Why Eating Healthy Isn't Expensive/Grocery Haul
alyssa0061
Posts: 652 Member
I was thinking about myfitnesspal today while I was out grocery shopping. I was doing what I always do; reading labels, scouring clearance shelves and mentally computing the price per ounce of products to determine the best value (love that Kroger puts it right on the tag).
I've seen a lot of comments recently that say some variation of the same thing:
It's too expensive to eat healthy
I can't afford fresh produce
It's cheaper to buy fast food than cook
Processed foods are cheaper than nutritious foods
No, it isn't.
Yes, you can.
No, it isn't.
Not necessarily and something being processed doesn't immediately negate any/all nutritious value.
I'd like to share what I purchased today and how much I spent. For comparative purposes:
I live in Columbus, OH
I live alone
I have lived in many states and other than the coasts I have found prices vary very little from place to place
I went to Kroger, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Target but the majority of my food was purchased at Kroger
I am eating to lose weight
I just have a normal sized refrigerator/freezer and one cabinet for dry goods
This food will last me weeks. I will supplement very little over the next few weeks. I typically eat everything until it's gone then do another large shopping trip
Kroger:
22 bags of frozen vegetables ($2.99 regular price. On sale for $1.99. Buy 4, price drops to $.99/ea)
10 bags of frozen pasta/grain meals (part of same deal as the vegetables)
3 pints of Halo Top ice cream ($4.29/ea)
2 boxes Kroger own brand protein bars (2/$5 regular price. On sale for $1.88/5 bar box)
3lbs pork (On special, $1.49/lb)
5lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (On special, $1.88/lb)
6 cans tuna in water ($.69/can)
3 salt free seasoning blends, Kroger own brand ($2.39/ea)
2lbs red grapes (On special, $.99/lb)
2 bunches green onions ($.55/ea)
1lb asparagus (On special, $1.99/lb)
1lb yellow squash ($1.49/lb)
2 cucumbers (2/$.99)
1.25lb zucchini ($1.69/lb)
3 6oz packages of blackberries (On special, $.99/package)
1lb strawberries ($2.99/lb)
1 package radishes ($1.00/package)
1lb Portobello mushrooms (2/8oz packages, manager special, $.99/ea)
1lb baby Bella mushrooms (Manager special, $2.29/ea)
Total: $90.00
Trader Joe's:
4 bags frozen brussel sprouts ($.99/ea)
8 bananas ($.19/ea)
3 dozen eggs ($.99/dz)
2 bags spinach ($1.99/ea)
1 bag broccoli slaw ($1.99/ea)
1lb precut fresh mixed vegetables ($2.99/ea)
Total: $17.00
Whole Foods:
2 boxes AK Mak crackers ($1.89/box)
.68lb nutritional yeast ($6.79/.68lb - $9.99/lb)
Total: $11.00
Target:
1 box pureed carrots (On clearance, $1.24/box)
1 box pureed spinach (On clearance, $1.24/box)
1/40ct box Monk Fruit in the Raw (On clearance, $1.48/box)
Total: $4.00
Grand total: $122.00
As I said above, this food will last me a few weeks. I will freeze some of the meat and eat all the fresh produce first. This will cover all my meals and snacks. I can easily spend over $50/week on just lunch during the work week eating out. I wanted to share this to show that preparing your own food is infinitely less expensive than take away. Not to mention better nutrition, complete control and the satisfaction of making your own food.
Buy what's on sale. Buy what's in season. Shop the sales. Buy frozen. Freeze meat. Shop around if the option is available.
On the first photo, the top is everything I purchased, bottom is Kroger only
I've seen a lot of comments recently that say some variation of the same thing:
It's too expensive to eat healthy
I can't afford fresh produce
It's cheaper to buy fast food than cook
Processed foods are cheaper than nutritious foods
No, it isn't.
Yes, you can.
No, it isn't.
Not necessarily and something being processed doesn't immediately negate any/all nutritious value.
