Why Eating Healthy Isn't Expensive/Grocery Haul

1356789

Replies

  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    for those saying use those apps on your phone,doesnt work for all phones,my phone wont support those apps and I cant afford a new phone. as for aldis,closest one to me is 65miles one way, we have no costco,no harris teter(none in the whole state).we dont have any stores that double coupons anymore let alone triple them.They also have the right to refuse any coupon that wont scan as well. those who are saying eggs are cheap,where I live the cheapest brand is the farmers market(walmart) brand for 1.98 a dozen everything else is over $2. steaks here for one tbone could be as much as $7 a piece on sale,berries are expensive at walmart they are 2.48 a pint for blackberries,raspberries are over $3,strawberries are even more for a quart.

    I envy those who can get all these things cheaper.we have no BJs(food club store sorta like sams club) our nearest sam's is also 65 miles one way. the farmers market we do have is held on saturdays in the summer and what they want for produce is a joke, we have no butcher shops,we do plant a garden and freeze food. but that will only get so far.I try to eat as healthy as I can but it does get hard to do when you have to eat low carb and some of the cheaper foods you cant eat.

    Why do you have to eat low carb?

    because believe it or not my cholesterol is back up from eating high carbs(was eating over 250g a day). I have been on a low cholesterol diet in the past,that actually made it worse, I have been on a diet where I eliminated red meats,,etc and it never came down. I was on meds and it only came down so far on meds. the last time I ate low carb(not keto) my numbers came down over half,I just didnt stick with it so it went back up again. so Im back to eating low carb. for some reason. it doesnt matter what I do or dont eat,if I eat higher carbs my cholesterol goes up. have had it for over 15 years so Ive done everything out there trying to lower it. The meds starting making me really sick so had to stop them and the lower carb helped last time
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    helenrosec0 wrote: »
    It can be hard finding bargains in different supermarkets though, if you don't have a car and they are all a bus ride away, also time can be an issue. I have my main food shop delivered so can't really buy from different supermarkets. Also fresh healthy foods can be more expensive that processed foods, for example 6 apples for £1 I can get 4 packs of biscuits for that or a multi pack of crips which would last longer and fill me up.

    no public transportation here and no one delivers, you are lucky to have those options though. but yeah the "junk" food is cheaper here than the healthy foods.

    Junk food is cheaper than bulk rice, legumes and beans, canned and frozen vegetables, and frozen meats? Fresh fruit and green vegetables are more expensive in certain areas but there is still a lot you can do to save money rather than eat junk food. Organics are great if you can afford them (and you believe the hype, which I don't), but they certainly aren't necessary for a healthy diet.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    helenrosec0 wrote: »
    It can be hard finding bargains in different supermarkets though, if you don't have a car and they are all a bus ride away, also time can be an issue. I have my main food shop delivered so can't really buy from different supermarkets. Also fresh healthy foods can be more expensive that processed foods, for example 6 apples for £1 I can get 4 packs of biscuits for that or a multi pack of crips which would last longer and fill me up.

    no public transportation here and no one delivers, you are lucky to have those options though. but yeah the "junk" food is cheaper here than the healthy foods.

    Junk food is cheaper than bulk rice, legumes and beans, canned and frozen vegetables, and frozen meats? Fresh fruit and green vegetables are more expensive in certain areas but there is still a lot you can do to save money rather than eat junk food. Organics are great if you can afford them (and you believe the hype, which I don't), but they certainly aren't necessary for a healthy diet.

    I dont buy junk food for myself(where did I say I did?). I buy healthy foods but yes most junk foods are cheaper than the fresh foods. frozen fish here is $3 for pollock and up to $8-20 for other kinds for a couple of fillets,we dont have any store close that sells fresh fillets,a package of say whole grain bread(which I dont eat) is over $3 a loaf and thats store brand.bulk rice is like they have mahatma brand I think it is is over $7 for 5 lbs. frozen veggies I do buy thats about the cheapest thing there is as kroger brands are like 1.25 for a small bag.a lb of legumes like I said can be over $2 a bag,depending on the type of bean/legume.for my food alone its more than $100 for the month.I dont buy organics because they are more expensive. I buy a lot of greek yogurt too and the cheapest 32oz container is over $4 and thats the walmart brand. name brands are over $5
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
    Great post- I would love it if you posted back in a few weeks to let us know how long it lasted, how many cals you ate per day, and what the cost per day was.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    helenrosec0 wrote: »
    It can be hard finding bargains in different supermarkets though, if you don't have a car and they are all a bus ride away, also time can be an issue. I have my main food shop delivered so can't really buy from different supermarkets. Also fresh healthy foods can be more expensive that processed foods, for example 6 apples for £1 I can get 4 packs of biscuits for that or a multi pack of crips which would last longer and fill me up.

    no public transportation here and no one delivers, you are lucky to have those options though. but yeah the "junk" food is cheaper here than the healthy foods.

    Junk food is cheaper than bulk rice, legumes and beans, canned and frozen vegetables, and frozen meats? Fresh fruit and green vegetables are more expensive in certain areas but there is still a lot you can do to save money rather than eat junk food. Organics are great if you can afford them (and you believe the hype, which I don't), but they certainly aren't necessary for a healthy diet.

