Why Eating Healthy Isn't Expensive/Grocery Haul
Replies
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We have a large family (4 kids during school year, 6 kids in the summers) and I find that the variations of beans and rice are the cheapest healthy option. That's usually the core of our diet even now that we do have more $. Sometimes I get the big bag of chicken breasts from Sam's but generally speaking it's beans beans beans. And eggs.
And dayum they can be super delicious:
Lentil Salad (lentils, carrots, onion, jalapeno, dressed with olive oil, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper)
Lentil or Yellow split pea Dal
Chili
Black Beans & Rice with platanos
Pinto Bean and tomato soup
Tostadas, burritos (not in a REALLY tight week because these are a million times better with cheese)
Channa Masala
Lots of other stuff. Where we find it very difficult is fruits. Fruit just seems to be very expensive now - I saw apples listed at 4.99/pound the other day - that's literally a five dollar apple. At the old house we had trees with lemons, limes, and carambola, loquat, longan, papaya and oranges (but the orange trees died) so we had some fruit even when we could not buy it; but now no trees, it all has to be bought and to get, say grapes for the kids for one day, while grapes are "on sale" at the store, will cost over $15. That's not something that fits into a small or even a reasonably generous budget like we have now. I spend about $50 every two weeks on fruits from Sam's club, and the kids eat fruit one week but not the next, and I get the big bags of frozen diced fruit, that's the way we handle it for now.
Potatoes aren't cheap in my city, never were really, except the occasional loss leader sale.
Even dried beans have become more costly, but still seem to have the best bang for the buck.
I've had weeks with $20 to feed everyone but thankfully on those weeks we had already olive oil, spices, canned tomatoes, things on hand to use with the $20 of grocery spending, and back then the kids got school lunch, that helped.0 -
OMG....$5/lb of apples?!! Are they from the Garden of Eden?!? The most I have EVER seen apples is $3/lb for usda organic. I load up when they are under $1/lb. they stay good for weeks!We have a large family (4 kids during school year, 6 kids in the summers) and I find that the variations of beans and rice are the cheapest healthy option. That's usually the core of our diet even now that we do have more $. Sometimes I get the big bag of chicken breasts from Sam's but generally speaking it's beans beans beans. And eggs.
And dayum they can be super delicious:
Lentil Salad (lentils, carrots, onion, jalapeno, dressed with olive oil, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper)
Lentil or Yellow split pea Dal
Chili
Black Beans & Rice with platanos
Pinto Bean and tomato soup
Tostadas, burritos (not in a REALLY tight week because these are a million times better with cheese)
Channa Masala
Lots of other stuff. Where we find it very difficult is fruits. Fruit just seems to be very expensive now - I saw apples listed at 4.99/pound the other day - that's literally a five dollar apple. At the old house we had trees with lemons, limes, and carambola, loquat, longan, papaya and oranges (but the orange trees died) so we had some fruit even when we could not buy it; but now no trees, it all has to be bought and to get, say grapes for the kids for one day, while grapes are "on sale" at the store, will cost over $15. That's not something that fits into a small or even a reasonably generous budget like we have now. I spend about $50 every two weeks on fruits from Sam's club, and the kids eat fruit one week but not the next, and I get the big bags of frozen diced fruit, that's the way we handle it for now.
Potatoes aren't cheap in my city, never were really, except the occasional loss leader sale.
Even dried beans have become more costly, but still seem to have the best bang for the buck.
I've had weeks with $20 to feed everyone but thankfully on those weeks we had already olive oil, spices, canned tomatoes, things on hand to use with the $20 of grocery spending, and back then the kids got school lunch, that helped.
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It really depends on where you live.
OMG....$5/lb of apples?!! Are they from the Garden of Eden?!? The most I have EVER seen apples is $3/lb for usda organic. I load up when they are under $1/lb. they stay good for weeks!We have a large family (4 kids during school year, 6 kids in the summers) and I find that the variations of beans and rice are the cheapest healthy option. That's usually the core of our diet even now that we do have more $. Sometimes I get the big bag of chicken breasts from Sam's but generally speaking it's beans beans beans. And eggs.
And dayum they can be super delicious:
Lentil Salad (lentils, carrots, onion, jalapeno, dressed with olive oil, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper)
Lentil or Yellow split pea Dal
Chili
Black Beans & Rice with platanos
Pinto Bean and tomato soup
Tostadas, burritos (not in a REALLY tight week because these are a million times better with cheese)
Channa Masala
Lots of other stuff. Where we find it very difficult is fruits. Fruit just seems to be very expensive now - I saw apples listed at 4.99/pound the other day - that's literally a five dollar apple. At the old house we had trees with lemons, limes, and carambola, loquat, longan, papaya and oranges (but the orange trees died) so we had some fruit even when we could not buy it; but now no trees, it all has to be bought and to get, say grapes for the kids for one day, while grapes are "on sale" at the store, will cost over $15. That's not something that fits into a small or even a reasonably generous budget like we have now. I spend about $50 every two weeks on fruits from Sam's club, and the kids eat fruit one week but not the next, and I get the big bags of frozen diced fruit, that's the way we handle it for now.