I'd like to share what I purchased today and how much I spent. For comparative purposes:
I live in Columbus, OH
I live alone
I have lived in many states and other than the coasts I have found prices vary very little from place to place
I went to Kroger, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Target but the majority of my food was purchased at Kroger
I am eating to lose weight
I just have a normal sized refrigerator/freezer and one cabinet for dry goods
This food will last me weeks. I will supplement very little over the next few weeks. I typically eat everything until it's gone then do another large shopping trip
Kroger:
22 bags of frozen vegetables ($2.99 regular price. On sale for $1.99. Buy 4, price drops to $.99/ea)
10 bags of frozen pasta/grain meals (part of same deal as the vegetables)
3 pints of Halo Top ice cream ($4.29/ea)
2 boxes Kroger own brand protein bars (2/$5 regular price. On sale for $1.88/5 bar box)
3lbs pork (On special, $1.49/lb)
5lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (On special, $1.88/lb)
6 cans tuna in water ($.69/can)
3 salt free seasoning blends, Kroger own brand ($2.39/ea)
2lbs red grapes (On special, $.99/lb)
2 bunches green onions ($.55/ea)
1lb asparagus (On special, $1.99/lb)
1lb yellow squash ($1.49/lb)
2 cucumbers (2/$.99)
1.25lb zucchini ($1.69/lb)
3 6oz packages of blackberries (On special, $.99/package)
1lb strawberries ($2.99/lb)
1 package radishes ($1.00/package)
1lb Portobello mushrooms (2/8oz packages, manager special, $.99/ea)
1lb baby Bella mushrooms (Manager special, $2.29/ea)
Total: $90.00
Trader Joe's:
4 bags frozen brussel sprouts ($.99/ea)
8 bananas ($.19/ea)
3 dozen eggs ($.99/dz)
2 bags spinach ($1.99/ea)
1 bag broccoli slaw ($1.99/ea)
1lb precut fresh mixed vegetables ($2.99/ea)
Total: $17.00
Whole Foods:
2 boxes AK Mak crackers ($1.89/box)
.68lb nutritional yeast ($6.79/.68lb - $9.99/lb)
Total: $11.00
Target:
1 box pureed carrots (On clearance, $1.24/box)
1 box pureed spinach (On clearance, $1.24/box)
1/40ct box Monk Fruit in the Raw (On clearance, $1.48/box)
Total: $4.00
Grand total: $122.00
As I said above, this food will last me a few weeks. I will freeze some of the meat and eat all the fresh produce first. This will cover all my meals and snacks. I can easily spend over $50/week on just lunch during the work week eating out. I wanted to share this to show that preparing your own food is infinitely less expensive than take away. Not to mention better nutrition, complete control and the satisfaction of making your own food.
Buy what's on sale. Buy what's in season. Shop the sales. Buy frozen. Freeze meat. Shop around if the option is available.
On the first photo, the top is everything I purchased, bottom is Kroger only
100
Replies
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Great information. Thanks for taking the time to post all of this!0
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Thank you for doing this! It should be an "announcement".4
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Looks yummy!~2
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While I don't disagree with your overall premise, you have to take into account where people are. Some of your prices are what I could only dream of.
Skinless, boneless chicken on sale is at least $4 a lb. Sometimes you are looking at $15 for 3 breasts.
Tuna, on sale, is almost twice as much.
99 cents for a dozen for eggs!
Not to mention the berries, bananas, asparagus, even the cucumbers (99 cents for one is a sale).
Damn.50 -
Great post. I do personally believe that eating healthy and clean is more expensive than eating poorly (I live in a high cost of living area and don't always have time to go to multiple stores and comparison shop) but your post really shows that you can make eating healthy affordable. Really, really great post.
The important thing I wanted to add -- even if it is "expensive" to eat healthy -- it is still cheaper than the medical costs many of us will incur down the road of we don't make these changes now.25 -
Also, coupons. COUPONS!!
