STOP saying healthy food is more expensive
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I also don't know if some of you realize it, but some folks don't have internet, computer access, or much of an education to figure out what is in season, what is considered healthy, how to budget for produce, etc... Some folks don't have cars to get to the store or bounce around from farmers market to co-op to grocery store to butcher etc.0
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What kind of meal is rice, beans, and eggs? and with teen boys?
It's calorie-dense, cheap as dirt, and easy.0 -
I see a lot of people saying they "make" a lot of their from scratch and that is fine IF you have the time. $30 is low i went to the store on sunday and just for my fruits this week i spent $25. Location/time/amount of family members have to be considered.
As long as people recognize this is a time and desire choice, not a direct cost/calorie choice, then it's fine.
If someone is looking for cheap food and ends up with packaged chips, that's a massive failure of a financial decision.
I disagree, i can shop and make decisions on my time and budget not someone else's. It requires both time and money. But at the end of the day its an individual choice. And unless you live in every state and every city and county its ridiculous to believe you can say what is affordable everywhere.0 -
Healthy eating is about the same for me too. However, it also depends on where you live. Some places healthy food cost a lot more.0
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I don't know about a heathy typical diet, but being a vegetarian has definitely saved me a lot of money. Meat is expensive, beans are super cheap.
True, though I am not a vegetarian!0 -
It can be more expensive depending on what you're comparing it to. I used to feed my teen boys and I those $3 all in one boxed dinners. I can't make a healthy meal for 3 people for $3. I'm glad that your grocery bill hasn't gone up but don't assume everyone shopped the same way as you.
^^this0 -
I enjoy cooking, I enjoy eating quality, nutritionally dense meals that are delicious. I have the same view on food as I do my fitness, its a cost I'm willing to pay up front to avoid potential medical bills later. Meaning my health is more than just calories, its macro and micro nutrients. I do eat "junk food" but its not the backbone of my diet and I guarantee my grocery bill has shrank because of it.
For those of you complaining about the cost of big box grocery stores, check out farmers markets, buy local. I am able to buy grass fed ground sirloin from a local farm here in Cleveland for about $4.30/lb. In NM I was paying $4.90/lb for Wal-Mart ground angus, pretty low quality angus at that.
The steak and potato chips comparison is just absurd.0 -
Does the OP know this is an international board and there are different costs of living?
Is use to live in a place that a gallon of milk costs $5 and it only lasts about 5 days. Vine tomatoes went for $6.99lb. Pineapples were $10 a piece. Steak was $20-30 lb depending on the cut. Ground beef and chicken about $6 lb. Nothing ever went on sale. The shelf life of produce was measured in a few days. Never got to a week. Next to nothing was locally grown. Don't forget the 60 kph in electric to cook and run the fridge.
Now I live in Indiana and things are pretty cheap because of the local farmers.
So yeah, it's great you can get things at a low cost but it's ridiculous to think worldwide people can get all that stuff at the same cost.0 -
I like turtles.
That's the cutest thing ever.0 -
I guess I live in a pretty nice place cause I get coupons all the time from Safeway for fresh veggies, salads, meats and fruit on line. Yeah, most of the deals are on the processed canned and boxed stuff but they do offer these deals for those of us that have a Safeway card and have singed up to get their deals sent to them weekly via email. I use coupons at my Safeway all the time and I will also check prices with a lot of grocery stores near me to make sure I am getting the best deal I can for my groceries...Ever notice there are a TON of coupons for cereal, chips, cookies, boxed pasta/potato meals but NO coupons for fresh meats, fruits/veggies or dairy. This is why eating healthy costs more. You cant get discounts on these items.
Nope it's always new products too. They dont offer reduced rates on any fresh groceries.0 -
I understand where the OP is coming from... I think that it would be better to say.. STOP using excuses. I know that I have heard this excuse from ALOT of people who spend WAY more on "junk" food then they would if they just made a sensible meal. While we may not all be able to eat on 30$ a day.. we can agree that saying "healthy food is more expensive" isn't a reason to remain unhealthy or overweight.0
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yeah... no. If I want 5 chicken breasts it costs $12-15. There goes half of my budget. A gallon of milk is more than $5.
