Costing a lot more money to eat healthier! :(
kayleexbabeex
Posts: 55 Member
I'm buying two seperate shops, one for my family and then my own food shop which is a lot more healthier and low calorie/fat free things, it's costing a bomb todo this and it's draining my purse 
anyone else find this?
anyone else find this? 0
Replies
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You are being scammed. Healthy food doesn't have to be expensive or taste miserable. You don't have to eat separately from your family. Buy normal food from normal grocery stores.33
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Totally with @kommodevaran on this one. Plus the family can eat what ever you, can't they?
For cheap and health I recommend Cooking on a bootstrap and Budget bytes
It is an absolute myth that healthy food = expensive.
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Eat what your family eats, just portion control the higher calorie stuff and bulk your plate out with veggies. No need to buy special food.14
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Weight loss is about calories not type of food. You can eat the same food as your family. All you have to do is reduce portion sizes of higher calorie stuff. Fill your plate with more vegetables. Have more meatless meals. Bake or grill instead of frying foods. Serve chicken instead of beef. Soup is a good dollar stretcher.
Low budget friendly foods where I live are oatmeal, tuna, whole chicken or chicken thighs, dry beans, lentils, rice, pasta, bread, peanut butter, eggs, potatoes, carrots, apples, ground turkey, cabbage, onions, canned tomatoes, frozen vegetables7 -
Eat "normal" food but eat less of it. No reason to make it a chore or more expensive.7
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dutchandkiwi wrote: »It is an absolute myth that healthy food = expensive.
That entirely depends on where you live, and there have been studies that prove it absolutely does cost more to eat healthy, particularly in food deserts. That being said, if someone has the time to prep and cook meals and doesn't live somewhere where healthy foods are out of reach, cost or distance-wise, then it is absolutely possible to eat healthy for less, particularly if you buy lots of things in bulk.
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When I eat healthier, I save money. Fresh vegetables are cheaper than processed foods. I guess if you go for the branded "Healthy" options that are marketed specifically at slimmers, then they can be expensive. But the staples to make low calorie, healthy meals are often cheap. Try looking for bulk deals and stock up on things if you have space to store them.11
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To save money I go to the reduced section and freeze when I get home! Or buy the deals 2 for 1 etc and just freeze untill I need it! You can freeze lots of things! X3
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kommodevaran wrote: »You are being scammed. Healthy food doesn't have to be expensive or taste miserable. You don't have to eat separately from your family. Buy normal food from normal grocery stores.
This. My total grocery budget for a family of 5 and two cats is $100 a week and that includes non-food items (yesterday I bought a 16lb bag of cat food, toilet paper, shampoo, deoderant and kleenex as part of my grocery shopping trip and my grand total for this week was $88). I've lost around 50lbs and am now in maintenance and in that time my grocery budget has fluctuated from $60-$125 a week.
OP-you don't have to eat any special kinds of foods-eat what you normally do, just in smaller portion sizes. Actually, losing weight should save people money because they're cutting back on calories and not eating as much food.
Do you have an Aldi nearby?5 -
When I eat healthier, I save money. Fresh vegetables are cheaper than processed foods. I guess if you go for the branded "Healthy" options that are marketed specifically at slimmers, then they can be expensive. But the staples to make low calorie, healthy meals are often cheap. Try looking for bulk deals and stock up on things if you have space to store them.
And frozen veggies are even cheaper than fresh
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unsuspectingfish wrote: »dutchandkiwi wrote: »It is an absolute myth that healthy food = expensive.
That entirely depends on where you live, and there have been studies that prove it absolutely does cost more to eat healthy, particularly in food deserts. That being said, if someone has the time to prep and cook meals and doesn't live somewhere where healthy foods are out of reach, cost or distance-wise, then it is absolutely possible to eat healthy for less, particularly if you buy lots of things in bulk.
What does it matter where you live? You just eat what you have always eaten but eat less of it. That way you save money.
If your hungry buy seasonal local veg or ask at allotments, use this to bulk out your plate.3 -
crzycatlady1 wrote: »When I eat healthier, I save money. Fresh vegetables are cheaper than processed foods. I guess if you go for the branded "Healthy" options that are marketed specifically at slimmers, then they can be expensive. But the staples to make low calorie, healthy meals are often cheap. Try looking for bulk deals and stock up on things if you have space to store them.
And frozen veggies are even cheaper than fresh
Yep! I buy mostly frozen veggies these days because I don't have to worry about them spoiling if I'm gone for a few days. Plus, they're tasty, super-nutritious, and quick to micro-steam.6 -
My family eats what I eat, with the exception of a few of my gluten free foods. I have celiac, they don't. I spend $600-650/month for a family of six including toiletries, cleaning supplies and dog items. It also includes protein powder & protein bars.