Seriously, with all of the Sale/Coupon matchup blogs out there, it's seriously the easiest thing ever. All you have to do is cut the coupons out. You can even print alot of coupons these days. I shop weekly and buy mostly based on sale/coupon. I regularly save at least $30 in coupons because of that. So easy. Just google the store you shop at plus matchups, for example "Shoprite coupon matchups" or "Kroger coupon matchups". Even Target has matchup blogs and clearance finds.
I just made shopping even easier for you, you're welcome.10 -
You are absolutely right...to an extent. Living a very rural area, if I were to do all my shopping here, eating healthy isn't affordable. Greek yogurt, nearly $4 for 8 ounces, for example. Produce is also very expensive. And by the time it is shipped here, it only lasts 3-4 days before it starts to go bad. I'm fortunate now that I can afford to drive the hour it takes to get to a Walmart or a Kroger, but I wasn't always in this position. So in most cases, yes, you can eat healthy for a good price, but there are circumstances when people can't.15
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You are absolutely right...to an extent. Living a very rural area, if I were to do all my shopping here, eating healthy isn't affordable. Greek yogurt, nearly $4 for 8 ounces, for example. Produce is also very expensive. And by the time it is shipped here, it only lasts 3-4 days before it starts to go bad. I'm fortunate now that I can afford to drive the hour it takes to get to a Walmart or a Kroger, but I wasn't always in this position. So in most cases, yes, you can eat healthy for a good price, but there are circumstances when people can't.
Is fast food for the same number of people cheaper? If so, how SAD for our nation (assuming you're american).2 -
Fantastic post. Learning to cook saves money and is incredibly helpful with hitting calorie and macro targets. And, I agree with Sabine_Stroehm above. Newbies need to really learn this lesson.2
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »You are absolutely right...to an extent. Living a very rural area, if I were to do all my shopping here, eating healthy isn't affordable. Greek yogurt, nearly $4 for 8 ounces, for example. Produce is also very expensive. And by the time it is shipped here, it only lasts 3-4 days before it starts to go bad. I'm fortunate now that I can afford to drive the hour it takes to get to a Walmart or a Kroger, but I wasn't always in this position. So in most cases, yes, you can eat healthy for a good price, but there are circumstances when people can't.
Is fast food for the same number of people cheaper? If so, how SAD for our nation (assuming you're american).
Fast food is cheaper, but we don't have much of that out here either. We got a Subway a couple weeks ago. Beyond that, there are a few fast food places in the next town over. It is very sad. And yes, I'm American
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »You are absolutely right...to an extent. Living a very rural area, if I were to do all my shopping here, eating healthy isn't affordable. Greek yogurt, nearly $4 for 8 ounces, for example. Produce is also very expensive. And by the time it is shipped here, it only lasts 3-4 days before it starts to go bad. I'm fortunate now that I can afford to drive the hour it takes to get to a Walmart or a Kroger, but I wasn't always in this position. So in most cases, yes, you can eat healthy for a good price, but there are circumstances when people can't.
Is fast food for the same number of people cheaper? If so, how SAD for our nation (assuming you're american).
Fast food is cheaper, but we don't have much of that out here either. We got a Subway a couple weeks ago. Beyond that, there are a few fast food places in the next town over. It is very sad. And yes, I'm American
So you'd have to do subway and not much else. Is that sustainable? i.e. does the OP's post make sense in context?1 -
I get 167 in food stamps and on the April 15th when I received them, I spent the entire amount. I spent the weekend batch cooking, portioning, and freezing stuff. I still have plenty of food in the fridge, freezer, and pantry to last several more weeks. I haven't gone to the store to buy anything except a gallon of milk and eggs since.22
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ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »I get 167 in food stamps and on the April 15th when I received them, I spent the entire amount. I spent the weekend batch cooking, portioning, and freezing stuff. I still have plenty of food in the fridge, freezer, and pantry to last several more weeks. I haven't gone to the store to buy anything except a gallon of milk and eggs since.