Potatoes aren't cheap in my city, never were really, except the occasional loss leader sale.
Even dried beans have become more costly, but still seem to have the best bang for the buck.
I've had weeks with $20 to feed everyone but thankfully on those weeks we had already olive oil, spices, canned tomatoes, things on hand to use with the $20 of grocery spending, and back then the kids got school lunch, that helped.
If I go to the 99 Cent Store, I can usually pick up the same head for a buck.
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Queenmunchy wrote: »eveandqsmom wrote: »I think the idea is more like...I can feed a family of four for $4 if I feed them white pasta with canned no-name sauce and shaker fake parmesan. And I can come up with a LOT of options like that. It is absolutely cheaper.
Now you've challenged us frugalistas LOL! This is just with this week's Meijer ad.
or Option C: I can feed my family of 4 for $4 with:
- 2 lbs chicken thighs ($0.89/lb): $1.78
- 1 lb broccoli ($0.99/lb): $0.99
- 1 lb potato ($3.49/8lbs *more than I would normally pay): $0.43
and dessert
- 1 lb apples ($1.19/lb): $1.19
Total: $4.39
That's with not shopping around and going to one single average grocery store and working with what's available in the flyer. All real, whole foods and a lot of meat (which is typically the expensive part). Budgetbytes.com is a great website for low cost, healthy meals.
Yeah, planning your meal around sales is the way to go. And stocking up on frozen/non perishables when they are on sale too.
And check supermarkets if you're in the area anyway. I just drove by the one next to my gym yesterday and scored chicken breasts at $1 a pound (!!!) and a bag of russet potatoes at 89c. And I was driving by anyway so all I had to do is stop in the parking lot.
I love those little surprises. I was at Aldi yesterday and saw a dozen eggs for $0.69. Instead of buying the 1 carton that I planned on, I bought 4.
All of this!! I stopped by my local Albertsons, and I think my heart skipped a beat in happiness when I saw this:
No, double chocolate chunk isn't my favorite flavor of Quest bars, and no, those aren't my favorite brands of protein powder. However, 1) They all still taste pretty darn good, 2) Beggars would do well not to be too picky, and 3) Great deals are great deals. Seriously. Only $1.50 per Quest bar??!!! On top of that, I saw several other food items marked half off. I stocked up big time!3 -
jwagner1204 wrote: »I live by myself and in the past two years of not eating healthy or working out I found that I was eating out or ordering in a lot. Even though I like to cook I just found that I didn't want to cook just for myself so I got into this habit. I came on this app to lose about 20 plus pounds and get back on my normal eating healthy kick. The problem I always seem to run into is grocery shopping and finding good deals, and also not wasting food because it goes bad in refrigerator. I don't get any newspapers or mailings for sales, so for someone in my situation does anyone have any advice for me on how to shop smarter and get good deals, too??
Also, I'm brand new to this app, especially the community forums, so any advice or direction on how to maneuver through or make the most of my experience here. Thank you very much for any help!!
Going to bump this thread since it's an interesting read.
Most major grocery retailers have their own apps that can be downloaded on phones & tablets that will list their weekly sales flyers. Wal-Mart also has the Savings Catcher part of their app that will match most major retailers that are competition for that particular Wal-Mart store. The only stores I know of that they don't match are stores like Dollar Tree, CVS, Big Lots, & maybe Rite Aid.
You can also find weekly sales flyers grocery stores official websites.
One of my favorite stores to find some good deals on food is the Grocery Outlet. The only thing I don't buy there often is produce since it seems smaller & more expensive than Wal-Mart & Aldis.0 -
Perhaps it is cost effective to eat healthier were you live, op but here in Canada it is much more expensive in smaller and more northern communities. There is also limited access to fresh food in some areas of our country where the prices for food in general is crazy.1
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Yes, I live mostly on eggs, beans, rice, pasta, fish, frozen veggies and fruit, canned tuna and oatmeal for a few dollars.0
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Aldi. I feed 4 people healthily for about $120 a week. One is a male teenager, one is a full grown man who does construction, one 8 year old girl softball player/gymnast and then me, the active hiker and swimmer. I LOVE Aldi!
That does include toiletries, paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning and laundry stuff too.
We also do Little Ceasars once a week for $16, usually it's our "too tired to cook" day.2 -
Great post !
Live in UK - but take similar approach. Ok different shops and brands.
My freezer is my life saver.
One point I'd like to add - at the risk of being controversial - is that somewhere along the way collectively we seem to have lost the abilities to cook from scratch.