WELCOME TO BC!0 -
I hate that argument as well. In my household of four, we usually spend about $300 ($400 at max) a month on groceries-- most of it is healthy foods, but certainly there's "junk" in there too. That breaks down to ten bucks to feed four people a day. And since we aren't on a strict budget, I know for a fact we could trim that number down. Other people do the same:
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/yourbestfitness/99-cent-diet-could-it-work-you
If you really want to eat healthier, a small food budget can still get you there.0 -
I use a canner and a freezer so that I can make batches of 30-40 servings per cooking session. Larger batches would not add significant time, though I would need to buy a 2nd canner so they can both be canning in parallel. Roughly, I spend about 40 hours per year (i.e. 3.3 hrs per month) making the following:I see a lot of people saying they "make" a lot of their from scratch and that is fine IF you have the time. $30 is low i went to the store on sunday and just for my fruits this week i spent $25. Location/time/amount of family members have to be considered.
1.) Bread
2.) Chili
3.) Boston Baked Beans
4.) Refried beans (Frijoles)
5.) Chicken Soup
6.) French Onion Soup
7.) Belgium Waffles
8.) Spaghetti Sauce
9.) Salsa
10.) To Die for Cinnamon Rolls
The secret, cook large batches. It's been so successful, I'm looking for my family's next "high volume, high cost" food item to start making myself.
P.S.-The wife, seeing the success, has started to make individual meal servings (not batching it up like me yet).
P.P.S.-We've never enjoyed the taste of home prepared food so much. No going back for us.0 -
Whoa! Is that gold plated unicorn steak? Angus rib-eye in my area is $9 on sale. I'm glad I live in the cheap seats!Reasonable Quality Steak: $26.99 a pound
Potato Chips: $3.99 a bag
Just sayin!
Amen!!
Grass fed usda choice. The really good stuff- prime- 40/lb.0 -
It really depends where you live, even which neighborhood you shop in. For two people my grocery bill is just over $100/week and that includes fruits and veggies. I would love to have Chicken Breasts but no way am I paying $5/lb for them! Most of our meals are bean/veggie/pasta based and while I balk at paying so much for fresh stuff in the end it's worth it.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.
I agree with this. I'd rather spend a bit extra on good, healthy food. I have 2 children and I refuse to feed them crap. We may not be rich, but we earn enough to have decent, home cooked meals.
I have never eaten unhealthily anyway, so I don't know how much it would cost to eat junk for a week.0 -
There's a reason there's a correlation between socioeconomic status and obesity. If you're on a limited budget, a few things become true.
- Shelf life is important. You want the most you can get, for the least you can spend, for the longest it will last. NO WASTE.
- Fill factor is important. High-density, high-calorie foods are usually cheaper. Beans, rice, pasta, cheese, etc. You eat less of those than you do of salad to feel full.
- Gardening is most likely out. If you're poor, you probably have no place to start a garden, or you lack the tools, etc. to cultivate one. Even if you do, good luck watering it and paying for the water.
I could go on, but those three really address the few points I saw in the initial post that needed attention.0 -
You have obviously never been poor and tried to feed an entire family.
When my husband was growing up, they would buy bulk beans and rice and tortillas. Throw in some eggs and that was breakfast lunch and dinner for DAYS. Cost pp per meal? Like twenty five cents. Or hot dogs! One pack of hot dogs and buns and a can of chili? $3. Or spaghetti! Back before meat wasnt through the roof expensive, it was a $6 meal they could eat on for days. Or a giant pack of sausage. Or the dollar menu at McDonald's.
There's "rich people" junk food' and "poor people" junk food. People really strapped for cash don't indulge in shopping carts full of name brand sodas, TV dinners, oreos, and Twinkies. They also don't want to munch on carrots like a rabbit. They want hearty, filling meals that stick so their kids aren't asking for a snack in 2 hours.0 -
It can be more expensive depending on what you're comparing it to. I used to feed my teen boys and I those $3 all in one boxed dinners. I can't make a healthy meal for 3 people for $3. I'm glad that your grocery bill hasn't gone up but don't assume everyone shopped the same way as you.
