Groceries

smileyface45

Does anyone else find it expensive to eat healthy ?
I am bout ready to give up on this eating healthy thing because of the expens.
Any ideals?

smileyface45

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mawhite717

its VERY expensive to eat healthy. i dont know how some people can afford the organic stuff!!!! thats crazy!! i just do the best i can with the money i have.

paigele

I have found it a challenge, but one I have been able to manage by focusing on what is fresh and usually that means redily available, so relatively inexpensive compared to other veggies.
Feel free to "friend" me and look at my diary and it may give you some ideas of what I have been eating.
I buy greens and okra frozen, by the way.

erickirb

Does anyone else find it expensive to eat healthy ?
I am bout ready to give up on this eating healthy thing because of the expens.
Any ideals?

I find it cheaper, just don't buy "diet" food. Buy lean meats, and fruit and veggies that are in season preferably local. This way you are not paying for packaging, marketing, and limiting the cost of shipping, so it should be cheaper.

i.e. Dried beans are cheaper than chicken nuggets in the freezer section

achampionsheart

yes it is very expensive....but i think of it like this...id rather spend it on food than on medicine to keep me healthy...and God knows if my health gets to the point where i have to have tests done and procedures done than im going to beat myself up for not doing right on my own.....i tend to think its all perspective

erickirb

its VERY expensive to eat healthy. i dont know how some people can afford the organic stuff!!!! thats crazy!! i just do the best i can with the money i have.

You don't need to eat organic to eat healthy. Avoid prepackaged foods. buy dried beans very cheap and a great source of protein and complex carbs.

sweetsarahj

It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

I always check out the discounted items in the produce section, pretty much every big store has marked down fruits and veggies that are bruised. Most of it is still fine to eat. I have noticed that the stores mark down their stuff in the early evening, so I like to shop after 8 pm. I also go to the meat and fish department, because they mark down the 'older' stuff in teh evenings as well.

therealangd

You don't need to buy organic, sometimes organic is the worst choice.
Shop at local farmers markets, their prices are typically better.
Buy in bulk and freeze

Now that I have the swing of things, my grocery bill is not that much different. But I am feeding a family of four, so bulk for a single person is only a weeks worth for me.

weallhaveastory

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begonia813

you don't have to eat all organic to eat healthy! produce (fresh or frozen) goes further and costs less than junk food. you just have to buy things that are in season so you're not paying extra for the shipping costs. you can also try farmers markets. they are nice because you only buy exactly how much you need and they have a great fresh selection. bags of frozen chicken breasts are cheaper than buying pre-made fried chicken from the deli. you can't just look at the intital cost - you have to look at how much is in each purchase. also, don't buy pre-made salads or things like that. it's much easier and cheaper to buy lettuce and spinach seperately. REALLY look at the label when buying things. oftentimes, the cheaper and generic brands are just as healthy or even healthier than the big brands that ADVERTISE being "healthy".

zamiesgirl

not sure if this will help you or not but on the weekends I go to the swap meet or flea market not sure what everyone calls and I but all my veggies for the week there. I live in ca and go every weekend. I get bags of squash for $1, bag of zucchini for $1 i get my grapes, spinach, carrots all of that from there. Meat on the other hand yes expensive I agree. I am lucky for it only to be my husband and I so I dont have to buy up alot of food to do us. Good luck on your journey but please dont get up on it.

smileyface45

Thanks everyone !!!!!!:)

Sunshine_Girlie

Actually, I find it about the same. The only difference is where I shop. I'd rather spend a dollar on some Chaboni yogurt than a dollar on Pringles. I bought a 4 or 5 pound bag of navel oranges for $2.41. That's rather cheap. Just need to price around and see the cost.

Beebs33

Farmer's markets are great! I got to them a lot. Fresh green beans are like $1 per pound and in stores they are a whole dollar more.

heathersmilez

NOPE, it's darn cheap!!

I spend max $150 a month for 2 of us and at least $30 of that is diet-pepsi (his vice, not mine). I actually made a giant list of all the healthy items I buy regularly after someone on MFP asked how that was possible if you need it.

sweetiepie31612

I have been on a budget for almost 10 years since I'm still in school. I can't really afford the fresh veggies and fruits but some of my go tos are eggs (I have eggs for breakfast just about every day), tuna, brown rice, nuts, bagged salad, yogurt, cheese, and chicken sausage.

heathersmilez

sometimes organic is the worst choice.

Ummm WHAT???? How can no chemicals be a bad thing? Except for children who need to build up an immunity perhaps.

Not that I buy organic, not worth it to me but this is a pretty shocking statement.

rachel0923

We are members of a CSA., which is great! We pay $300 and get 5 months worth of produce - usually enough to feed our family of four, but sometimes needs to be supplemented (like the weeks when we only get greens or squash). I buy lots of frozen veggies rather than fresh during the winter. I don't buy organic because it would be too pricy for us. I basically shop from the circular each week (which is usually sales for the produce in season, certain meats depending on the time of year, certain brands of yogurt). One thing that has really decreased our bill is to cut out most meat. I do most of my grocery shopping in produce/dairy/dried beans and rice.

sweetsarahj

sometimes organic is the worst choice.