Please don't think I'm saying that no one cooks from scratch any more.
However it does concern me hugely that I see a lot of families struggle both financially and health wise because there isn't a good understanding of how to prepare meals from healthy, affordable and simple ingredients.
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Also I found a lot of protein bars at Big Lots not even near the expiration for around $0.70-$1.30.
The one for $0.70 was Dymatize Peanut Butter which I'm sure usually goes for around $2.00+ per bar in most regular fitness retailers.0 -
Uk perspective;
Over the past 7 months I spent about £100 on all groceries. This included a massive amount of snacks.
I've jumped back on the bandwaggon, reduced the snacks and am currently at £66 with enough protein in the freezer for at least another two weeks. I guess I'll spend another 10 pounds or so on groceries, most likely for some more bread and veggies/fruits.- I shop nearly exclusively at Aldi and Lidl
- My portions of meat or fish are generaly small, 100g max
- I often cook with lentils, beans, paneer or other proteins
- If it fits somehow then I always buy the fruit and veggies on offer. This allows me to save tons compared to Tesco, Asda and the likes. I do miss parsnips at the moment though!
- I currently buy the thick wholegrain bread from Lidl at 0.45 per loaf.
- Every Saturday though I get a loaf from an artisan bakery that costs me 2.50 and lasts for the whole weekend.
- I'm happy with tap water, and almost always drink water and tea. I might have a few tins of diet coke somewhere that last me a long time.
- I bulk up my meals with lots of veggies, either fresh and on offer or from mixed frozen bags. Plus potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, pasta, couscous, bulgur or other carbs.
- I'm not a condiment or sauce fan. That helps! If I whack a fish or sausage and veggies in the oven I usually eat it as is with a bit of feta, self-made tsatsiki or humus, and a sprinkle of posh salt. That's all.
- A pot of curry sauce (the ones from Aldi are not bad unless you're only used to British curries) lasts me for three meals. I only want the sauce to stick to my protein and a big pile of veggies, not to drown anything in. It also keep calories down.
- If I buy a prepared product, like a breaded fish or a sausage I always look at what's inside. Often the actual meat content is fairly low and the amount of stuff high. I avoid those things and rather spend a bit more on better quality. But really, most things are freshly made.
- Most of my cooking takes no more than 30 minutes including prepping and doing the dishes (though I only do those every three days or so), and I try to only use 2 pots or pans as I'm not good in watching too many things boil over at the same time. But I always try new recipes.
- Having a good stock on herbs and spices really helps! I was meant to get ras al hanout for quite some time now, but can also mix it myself. I use lots of spices anyway.
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alyssa0061 wrote: »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
Wow, great job!! Thanks for showing what cam be done when its planned out! I also shop at discount produce markets...sooo much cheaper than the store!0 -
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.
I know this is an old comment and post, but wanted to point out the bold. This is a HUGE problem in America. We are shipping our produce all over the country to place instead of growing produce right in the very states we live in. Sure, berries from say, Cali may be on sale for under $3.00 but they barely make it through day 2 due to the time between being picked to being purchased.
I live in South Dakota where at least 50% of kids in schools seem to be on reduced or free lunches and half or more are on the backpack program. We have TONS of farm land yet it is all used to grow corn for cattle or ethanol or soy. Makes ZERO sense to me.
I can not wait to get a bigger yard and start my first garden. Shopping healthy IS expensive because the quality is poor (products in store that look shiny and healthy often are only because they have been kept hydrated with water sprinklers and go bad quicker, coated in wax or other treatments, or the "fresher" items are placed on top.2 -
Just mentioning another issue that is increasingly becoming a problem: medical food restrictions.
Allergies, for example, seems to be on the rise for years now, and it's making food costs rise for a growing part of our population, because allergen free food is more expensive than other food.
Not saying that eating lots of junky food is cheaper, just that eating allergen free foods tends to be more expensive no matter what you do, so eating healthy can be extremely challenging. As an example, last year my safe dried beans (just plain, dry beans) without my allergens were about $5/ pound. Safe plain nuts were between $8-$12 a pound. Safe raw meat is usually $7-$9 a pound.
And these 'special' products that don't contain allergens rarely go on sale either. :-/1 -
It really does depend on where you live (in the U.S.). I worked in an area that was also a residential area. In walking distance for me (I would walk several miles on my lunch break) there were two fast food places and one convenience store (pre-packaged sandwiches, snack foods etc.) and a little farther away, a bodega (kind of a mini-mart or Hispanic convenience store). That was it. And believe me I walked around a lot trying to find a way to purchase healthy meals when I didn't have time to bring my lunch from home.
