True or an excuse?

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  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
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    Organic? More expensive. Generally clean? It isn't more expensive, but it does take STRATEGY - you have to relearn how to shop. Farmer's markets when option - and checking the fancy grocery store for sales (I seriously got blackberries for 79cent a carton the other day - I bought 6! And they are usually about $3 a piece here!) I check the weekly sales at the upscale store, and supplement with Trader Joe's. I buy 'staples' at Aldi. Aldi is hit or miss, you have to figure out what you like from there and what you don't, but I save a ton of cash when I supplement my shopping there.

    I am in grad school, living off of $26,000 a year in Chicago. Seriously - it CAN be done.

    So I don't know if it's really an excuse... I think it just takes some strategy. You have to relearn how to shop. And I'll be honest, it takes effort.

    Update: I think I would call it not being educated in terms of HOW to shop for food.
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
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    It's more of an excuse. The same people that claim eating healthy is too expensive will choke down fast food for either lunch or dinner every single day.
  • CaptainGordo
    CaptainGordo Posts: 4,437 Member
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    It is indeed cheaper (but less convenient) to prepare your own healthy meals.

    Here is a great article on the topic: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html
  • iuangina
    iuangina Posts: 691 Member
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    How many of you have walked into a grocery store in a poor area of town?

    I'm thankful everyday that I have the ability to go to any store that I would like to go to to purchase food. I recently went with a family member to a store located in a poor part of town. All of the products cost more, but especially the produce and fresh meat. For a lot of people going to many different stores isn't an option because they have no transportation. I think if my family was hungry and I had $10. I would purchase the 10 cans of beefaroni that are on sale and can feed us for 2 weeks over a bag of apples and a head of lettuce everytime.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    I can't even tell cause on my bulk I'm spending $100 a week in food just for me, and I cook probably 90% of my meals at home.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    For those of you that say eating healhty is cheaper... what is a typical dinner for you? I can't for the life of me see how eating healthy is cheaper.

    Healthy: strip steak, sweet potato, skim milk: $10-12
    Unhealhty: frozen pizza, chips, beer/soda: $5-$7
  • ummlovelovesyou
    ummlovelovesyou Posts: 1,024 Member
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    Eating healthy can be expensive.

    America wants us to be fat. Thats why they have $1 menus at fast food restaurants and organic and fresh things from the grocery store can burn a hole in your wallet.

    :indifferent:
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
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    Well I don't use any excuse, I eat much healthier but i do spend more. Crap food can be REALLY cheap.. like, REALLY.

    Some people may use it as an excuse... some people may genuinely not be able to purchase as much healthy food as they like..
    Maybe some people (depending on what kind of "healthy food" they choose) have found a way that it is actually much cheaper for them to eat clean...

    So you can't really group everyone into one big category.
  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
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    How many of you have walked into a grocery store in a poor area of town?

    I'm thankful everyday that I have the ability to go to any store that I would like to go to to purchase food. I recently went with a family member to a store located in a poor part of town. All of the products cost more, but especially the produce and fresh meat. For a lot of people going to many different stores isn't an option because they have no transportation. I think if my family was hungry and I had $10. I would purchase the 10 cans of beefaroni that are on sale and can feed us for 2 weeks over a bag of apples and a head of lettuce everytime.

    I lived in a pretty rough area my first year in Chicago. Maybe Chicago is just lucky - their produce stores had GREAT buys. I'm sure it's different everywhere. My transportation is my own two feet every time I go to the store. That said, I DO live in the third largest city in the states so I rarely have to walk more than 1.5 miles to any of them.
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
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    How many of you have walked into a grocery store in a poor area of town?

    I'm thankful everyday that I have the ability to go to any store that I would like to go to to purchase food. I recently went with a family member to a store located in a poor part of town. All of the products cost more, but especially the produce and fresh meat. For a lot of people going to many different stores isn't an option because they have no transportation. I think if my family was hungry and I had $10. I would purchase the 10 cans of beefaroni that are on sale and can feed us for 2 weeks over a bag of apples and a head of lettuce everytime.

    This is when I buy gobs of chicken on sale and freeze it, then cook that all week or even stretch it for two weeks.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    For those of you that say eating healhty is cheaper... what is a typical dinner for you? I can't for the life of me see how eating healthy is cheaper.

    Healthy: strip steak, sweet potato, skim milk: $10-12
    Unhealhty: frozen pizza, chips, beer/soda: $5-$7

    have 1/4 of the size steak and add beans and lentil and your cost will be cut in half or more. My wife and I eat quite healthy and eat out only once a week and our grocery bill is 80/week for 2 of us so that gives us 3 meals plus 2 snacks/day 6 days/week, with one less meal and snack on the other day. So on average we spend $5.71/day each (not per meal) for breakfast, lunch, snacks and supper.
  • kekl
    kekl Posts: 382 Member
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    I find it more expensive, at least for me, because it's a bit pricier to begin with and the sheer volume of food I can put away is rather astounding.

