Think it's too expensive to eat healthy?

airbent

I really dislike macros like this that oversimplify the situation. It's been said but these things vary according to where you live--not just the state but the city and area within that state. Not only do things cost different depending, but not everyone has the same access to the right foods. There are places where McDonalds is literally more plentiful than fresh produce at a supermarket or wal-mart.

Not only that, eating out vs cooking at home is apples and oranges. Try and prepare a McDonalds-like meal at home and then we'd have a comparison to start from. Of course dry beans and rice are cheap. But spices aren't, decent oils aren't--all those things you have to have enough money up front to buy ahead of time and we can't all take that for granted.

There are factors other than laziness at work. I do spend more now than I did when I was pretty much eating one meal a day of fast food -- and it's MORE than worth the expense. But that doesn't mean I'm in the position to judge anyone else.

TadaGanIarracht

Now compare the healthier meals with processed junk actually bought at the grocery store.

jesspi68

Well another problem with buying healthier food is sometimes shelf life, to buy the larger quantities of food and be able to take advantage of the savings so that I can say my meal cost the same as that photo, with only two people eating it we may end up with moldy bread and bad lettuce, which gets even more costly.

bcattoes

Try and prepare a McDonalds-like meal at home and then we'd have a comparison to start from.

Okay let's do that. We'll use avereage US prices, since if the price of the ingredients goes up, so will ikely the price at McD.

In May 2012, ground beef cost $2.95 per lb. Whole wheat bread was $2 per lb. American processed cheese was $4.25 per lb. I really don't know how many slices you'd get from that, but even if it were only 25 slices, the price would be 17 cents for one slice.

Assuming we ate a 1/4 burger on a 1/4 bun with a slice of cheese, the base burger would cost $1.42. We could get the price of 3 or 4 drops of mustard and ketchup, but it's pretty obvious the burger made at home is still going to be cheaper than the McD quarter pounder with cheese. And it will be on a whole grain bun, so be more nutritious. The price would drop to 1.27 if we used white bread. (and let's face it, we wouldn't really be using a 1/4 lb bun!).

With the actual cost of a slice of cheese and bun, we'd likely be able to add a slice of tomato, onion and lettuce to our homeade burger and still not cost more than McD.

Want fries with that? I can buy a 3 lb bag of potatoes for the same price as a large order of fries at McD. Or, I could buy 3-4 potatoes from the bulk bin and a small bottle of oil to fry them in. If they are in season, I could even substitute sweet potato fries and really up my nutrition.

crzyone

Depends upon what you ate before. I didn't eat McDonalds. I ate ramen noodles and pasta and velvetta. Ten dollars could last a week, but I can't buy fresh fruit and vegetables for ten to last a week.

It depends upon what you were used to buying and are trying to eat now.

mcarter99

I watch a lot of documentaries on it and they usually do say fresh produce costs more than some families can afford, and even that some neighborhoods don't even have stores that sell it nearby! But I think one can eat pretty healthily on frozen vegetables and other non-fresh staples like beans and rice.

rharper714

Depends upon what you ate before. I didn't eat McDonalds. I ate ramen noodles and pasta and velvetta. Ten dollars could last a week, but I can't buy fresh fruit and vegetables for ten to last a week.

It depends upon what you were used to buying and are trying to eat now.

I have to agree with this and it's part of the reason the fast food vs. healthy grocery store meal argument drives me bananas.

Chicken, potatoes and salad for 4=$14ish

Pasta for 4- $3 ($1.50 for pasta, $1.50 for a cheap can of sauce)
Hot dogs and fries for 4- $5 ($1 for the hot dogs, $2 for buns, $2 for a bag of fries)

I can get more for my money buying groceries rather than fast food but if money is really tight and you still need to eat are you going to spend $14 on one good, healthy meal or are you going to spend it on 4-5 not so great ones?

bcattoes

Depends upon what you ate before. I didn't eat McDonalds. I ate ramen noodles and pasta and velvetta. Ten dollars could last a week, but I can't buy fresh fruit and vegetables for ten to last a week.

It depends upon what you were used to buying and are trying to eat now.

I have to agree with this and it's part of the reason the fast food vs. healthy grocery store meal argument drives me bananas.

Chicken, potatoes and salad for 4=$14ish

Pasta for 4- $3 ($1.50 for pasta, $1.50 for a cheap can of sauce)
Hot dogs and fries for 4- $5 ($1 for the hot dogs, $2 for buns, $2 for a bag of fries)

I can get more for my money buying groceries rather than fast food but if money is really tight and you still need to eat are you going to spend $14 on one good, healthy meal or are you going to spend it on 4-5 not so great ones?

But pasta with red sauce is not unhealthy. Regular white pasta has a relatively low GL when cooked al dente, about the same as most whole grains. And the sodium will likely be high in the can of sauce, but otherwise cooked tomato products are extremely healthy.

And again, equal types of meals are not being compared. Choosing to pay more for healthy foods, is not the same as having to pay more for healthy foods. You can get 4-5 healthy meals for 4 people for $14 if you want.

bm99

Depends upon what you ate before. I didn't eat McDonalds. I ate ramen noodles and pasta and velvetta. Ten dollars could last a week, but I can't buy fresh fruit and vegetables for ten to last a week.

It depends upon what you were used to buying and are trying to eat now.