    I dont buy junk food for myself(where did I say I did?). I buy healthy foods but yes most junk foods are cheaper than the fresh foods. frozen fish here is $3 for pollock and up to $8-20 for other kinds for a couple of fillets,we dont have any store close that sells fresh fillets,a package of say whole grain bread(which I dont eat) is over $3 a loaf and thats store brand.bulk rice is like they have mahatma brand I think it is is over $7 for 5 lbs. frozen veggies I do buy thats about the cheapest thing there is as kroger brands are like 1.25 for a small bag.a lb of legumes like I said can be over $2 a bag,depending on the type of bean/legume.for my food alone its more than $100 for the month.I dont buy organics because they are more expensive. I buy a lot of greek yogurt too and the cheapest 32oz container is over $4 and thats the walmart brand. name brands are over $5

    If you can eat for a little more than $100 a month then I'd say you're doing pretty well. There is nothing wrong with frozen fish and bulk foods such as rice and legums may be purchased online. The comparison is not necessarily fresh vs. junk, it's healthy vs. junk.
  • amandatapar
    amandatapar Posts: 246 Member
    For my family of 7 food isn't cheap. My kids can eat a whole container of strawberries a day, bag of apples in two, etc. I eat differently than they do and don't eat the processed carbs. My protein drink add to the cost as well. The veggies aren't necessarily expensive but I don't buy frozen veggies. Fresh ones cost more. Things like sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, acorn squash are per pound. I make it work but don't have time for multiple stores due to their schedules and working full time.i do meal plan and pack my snacks and meals.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    helenrosec0 wrote: »
    It can be hard finding bargains in different supermarkets though, if you don't have a car and they are all a bus ride away, also time can be an issue. I have my main food shop delivered so can't really buy from different supermarkets. Also fresh healthy foods can be more expensive that processed foods, for example 6 apples for £1 I can get 4 packs of biscuits for that or a multi pack of crips which would last longer and fill me up.

    no public transportation here and no one delivers, you are lucky to have those options though. but yeah the "junk" food is cheaper here than the healthy foods.

    Junk food is cheaper than bulk rice, legumes and beans, canned and frozen vegetables, and frozen meats? Fresh fruit and green vegetables are more expensive in certain areas but there is still a lot you can do to save money rather than eat junk food. Organics are great if you can afford them (and you believe the hype, which I don't), but they certainly aren't necessary for a healthy diet.

    I dont buy junk food for myself(where did I say I did?). I buy healthy foods but yes most junk foods are cheaper than the fresh foods. frozen fish here is $3 for pollock and up to $8-20 for other kinds for a couple of fillets,we dont have any store close that sells fresh fillets,a package of say whole grain bread(which I dont eat) is over $3 a loaf and thats store brand.bulk rice is like they have mahatma brand I think it is is over $7 for 5 lbs. frozen veggies I do buy thats about the cheapest thing there is as kroger brands are like 1.25 for a small bag.a lb of legumes like I said can be over $2 a bag,depending on the type of bean/legume.for my food alone its more than $100 for the month.I dont buy organics because they are more expensive. I buy a lot of greek yogurt too and the cheapest 32oz container is over $4 and thats the walmart brand. name brands are over $5

    If you can eat for a little more than $100 a month then I'd say you're doing pretty well. There is nothing wrong with frozen fish and bulk foods such as rice and legums may be purchased online. The comparison is not necessarily fresh vs. junk, it's healthy vs. junk.

    thats just for me,there are 4 of us.and its more than a little over 100. that was just an average. this shopping trip it will probably be more just for me. no one else has to eat like I do.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    helenrosec0 wrote: »
    It can be hard finding bargains in different supermarkets though, if you don't have a car and they are all a bus ride away, also time can be an issue. I have my main food shop delivered so can't really buy from different supermarkets. Also fresh healthy foods can be more expensive that processed foods, for example 6 apples for £1 I can get 4 packs of biscuits for that or a multi pack of crips which would last longer and fill me up.

    no public transportation here and no one delivers, you are lucky to have those options though. but yeah the "junk" food is cheaper here than the healthy foods.

    Junk food is cheaper than bulk rice, legumes and beans, canned and frozen vegetables, and frozen meats? Fresh fruit and green vegetables are more expensive in certain areas but there is still a lot you can do to save money rather than eat junk food. Organics are great if you can afford them (and you believe the hype, which I don't), but they certainly aren't necessary for a healthy diet.

    I dont buy junk food for myself(where did I say I did?). I buy healthy foods but yes most junk foods are cheaper than the fresh foods. frozen fish here is $3 for pollock and up to $8-20 for other kinds for a couple of fillets,we dont have any store close that sells fresh fillets,a package of say whole grain bread(which I dont eat) is over $3 a loaf and thats store brand.bulk rice is like they have mahatma brand I think it is is over $7 for 5 lbs. frozen veggies I do buy thats about the cheapest thing there is as kroger brands are like 1.25 for a small bag.a lb of legumes like I said can be over $2 a bag,depending on the type of bean/legume.for my food alone its more than $100 for the month.I dont buy organics because they are more expensive. I buy a lot of greek yogurt too and the cheapest 32oz container is over $4 and thats the walmart brand. name brands are over $5

    If you can eat for a little more than $100 a month then I'd say you're doing pretty well. There is nothing wrong with frozen fish and bulk foods such as rice and legums may be purchased online. The comparison is not necessarily fresh vs. junk, it's healthy vs. junk.

    thats just for me,there are 4 of us.and its more than a little over 100. that was just an average. this shopping trip it will probably be more just for me. no one else has to eat like I do.

