Junk Food cheap and Healthy food expensive?
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Ive found I have saved money by eating healthier and stopping junk. Yes you can buy a chocolate bar for 16p but its roughly the same for a banana here4
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My grocery bill has actually gone down because I spend more time meal planning and actually use the food I do buy. I try to plan around what's on sale and what I have coupons for. We're a family of 3 (one of us is a VERY hungry teenage boy) and I spend about $165-$200 at the grocery store per week. I was spending $250+ and wasting a lot of food. Now most of the food I buy has a purpose!4
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I guess it depends on the country you live in.
I was shocked at the cheap prices of things like McDonald's etc. when visiting America. It was actually cheaper to eat out at a fast food place, rather than buy ingredients and make the food yourself! Which is crazy.
In Denmark fast food is expensive (well, cheap compared to actual restaurants, but still). We buy it as a "treat" because it's always cheaper to cook any kind of food yourself, rather than buying it.
However we have poor access to local produce! I live in a major city so no farm shops near. Most of the items at the supermarket are from various European countries. I always buy meat from my own country though. But I wish local produce was more available.
Also our organic items are SO much more expensive than non-organic. As in, much more. I felt like you could get quite a few decent organic items for a small price in America.1 -
The hardest part though is it is rare to find coupons for produce, milk and lean fresh meat. The shows on TV where people use coupons to bring a $200 bill down to $5 dollars, show carts full of processed packaged foods that aren't the healthiest. Cookies and sweet breakfast cereal seem to have the best coupons.0
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ParadiseLost91 wrote: »I guess it depends on the country you live in.
I was shocked at the cheap prices of things like McDonald's etc. when visiting America. It was actually cheaper to eat out at a fast food place, rather than buy ingredients and make the food yourself!
It's not.
It's cheaper to eat some places than cook some foods, but the cheapest way to eat is still to cook at home. People often seem to be comparing more expensive at home/real meal options with the cheapest convenience or snack foods.
I still don't understand how convenience or snack foods being more expensive would be beneficial. Other foods would still cost what they cost (which is in most of the US pretty cheap, and cheaper as a percentage of income than pretty much any earlier time).5 -
I think that the big difference is that the less expensive healthier foods tend to involve more prep time. Not all, but many.1
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wyatts_momma_1027 wrote: »I must agree. I live in a part of Ohio where they only ways of fresh local produce is corn and maple syrup. For those of us that are on medically necessary specific diets, we tend to spend a lot more on groceries. For my household I spend almost 100 on meat alone for two weeks and thats for a family of 2 and a toddler and shopping at Aldi. In rural America eating healthy can and will break the bank. Most of the stores (at least around me) don't send out regular coupons and the ones that do still have unaffordable prices.
However, I do believe this country wants us overweight. If we are over weight we are subject to more doctors appointments, more tests, more prescriptions, and more time and money spent. All this money is funding big Pharma and the Insurance companies which play a major role in practically every aspect of our nations business and economic platforms (paling a multi billion dollar industry) so of course they want us overweight. The rich need to be richer, right?
Why would they want to kill off their patients if that's how they make money?5 -
tasha12004 wrote: »So I am convinced that the country wants us to be fat. You can by a high calorie/salt/sugar item for under $2.00 but trying to find whole, nutritious, food seems to cost a fortune. When I changed my lifestyle , I started spending an extra $100.00 every two weeks on groceries. I think that junk food would be less to try and prevent obesity.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/eating-healthy-vs-unhealthy_n_4383633.html
From the article-
"The study authors caution that the $1.50 per day conclusion is based on comparing a very healthy diet — such as one replete with fruits, vegetables and fish — with a diet full of processed foods, meats and grains. The price difference is thus based on a relatively extreme contrast."
They throw around healthy and unhealthy but don't define what they mean by those terms and neither do you. You may define it as only organic foods, grass fed beef, salmon, only fresh produce year round and those are things that can drive up your cost more than someone eating lentils and frozen vegetables.
To me a healthy diet is one that meets my nutritional needs. My cost of food has not changed or has been slightly less. I don't choose to eat some foods because they are poor value calorie wise or money wise.
It doesn't have to increase your costs that much to eat a nutritious diet if you make different choices.2 -
Oddly enough, I sometimes find that organic versions of the same produce are cheaper. There are also a few vegetables and fruits I buy organic because I like the taste better (celery, baby carrots, and strawberries). Not sure why they taste better, but they do.sheermomentum wrote: »And I absolutely agree with avoiding organic produce. There is no health or environmental benefit to it at all. Its basically there to make money for a luxury food industry.
Any chance those things are grown locally?
I'll buy organic blueberries, blackberries and raspberries because they're often cheaper than typical Driscoll's here. They're grown here, so I'm not paying for shipping and more expensive packaging. Plus, being local, they typically are more ripe.