Good for you. This is what's supposed to happen.10 -
Food costs are highly variable depending on where you live. In the Canadian north, for example, the cost of fresh foods is incredibly high. In the very far North, a bag of grapes can go for as much as $30. In my own town, a head of lettuce is $3 in season and eggs are $5. I bought a pack of chicken breasts today for $12 (2 lbs) and that's a good deal. Milk is $5 a gallon.
Foods high in sugar or salt tend to last longer on the shelves, which mean they can be sold for much cheaper and can last longer for people that might only have a chance to shop once or twice a month. Fresh foods are often imported, especially when they're out of season, and that costs more money than producing processed foods domestically.
If I only bought foods that were in season and local, I'd starve in the winter time.
Eating whole foods is always preferable and always healthier, but there's a reason that obesity is linked to poverty and that's because unhealthy foods are cheaper and more accessible to people that are struggling financially.27 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »You are absolutely right...to an extent. Living a very rural area, if I were to do all my shopping here, eating healthy isn't affordable. Greek yogurt, nearly $4 for 8 ounces, for example. Produce is also very expensive. And by the time it is shipped here, it only lasts 3-4 days before it starts to go bad. I'm fortunate now that I can afford to drive the hour it takes to get to a Walmart or a Kroger, but I wasn't always in this position. So in most cases, yes, you can eat healthy for a good price, but there are circumstances when people can't.
Is fast food for the same number of people cheaper? If so, how SAD for our nation (assuming you're american).
Fast food is cheaper, but we don't have much of that out here either. We got a Subway a couple weeks ago. Beyond that, there are a few fast food places in the next town over. It is very sad. And yes, I'm American
So you'd have to do subway and not much else. Is that sustainable? i.e. does the OP's post make sense in context?
Of course it makes sense. I did mention twice that the OP was right. I was just pointing out that there are rare circumstances that make eating healthy financially difficult. I'm fortunate now that I can drive the nearly 100 miles it takes to get to a Kroger or Walmart. I usually go twice a month and just fill in milk and eggs locally. (Oddly, eggs are super cheap here, cheaper than any large store I've ever been to.) However, I'm sure my son would love it if we had Subway for every meal lol.
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3dogsrunning wrote: »While I don't disagree with your overall premise, you have to take into account where people are. Some of your prices are what I could only dream of.
Skinless, boneless chicken on sale is at least $4 a lb. Sometimes you are looking at $15 for 3 breasts.
Tuna, on sale, is almost twice as much.
99 cents for a dozen for eggs!
Not to mention the berries, bananas, asparagus, even the cucumbers (99 cents for one is a sale).
Damn.
same here. Im in wv and its over $2 for a dozen of large kroger brand eggs,chicken is not cheap. tuna is like 89 cents a can on sale.milk is cheap though. we do have kroger but ours is a small kroger and we dont have a lot of the same things other larger krogers have so we are limited as well. same for our walmart supercenter. we have a shoppers value store but its not that great when it comes to produce because most of it they prepackage it themselves and sell it for more than what kroger would.rural areas like mine have it a lot harder because we have smaller stores.I have 3 stores in my area,the next closest store is over 35min one way.0 -
alyssa0061 wrote: »I wanted to share this to show that preparing your own food is infinitely less expensive than take away. Not to mention better nutrition, complete control and the satisfaction of making your own food.
Buy what's on sale. Buy what's in season. Shop the sales. Buy frozen. Freeze meat. Shop around if the option is available.
Great post!
I wanted to add buy store brand or generic items.
Buy foods that are not already cut up, shredded, boned, skinned, pureed and do it yourself.
There is nothing unhealthy with using canned or frozen vegetables or fruits if you can't get fresh produce.
7 -
Food costs are highly variable depending on where you live. In the Canadian north, for example, the cost of fresh foods is incredibly high. In the very far North, a bag of grapes can go for as much as $30. In my own town, a head of lettuce is $3 in season and eggs are $5. I bought a pack of chicken breasts today for $12 (2 lbs) and that's a good deal. Milk is $5 a gallon.