    Gotcha and I understood your post on that. I brought up the fresh point because I see so many people on here struggling over fresh and organic and thinking those are critical to a healthy diet. Fresh is great if you can afford it, but there is so much someone can do to for very cheap with basic bulk foods. Things are always easier with more money. I'll never argue that.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    Bump
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    MorganMoreaux wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    MorganMoreaux wrote: »
    I still have to disagree - junk food is more expensive. In my area, these are some of the prices:

    Soda - Mountain Dew - 2 liter $2.19
    Filtered spring water - $.38 / gal

    Dorritos - 10oz bag - 4.29
    Chips Ahoy Cookies - 12.4 oz - 4.29
    Kellogs Raisan Bran - 23.5 oz - 4.79
    Brewers Ice Cream - 48oz - 5.99
    Kraft Shredded Mozzarella - 7oz - 3.99

    Bob's Organic Steel Cut Oats - 24oz - 4.69
    Arrowhead Mills Organic Green Lentils - 16oz - 3.99
    HT organic dry chick peas - 16oz - 2.69
    Lotus Foods Organic Jade Pwarl Rice - 15oz - 4.99
    Frozen Veggies - 12oz - 1.50 or less
    Organic bananas - ~ $.40 each
    Organic fresh strawberries - 16 oz - 3.99
    Kale Chard Mix - 16oz - 2.50
    HT Organic Shredded Mozzarella - 6oz - 3.47

    I used organic items in this example because those are usually the highest priced items when discussing healthy foods. Fact remains, junk food is even more expensive than many of the organic items. The organic oatmeal is 24oz dry - you actually use less than the Raisan Bran, so the organic oatmeal last longer and is significantly healthier as it doesn't have all the artificial ingredients and added sugar. Notice how there are no chips or cookies in the bottom list, those have been replaced by fresh fruit, again, significantly less expensive and last longer, and full of nutrients. You can purchase organic rice, beans, and pasta in bulk and they are a fraction of what their less healthy counterparts are. Plus most of the organic foods have coupons available, and you can combine them with apps (all the phone apps are available for the computer as well) for an additional savings. Look at how much money is spent on soda, which offers zero nutritional value. I buy water in bulk as I don't trust municipal water in 5 gallon containers and its .38 a gallon. One can't even use the argument of living in a rural location as you can buy these groceries online, the shipping is free, and you can still use the PC apps if you don't have a smartphone.

    I think what it really comes down to is that some people don't really want to eat healthy or just aren't ready to make lifestyle changes. You can easily buy a 5 lb bad of rice, a 3 lb bag of beans, a 68oz bag of greens, five different types of frozen veggies, a bag of cheese and some fresh fruit for under $15 and best set for a weeks worth of meals. Some of it will outlast the week - the rice and beans will have left overs into the next couple of weeks. The only caveat is that the healthy stuff isn't hyper-palatable.

    I haven't spent money in years on some items such as organic rice, beans, steel cut oats as I wait for sales and use coupons. Those items are so versitile. Fresh produce is also really versitile and inexpensive as something is always going on sale. The most expensive snack item I purchase are organic cashews, as they are never on sale and don't have coupons, so I spend 4.99 a pound and they are still less expensive than many options that Plantars put out at the same weight, except Plantars comes with the added sugar and salt.


    where can you buy these groceries online and have them shipped free? and some of those apps dont work on pc's unless they are up to date with the latest OS,the ibotta Im pretty sure doesnt work with a pc its a phone app thing.as for organics we are also limited on that too. and organics are more expensive than regular. here bananas are like 59 cents a lb and organics are 69 cents, organic strawberries and other berries are $1-2 more than regular,a 1lb bag of beans here is anywhere from 1.69-over $2 a bag just for one lb. we dont have bulk nuts you have to buy packaged nuts.Im not joking either. none of the stores sell nuts by the lb and unpackaged. cheese if not on sale is say for sargento 3.99 for a bag of shredded cheese,on sale Im lucky to get it for 2.49. there is no way I could get what you stated for under $15,so yes you can use the argument of living in a rural area, try living where I live for 6 months and you will see that its not as easy as you think. I do buy fresh produce and other things every week and its not hard to spend a lot. apples are over $3 a lb as well.,oranges at walmart 3.88 a bag and thats a small bag, hell half the time ups wont deliver they will take things to the post office and make them deliver items.we dont have stores where you can buy in bulk. Ibotta you have to download the app on your device-Download the Ibotta app, available on iOS and Android. The app is required to submit a receipt. and you have to 4. Verify Your Purchases Scan your product barcodes, then submit a photo of your receipt. so yes you need a phone. how else are you going to scan bar codes? and yes while you can have it work with your loyalty card not all stores have loyalty cards.