Downside, they also spoil at the drop of a hat so I only buy what I'm going to eat that day.
Tomatoes are completely the opposite. They're also grown here, but damn the farmers must be using inefficient gardening techniques or varieties that don't produce well in this area. I've seen heirlooms cost $8-10 a piece!0 -
No one cares if you are fat/skinny/male/female, etc. They ARE motivated to pry your money out of your hands. Fat, sugar and salt do that.0
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ashjongfit wrote: »I always want to cry when I see Americans share their meat and produce costs. Where I live in Canada the cheapest boneless skinless breast is like 10 dollars for 5 breasts at Walmart. SOMETIMES they go on mega sale for like 7 dollars for 5 breasts but not often.
Ironically its the produce that costs waaaay more than anything for us. We spend around 800 dollars a month for a family of three (Im also pregnant.) and MOST of that is fresh produce thats on sale.
I agree that the government wants us to be fat honestly. I also think thats why theres SO much misinformation out there as well. And yes I can load up my cart full of junk for way less money but it won't make me feel good so the higher cost of eating well for me is worth it albeit annoying.
Don't you think that it might have more to do with the climate in Canada versus warmer areas? Shorter growing seasons means more food has to be shipped in from warmer areas, especially if want 'fresh' (not canned or frozen) produce.
Doesn't Canada have nationalized health care? If so, why would the government want people to be fat? I could see if they were profiting from it somehow but a fatter population will likely just mean higher medical costs.3 -
Steer away from foods that are marketed as being healthier for you. You are paying for the advertising. Buy simple, cheap foods most of the time, and splurge on some luxury items now and then.Here the "junk" food is often less expensive than the food that's marketed as being healthier for you.
I've been spending a lot more money on things like fruit and produce than I used to but I try to look at it like this: I'm eating out less, which includes fast food and going out for dinners so really, I'm just using that extra money that I'm saving and applying it to something else.1 -
ashjongfit wrote: »I always want to cry when I see Americans share their meat and produce costs. Where I live in Canada the cheapest boneless skinless breast is like 10 dollars for 5 breasts at Walmart. SOMETIMES they go on mega sale for like 7 dollars for 5 breasts but not often.
Ironically its the produce that costs waaaay more than anything for us. We spend around 800 dollars a month for a family of three (Im also pregnant.) and MOST of that is fresh produce thats on sale.
I agree that the government wants us to be fat honestly. I also think thats why theres SO much misinformation out there as well. And yes I can load up my cart full of junk for way less money but it won't make me feel good so the higher cost of eating well for me is worth it albeit annoying.
What does the government have to do with what you chose to eat? Seeing as you're in Canada and we have a taxpayer funded universal healthcare system I'd be inclined to suggest the opposite is true, the government (and other taxpayers) have a vested interest in improving your health.
$2.00 per portion for boneless skinless chicken breast is hardly expensive.
OP I have found that invariably it's less expensive to cook from scratch using basic ingredients than it is to buy fast food. For what it would costs to feed my family one meal at the disgusting arches I can prepare a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce that will feed a family of four (with 2 young adult children with massive appetites) 2 meals. I'll confess that we don't buy a lot of fresh fruit other than bananas and apples 9both cheap at Costco) out of season. We buy frozen berries & mango for putting on cereal or making smoothies and it's often less expensive to buy frozen vegetables during the winter (and just as nutritious)
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OK, goodkommodevaran wrote: »
Steer away from foods that are marketed as being healthier for you. You are paying for the advertising. Buy simple, cheap foods most of the time, and splurge on some luxury items now and then.Here the "junk" food is often less expensive than the food that's marketed as being healthier for you.
I've been spending a lot more money on things like fruit and produce than I used to but I try to look at it like this: I'm eating out less, which includes fast food and going out for dinners so really, I'm just using that extra money that I'm saving and applying it to something else.
I more meant things like fruits and vegetables and whole grains, blah blah blah. When people say, "eat healthier foods" that's what they mean and that's what I meant.
You should really be able to find those things quite cheap, though. I know prices aren't the same everywhere. But look at price per pound, and price per serving. If you can plan so that you don't throw anything out, I bet it will be cheaper to eat "real" food. 1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Just off the top of my head: Lentils, frozen broccoli, oats, potatoes, squash, cabbage, black beans, canned tomatoes, rice, carrots, tofu, and apples are all super-affordable (at least where I live).
Do some people spend more when they change their diet? Absolutely -- there is a lot of tempting stuff out there.
But generally if you buy in season, pay attention to sales, avoid trendy foods, and build meals around staples, you can keep your budget under control.
And EGGS! The power of EGGS! So cheap, so fatty and protien-tastic! So versatile!