Foods high in sugar or salt tend to last longer on the shelves, which mean they can be sold for much cheaper and can last longer for people that might only have a chance to shop once or twice a month. Fresh foods are often imported, especially when they're out of season, and that costs more money than producing processed foods domestically.
If I only bought foods that were in season and local, I'd starve in the winter time.
Eating whole foods is always preferable and always healthier, but there's a reason that obesity is linked to poverty and that's because unhealthy foods are cheaper and more accessible to people that are struggling financially.
Many of her plant foods foods were frozen. Thank God for that!2 -
Great tips!alyssa0061 wrote: »I wanted to share this to show that preparing your own food is infinitely less expensive than take away. Not to mention better nutrition, complete control and the satisfaction of making your own food.
Buy what's on sale. Buy what's in season. Shop the sales. Buy frozen. Freeze meat. Shop around if the option is available.
Great post!
I wanted to add buy store brand or generic items.
Buy foods that are not already cut up, shredded, boned, skinned, pureed and do it yourself.
There is nothing unhealthy with using canned or frozen vegetables or fruits if you can't get fresh produce.
1 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »You are absolutely right...to an extent. Living a very rural area, if I were to do all my shopping here, eating healthy isn't affordable. Greek yogurt, nearly $4 for 8 ounces, for example. Produce is also very expensive. And by the time it is shipped here, it only lasts 3-4 days before it starts to go bad. I'm fortunate now that I can afford to drive the hour it takes to get to a Walmart or a Kroger, but I wasn't always in this position. So in most cases, yes, you can eat healthy for a good price, but there are circumstances when people can't.
Is fast food for the same number of people cheaper? If so, how SAD for our nation (assuming you're american).
Fast food is cheaper, but we don't have much of that out here either. We got a Subway a couple weeks ago. Beyond that, there are a few fast food places in the next town over. It is very sad. And yes, I'm American
So you'd have to do subway and not much else. Is that sustainable? i.e. does the OP's post make sense in context?
Of course it makes sense. I did mention twice that the OP was right. I was just pointing out that there are rare circumstances that make eating healthy financially difficult. I'm fortunate now that I can drive the nearly 100 miles it takes to get to a Kroger or Walmart. I usually go twice a month and just fill in milk and eggs locally. (Oddly, eggs are super cheap here, cheaper than any large store I've ever been to.) However, I'm sure my son would love it if we had Subway for every meal lol.
Great that you have large markets within a few hours. And glad you use them!0 -
Yeah, I also try to go to Krogers on Tuesday. They tend to bring out clearance meats around that time.
The 99 Cents Store in my area has a really nice produce section.1 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Food costs are highly variable depending on where you live. In the Canadian north, for example, the cost of fresh foods is incredibly high. In the very far North, a bag of grapes can go for as much as $30. In my own town, a head of lettuce is $3 in season and eggs are $5. I bought a pack of chicken breasts today for $12 (2 lbs) and that's a good deal. Milk is $5 a gallon.
Foods high in sugar or salt tend to last longer on the shelves, which mean they can be sold for much cheaper and can last longer for people that might only have a chance to shop once or twice a month. Fresh foods are often imported, especially when they're out of season, and that costs more money than producing processed foods domestically.
If I only bought foods that were in season and local, I'd starve in the winter time.
Eating whole foods is always preferable and always healthier, but there's a reason that obesity is linked to poverty and that's because unhealthy foods are cheaper and more accessible to people that are struggling financially.
Many of her plant foods foods were frozen. Thank God for that!
I buy all my fruit fresh but 90+% of my vegetables are frozen. I normally buy Kroger own brand but Birdseye and Green Giant are on sale right now.
I am extremely pragmatic. I take my time and figure out the value of what I'm buying, not just the price. I know it's not realistic for most people (especially with kids) to shop at multiple stores but you can see I only go to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods for very specific things. I was at Target buying health and beauty things so I ran through the food clearance while I was there.