    You can submit receipts to Ibotta via email. I've done so in the past.

    I used organic items simple as the example as they tend to be on the higher end of the price spectrum. Regular healthy items are less expensive. I did not intend to imply that ONLY organic items are healthy - it was to shove prices. One can eat healthy at a low cost, often less than what junk food costs - that was the point.

    As for you're location, I don't know where you live but apparently it's possible for you to get mail, so I'm guessing you can order items off the internet. However, Walmart accepts coupons, and you can also use the Saving Star app from the computer - it only requires receipts which you can upload. You can also request that Walmart order items for you, and you can order groceries from their site.

    As for the it's I cited in my example - it's not bulk. It's a prepackaged bag that I grab off the shelf. It's usually the only thing I pay full price for, and again, just part of an example.

    Anyway, the point of my post was to show that eating healthy is not more expensive than eating junk food. Many people state that they can't afford healthy food, which is either an excuse or they don't understand what healthy food is. I've found many people confuse food marketed as "diet" food as healthy, which isn't necessarily the case, and yes, that stuff tends to be more expensive. However, most whole foods or minimally processed foods tend to not be anymore expensive than junk, and often times are less expensive.

    yes walmart accepts coupons but there arent many coupons out there for healthy foods,I cant print anything off because my printer crapped the bed.I tried savings star and submitted a few receipts(they were scanned by my printer) and they told me that they could not be read.so they did not accept them so I lost out on any rebates I had coming.I dont buy diet foods I buy stuff like lean meats,frozen fish, cottage cheese,yogurt,nuts,seeds,fruits and veggies(frozen and fresh) eggs,salmon,butter,coconut oil. things along those lines.I do eat healthy but it does cost me more than buying the junk I used to eat,I even cut 99% of my chocolate out. Im not a big soda drinking so I dont buy any for myself most of the time.I bought some diet pepsi(6 pack) but that will probably last me a month or more.I just like to have something when I want a soda. I cut out orange juice and all other juices, I drink tea,coffee and water.I use my condiments sparingly.I dont even eat ice cream hardly ever. I still have half a pint sitting in the freezer going to waste. I get your points on everything but for some of us it is more expensive especially when the stores are limited to what they carry,as for walmart ordering items for me,I talked to them and I also talked to a friend who works at kroger,in order for them to order something they have to have a big enough demand for the item before they will order it.they wont order if only one person is wanting the item(s).trust me I have tried that route.half the time the things that the store shows being on sale arent even sold in our kroger.and our walmart varies on products. my local one(15 miles away) doesnt carry certain things,but the walmart 40 min away,carries things that our walmart doesnt or vice versa and I cant run a trip that is 40 min each way just to get certain things, but yeah. thats how it is for me.healthy eating is healthier for you but,junk food in my area seems to be cheaper than healthy foods, but then again this is WV
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    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.
    Their selection isn't huge, but they do get some interesting things. I stopped by today and picked up a pound of asparagus for a dollar.

  • RetroPolkaDot
    RetroPolkaDot Posts: 83 Member
    Unfortunately my veggie bill is higher. Except for corn and green peas I really hate frozen vegetables.
    I live in an area where double coupons do not exist nor do we have Aldis. We do have Winco which has a great bulk foods section. Summer will be here soon and the local farm will be selling produce. It's not always cheaper but it looks better and tastes better. I'm practically counting down the days until local fresh strawberry season.
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
    salembambi wrote: »
    oh look a thread of someone declaring its easy to eat healthy and totally cheap cause they can do it in their area , with their income, education & access to stores, congrats

    Someone flagged you, but you've just made my day.
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
    alyssa0061 wrote: »
    salembambi wrote: »
    oh look a thread of someone declaring its easy to eat healthy and totally cheap cause they can do it in their area , with their income, education & access to stores, congrats

    I believe I have thoroughly discussed the area and access to stores portion of your post.

    What I'm failing to see is where I ever mentioned my income or education.

    Income is obviously a factor being that this whole thread is about buying food as cheaply as possible. I also mentioned value more than once which is more important than just price. What I never said was my income, my income bracket or anything that even shadowed on how much, or little, I make.

    I also don't have any idea how education factors into this unless you're considering learning about nutritious foods and how to calculate costs. I didn't learn either of those things in school. I'm intrigued by your assumption of my education. I'd be interested to know what you think it is and how it applies to this.

    You do not have to share this for it to be a factor. What you consider to be cheap is not necessarily cheap for those on a lower income?