You can't? Rice, beans & scrambled eggs for 3 people would be less than $3.00 if you're buying your beans and rice in bulk (and probably healthier than some sodium laden packaged stuff)
Oh trust me we ate a lot of rice & beans, pancakes, eggs, spagettie etc. OP is stating that I could have bought fresh fruits and veggies just as cheap. Processed foods and items that are not fresh are much cheaper than trying to feed a family fresh veggies and meat etc.
Spagetti with $1 can of sauce would only cost $2...add another $1 for bread and again it was a $3 meal that lacked "fresh" foods.0 -
You don't live where I live. You don't know what foods costs here.0
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You have obviously never been poor and tried to feed an entire family.
When my husband was growing up, they would buy bulk beans and rice and tortillas. Throw in some eggs and that was breakfast lunch and dinner for DAYS. Cost pp per meal? Like twenty five cents. Or hot dogs! One pack of hot dogs and buns and a can of chili? $3. Or spaghetti! Back before meat wasnt through the roof expensive, it was a $6 meal they could eat on for days. Or a giant pack of sausage. Or the dollar menu at McDonald's.
There's "rich people" junk food' and "poor people" junk food. People really strapped for cash don't indulge in shopping carts full of name brand sodas, TV dinners, oreos, and Twinkies. They also don't want to munch on carrots like a rabbit. They want hearty, filling meals that stick so their kids aren't asking for a snack in 2 hours.
^^This
When you don't have a lot of money for groceries you don't fill your cart with "junk". You fill it with necessities. It was rare we bought chips, cookies, soft drinks, juice or even milk.0 -
come live where i live and tell me eating healthy is just as cheap..
money isnt a problem for us but it is EXPENSIVE here .0 -
I think there are way too many variables to say one way or the other is cheaper. Seriously.
When I was married to my ex husband, we used to eat mostly processed foods and convenience foods with just a bit of produce and fresh items thrown in, and we also ate meat. I currently eat primarily fresh foods, with no pork, beef or poultry, and very few processed "junky" foods. I spend about the same either way. I'm a frugal shopper in all areas and get a lot for my grocery budget.
I know some people who eat exclusively crap and they spend a TON on it.
I know people who meat makes all the difference for...My ex and I spent maybe $20/week on meat and I know a couple who spend at least $15/day on meat. If they gave up even one thing, like red meat, they'd save $100+ per month. For me it wasn't a budget saver at all because fish is just as expensive if not more so.
I know people who eat "healthy" but their kitchens are chock full of pricey 100 cal packs of everything, a million frozen entrees, and processed diet foods galore. Bottled water and diet energy drinks and protein powder...the price of that stuff is NOT low.
I know people who are extreme about gourmet, raw, and/or organic eating and spend at least 5 times my grocery budget each month. Possibly more. My coworker spent $4 on one apple.
It just varies!0 -
People really strapped for cash don't indulge in shopping carts full of name brand sodas, TV dinners, oreos, and Twinkies. They also don't want to munch on carrots like a rabbit. They want hearty, filling meals that stick so their kids aren't asking for a snack in 2 hours.
Part of the problem is a knowledge gap. For some reason the beans and rice are getting lost, and a lot of people are making horrific financial choices they can't really afford to make. Packaged extremely cheap materials (e.g. potatoes) are often 10x as expensive as purchasing a comparable calorie volume of the base materials.
No idea where people chatting on an internet forum fall though. Cheap, expensive.. it's all relative.0 -
There's a reason there's a correlation between socioeconomic status and obesity. If you're on a limited budget, a few things become true.
- Shelf life is important. You want the most you can get, for the least you can spend, for the longest it will last. NO WASTE.
- Fill factor is important. High-density, high-calorie foods are usually cheaper. Beans, rice, pasta, cheese, etc. You eat less of those than you do of salad to feel full.
- Gardening is most likely out. If you're poor, you probably have no place to start a garden, or you lack the tools, etc. to cultivate one. Even if you do, good luck watering it and paying for the water.
I could go on, but those three really address the few points I saw in the initial post that needed attention.
love love love this... SO TRUE. I live in a 3rd floor apartment, zero room for a garden. Also my fridge and freezer are VERY small so shelf life is a huge deal, hence why I have a lot of pasta and mac and cheese and beans. Also, when I lived in NY, many of the healthier foods were on sale and more readily available. Now that I'm in the midwest, all of the garbage is on sale. I buy frozen veggies to get some veggies in my life and eat bananas and apples. When you're a full time student, it is very difficult!0 -
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.