Ummm WHAT???? How can no chemicals be a bad thing? Except for children who need to build up an immunity perhaps.

Not that I buy organic, not worth it to me but this is a pretty shocking statement.

Hmm, yes, dubious statement at best. I bought some organic carrots once, damn they tasted like s***! LOL. I guess I like the chemicals on my produce!?!?!?

kimmerroze

Its a lot cheaper than the side effects of eating unhealthy...

I posted a blog about this actually, I spend about 200 a month for my husband and I that is about 25 dollars a person per week. that isn't too bad at all. especially compared to all the surgeries and medication and things related to being unhealthy

Just don't buy the gimmicky "diet" things

buy a good selection of veggies, and then plan your meals around those veggies, for a week eat meals that include all of those.

Buy only those things in season.

Most stores have a "clearance" section of meat,. Don't be afraid to buy the clearance meat. the only reason it is there is because it has aged past when they are able to sell it. Meat is actually better if its a little aged. So stock up when you see deals.

If you cut out all the snack food and buy apples and nuts, that will cut down on your budget and you wont have tempting things around.

Pasta sauce is generally on sale, I buy safeway brand because it is low in calorie, with some whole wheat pasta.

Eggs and yogurt are cheap if you buy the tubs of yogurt and not the individual cups.

Beans and rice are Incredibly low in price,

Frozen veggies are sometimes better deal than the fresh stuff, and are lots better than buying canned.

Those are my little tips

Invest in some good spices and LOTS of onions and garlic, and olive oil and you have a pretty good list of foods to choose from for pretty inexpensive.

It takes practice but you will get there.

suzksell

It can be a little time-consuming, but create a menu each week around the foods that are on sale at your favorite grocery store. I try to use each ingredient twice each week since it's on sale--and then I have a bit of variety. Also, avoid buying prepackaged foods. Most of those aren't really good for you anyhow (calorie and/or sodium laden). Look at what you are spending your money on now. Find the items that you don't really "need' or that can be replaced with less expensive alternatives (for instance, as one other poster said, dried beans). Get rid of the extras. If you are buying sodas, STOP! You don't need them...and they can be outrageously expensive. When you see a good deal on something, BUY IT...and plenty of it (unless it's something that will go bad quickly).

brandi2258

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SoCalSwimmerDude

To me, eating healthy is WAY cheaper. I made comment to my wife yesterday that our fridge seemed empty... but then I opened the veggie drawer and it was overflowing. Now, if you're buying all of the fancy diet products, then it would be very expensive, but thats not necessary. I've also found that Trader Joes prices for fruits and veggies is pretty ridiculous if you shop at other stores to get the same fruits and veggies. However, they're cheaper for the packaged stuff that is healthier. The only common veg that I find to be expensive is an avacado. But you could buy carrots, broccoli, onion, garlic, spinach, etc, etc and walk out of the store on 10 bucks w/ all veggies and fruit. Its that darn free range chicken that always gets me to fork out the cash!

blondie76

NOPE, it's darn cheap!!

I spend max $150 a month for 2 of us and at least $30 of that is diet-pepsi (his vice, not mine). I actually made a giant list of all the healthy items I buy regularly after someone on MFP asked how that was possible if you need it.

totally agree its cheaper if you know what to buy!! I would however love to see what you buy!!!:blushing:

KLo924

What most everyone else said..

I'm finding it to be about the same, and I DO buy organic most of the time. I'm fortunate to live around a few farmers markets, and an all-organic grocery store that's wicked cheap (http://www.momsorganicmarket.com/ for those of you in the DC/MD area). I'm also vegetarian, fyi.

Buy in bulk when you can - bulk beans, lentils, grains, etc. are really cheap and don't go bad quickly so you can keep them around. Buy frozen veggies and fruit when you can, and buy in season or on sale when you can't! And especially, as someone noted above, avoid pre-packaged foods. It's SO much cheaper to make a big batch of something at the beginning of the week and portion it out for lunches, or whatever you're using packaged stuff for, than to go for "diet dinners."

Those're my two cents anyway

kdiamond

Agree with the others, I spend less this way!

I don't buy anything "diet" and very few things packaged. I base my menu plan for the week on whatever is on sale, and/or I shop at BJ's for meats. You can buy chicken breast for cheap at BJ's, salmon and ground turkey breast too! I make a lot of things that carry over to the next day either for lunch or dinner, so each meal is 2 meals. I don't buy pricey chips, candy, and junk food. I buy a lot of frozen veggies, like at Publix this week they are 10 steam packs of veggies for $10!

If you really want it, you'll find a way to make it work!

loseitwisely

sometimes organic is the worst choice.

Ummm WHAT???? How can no chemicals be a bad thing? Except for children who need to build up an immunity perhaps.

Not that I buy organic, not worth it to me but this is a pretty shocking statement.

Wow, I thought the same thing when I read this! If you shop smartly, plan out what you are going to be eating, and buy in bulk, it really is not that much more expensive. I can't see where a "worst choice" comment could possibly be stated, but I guess we are all entitiled to our own opinions. I choose to value the nutirents that go into my body without all of the added chemicals and preservatives.