    Your education again does not have to me mentioned for it to be a factor. There have been multiple threads today asking what macros are (less education in nutrition), these people won't necessarily go out and make the right choices even if you think its easy too do.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I wonder who's flagging certain, non-abusive posts as abusive? The OP or her white knight? ^
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    MorganMoreaux wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    MorganMoreaux wrote: »
    I still have to disagree - junk food is more expensive. In my area, these are some of the prices:

    Soda - Mountain Dew - 2 liter $2.19
    Filtered spring water - $.38 / gal

    Dorritos - 10oz bag - 4.29
    Chips Ahoy Cookies - 12.4 oz - 4.29
    Kellogs Raisan Bran - 23.5 oz - 4.79
    Brewers Ice Cream - 48oz - 5.99
    Kraft Shredded Mozzarella - 7oz - 3.99

    Bob's Organic Steel Cut Oats - 24oz - 4.69
    Arrowhead Mills Organic Green Lentils - 16oz - 3.99
    HT organic dry chick peas - 16oz - 2.69
    Lotus Foods Organic Jade Pwarl Rice - 15oz - 4.99
    Frozen Veggies - 12oz - 1.50 or less
    Organic bananas - ~ $.40 each
    Organic fresh strawberries - 16 oz - 3.99
    Kale Chard Mix - 16oz - 2.50
    HT Organic Shredded Mozzarella - 6oz - 3.47

    I used organic items in this example because those are usually the highest priced items when discussing healthy foods. Fact remains, junk food is even more expensive than many of the organic items. The organic oatmeal is 24oz dry - you actually use less than the Raisan Bran, so the organic oatmeal last longer and is significantly healthier as it doesn't have all the artificial ingredients and added sugar. Notice how there are no chips or cookies in the bottom list, those have been replaced by fresh fruit, again, significantly less expensive and last longer, and full of nutrients. You can purchase organic rice, beans, and pasta in bulk and they are a fraction of what their less healthy counterparts are. Plus most of the organic foods have coupons available, and you can combine them with apps (all the phone apps are available for the computer as well) for an additional savings. Look at how much money is spent on soda, which offers zero nutritional value. I buy water in bulk as I don't trust municipal water in 5 gallon containers and its .38 a gallon. One can't even use the argument of living in a rural location as you can buy these groceries online, the shipping is free, and you can still use the PC apps if you don't have a smartphone.

    I think what it really comes down to is that some people don't really want to eat healthy or just aren't ready to make lifestyle changes. You can easily buy a 5 lb bad of rice, a 3 lb bag of beans, a 68oz bag of greens, five different types of frozen veggies, a bag of cheese and some fresh fruit for under $15 and best set for a weeks worth of meals. Some of it will outlast the week - the rice and beans will have left overs into the next couple of weeks. The only caveat is that the healthy stuff isn't hyper-palatable.

    I haven't spent money in years on some items such as organic rice, beans, steel cut oats as I wait for sales and use coupons. Those items are so versitile. Fresh produce is also really versitile and inexpensive as something is always going on sale. The most expensive snack item I purchase are organic cashews, as they are never on sale and don't have coupons, so I spend 4.99 a pound and they are still less expensive than many options that Plantars put out at the same weight, except Plantars comes with the added sugar and salt.


    where can you buy these groceries online and have them shipped free? and some of those apps dont work on pc's unless they are up to date with the latest OS,the ibotta Im pretty sure doesnt work with a pc its a phone app thing.as for organics we are also limited on that too. and organics are more expensive than regular. here bananas are like 59 cents a lb and organics are 69 cents, organic strawberries and other berries are $1-2 more than regular,a 1lb bag of beans here is anywhere from 1.69-over $2 a bag just for one lb. we dont have bulk nuts you have to buy packaged nuts.Im not joking either. none of the stores sell nuts by the lb and unpackaged. cheese if not on sale is say for sargento 3.99 for a bag of shredded cheese,on sale Im lucky to get it for 2.49. there is no way I could get what you stated for under $15,so yes you can use the argument of living in a rural area, try living where I live for 6 months and you will see that its not as easy as you think. I do buy fresh produce and other things every week and its not hard to spend a lot. apples are over $3 a lb as well.,oranges at walmart 3.88 a bag and thats a small bag, hell half the time ups wont deliver they will take things to the post office and make them deliver items.we dont have stores where you can buy in bulk. Ibotta you have to download the app on your device-Download the Ibotta app, available on iOS and Android. The app is required to submit a receipt. and you have to 4. Verify Your Purchases Scan your product barcodes, then submit a photo of your receipt. so yes you need a phone. how else are you going to scan bar codes? and yes while you can have it work with your loyalty card not all stores have loyalty cards.

    You can submit receipts to Ibotta via email. I've done so in the past.

    I used organic items simple as the example as they tend to be on the higher end of the price spectrum. Regular healthy items are less expensive. I did not intend to imply that ONLY organic items are healthy - it was to shove prices. One can eat healthy at a low cost, often less than what junk food costs - that was the point.

    As for you're location, I don't know where you live but apparently it's possible for you to get mail, so I'm guessing you can order items off the internet. However, Walmart accepts coupons, and you can also use the Saving Star app from the computer - it only requires receipts which you can upload. You can also request that Walmart order items for you, and you can order groceries from their site.

    As for the it's I cited in my example - it's not bulk. It's a prepackaged bag that I grab off the shelf. It's usually the only thing I pay full price for, and again, just part of an example.

