MFP poll: Food bills.

Kristhin

Since losing weight and becoming healthier have your grocery bills:

A. Increased, since you're eating more fresh and healthy food.

B. Decreased, since you're eating less food.

C. Stayed about the same.

My SO was depressed about our Whole Foods bill last night and it got me wondering. :P

melaniecheeks

Decreased, since we're not ordering in takeaways or eating out so often.

rebecky27

Greatly increased. But....my spending on fast food greatly decreased.....it evens out, it's just hard to see.

The $250 grocery bill for 8 days of food all at once is a shock...but $30 each trip through the drive through adds up quickly, you just don't feel it as much since it's a little at a time...

dragonbait0126

My grocery bills have increased. I think it also depends where in the country you are though. If you are in Idaho potatos are probably going to be less expensive because the transport costs are lower. If you're in Maine then seafood is probably less expensive. At least I would think that the costs of particular foods would be lower if you live in an area where that product is a resource. I live in Arizona so tons of our food is imported in which means higher transportation costs which in turn gets added into the cost of food. I try to find ways to balance this out by participating in a co-op for my produce which helps with the cost there but when I go to the grocery store my bills are higher.

dayzeerock

I eat all whole foods, organic and as local as possible for between $100-175 a month. I'd say that's pretty da.mn good.

atomicpunk1974

Mine has noticeably decreased. Both my husband and I are eating smaller portions of everything, so we have more leftovers to eat for future meals. We probably haven't been as good as we should be about eating healthier food, though. We're going with one change at a time, and portioning is it right now.

cowboydan43

Decreased, easily. I didn't eat much fast "drive thru" food, but we would go out to eat almost daily. On top of that I'm a generous tipper so it really was adding up. Yes, buying fresh veggies etc. a couple times a week seems expensive but I know it pales in comparison to what we were spending if I took the time to do the numbers.
Oh and Whole Foods is expensive! A guy in front of me only had 2 half-full bags of groceries and his total was just shy of $100!!!!! That's why I love me some Trader Joe's! Haha

jacksonpt

Increased. Fresh meats/fish is expensive. I spend about $100/week for household groceries (me and my 2 kids).

NiciS72

I'd say they've stayed about the same, maybe a little more. However, the amount we spend eating out has plummeted a lot as well as the amount of food that gets thrown away. In my mind, spending the extra $$ is worth it as once your health is gone it's gone. I'm investing in me and a long healthy life!

tmiqueen

It's stayed generally the same.
I may spend more on groceries, but now I'm spending less on take-out foods and the volume of food which I used to eat, so it's balanced out and broken even.

melkadee

:happy: I have seen an increase, but I think it's worth it!

Stephanie08

My SO was depressed about our Whole Foods bill last night and it got me wondering. :P

Whole Foods as delicious and healthy as they are, they are sadly expensive. You may want to look into another grocery store to see if you can buy like items. I'd probably stick with WF for fresh and other grocery stores for packaged.

My grocery bill has increased due to buying more fresh foods, but I don't go out to eat nearly as much any more, so it is a wash.

_beachgirl_

Increased! And I buy for 5 people so it was already very high!

mamashatzie

Decreased, because we buy simple, nutrient dense foods (dried beans, fruits and veg, whole grains) when we used to buy lots of meat, processed foods, frozen dinners, boxed dinners...all of which are more expensive.

Now we feed 2 adults and a child on about $50/week.

lakersfan4life

increased considerably.

my diet used to mainly consist of options on the value menus at fast food places......

Iamfit4life

Greatly increased.

KarenLipana

D. :happy: Increased because organic and healthy fresh food cost more plus we consume tons and tons of fruits.

Uk_Yogini

My weekly grocery bill is typically between $60-100. That is for me and my little 8lb dog who I also cook for. Sometimes it can be a tad lower or higher (yikes, don't like the higher)That said, it's all organic from Whole Foods ( should be called whole check, cos that what it takes to shop there) also I go to local farmers markets and my local organic market too.

Uk_Yogini

My weekly grocery bill is typically between $60-100. That is for me and my little 8lb dog who I also cook for. Sometimes it can be a tad lower or higher (yikes, don't like the higher)That said, it's all organic from Whole Foods ( should be called whole check, cos that what it takes to shop there) also I go to local farmers markets and my local organic market too.

ak_in_ak

I think my bill has decreased. I live in Alaska so everything is very expensive, once I cut out the frozen meals/ dinners and just bought simple stuff it has gone down a lot. I think portion control has helped a lot. A box of crackers would hardly last, now that I know what a serving is it lasts way longer.

christine24t

C. About the same. I spend about 50 dollars a week at the grocery store, but I think it will decrease now that I've bought the staples I need for this school year. I stopped buying so much processed food (frozen meals, pizza, chips, etc) and now spend that money on fresh fruits and veggies.

rrrbecca11

I would have to say decreased. There is not a WF in my town so I stock up on a few things I can only get there when I visit my son in the bigger city where he lives, but for the most part, I shop a local supermarket known for it's fresh produce and quality products - I boycott Walmart - and of course farmer's markets, and I grow and preserve a lot of the foods we eat as well. Yes, definitely decreased.

emariec78

About the same, possibly decreased a little. I spend about 40-60 a week for just me. I only go to WF when I can't find what I need anywhere else or if I'm cooking something special, its just too overpriced! Otherwise I make do with the regular grocery store, farmer's market, etc. I buy my grains in bulk and stock up on meat and freeze it when its on sale. Seems to balance out the costs.

Jade_Butterfly

Well I share a food bill with my mom. . . So it varies. . for me personally I recently went from not only eating white meat to being pescatarian. . so actually my bill went down. . .

Mom and my daughter are still eating meat. . and for my baby I will only get chicken that is hormone free, same with ground turkey. . sometimes depending on where you shop you pay more for this. . but it is worth it. . . I also buy organic milk for her as she doesn't like the soy or flax milk. . . So our house is interesting. .

We mainly shop at Henry's Marketplace which is now becoming Sprouts. . .and costco. I got mom to quit shopping at Albertsens as it costs far more. .

If you have farmers markets where you live that is a great source of good prices for fresh produce. . .

So I think it depends on what your eating habits were before. . . A lot of people were in the habit of eating out. . I rarely eat out and havent for a very long time. .

Since going from working in the community to working out of my house I saved money too, by not getting that morning starbucks. . . lol. .

I do get some things as a treat though. . that cost a little more. . but I buy them in small amounts. . a special cheese. . . or chocolate. . Something like that. .

writtenINthestars

Our bill has stayed about the same as we've started eating healthier..we switched expensive crap food out for expensive good food. When we are lazy, however, it skyrockets from eating out or stopping to pick up fresh food to cook dinner (when we forget to take things out of the freezer).

sarah_ep

Decreased, because we buy simple, nutrient dense foods (dried beans, fruits and veg, whole grains) when we used to buy lots of meat, processed foods, frozen dinners, boxed dinners...all of which are more expensive.

Now we feed 2 adults and a child on about $50/week.

+1

I_give_it_2_u_str8

Increased.