery foods(fresh and frozen produce, bulk grains and legumes) for under $1/lb. When I was poor, even McDonald's dollar menu was an unaffordable luxury when I could make dinner to feed 5 for under $5.
I wanna shop were u shop
Its not that hard....i can think of a bunch of meals off the top of my head that will feed 5 people for under $5.
Pulled pork sandwiches, with frozen green beans. $1.29/lb for pork butt...need 1.5#, bag of hamburger buns from aldi $0.85, bag of frozen veg $1.....under $4, or $5 if you want 2 bags of frozen veggies
spaghetti w marinara or alfredo with broccoli...$1 pasta, $1 marinara or $1.99 alfredo, $1/bag of frozen veg....between $3 & $5 to feed 5
Polish sausage broccoli bake half a pack or aldi parkview polish sausage links ($3.99 / 12 pack)..$1.98, $2 for two bags of frozen broccoli..half bag of shredded cheese $1 ..$5 total
Pork chops and itialian rice $1.49/lb thin cut pork chops (1 1/2lb), 1/4 bag white rice ($1.59/bag), $1 jar marinara, bag frozen peas....$4.65
Lentil tacos or taco salad...half bag lentils $1.29/bag), jar salsa ($1.49), 2 packs corn tortillas from aldi $0.48/ea...head of lettuce $1.29.... half bag of shredded cheese $1...$5.42
Chicken soup....chicken drumsticks $0.59/lb....3lbs, bag babybcarrots $1, half bunch celery $1, 1 onion $0.75, half bag noodles $0.50....$5
Some of these prices i have to shop around for or stockpile, but many i can get nearly every week. I dont use coupons.
This is beside the point, but I have to say I've never seen prices like that. The canadian dollar just went down, so everything's spiked recently, but a bag of frozen veggies is always usually around $8 - maybe $5 on a really big sale. Everything else is at least 2 or 3x the price of what you've listed here. That looks fantastic! A lot of those 1's would be 4's here. I also don't think we have a "dollar menu" at the mcdonalds, though I haven't been to one in a long time so I could be wrong.
The US is lucky to have some of the lowest food prices of 1st world nations. We spend a much smaller percentage of our income on food than most of the world. I live in a major metro area (Chicago suburb) and my food prices seem to fall right in the middle range across the nation. There are higher prices for the same items in some areas (NYC, LA, etc...) but also lower prices in many places.
Obviously prices vary...especially in more remote areas. I've visited Alaska several times and their prices are comprable to what you are describing. It does make it more difficult, for sure. But there are always ways to reduce your cost. Garden. Make a list of the cheapest 'healthy' foods you enjoy, figure out what meals you can make with them and eat those very frequently. Hunt. Fish. Get creative with leftovers and try not to waste as much as possible. Look for a CSA in your area. Save money in other areas...dont but paper plates/cutlery/cups, use rags and cloth napkins....and use that money on food.
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If you look at the situations most of the people are in, they live in areas of the country that are not that expensive, for the most part. That being said, if your rent/mortgage is less than $1000 a month and you are on assistance, which most of them probably are then paying for food is their next big expense. Supermarkets have great coupons if they use them, shopping at Wal-Mart for food is cheap too (and we all know that Wal-Mart is everywhere). Fast food can be expensive but if food is your priority it is easy to make it happen. We don't know, from the show either if they are are in huge credit card debt because of it.
I find the show sad, yet motivating. When I want to eat a mound of food I watch the show to put my own life into perspective. Most, if not all, the people that are on the show have had a very life changing traumatic incident that has lead them to food... It is sad that their drug of choice is food.
The ones that make me mad on the show are those that choose not to accept that they are the reason they are in this position. They make every excuse in the book on why they can't change. This is truly the saddest episodes to me. Those that enable them as well are maddening. If you physically cannot walk to get your own food then maybe the enabler should only bring them healthy and smaller options (with exception of the 4/5 yr old boy who has to make food for himself and his mom, he's too young to understand what she is doing to him)
I agree with many of you as well, eating healthier is and can be cheaper. We have noticed that in the last several months ourselves. The money we have saved by eating at home alone is within hundreds of dollars a month!
Just my two cents 0 -
Wow - thats a huge mark up. But I understand that because of the difficulty in getting food to the North, those are the prices that retailers can charge. Here on the north shore of Lake Ontario, from the latest food flyer for the chain Metro, cauliflower is 2.99/head, grapes are 2.99/lb, ONE head of romaine is 1.99, blueberries are 2.99/for 170 grams and of course, all of these are imported from Mexico/US. Heck, even celery is 2.44 a bunch - 3.99 if you want organic.
I understand how food insecurity can seriously impact a persons health and how difficult it is to eat properly at those prices. I would offer to ship you something, but with postal rates as they are, I couldnt guarantee it would be any cheaper for either of us!!0 -
Edited to add that for our American posters, add 30% at least to what your prices are to come close to Canadian prices at this time of year.0
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AndrewMartin3 wrote: »williams969 wrote: »Jburlen2007 wrote: »Food that is bad for you, is cheaper than foods that are good for you.
Not necessarily. There's a whole lot of grocery foods(fresh and frozen produce, bulk grains and legumes) for under $1/lb. When I was poor, even McDonald's dollar menu was an unaffordable luxury when I could make dinner to feed 5 for under $5.
I wanna shop were u shop
Its not that hard....i can think of a bunch of meals off the top of my head that will feed 5 people for under $5.
Pulled pork sandwiches, with frozen green beans. $1.29/lb for pork butt...need 1.5#, bag of hamburger buns from aldi $0.85, bag of frozen veg $1.....under $4, or $5 if you want 2 bags of frozen veggies
spaghetti w marinara or alfredo with broccoli...$1 pasta, $1 marinara or $1.99 alfredo, $1/bag of frozen veg....between $3 & $5 to feed 5
Polish sausage broccoli bake half a pack or aldi parkview polish sausage links ($3.99 / 12 pack)..$1.98, $2 for two bags of frozen broccoli..half bag of shredded cheese $1 ..$5 total
Pork chops and itialian rice $1.49/lb thin cut pork chops (1 1/2lb), 1/4 bag white rice ($1.59/bag), $1 jar marinara, bag frozen peas....$4.65
Lentil tacos or taco salad...half bag lentils $1.29/bag), jar salsa ($1.49), 2 packs corn tortillas from aldi $0.48/ea...head of lettuce $1.29.... half bag of shredded cheese $1...$5.42
Chicken soup....chicken drumsticks $0.59/lb....3lbs, bag babybcarrots $1, half bunch celery $1, 1 onion $0.75, half bag noodles $0.50....$5
Some of these prices i have to shop around for or stockpile, but many i can get nearly every week. I dont use coupons.
This is beside the point, but I have to say I've never seen prices like that. The canadian dollar just went down, so everything's spiked recently, but a bag of frozen veggies is always usually around $8 - maybe $5 on a really big sale. Everything else is at least 2 or 3x the price of what you've listed here. That looks fantastic! A lot of those 1's would be 4's here. I also don't think we have a "dollar menu" at the mcdonalds, though I haven't been to one in a long time so I could be wrong.
oopsies! Sorry for the confusion I meant $5 and $3, not $8 and $5 *facepalm* But you're right, I also wasn't considering like no-name vegetable cubes, those are much cheaper. I was thinking of the PC store brand, which is in fact more like $4 not $5.0
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