    Anyway, the point of my post was to show that eating healthy is not more expensive than eating junk food. Many people state that they can't afford healthy food, which is either an excuse or they don't understand what healthy food is. I've found many people confuse food marketed as "diet" food as healthy, which isn't necessarily the case, and yes, that stuff tends to be more expensive. However, most whole foods or minimally processed foods tend to not be anymore expensive than junk, and often times are less expensive.

    yes walmart accepts coupons but there arent many coupons out there for healthy foods,I cant print anything off because my printer crapped the bed.I tried savings star and submitted a few receipts(they were scanned by my printer) and they told me that they could not be read.so they did not accept them so I lost out on any rebates I had coming.I dont buy diet foods I buy stuff like lean meats,frozen fish, cottage cheese,yogurt,nuts,seeds,fruits and veggies(frozen and fresh) eggs,salmon,butter,coconut oil. things along those lines.I do eat healthy but it does cost me more than buying the junk I used to eat,I even cut 99% of my chocolate out. Im not a big soda drinking so I dont buy any for myself most of the time.I bought some diet pepsi(6 pack) but that will probably last me a month or more.I just like to have something when I want a soda. I cut out orange juice and all other juices, I drink tea,coffee and water.I use my condiments sparingly.I dont even eat ice cream hardly ever. I still have half a pint sitting in the freezer going to waste. I get your points on everything but for some of us it is more expensive especially when the stores are limited to what they carry,as for walmart ordering items for me,I talked to them and I also talked to a friend who works at kroger,in order for them to order something they have to have a big enough demand for the item before they will order it.they wont order if only one person is wanting the item(s).trust me I have tried that route.half the time the things that the store shows being on sale arent even sold in our kroger.and our walmart varies on products. my local one(15 miles away) doesnt carry certain things,but the walmart 40 min away,carries things that our walmart doesnt or vice versa and I cant run a trip that is 40 min each way just to get certain things, but yeah. thats how it is for me.healthy eating is healthier for you but,junk food in my area seems to be cheaper than healthy foods, but then again this is WV

    That's tough and frustrating. I'm sorry you're in that situation. WV is a beautiful state btw. When I started a lifestyle change to healthier eating I didn't have a lot of resources and the area had crummy grocery stores so I grew a lot of my own produce. I finally moved to a new location that has a lot of grocery store options, but I still grow as much as I can. This year I am going to try freezing some of the items from the garden to try to get me through the winter. I'm in eastern North Carolina, and the weather is pretty mild so the gardens continue to produce well into the fall.
  • SallyH77
    SallyH77 Posts: 42 Member
    I plan and cook approx 80% of my family meals.

    My fortnightly grocery budget is $350 for 2 adults and 2 teenagers (including household items as well). As a price comparison, chicken breast is usually $12.00 per kg, eggs are roughly $4 a dozen etc. Sometimes I can get chicken breast on sale for $10 per kg. I have never in my life seen eggs for .90c a dozen! (Australia).

    Even at $350 a fortnight, its cheaper for me to cook than eat out.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited May 2016
    delete
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    MorganMoreaux wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    MorganMoreaux wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    MorganMoreaux wrote: »
    I still have to disagree - junk food is more expensive. In my area, these are some of the prices:

    Soda - Mountain Dew - 2 liter $2.19
    Filtered spring water - $.38 / gal

    Dorritos - 10oz bag - 4.29
    Chips Ahoy Cookies - 12.4 oz - 4.29
    Kellogs Raisan Bran - 23.5 oz - 4.79
    Brewers Ice Cream - 48oz - 5.99
    Kraft Shredded Mozzarella - 7oz - 3.99

    Bob's Organic Steel Cut Oats - 24oz - 4.69
    Arrowhead Mills Organic Green Lentils - 16oz - 3.99
    HT organic dry chick peas - 16oz - 2.69
    Lotus Foods Organic Jade Pwarl Rice - 15oz - 4.99
    Frozen Veggies - 12oz - 1.50 or less
    Organic bananas - ~ $.40 each
    Organic fresh strawberries - 16 oz - 3.99
    Kale Chard Mix - 16oz - 2.50
    HT Organic Shredded Mozzarella - 6oz - 3.47

    I used organic items in this example because those are usually the highest priced items when discussing healthy foods. Fact remains, junk food is even more expensive than many of the organic items. The organic oatmeal is 24oz dry - you actually use less than the Raisan Bran, so the organic oatmeal last longer and is significantly healthier as it doesn't have all the artificial ingredients and added sugar. Notice how there are no chips or cookies in the bottom list, those have been replaced by fresh fruit, again, significantly less expensive and last longer, and full of nutrients. You can purchase organic rice, beans, and pasta in bulk and they are a fraction of what their less healthy counterparts are. Plus most of the organic foods have coupons available, and you can combine them with apps (all the phone apps are available for the computer as well) for an additional savings. Look at how much money is spent on soda, which offers zero nutritional value. I buy water in bulk as I don't trust municipal water in 5 gallon containers and its .38 a gallon. One can't even use the argument of living in a rural location as you can buy these groceries online, the shipping is free, and you can still use the PC apps if you don't have a smartphone.

    I think what it really comes down to is that some people don't really want to eat healthy or just aren't ready to make lifestyle changes. You can easily buy a 5 lb bad of rice, a 3 lb bag of beans, a 68oz bag of greens, five different types of frozen veggies, a bag of cheese and some fresh fruit for under $15 and best set for a weeks worth of meals. Some of it will outlast the week - the rice and beans will have left overs into the next couple of weeks. The only caveat is that the healthy stuff isn't hyper-palatable.