Good quote. Congrats on your 110 pd weight loss!!! :happy:0 -
Whoa! Is that gold plated unicorn steak? Angus rib-eye in my area is $9 on sale. I'm glad I live in the cheap seats!Reasonable Quality Steak: $26.99 a pound
Potato Chips: $3.99 a bag
Just sayin!
Amen!!
I know. Is that price for aged Kobe beef or something? On sale, Angus ribeye is frequently $9.99 around here with the regular price for ribeye, sirloin, etc. somewhere between $11.99 - $15, depending on the cut. Only something like filet mignon or veal is regularly above that in my area (and I'm not talking Walmart, which I would anticipate to be less)
Comparing top of the line organic aged beef to generic potato chips is a pretty unequal comparison. To be fair, at least compare it to a boutique brand of kettle chips fried in duck fat or something.
Whoa! Is that gold plated unicorn steak? Angus rib-eye in my area is $9 on sale. I'm glad I live in the cheap seats!Reasonable Quality Steak: $26.99 a pound
Potato Chips: $3.99 a bag
Just sayin!
Amen!!
Grass fed usda choice. The really good stuff- prime- 40/lb.0 -
We ate fairly cheap on a variety of "healthy" styles we've cycled through. I can't say how much we spent then, but now it's around $300/month for two people (one low carb, one cleanish - nobody start a fight I said "ish").
I use meal planning loosely (what needs to be eaten next - ok that will be Tuesday). I hit Aldi's and Kroger about monthly. IF you are near an Aldi's the produce is dirt cheap - mushrooms $.59/pkg, Artisan lettuce in the box $1.99. I know they aren't "organic" but organic hasn't come to my neighborhood unless I grow it LOL I also buy nuts, eggs, cheese, pork skins (for the LC'er), etc at Aldi's.
Kroger - I hit the "managers specials" in produce and meats - pick up natural PB (Kroger brand) and otherwise just shop what's on sale. I look for meat under $2/pound first - usually that means whole chickens, chicken thighs or leg quarters, ground chuck on sale, pork (why does freakin pork keep runnin on sale - I've slowed down on it - tired of it). Then if I don't have enough meat I add a few pkgs of the more expensive stuff (English Roast is my favorite to add) I did just grab "clearance - aka mgrs special" organic celery for $1 (2 in the pkg)
I sometimes use a kroger coupon I get in the mail, and I do save coupons for stuff, but I seldom use them. Mostly they are for processed things like mixes and sodas. Since we don't eat them I just give those coupons away or donate the food to our food bank if it makes it free or close to it.
The rest of the month I shop in my own little town - the store ain't worth much but a sale here and there helps out. And an occasional road side stand (farmers all over the place here - but not many selling local - we're apparently feeding Asia - crops are cotton, corn and soybeans). There are some strawberry farms and orchards (mainly peaches) I can drive a long way to - but I don't like to travel 30-60 miles to buy a bag of peaches.
I do have an egg lady - with mostly free range chickens who meet me at the car like little store greeters - but she is sold out sometimes.
I grow my own food some - I suck at it. There is an investment, but I'm buying in slowly. You don't have to buy it all at once and it's mostly reusable stuff. It's mostly in flower pots - I'm up to about 12 pots. I could do it in the ground - and plan to eventually. Pots are easier for now. They stretch the budget some, but I couldn't live off my garden skills. .
That's just how I afford it. We don't eat breads/processed much. I am eating through a box of Quaker granola bars - free coupon for Kroger - free is always nice :laugh: They do a free coupon every Friday online.
I probably spend 10 mins/week reading the sales papers to plan my shopping - so not a big time investment. I spend some time prechopping and dividing up value packs/veggies. Probably an hour or two a week at most. The rest is just eating it. Most meals are quick or crock pot easy stuff.0 -
I get a free meal every shift at the fast food restaurant I work in. Can't get cheaper than that
(To be fair, I prove that it's possible to make relatively healthy choices during that free meal - smaller burger & fruit bag)0
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