    But, it's worth it.
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
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    For those of you that say eating healhty is cheaper... what is a typical dinner for you? I can't for the life of me see how eating healthy is cheaper.

    Healthy: strip steak, sweet potato, skim milk: $10-12
    Unhealhty: frozen pizza, chips, beer/soda: $5-$7


    I can't speak for everyone, but for me, its not just about one meal. In my house, my husband would snack all of the time, and I'm sorry, but chips and cookies and ice cream and crackers and sodas, etc. are all additional and all add up just as quickly, so once we started cleaning up our eating, we cut out most of the snacky stuff, because we were getting full on real food, i.e. protein.
  • aregensb
    aregensb Posts: 239 Member
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    Excuse.

    I do think that eating healthy can be more expensive in the beginning, but once you relearn how to shop, it's cheaper. It does require a little bit more work in the actual cooking of your meals (for example, buying and then cooking dried beans). Once you get your system down though, you'll find that your cooking prep time and grocery bill will decrease.

    Processed foods and a lot of restaurant/fast foods are all about convenience. Someone said that you get more calories for your dollar with fast food, but that it's not worth it in the long run. I agree... you may get more calories (that most people probably don't need. Let's face it, who needs 1000cals per meal?), but you also get more fat, more sodium, etc., and your health suffers because of it.

    Keep in mind that many of the "healthy" options at many chain restaurants are going to still be loaded with calories and sodium. Take a look at some restaurant's menus. Look at the nutrition information. Even salads have 1000 cals because they're loaded with dressing and cheese. The portions are out of control. Also look at how many items that restaurant has on its menu. If it's a big menu (think TGIF or Applebee's), then chances are most of their food is frozen or packaged, and that their food contains monumental amounts of sodium or chemical additives.
  • zbmb30
    zbmb30 Posts: 178 Member
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    I've always thought it was more expensive. I will buy produce and then it goes bad. Plus, if there is a shortage due to like a lot of rain or a drought, it pushes that cost up. I still eat and buy healthy though. It's worth any extra money to me to not feel gross and sick after eating bad stuff.
  • CaptainGordo
    CaptainGordo Posts: 4,437 Member
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    It is so much less expensive to eat healthy if you cook from home. My boyfriend and I prepare all of our meals at home and go out maybe once or twice a month... We make a lot of stir fries, which are dirt cheap. It's all about finding deals on lean proteins in bulk and loading up on veggies. I love saving money and losing weight by eating delicious food that's good for my body :)
    This is the key -- finding the bargains, and not falling for the trendy, "low-cal", "low-fat" crap.

    Walmart's price match, using the prices from the cheaper grocery stores (especially Latin markets), has helped us stay stocked in lean meats, veggies and fruit without breaking the bank.
  • chrisyoung0422
    chrisyoung0422 Posts: 426 Member
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    It is the truth without a doubt.

    We used to spend 80 every two weeks. Since going more fresh and less processed items it never dips below 110. It is worth it though.
  • tmwillit
    tmwillit Posts: 13
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    Well said. It is a fact that fresh food is more expernsive. This is no excuse to eat poorly, but lower income individulas can simply eat more for less if they eat processed foods. Anyone with the ability to do simply math can tell you that you can get more non-perishable foods for less than what you would pay for the same amount of fresh foods.
  • bio_fit
    bio_fit Posts: 307 Member
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    For those of you that say eating healhty is cheaper... what is a typical dinner for you? I can't for the life of me see how eating healthy is cheaper.

    Healthy: strip steak, sweet potato, skim milk: $10-12
    Unhealhty: frozen pizza, chips, beer/soda: $5-$7


    Not really like for like is it? :wink: Healthy eating is not expensive, STEAK is expensive. I'm sure if you put the same amount of steak on that frozen pizza, the costs would increase by quite a bit :laugh:
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
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    How many of you have walked into a grocery store in a poor area of town?

    I'm thankful everyday that I have the ability to go to any store that I would like to go to to purchase food. I recently went with a family member to a store located in a poor part of town. All of the products cost more, but especially the produce and fresh meat. For a lot of people going to many different stores isn't an option because they have no transportation. I think if my family was hungry and I had $10. I would purchase the 10 cans of beefaroni that are on sale and can feed us for 2 weeks over a bag of apples and a head of lettuce everytime.

    ^^^This may make it more difficult for such individuals to eat healthy, but not impossible. It still comes down to choosing to heat healthy or not.

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