I eat less than I used to and they eat some things that are healthier than what they used to eat. So be it.1 -
I save money I've noticed because I don't eat out nearly as much as I used to but if I do eat out the portions last through 2 or 3 meals. I even buy better quality meats and veggies at the store now and I still spend less. Last week the grocery store had a sale on fresh organic Salmon that brought the price down below the farm raised kind. For me, meal prepping also has saved considerable money.6
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I fed my whole family healthy meals. Not all salads and packaged foods labeled 'fat free' or 'diet', but healthy balanced meals. I had neither the funds or inclination to fix 2 meals. They ate it or went hungry until they were old enough to buy/prepare their own meals.10
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Clearly buying everything separately for your family is not working for you. Like others suggested, you and your family absolutely can eat the same meals. Just portion your meal (or snack) out appropriately for your calorie goals. For example, if you're having chicken, potatoes, and broccoli, portion yourself more broccoli and less potatoes than you might portion for another member of your family. Make sure you are weighing and measuring your foods as appropriate so you can figure out your portions.3
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I don't find it to be any more expensive. I don't buy any junk food (except for occasional single servings after a run) anymore. I buy more (usually frozen) vegetables and a bit less meat. Mostly cutting down on the high-calorie-dense starchy foods - but much of this is cutting the portions of this cheap calorie source rather than replacing it with something more expensive. If I do a rice-based dish, I dilute with extra amount of frozen/canned veggies. I can get almost everything I buy from the cheap lower-cost grocery store (rather than the supermarket). I do a lot of egg salad/salmon salad/tuna salad/chicken salad. A lot of rice & beans (where the rice, beans, meat is largely 'diluted' by frozen veggies). I do everything in batches and pre-portion out into known calorie content.0
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The easiest transition may be to just buy more vegetables to take up volume on the plate, so you can lower the portion of calorie-denser foods you already make. They don't have to be organic, fresh, etc. Frozen/canned is fine. And you'll get more servings out of the main dish.1
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Down 42lbs so far and 50 years old...
I eat what my family eats. I weigh and measure, they don't. I exercise my wife doesn't (daughter is getting into it).
I don't snack as much as they do so I've incurred very little extra expense. (protein bars, powder)2 -
Where is this that fresh fruits and vegetables cost less than processed foods? A lb of apples is 2.95/lb. The same lb of boxed mac n' cheese is $1. A bag of mandarin oranges are $6.99. Even iceberg lettuce is well over $1/lb! Zucchini? That costs $2/lb this time of year. I live in a highly agricultural area as well. Cucumbers (.68/lb) and broccoli are super affordable right now so we eat a lot of that. Five lbs of potatoes is $4.99.
In the winter in a cold climate I rely on frozen vegetables. We shop sales for our protein and plan meals around those sales. For my family of 4 (my boys are 6 and 7) I spend about $130-140 a week, and that doesn't include things like dog food, tissues, shampoo, etc. To be totally transparent I could spend less if I wanted to but I enjoy eating and, well, I like what I like!
I think that this is highly regional. If you can't afford it, use canned/frozen veg to bulk up meals. No need to buy separate foods. Yes, there are some foods that are bought that only I eat, some that only the kids eat, and some that only hubby eats just because of snack preferences. For example, I do LCHF and enjoy salami and provolone roll-ups for a quick snack at night and no one else touches salami.5 -
Why would you feed your family unhealthy food and then make separate food for yourself? Make one meal for everyone. Don't fall for the hype that you need to eat special magical expensive foods to lose weight. Just eat food you can afford at a calorie deficit.5
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Skyblueyellow wrote: »Where is this that fresh fruits and vegetables cost less than processed foods? A lb of apples is 2.95/lb. The same lb of boxed mac n' cheese is $1. A bag of mandarin oranges are $6.99. Even iceberg lettuce is well over $1/lb! Zucchini? That costs $2/lb this time of year. I live in a highly agricultural area as well. Cucumbers (.68/lb) and broccoli are super affordable right now so we eat a lot of that. Five lbs of potatoes is $4.99.
In the winter in a cold climate I rely on frozen vegetables. We shop sales for our protein and plan meals around those sales. For my family of 4 (my boys are 6 and 7) I spend about $130-140 a week, and that doesn't include things like dog food, tissues, shampoo, etc. To be totally transparent I could spend less if I wanted to but I enjoy eating and, well, I like what I like!
I think that this is highly regional. If you can't afford it, use canned/frozen veg to bulk up meals. No need to buy separate foods. Yes, there are some foods that are bought that only I eat, some that only the kids eat, and some that only hubby eats just because of snack preferences. For example, I do LCHF and enjoy salami and provolone roll-ups for a quick snack at night and no one else touches salami.