    I haven't spent money in years on some items such as organic rice, beans, steel cut oats as I wait for sales and use coupons. Those items are so versitile. Fresh produce is also really versitile and inexpensive as something is always going on sale. The most expensive snack item I purchase are organic cashews, as they are never on sale and don't have coupons, so I spend 4.99 a pound and they are still less expensive than many options that Plantars put out at the same weight, except Plantars comes with the added sugar and salt.


    where can you buy these groceries online and have them shipped free? and some of those apps dont work on pc's unless they are up to date with the latest OS,the ibotta Im pretty sure doesnt work with a pc its a phone app thing.as for organics we are also limited on that too. and organics are more expensive than regular. here bananas are like 59 cents a lb and organics are 69 cents, organic strawberries and other berries are $1-2 more than regular,a 1lb bag of beans here is anywhere from 1.69-over $2 a bag just for one lb. we dont have bulk nuts you have to buy packaged nuts.Im not joking either. none of the stores sell nuts by the lb and unpackaged. cheese if not on sale is say for sargento 3.99 for a bag of shredded cheese,on sale Im lucky to get it for 2.49. there is no way I could get what you stated for under $15,so yes you can use the argument of living in a rural area, try living where I live for 6 months and you will see that its not as easy as you think. I do buy fresh produce and other things every week and its not hard to spend a lot. apples are over $3 a lb as well.,oranges at walmart 3.88 a bag and thats a small bag, hell half the time ups wont deliver they will take things to the post office and make them deliver items.we dont have stores where you can buy in bulk. Ibotta you have to download the app on your device-Download the Ibotta app, available on iOS and Android. The app is required to submit a receipt. and you have to 4. Verify Your Purchases Scan your product barcodes, then submit a photo of your receipt. so yes you need a phone. how else are you going to scan bar codes? and yes while you can have it work with your loyalty card not all stores have loyalty cards.

    You can submit receipts to Ibotta via email. I've done so in the past.

    I used organic items simple as the example as they tend to be on the higher end of the price spectrum. Regular healthy items are less expensive. I did not intend to imply that ONLY organic items are healthy - it was to shove prices. One can eat healthy at a low cost, often less than what junk food costs - that was the point.

    As for you're location, I don't know where you live but apparently it's possible for you to get mail, so I'm guessing you can order items off the internet. However, Walmart accepts coupons, and you can also use the Saving Star app from the computer - it only requires receipts which you can upload. You can also request that Walmart order items for you, and you can order groceries from their site.

    As for the it's I cited in my example - it's not bulk. It's a prepackaged bag that I grab off the shelf. It's usually the only thing I pay full price for, and again, just part of an example.

    Anyway, the point of my post was to show that eating healthy is not more expensive than eating junk food. Many people state that they can't afford healthy food, which is either an excuse or they don't understand what healthy food is. I've found many people confuse food marketed as "diet" food as healthy, which isn't necessarily the case, and yes, that stuff tends to be more expensive. However, most whole foods or minimally processed foods tend to not be anymore expensive than junk, and often times are less expensive.

    yes walmart accepts coupons but there arent many coupons out there for healthy foods,I cant print anything off because my printer crapped the bed.I tried savings star and submitted a few receipts(they were scanned by my printer) and they told me that they could not be read.so they did not accept them so I lost out on any rebates I had coming.I dont buy diet foods I buy stuff like lean meats,frozen fish, cottage cheese,yogurt,nuts,seeds,fruits and veggies(frozen and fresh) eggs,salmon,butter,coconut oil. things along those lines.I do eat healthy but it does cost me more than buying the junk I used to eat,I even cut 99% of my chocolate out. Im not a big soda drinking so I dont buy any for myself most of the time.I bought some diet pepsi(6 pack) but that will probably last me a month or more.I just like to have something when I want a soda. I cut out orange juice and all other juices, I drink tea,coffee and water.I use my condiments sparingly.I dont even eat ice cream hardly ever. I still have half a pint sitting in the freezer going to waste. I get your points on everything but for some of us it is more expensive especially when the stores are limited to what they carry,as for walmart ordering items for me,I talked to them and I also talked to a friend who works at kroger,in order for them to order something they have to have a big enough demand for the item before they will order it.they wont order if only one person is wanting the item(s).trust me I have tried that route.half the time the things that the store shows being on sale arent even sold in our kroger.and our walmart varies on products. my local one(15 miles away) doesnt carry certain things,but the walmart 40 min away,carries things that our walmart doesnt or vice versa and I cant run a trip that is 40 min each way just to get certain things, but yeah. thats how it is for me.healthy eating is healthier for you but,junk food in my area seems to be cheaper than healthy foods, but then again this is WV

    That's tough and frustrating. I'm sorry you're in that situation. WV is a beautiful state btw. When I started a lifestyle change to healthier eating I didn't have a lot of resources and the area had crummy grocery stores so I grew a lot of my own produce. I finally moved to a new location that has a lot of grocery store options, but I still grow as much as I can. This year I am going to try freezing some of the items from the garden to try to get me through the winter. I'm in eastern North Carolina, and the weather is pretty mild so the gardens continue to produce well into the fall.