On that note, Target marks their meat down to crazy cheap prices. I got a whole bunch of Laura's 96%/4% lean ground beef for $3.99/lb and JenniO 99% fat free ground turkey for $2.99/lb. My freezer was full for months.6 -
This is a REALLY good post! For those that have the option, growing your own food and freezing it every summer is an excellent way to save money. We have three teens and grow a huge amount of our veggies and freeze them every summer. I only have to buy what's in season fresh during the winter. The only thing I actually can is tomatoes and I can a lot of them. We grow as much as we can and shop for the rest. During the winter, making a lot of soups and stews really stretches the budget. I totally admire people that have your skill with money alyssa0061! If any of you have a Grocery Outlet store around, that's another good place to get good deals.6
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OP, is that a plug-in food scale?0
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Good OP.
We don't have to buy those exact fresh fruits/vegetables.
Just buy what's in season and therefore cheap, or is on special.3 -
I buy a lot of frozen vegetables and fish. Fresh fish prices are out of this world,so i don't go near them. Also always check out the offers in the supermarket.Our supermarket puts an orange sticker with a reduced price to the meat that is one day away from expiring. I always look for those stickers.2
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endlessfall16 wrote: »OP, is that a plug-in food scale?
Oh, no, I had an extension cord plugged in behind it charging some stuff. The food scale is Sharper Image. I got it at Bed, Bath & Beyond. It's a regular battery run scale1 -
I hit up things on sale or clearance most of the time. I never shop by recipes unless it's a dessert for a function or for holiday meal items.
The other day trader joes had red bell peppers for $0.69. Sooo cheap so I bought several and sliced some and chopped some and froze them in baggies. Now I have wonderfully delicious red peppers for lots of meals. Eggs 89 or 99 cents per dozen around here unless you shop at expensive walmart or the likes - I swear I don't know why people still think it's cheap there nowadays. It's really not. I'd go broke shopping for groceries at Walmart.
I go to iga supermarkets and really stock up on their meat sales. It's different weekly so sometimes it's chicken breasts for 1.59 a lb or chicken thighs for .60 a lb or ground beef for 1.88 or less a lb. Pork is almost always cheap for certain cuts. I got 2 nice sized new York strip steaks Friday for $5.15. The package weight was over a lb. It wasn't clearance either. They also regularly clearance veg and fruit for $1.19 a package. Most of them aren't even bruised or otherwise at their ends. I think a lot of the time they pack them up just to keep people shopping because I've gotten perfect apples and cucumbers, etc. that way.
I'm lucky that I have ridiculously extensive grocers to choose from without going out of my way much of the time. I stock up and portion and freeze.
3 -
AmazonMayan wrote: »
The other day trader joes had red bell peppers for $0.69. Sooo cheap so I bought several and sliced some and chopped some and froze them in baggies. Now I have wonderfully delicious red peppers for lots of meals. Eggs 89 or 99 cents per dozen around here unless you shop at expensive walmart or the likes - I swear I don't know why people still think it's cheap there nowadays. It's really not. I'd go broke shopping for groceries at Walmart.
Very good point. I like to go to Trader Joe's first. If I hadn't, I would've paid $2.39/dz for eggs at Kroger and then been irritated to see them $.99/dz at TJ's. I always buy my bananas, spinach and brussel sprouts there. Then I get whatever other cheap produce they have
Completely agree on the Wal-Mart point. I find it so expensive. There's no way I could do regular grocery shopping there. Kroger, Aldi and Trader Joe's are all significantly cheaper options1 -
AmazonMayan wrote: »Eggs 89 or 99 cents per dozen around here unless you shop at expensive walmart or the likes - I swear I don't know why people still think it's cheap there nowadays. It's really not. I'd go broke shopping for groceries at Walmart.
I don't think I've ever heard "walmart" and "expensive" used in the same sentence before, LOL. That said, I never go to Walmart because the one near me is always mess. The first time I walked in there, I thought the store had just been robbed, LOL.
I live on Long Island. The prices that the OP quotes are things I can only dream of. She's correct when she says that the coasts are more expensive. But I agree that with a little research and ingenuity, you don't have to break the bank to eat healthy and lose weight.
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