It will depend on location and available stores but I only buy fresh produce when it's on sale and then I supplement with frozen. I also make my menu plan around what's on sale and walk into the store with cash and a plan of action lol.
This week at Aldi and Meijer I got (fresh and on sale)-
-5lbs clementines $4.88
-5lb russet potatoes $1.29 *
-3 containers of raspberries $3.75
-pint blueberries $1.59
-2 containers of blackberries $2.58
-2lbs red seedless grapes $2.78
-bag mini sweet peppers $2.50
-bag of spinach $1.49
-3lbs apples $2.99
-and then I bought several bags of frozen Californial Blend vegetables for $1 each
I don't buy it unless it's cheap
*kicking myself for not getting a couple more bags since potatoes store well, so I'm going to try and get back to the store yet this week and buy more!
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I do cook different meals for me and my family and it can get costly. What I do is buy my meat in bulk when on sale, batch cook and freeze my meals. This usually saves both time and money. As far as vegetables, I try buy in season and whatever is on sale.2
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I've found that eating healthily can actually be cheaper. For example, this is what I'm eating for the week:
Breakfast: eggs ($2 for dozen) or "lean" breakfast burritos (on sale for $1.65 each, bought three)
Lunches and dinners: chicken salads consisting of grilled chicken breast ($1.99/lb * 4.5 lbs, around $9), spring mix lettuce (big box for $5), feta (on sale for $2), hummus (on sale for $1.50)--these will last me about 5 days.
When the chicken salads run out, I have a couple lean cuisines (on sale for $1.75 each)
My entire grocery list for the week was about $40, which I think is totally reasonable and on par with cost for less healthy alternatives. It's all about what you buy!
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Some stuff does cost more. My almond milk is more expensive that regular milk. I was never a junk food eater but I guess if you compare a bag of no name potato chips to a head of cauliflower that was $5.99 last time I shopped yeah it can seem expensive. I find that buying whatever fruits and vegetables are is season ( not necessarily the ones you were going to get ) can help. Whatever isnt in season I look for deals in the freezer section. A lot of stores will price match too. No more bringing flyers -just download the app- I use Flipp and go to it. Also we tend to waste food- buy only what you need and that will save. I buy lots in bulk and then portion it out in bags/containers.2
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I always buy veggies that are on sale. The hispanic stores here have various vegetables at great prices. I can buy zucchini 4 lbs for a dollar, cucumbers 10 for $1. I peruse the sales. My fallback is always the big bag of coleslaw mix for about $4. I cook a half a bag and it lasts me for a week. Then again, I live alone and I also belong to a weight loss program that provides my meals for me.1
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Some stuff does cost more. My almond milk is more expensive that regular milk. I was never a junk food eater but I guess if you compare a bag of no name potato chips to a head of cauliflower that was $5.99 last time I shopped yeah it can seem expensive. I find that buying whatever fruits and vegetables are is season ( not necessarily the ones you were going to get ) can help. Whatever isnt in season I look for deals in the freezer section. A lot of stores will price match too. No more bringing flyers -just download the app- I use Flipp and go to it. Also we tend to waste food- buy only what you need and that will save. I buy lots in bulk and then portion it out in bags/containers.
Are you subbing dairy milk because you're lactose intolerant? Otherwise almond milk isn't any healthier than dairy milk and yeah it's more expensive (I pay $2-$2.50 for a gallon of dairy milk vs $2.50 for a half gallon carton of almond milk for my lactose intolerant child).0 -
It will depend on location and available stores but I only buy fresh produce when it's on sale and then I supplement with frozen. I also make my menu plan around what's on sale and walk into the store with cash and a plan of action lol.
This week at Aldi and Meijer I got (fresh and on sale)-
-5lbs clementines $4.88
-5lb russet potatoes $1.29 *
-3 containers of raspberries $3.75
-pint blueberries $1.59
-2 containers of blackberries $2.58
-2lbs red seedless grapes $2.78
-bag mini sweet peppers $2.50
-bag of spinach $1.49
-3lbs apples $2.99
-and then I bought several bags of frozen Californial Blend vegetables for $1 each
I don't buy it unless it's cheap
*kicking myself for not getting a couple more bags since potatoes store well, so I'm going to try and get back to the store yet this week and buy more!
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I LOVE ALDI and a store we have called Marks shop the same way and cut my food bill in half..
This year 20x30 garden and learning how to store for the winter
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If you're swapping prior purchases for groceries (eating out, movie snacks, cafe, etc) , then it should all at least cancel out.0
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