ETA: It's a worthwhile investment to learn how to cook your own dried rice, beans, and lentils (among other things) from scratch. Super cheap and an easy way to stock up for the week, and they can all be flavored with cheap ingredients like garlic, onion, and bay leaf.3 -
sheermomentum wrote: »I have a produce market near me - they sell only produce and some dairy. Their prices are about half the grocery store. Its an extra trip, but I try to make it every couple of weeks, at least.
Also, I find that its the pre-cut convenience produce that kills my pocketbook. A single bag of ready-to-eat salad costs 3 times as much as a head of lettuce, and is about a quarter of the food. And I absolutely agree with avoiding organic produce. There is no health or environmental benefit to it at all. Its basically there to make money for a luxury food industry.
That's opposite of where I live where 3 days worth of spring mix salad costs $1.59 and a small head of lettuce (maybe 3/4 of the prepackaged salad amount) was $1.99 at the same store this week. I've often found broccoli florets cheaper than buying the whole heads when I compare them gram for gram.0 -
So I've lived in borderline rural/suburban areas in NY and now Virginia. I spend between $30-40 per week on groceries for myself. Bags of frozen veggies, fruit in season (which right now is pretty much apples), fresh veggies in season (right now cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions), bulk oats and rice and barley, canned and dry beans, store brand raw chicken, milk, and eggs. Then I get some stuff to fill out my week that you probably think isn't "healthy" but works out just fine for me. Most expensive thing I buy is fish and Coke Zero.
I honestly think people get too caught up in a very narrow view of what "healthy food" is. I guess there are places in the world where only highly processed packaged foods are available, but most people I know IRL who complain about healthy food being expensive turn their noses up at frozen veggies, insist on buying "superfoods", try to eat something completely different at every meal every day, and don't like to spend much time cooking.2 -
JustinAnimal wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Just off the top of my head: Lentils, frozen broccoli, oats, potatoes, squash, cabbage, black beans, canned tomatoes, rice, carrots, tofu, and apples are all super-affordable (at least where I live).
Do some people spend more when they change their diet? Absolutely -- there is a lot of tempting stuff out there.
But generally if you buy in season, pay attention to sales, avoid trendy foods, and build meals around staples, you can keep your budget under control.
And EGGS! The power of EGGS! So cheap, so fatty and protien-tastic! So versatile!
ETA: It's a worthwhile investment to learn how to cook your own dried rice, beans, and lentils (among other things) from scratch. Super cheap and an easy way to stock up for the week, and they can all be flavored with cheap ingredients like garlic, onion, and bay leaf.
Like the Canadian above, I agree the US pricing often makes me want to cry. I travel through the US a lot and when I see things like a dozen eggs for 74 cents (usually 2.99 and up in my town) or giant chicken breasts at $2/lb when we pay $2.99/lb on sale for much smaller pieces. I lucked out this week when a local butcher had lean ground beef on for $2.99/lb but you had to buy $10 lbs to get that price. The average price right now in grocery stores on sale is $4/lb and up for regular ground beef.1 -
Staceygram wrote: »JustinAnimal wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Just off the top of my head: Lentils, frozen broccoli, oats, potatoes, squash, cabbage, black beans, canned tomatoes, rice, carrots, tofu, and apples are all super-affordable (at least where I live).
Do some people spend more when they change their diet? Absolutely -- there is a lot of tempting stuff out there.
But generally if you buy in season, pay attention to sales, avoid trendy foods, and build meals around staples, you can keep your budget under control.
And EGGS! The power of EGGS! So cheap, so fatty and protien-tastic! So versatile!
ETA: It's a worthwhile investment to learn how to cook your own dried rice, beans, and lentils (among other things) from scratch. Super cheap and an easy way to stock up for the week, and they can all be flavored with cheap ingredients like garlic, onion, and bay leaf.
Like the Canadian above, I agree the US pricing often makes me want to cry. I travel through the US a lot and when I see things like a dozen eggs for 74 cents (usually 2.99 and up in my town) or giant chicken breasts at $2/lb when we pay $2.99/lb on sale for much smaller pieces. I lucked out this week when a local butcher had lean ground beef on for $2.99/lb but you had to buy $10 lbs to get that price. The average price right now in grocery stores on sale is $4/lb and up for regular ground beef.
I haven't seen eggs for .79 for decades. Usually where I live they are $3-4. Where I work they can be $2 on rare sales.0 -
That's usually true. There are some that are pretty quick and easy, but many require washing, peeling, and cooking rather than just opening a package. They also tend to require some planning and waiting, instead of being ready almost immediately after you decide you want them. I think a lot of what people identify as high prices for healthy food is actually high prices for convenient healthy food.I think that the big difference is that the less expensive healthier foods tend to involve more prep time. Not all, but many.3
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