The closest grocery store was a bus ride away, and the buses were unreliable and crammed full. It was also in a sketchy area, with the best time to shop during 9-5 working hours. Outside of those times, you dealt with people that were either under the influence of something, or mentally ill and homeless (on the fly, the behaviors are hard to differentiate.) They were hanging around outside the store during the 9-5 working hours, but it was daylight, more people were around, and you were less likely to be accosted. (Imagine having small children, working shift hours, and having to rely on buses that were as likely to go zipping by you as stop for you in an area with stumbling, mumbling half naked individuals shouting curse words and aggressively approaching you. Much easier and safer to get everyone the 5 for $5 meal at the local Jack in the Crack.)
I lived in an area that had competing grocery stores everywhere. Sales were abundant and I could pick and choose the fresh produce I wanted. It took me 8 minutes to walk to the closest major chain grocery store, and I only had to cross the street from that one, to get to another. If I was in the mood for a little more exercise, I could walk to the nearest Super Walmart. I also had a car. So for me to make a blanket statement that anyone could get healthy food inexpensively, would be very insular.3 -
Agreed except I cook more with dried beans and pasta with whatever is in season. Eating healthy on a budget takes preparation and planning, not money0
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WanderingTaurus 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.
I know this is an old comment and post, but wanted to point out the bold. This is a HUGE problem in America. We are shipping our produce all over the country to place instead of growing produce right in the very states we live in. Sure, berries from say, Cali may be on sale for under $3.00 but they barely make it through day 2 due to the time between being picked to being purchased.
I live in South Dakota where at least 50% of kids in schools seem to be on reduced or free lunches and half or more are on the backpack program. We have TONS of farm land yet it is all used to grow corn for cattle or ethanol or soy. Makes ZERO sense to me.
I can not wait to get a bigger yard and start my first garden. Shopping healthy IS expensive because the quality is poor (products in store that look shiny and healthy often are only because they have been kept hydrated with water sprinklers and go bad quicker, coated in wax or other treatments, or the "fresher" items are placed on top.
Before I moved in with my OH, we put two 4 x 8 raised beds on the lawn. In the first bed I have dill, chives, mint, parsley, Swiss chard, scallions, oregano, marigolds, a leek, two kinds of kale, snow peas, snap peas, and morning glory. I'm going to take out some mint (it's invasive so needs to be weeded aggressively) and put in regular basil, Thai basil, and cilantro, perhaps this afternoon. The white netting is to keep cabbage moths away from the kale.
The back is mostly strawberries. Strawberries need to be weeded too. I just started pole beans in the left cage and have some Malabar spinach coming up in the right cage. The left cage is higher because it was for tomatoes when his mother was alive. (Tomatoes need deeper soil.) While I like canned tomatoes, I can't stand fresh, and my OH is fine with supermarket tomatoes.
When all I had was a balcony I grew herbs in planter boxes, and they did well.
I love to garden - feel free to write if you want any tips. Here's the first - soil preparation is key!0 -
We have a large family (4 kids during school year, 6 kids in the summers) and I find that the variations of beans and rice are the cheapest healthy option. That's usually the core of our diet even now that we do have more $. Sometimes I get the big bag of chicken breasts from Sam's but generally speaking it's beans beans beans. And eggs.
And dayum they can be super delicious:
Lentil Salad (lentils, carrots, onion, jalapeno, dressed with olive oil, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper)
Lentil or Yellow split pea Dal
Chili
Black Beans & Rice with platanos
Pinto Bean and tomato soup
Tostadas, burritos (not in a REALLY tight week because these are a million times better with cheese)
Channa Masala
Lots of other stuff. Where we find it very difficult is fruits. Fruit just seems to be very expensive now - I saw apples listed at 4.99/pound the other day - that's literally a five dollar apple. At the old house we had trees with lemons, limes, and carambola, loquat, longan, papaya and oranges (but the orange trees died) so we had some fruit even when we could not buy it; but now no trees, it all has to be bought and to get, say grapes for the kids for one day, while grapes are "on sale" at the store, will cost over $15. That's not something that fits into a small or even a reasonably generous budget like we have now. I spend about $50 every two weeks on fruits from Sam's club, and the kids eat fruit one week but not the next, and I get the big bags of frozen diced fruit, that's the way we handle it for now.
Potatoes aren't cheap in my city, never were really, except the occasional loss leader sale.
Even dried beans have become more costly, but still seem to have the best bang for the buck.
I've had weeks with $20 to feed everyone but thankfully on those weeks we had already olive oil, spices, canned tomatoes, things on hand to use with the $20 of grocery spending, and back then the kids got school lunch, that helped.
Now I want lentils...
@robininfl what's your recipe for Channa Masala?0 -
I want to know how you managed to go into Trader Joe's and only spend $11.00!
3 -
I see the original quite old, but I wonder how prices have changed.
.99$ for a pack of blackberries?? Is insane to me
They are on sale for 4$ for a 6 oz sometimes I've paid 5+$ for a 4 oz container.1
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