    yeah we grow veggies during the late spring to late summer. we are expected to get temps at night in the 30s again(for an evening or two) so hubby will wait to plant until that threat is over. dont need plants dying.we do freeze a lot of our veggies too and we swap veggies and share with the neighbors and vice versa.its not bad during the summer just winter and early spring.yeah it sucks not having good grocery stores,I guess they could be worse though,no wonder there is a lot of obesity here in the state.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    elaineamj wrote: »
    Listen - this might be a bit "mean", but there's always reasons why it's too hard. Or it's too expensive. I live in Canada and groceries are definitely more expensive than in the US (I also visit the US often and grocery shop so I know the prices). So some things are more expensive where you live than the OP. That's where u live. That shouldn't stop u from considering the core of OP's message. How about giving yourself the challenge to see if u can still eat healthy AND drop your grocery bill? Not necessarily get the same prices she did - but less than u are currently spending.

    I got an eye opener when I started reviewing the flyers BEFORE planning my weekly menu. I started to plan meals around what was on sale and my expenses dropped. It's not much savings for each meal, but over a month it made a big difference.

    Eg zucchini is usually $1.99 to $2.49 here. Sometimes it drops to $0.79. Time to make some zoodles!

    Chicken breast is expensive here in Canada - typically $4.99-5.49. Every once in a long while, it drops to $2.99 and then it's time to stock up.

    Since I started reading flyers, I have noticed that there is always some kind of meat on sale somewhere that week. This week, ground pork was $1.99/lb in one store (up to $3.49 in other stores). I aim to spend $1.99/lb or less on meat. Beef has been $$ though so we haven't had any beef in a few months. It's been mostly pork chops/roasts or chicken quarters.

    I am also in Canada (see my first post about my envy of OP's prices on the first page) but I also visit the US.
    While the cost of food here is higher, the cost of fast food is also higher. We just got back from Florida a couple of weeks ago where my brother in law (first time there) was in awe of the 2 for $5 Big Macs.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    Do you folks know and keep a budget on groceries? It's a sensitive topic in my family so I gave up even talking about it. I don't know how to respond to sayings like ... "well, we're not throwing away money. It's for the foods we eat. We're not wasting". Get this over that? "It's not the same".

    Is it also "false economy" to save on foods, only to overeat then exercise hard to "waste" the calories? Someone pointed that out to me.

    We keep a budget for everything in our house. We budget $1200/mo for food and all other household needs (cleaners, misc. clothing, non-food needs, etc). Our actual food budget runs about $1000 of that $1200 (per month). Someone told me one time that planning $50 per person per week for food is considered "average." I have no idea where they got that number and I wasn't doing anything with it so I didn't check it out. But when I look at my food budget, that's about what it comes out to.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    ReaderGirl3 wrote: »
    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    Do you folks know and keep a budget on groceries? It's a sensitive topic in my family so I gave up even talking about it. I don't know how to respond to sayings like ... "well, we're not throwing away money. It's for the foods we eat. We're not wasting". Get this over that? "It's not the same".

    Is it also "false economy" to save on foods, only to overeat then exercise hard to "waste" the calories? Someone pointed that out to me.

    Yep, we budget $90 a week for our family of 5. This also includes things like toilet paper, cleaning supplies and laundry detergent. It does NOT cover things like pet food and eating out, those we budget separately.

    I shop mostly at Meijer, Aldi and then Family Fare (smaller, local chain that's higher priced but runs good specials here and there, and it's our closest option as well).

    We live in an area that has an amazing growing season where I can get fresh produce cheap at a local farmers market (like a grocery bag overflowing for $10), but off season we eat a LOT of frozen veggies. Meijer will sometimes get as low as .79 a bag and I buy 20-30 bags then.

    I buy 75% of our fruit frozen at Dollar Tree-bags of frozen blueberries, strawberries etc for $1. I bake with them, mix them in oats and yogurt etc. And then I buy fresh bananas and apples at Meijer. We also do U-Pick farms in the summer for cherries, strawberries and blueberries (I freeze 10lbs each of the strawberries and blueberries, to use in the fall). This brings the cost down to $2 or less a pound and it's a fun outing with the kids :)

    Bread outlets are a great option as well-our local one has the 'fancy' whole grain options for under $1 loaf (organic is $1.39)

    Aldi is where I get our snack stuff-chips, cookies and cookie/muffin mixes, box cereal, packed lunch snacks etc. I also get our shredded cheese and frozen fish there.

    Coupons are something I need to get back into-I used to be one of those crazy coupon ladies (I was buying 10 Sunday papers at one time and would walk into the store with my 20lb coupon binder oiy!), but got burned out and stepped away from all of it. Getting the itch to get back into it, at least a little bit.

    Great post OP and it's fun to see different people's shopping experiences, based on where they live!

    That's awesome, ReaderGirl (and that one "Awesome" is from me :)). You're running a tight ship, very inspiring.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories