STOP saying healthy food is more expensive
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Like I've seen others say in this thread, OP has apparently never been poor or fallen on hard times. My husband and I live in a studio apartment in the middle of the city, so no garden for us! My husband lost his job last year and has been nonstop searching for another one, and I'm disabled and cannot work. We survive on food stamps to eat, and we have a fridge about half the size of a normal one. Let me break this down for you.
When I wasn't eating healthy, basically meaning canned pasta and soup for dinner with a cheap generic soda every night and cereal every day for breakfast, we were fine. The food stamps more than covered it, and we sometimes had enough to roll over to the next month. We get ~$300/month for both of us, keep in mind.
Now that we've both started eating healthy - salads, veggies, fresh fruit, cutting out soda - it's increased our bill at the checkout counter dramatically. Usually we are able to make two shopping trips per month and spend about $125 each time. The first time after making the change, we got the checkout counter, and for our first trip of the months' total? $230. Keep in mind I shop at Walmart, a) Because its one of the only stores around here unless you want to get ripped off at Whole Foods, and because b) our car is a gas guzzler and WalMart is the only store close enough where we can pick up everything we need in one go.
So now, because we're eating healthier, we have to only make one trip a month, we usually end up missing a meal a day so we can ration food, and I can't begin to tell you the number of times we've had to knock on our neighbor's door and ask if we can use his fridge space. When we didn't eat healthy, we didn't have to worry about tons of perishables. And have to make this stuff last now for a MONTH.
TL;DR - Try being poor and on food stamps and then tell me healthier food costs less. Because it doesn't.0 -
I don't know about you but eating more veggies and fruits is breaking the bank. It costs around 160-200 bucks for us. Produce is super expensive where I am at.0
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Like I've seen others say in this thread, OP has apparently never been poor or fallen on hard times. My husband and I live in a studio apartment in the middle of the city, so no garden for us! My husband lost his job last year and has been nonstop searching for another one, and I'm disabled and cannot work. We survive on food stamps to eat, and we have a fridge about half the size of a normal one. Let me break this down for you.
When I wasn't eating healthy, basically meaning canned pasta and soup for dinner with a cheap generic soda every night and cereal every day for breakfast, we were fine. The food stamps more than covered it, and we sometimes had enough to roll over to the next month. We get ~$300/month for both of us, keep in mind.
Now that we've both started eating healthy - salads, veggies, fresh fruit, cutting out soda - it's increased our bill at the checkout counter dramatically. Usually we are able to make two shopping trips per month and spend about $125 each time. The first time after making the change, we got the checkout counter, and for our first trip of the months' total? $230. Keep in mind I shop at Walmart, a) Because its one of the only stores around here unless you want to get ripped off at Whole Foods, and because b) our car is a gas guzzler and WalMart is the only store close enough where we can pick up everything we need in one go.
So now, because we're eating healthier, we have to only make one trip a month, we usually end up missing a meal a day so we can ration food, and I can't begin to tell you the number of times we've had to knock on our neighbor's door and ask if we can use his fridge space. When we didn't eat healthy, we didn't have to worry about tons of perishables. And have to make this stuff last now for a MONTH.
TL;DR - Try being poor and on food stamps and then tell me healthier food costs less. Because it doesn't.
This0 -
Try shopping Wholesale [ex. Costco], and you will get a lot for your money. The markup there is only 15%, which is a lot lower than the likes of Walmart, Target, Fareway, etc; just a thought.0
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This...Like I've seen others say in this thread, OP has apparently never been poor or fallen on hard times. My husband and I live in a studio apartment in the middle of the city, so no garden for us! My husband lost his job last year and has been nonstop searching for another one, and I'm disabled and cannot work. We survive on food stamps to eat, and we have a fridge about half the size of a normal one. Let me break this down for you.
When I wasn't eating healthy, basically meaning canned pasta and soup for dinner with a cheap generic soda every night and cereal every day for breakfast, we were fine. The food stamps more than covered it, and we sometimes had enough to roll over to the next month. We get ~$300/month for both of us, keep in mind.
Now that we've both started eating healthy - salads, veggies, fresh fruit, cutting out soda - it's increased our bill at the checkout counter dramatically. Usually we are able to make two shopping trips per month and spend about $125 each time. The first time after making the change, we got the checkout counter, and for our first trip of the months' total? $230. Keep in mind I shop at Walmart, a) Because its one of the only stores around here unless you want to get ripped off at Whole Foods, and because b) our car is a gas guzzler and WalMart is the only store close enough where we can pick up everything we need in one go.
So now, because we're eating healthier, we have to only make one trip a month, we usually end up missing a meal a day so we can ration food, and I can't begin to tell you the number of times we've had to knock on our neighbor's door and ask if we can use his fridge space. When we didn't eat healthy, we didn't have to worry about tons of perishables. And have to make this stuff last now for a MONTH.
TL;DR - Try being poor and on food stamps and then tell me healthier food costs less. Because it doesn't.
but..
it is very possible to eat whole fruits and veggies but your variety will suck *kitten*.
I am from Texas where food is the cheapest as you can find it. While standard of living will vary from place to place. I spend about 50-80 dollars a week on groceries. minumum
Grass fed steak alone is about 10+ dollars a pound and if I get ground beef I can get it for 3.30 a lb at costco.
Rice can be cheap and htat ground beef can last me for a while. The thing is. The other foods such as a variety of fruits and vegetables are a pain in the *kitten*. If anything it would be best to go to a bulk store and buy fruits and veggies that will last the longest. For the average person it is very expensive. Berries in Texas are pretty pricey along with avocados.
I have and always believed berries and avocados are power foods that no one really gets enough of.
I have never had a low budget. If anything I am fortunate enough to purchase whatever food I want. I know for the average american it is very hard to.
Open your eyes OP and please stop being snobby0 -
Reasonable Quality Steak: $26.99 a pound
Potato Chips: $3.99 a bag
Just sayin!
Yep. Sorry to disagree with the poster, but eating healthy (i.e. organic, locally-grown produce, grass-fed beef, quality dairy, etc.) is way more pricey. In California I spend $100/week if I'm lucky for the two of us (and my boyfriend doesn't consume meat!)
If you go to Walmart and buy cheap, non organic, factory farmed, huge industrial foods (and foods based around lots of soy and corn) then yes, it'll be cheaper.
I guess it all depends on what you consider "healthier," OP. To this person I have just quoted, I am in California too and I feel your pain. My family eats all organic produce---mostly local (plus we grow our own)---and we only eat pastured animals and animal products. So grass fed beef, truly free-range chickens, raw milk from grass fed cows, etc. We buy very little processed food and when we want baked desserts I make them from scratch. But you get what you pay for. Our milk alone is $14.99/gallon and I still spend a ton at the farmers' market, even though it's "supposed" to be cheaper. We're a family of 4 including a 2 and 4 year old. I plan my meals and shop according to my meal plans, and still I spend between $250-500 a week on food. It is our biggest expense by far. We are not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but we make good food a priority. We've had to sacrifice some things to afford it but it's worth it to us. We look at it as an investment in future health. But to each their own. Our lifestyle is not for everyone and I wouldn't dream of pushing it on anyone else; I spend many hours in the kitchen every day and not everyone has that luxury. So I say live and let live.
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Eating healthy with adequate protein is expensive.0
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I agree that eating healthy doesn't have to break the bank ... BUT it does depend on where you live, how much time you have available to cook, and your level of creativity in the kitchen.
I'm fortunate to live on the west coast of Canada, where family farms, and their corresponding produce markets, abound. Mid-summer it's not surprising to get two full grocery bags of produce for around $15. Then I get creative. I don't have a lot of money, so this is the type of thing I do to make healthy food on a budget:
- To a pound of lean ground chicken ($2.50), I extend it with oat bran, mushrooms, onions, grated zucchini and/or chopped spinach (2-3 cups of whatever was a good deal) ... and end up with about 8 healthy chicken burgers. No reason this couldn't be done with hamburger too.
- Or I'll cook a $1 head of cauliflower, toss it and the water into a blender, return to the pot and add half a can of coconut milk (about 75 cents) ... and end up with 4-5 2-cup servings of really delicious soup for $1.75.
- A friend just gave me a smoked trout, so I turned part of it into another fabulous soup, with onions, frozen chopped spinach, and a half a can of coconut milk.
- Instead of spending a lot of money on fresh or frozen juices, pick up a $2 bottle of lemon juice and make tons of lemonade.
- Freeze all leftover meat bones and make a delicious and very nutritious bone broth, which can be eaten on its own, or used to make other things such as soups, sauces and gravies.
These are just a few ways I've found to eat healthy without taking out a mortgage.
LOVE!! I'm going to try those chicken (turkey) burgers!! Thanks for sharing your recipes!!0 -
When I shop for healthier foods, I definitely spend more money. It's more expensive to buy fresher items.
Actually, in many cases. frozen food has more nutrients than fresh. "Fresh" food has often ripened while sitting on a truck. Frozen foods are generally picked at peak and then immediately frozen to maintain taste (as well as micronutrients).0 -
Try shopping Wholesale [ex. Costco], and you will get a lot for your money. The markup there is only 15%, which is a lot lower than the likes of Walmart, Target, Fareway, etc; just a thought.
Nearest one of these to my location is about 3 hours away
Just wanted to pop in and say, yes it costs more, for me anyway; yes it's worth it; not complaining (too much) but it could be that this is part of the reason I got fat. I was always buying food on a budget.
PS I don't have cable and my cell phone is work issued so I don't pay for that either. Cost of living in my area is a good bit higher than 10 years ago and wages haven't increased that much.0 -
FYI If You Are American.....
In 1929, the avg American household spent more than 23 percent of disposable income on food. Since 2000 the percentage of disposable income on food has been under 10 percent every year.
I spend about 17% of my after-tax income on groceries. I think the 10% might be skewed because of people with high incomes. The higher your income, the lower the percentage of it will be spent on food. I am at the lower end of the income scale, so it's a higher percentage, but the total is much less than many people with money to blow on "luxury" food items. (pre-packed stuff)0 -
I know we all have different taste buds but some of the stuff that ya'll are saying you prepare/cook to be healthy and save money doesn't sound like it taste very good.0
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This is a non-issue for me. Food is something I'm willing to spend money on. I'll make sacrifices in other areas if I have to, but I've invested too much time and money in my education and my career to say that I can't afford to eat what I want. I'll get rid of cable, Internet, phone, trips, etc., before I cut back on groceries. I do try not to be wasteful with the food I buy because wasting food is just dumb, but that's about as financially concerned as I'm going to get on the subject.
This0 -
For those who say healthy food is too expensive; is it more expensive then the doctor? Because you will spend more time being sick and at the doctor (and missing work/kids missing school) if you eat unhealthy then if you pay up front for healthy and eat better.
But ultimately it is your decision to make. We choose healthy up front and skip on doctors.
That's a moot point when you HAVE NO MONEY.
If I'm broke, guess what? There's no "decision" to be made. I get to feed my family for a week on $50. If I get sick, guess what? It doesn't matter how expensive the doctor is because we aren't going unless its to the ER.
Exactly. Don't you think if everyone had a choice they would prefer healthier stuff? Not everyone has a choice. And there are assistance programs that don't provide fresh food, ie WIC. That pretty much provides milk, eggs, cheese, and peanut butter. Where are the vegetables and fruit there?0 -
You're right, if you do it a smart way and are willing, and able, to cook all your meals from scratch. I can and we spend a total of e30 each week on groceries. For two adults. That included my boyfriends chocolates too. I buy what's on offer, and cook accordingly. Some weeks it's e20, some it's e35. And I make all my dogs treats out of that too, but not his food. It can be done, and we find "junk" much more expensive than one of my meals0
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in...to learn how 30.00 feeds two people for a week....
I live by myself and spend about 150.00 a week....
^^ HOLY CRAP!!
I *wish* I had that kind of money to spend on food. That would be $600 per week for four of us. That's almost my whole effin' check! We spend about $80-$100 on food for one week, four people. It sucks eating ground beef and chicken all the time, and sometimes we run out of milk the last couple of days before payday.
I still say that for people claiming that eating healthy is expensive, it's their attitude about "healthy" vs. "unhealthy" food that's often the problem. Some people would whine that my diet isn't healthy. Meh. Oh well. :ohwell:
We do our grocery budget by food group. I spend X amount on meat, dairy, veggies/fruits, grains/cereals, and then a bit on "staple items." I rarely buy anything pre-packaged because you are typically paying extra for someone else to process your food for you.0 -
it isn't an excuse. as a newlywed, just starting off, and still in college, i find myself trying to cut back where ever i can. and there really aren't many things i can do. i use coupons to save my family enough money to survive on, and i can't find coupons for produce anywhere. when my store gives them out i use them but they are very rare, so i'm stuck to prepackaged crap... i don't have a fortune to spend on healthy food. and when you live on a 75 dollar a month food budget, you need to cut costs where ever possible, and i would rather spend my calories, than my rent money. however, i don't complain when i am over my calorie budget, i just try harder burn them off.
In my area, the only coupons that exist are for high dollar, pre-packaged items that I still can't afford with the coupon. :laugh:0 -
I WISH I could spend $30 a week on just me, went to the grocery store the other day and bought: spinach, apples, asparagus, broccoli, cottage cheese, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and egg whites and spent $30. I already had chicken and fish and I'm moving so the food was limited. Generally I spend around $50 a week and around $150ish at Sams club once a month (generally buy my chicken, fish, and some other items from here in bulk since they're cheaper). Do I complain though? No. I spend money on my gym membership and food, and I'm ok with that, I stopped going tanning and getting my nails done so I could do this, I also don't eat out and pack my lunch everyday for work. It works for me, but my roommate can feed herself and her boyfriend for a week for $30 of pre-packaged processed foods. so yes, eating healthy is more expensive and yes, a lot has to do with the area I live in, but thats fine, and I'm ok with spending more money on my health and fitness than on other things.0
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I honestly just bought $30 worth of fresh veggies, whole grain bread, meats, milk and cheese. I know it will last my hubby and I at least an entire week....
I calculated how much it would cost to get mac and cheese and chips and soda and crappy foods, I could get about the same amount of food, but a bag of chips goes so fast and it's not filling and makes you feel uber icky. I know that if I bought $30 of junk food, fast food, quick meals - I would not be able to sustain more than a few days between two people.
So, please stop with the excuses that eating healthy is too expensive. Grow a garden, pack some carrots, stay up an extra 10 mins to prepare a meal for the next day. Jeepers Creepers, quit complaining and research what groceries you have locally and what seasons good food comes in season/what freezes for winter when fruits and veggies go up in price.
While I agree that sometimes unhealthy and healthy food can be relatively priced, I think you're overlooking a number of factors. For example, depending on the area of the country/world you live in, healthy food may be equally priced. I know in my state, you pay at least 1.5x more for anything healthy/organic, and most bad foods are $1-$3. Plus, there are plenty of people that have health conditions or lifestyle choices that result in the inability to live off of $30/week, or they can't even afford $30/week, so their options are more limited.0 -
I agree with you. When we started MFP a month ago, I did find I was spending more on groceries; however, we weren't eating out anymore! There is something so satisfying about going to the check out with a cart heaping with veggies, fruits and lean proteins. I always make sure to have a low fat ice cream in there, but that isn't more expensive than the full fat version. It isn't more expensive to eat healthy. In fact, I am going to a fruit stand to get local fruit today. I'm kind of excited.0
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oh but it is.0
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Healthy food I'd much cheaper, if nothing but not eating out.0
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Bottom line is: Where there's a will there's a way ... if you really want something you will make it work.
By the way, this applies to all aspects of life.
*Applause*0 -
I don't know about you but eating more veggies and fruits is breaking the bank. It costs around 160-200 bucks for us. Produce is super expensive where I am at.
A pack of frozen veggies here is roughly $1/pound, so we do smaller meat portions and load up on veggies. Fruits, meh, it's pretty much just bananas at our house unless something is on sale. $1/pound is my limit on produce.0 -
Eating healthy with adequate protein is expensive.
^^ This is the first *FAIR* statement about being poor. Protein is the *only* thing that we have to carefully budget. I try to get 100 grams per day, and it's by far the most expensive macro to consume.0 -
I think it also depends on if you were eating some healthy foods to start with and also if you are eating less calories to lose weight now or just eating better.
If you are eating less calories to lose weight then yeah your bill would probably go down when a pound of meat becomes 4 servings instead of 2 so you can buy less meat and you basically just drop the junk totally from your shopping list (especially if you were buying alot of junk including sodas) and you would add more produce to the mix.
If you didn't eat very many healthy foods to start then yeah replacing all the cheap junk food with fresh foods would totally send your grocery bill through the roof especially if you were eating the same amount of calories and just replacing the junk with healthier choices.0 -
I don't know about you but eating more veggies and fruits is breaking the bank. It costs around 160-200 bucks for us. Produce is super expensive where I am at.
A pack of frozen veggies here is roughly $1/pound, so we do smaller meat portions and load up on veggies. Fruits, meh, it's pretty much just bananas at our house unless something is on sale. $1/pound is my limit on produce.
A dollar a pound for frozen veggies is a sale price here -- I usually stock up on veggies if I can find them then, but if I weren't living alone my freezer size wouldn't be adequate and I'd have to pay the regular price (usually quite a bit more).0 -
Couple of thoughts--
When cutting out sugary'/carby foods and choosing good, clean food, lean meat, veggies, proteins, limiting my fruits, et cetera I found my appetite decreased. For myself, I can eat fairly inexpensively and make wise choices and cut out all the crap and not put myself too far behind financially.
HOWEVER-- in the real world where I live, with eight kids living at home, still in various stages of growth spurt (which equals amazing kid hunger) all at the same time, it is unbelievably expensive to focus on only healthy food. A bag of apples costs twice as much as a bag of chips... But goes just as quickly!
Having said that-- I am still trying, but I must take issue with the original poster. It is not as easy and pitter-pat as you'd lead others to believe. So you and your husband can get by at the ripe old age of 23?? Super.
Try having a couple of kids after you grow up and feeding a large family and get back to me when you do.
Until then, you may wish to descend from your high horse and consider that you just may not have all the answers.
Some thoughts, not only directed to you, but to people with these attitudes in general... why would you have so many kids if you can't afford to feed them proper healthy food? Someone who puts their money into their health is not on a high horse, they are probably someone who has made smart decisions. Like we're suppose to feel sorry for you because you went out and had too many kids?
The discussion here is not about people having kids and not being able to afford them--that is another issue, and to make a blanket statement like that is pretty ignorant.
I have 4 kids, and buying them healthy food IS more expensive. They like a lot of pasta, which I can cheaply flavor with homemade pesto w/ basil from our garden, although I still have to buy garlic, parmiggiano and olive oil. Garlic isn't too bad, but fresh parmiggiano is very expensive (so I buy the crappy parmesan--it's hard to justify 7-10$ for cheese per week) and evoo is very expensive. A $14 bottle lasts us about 3 weeks. Eating healthy is not just about buying vegetables--there are many ingredients that go along with it. Making tomato sauce is another matter. I can buy canned, and I try to buy a decent kind that has a nice flavor, not just whatever is on sale. Or I can grow my own tomatoes, which I do, but do you know how many you need to make just a little bit of sauce? And that it takes months for tomatoes to even grow and ripen, which leads me to believe that OP has never even had a garden herself. You might save a couple of bucks, but there is a lot that goes into "just grow a garden". We try to make sauce to freeze, but it doesn't last long. And I don't want to just feed them pasta/rice and vegetables, I want them to have meat/chicken/fish, and that is pricey. Many have pointed out that hamburger can be cheap, and I use that too in some meals. But you can't eat that every single day (well you can, but I don't know how healthy it would be to have it every day). Variety is expensive.
Again, I have 4 kids, and don't worry--I am able to support them/feed them, if that is your issue. But the issue here is whether or not eating healthier is more expensive, and it definitely is.0 -
You have to take into consideration that other people aren't just buying for themselves and a spouse. Some people have families and that can make the total skyrocket, especially if all you can afford is super cheap-ramen budget groceries.0
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I honestly just bought $30 worth of fresh veggies, whole grain bread, meats, milk and cheese. I know it will last my hubby and I at least an entire week....
And if you live in rural Algeria, you can get organic chickens that are so fresh they still have feathers on and a ton of very fresh, organic, locally produced veg for way less than what you paid for the above. WAY less.
of course, it all depends where you live. Because, you know, local economies. Food costs different amounts of money in different places, even within the same country. Never mind if you're comparing between countries. Food in the UK is *way* more expensive than it is in rural Algeria. So if someone from rural Algeria told people in the UK that they were making excuses and not trying hard enough to find cheap, organic foods, because they can get all their weekly groceries from their local market for (add really low price here), you'd say they weren't being fair because Algeria is not like the UK.... well the same applies with you. Just because you can get all that for 30 dollars where you live, doesn't mean everyone can.I calculated how much it would cost to get mac and cheese and chips and soda and crappy foods, I could get about the same amount of food, but a bag of chips goes so fast and it's not filling and makes you feel uber icky. I know that if I bought $30 of junk food, fast food, quick meals - I would not be able to sustain more than a few days between two people.
Again, it depends where you live. In some places junk food is cheaper than healthy food. In other places, healthy food is cheaper than junk food. In my experience, low quality food is pretty much always cheaper than good quality food, and so the very poor end up eating low quality food, and not out of choice.So, please stop with the excuses that eating healthy is too expensive. Grow a garden,
I don't have one. or a big enough freezer to store more than a week's worth of frozen anything.
BTW I eat healthy, and I earn enough money that this is not an issue. I'm just saying all the above to point out that it really is not that simple, and also that just because you can get all that for 30 dollars or whatever, doesn't mean everyone can, because local economies are different and if you are poor there are lots of barriers to doing the things that you suggested, like if you don't have a garden you can't grow very much fruit and veg. Maybe you can grow herbs on the window sill, that's about it. If you don't have a large freezer, you can't store very much frozen food to take advantages of bargain prices, and you may not ever have enough money at one time to buy stuff in bulk to begin with. If you don't have a car, you can't shop around to find the cheapest place to buy stuff, you have to stick to places that you can walk to, which greatly limits you choices and often forces you to pay more for things than you would if you had a car and the freedom to shop around, and means that you can't buy some things at all.
Where I live, there are two supermarkets that are within walking distance for about 8 months of the year, and only my corner shop within walking distance in the height of summer (I live in Bahrain, with Arabian Gulf temperatures and 100% humidity) - the prices in those supermarkets are not the cheapest, and the range of stuff they sell is not that good, compared to if I were to drive into town to the big supermarkets in the malls. If I can only get to my local corner shop, their range is tiny, and the prices are inflated, because they're a very small business. I'd survive, but their range of meat, fruit and veg is tiny. As it happens, I have a car, so I can drive to the big supermarkets in the malls and get a much better range of produce for better prices. So yes, I'd say that for people who are very poor where I live, it IS more expensive and more difficult. And I'm sure that around the world you'll find places where it's cheaper to eat healthy, and places where it's cheaper to eat poor quality food.0
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