I have to agree with this and it's part of the reason the fast food vs. healthy grocery store meal argument drives me bananas.

Chicken, potatoes and salad for 4=$14ish

Pasta for 4- $3 ($1.50 for pasta, $1.50 for a cheap can of sauce)
Hot dogs and fries for 4- $5 ($1 for the hot dogs, $2 for buns, $2 for a bag of fries)

I can get more for my money buying groceries rather than fast food but if money is really tight and you still need to eat are you going to spend $14 on one good, healthy meal or are you going to spend it on 4-5 not so great ones?

This has been said before... a bag of beans, a bag of rice and a bag of frozen veggies is way more nutritious than your cheapo meals, will make more meals and costs about the same. MEAT IS EXPENSIVE but it is not a necessity. Just because you can't make your family a 4 course, all organic, all healthy meal every night is no excuse to feed them hot dogs and mac n cheese (yuck!).

ETA I can eat 1000 calories of fast food and be hungry in 2 hours (give or take) but I can eat around 500 calories of rice/beans/veg and be full for hours. Assuming they cost exactly the same, which is the better deal?

SPNLuver83

i order off the $1 menu. Just sayin'.

flamax

Where you buy 2 big Mac for $3?

BigBrewski

My Two cents...

It may cost a little more to "eat" healthy but you will save in doctor bills and believe me comming from a man that was over 300lbs once it is not easy or "cheap" to find clothes that fit and last when your that big.

If you need to watch that much TV put a TV in your kitchen...buy a crock pot let dinner cook while your at work. It really isn't that HARD to cook.

But let me tell you if I could get 2 big mac's for 3 dollars I would fall off the fitness wagon for a day or two

FrugalMomsRock75

Uhhhh

2 Big Macs = 3
1 Cheeseburger = 1
1 6pc nugget = 2.50
2 medium fries = 3
2 small fries = 2
2 medium cokes = 2
2 small cokes = 2

Total cost: $15.50

What, did they leave a $12.39 tip for the guy in the drive through?

Your math is a little skewed (although the math in the photo is a bit too, but prices to vary depending on the region). I'm in FL...

a smarter consumer would do it this way (with the given food; I'd do it way differently for less money and more food, myself):

2 Big Mac Meals: 5.79x2
1 6-piece chicken nuggets: 2.19 (regular price; only .99 on Mondays and Wednesdays)
1 cheeseburger: .99 (only .69 on Sundays, but then the nuggets are full price that day)
2 small fries: 1.19x2
2 small cokes: 1.39x2

19.92 (21.31 with tax)

Purchases separately:

2 Big Macs = 3.89x2
1 Cheeseburger = .99
1 6pc nugget = 2.19
2 medium fries = 1.99x2
2 small fries = 1.19x2
2 medium cokes = 1.99x2
2 small cokes = 1.39x2

total 24.08 (25.77 with tax)

Still a little less than in the picture, but way more expensive than being a savvy shopper and preparing meals yourself... and I think the drinks may be 2.19 for medium and 1.59 for small.

I freely admit that I do eat at mcd's now and then... I just don't do it all the time. It's a once in a great while kind of thing, and it usually happens when the kids can get a happy meal for 1.99 (Tuesday or Thursday), and I skip the fries and just eat me a nice big fat Big Mac with a water or milk. tasty.



btw: meat doesn't have to be expensive. Buy when it's on sale, stock up, portion and freeze it, and you have savings. I buy several pounds of chicken or whole chickens at a time and do that. I save lots of $$ at the grocery store too. I feed a family of 7 for under 400 a month, on non-birthday months. When there's a birthday, the bill goes up because of the cake, feeding guests, etc.

DelilahCat0212

We typically spend about $160-240 a month on groceries for the 2 of us (my husband and myself) (we live in New Jersey)

that breaks down to $40-60 a week. sure this can change if we need some extras, but I'm an excellent shopper (i always find a bargain)

I try to buy only healthy foods, and organic when it's available and I usually prefer to shop at trader joes and occasionally shoprite.

I'm also going to check out this store that i've heard about called Aldi's (they claim its cheaper)

I love Aldi's. They have a lot of processed junk but they also have some good finds in there...

FrugalMomsRock75

We typically spend about $160-240 a month on groceries for the 2 of us (my husband and myself) (we live in New Jersey)

that breaks down to $40-60 a week. sure this can change if we need some extras, but I'm an excellent shopper (i always find a bargain)

I try to buy only healthy foods, and organic when it's available and I usually prefer to shop at trader joes and occasionally shoprite.

I'm also going to check out this store that i've heard about called Aldi's (they claim its cheaper)

I love Aldi's. They have a lot of processed junk but they also have some good finds in there...

I too love Aldi! I walk there a lot to do my shopping. Bagged salad is half the price there than at the grocery. They have a new produce sale every week. Sometimes I get 2-packs of colored bell peppers for .99-1.19! Regular price is still better than the grocery-2.19. 5# bags of oranges for .99. This week 2# bags of kiwi are .99. 2# packs of grapes are 1.99. They have good cheese prices and great frozen veggies too.

caiialily

A fair point to those with means who complain about the affordability of healthy food.

The problem I see with comparisons like these, though, is that they assume that you can buy $0.55 worth of olive oil. Maybe in some places you can measure out your own seasonings and cooking oils to buy just what you need, but at most of the grocery stores I've ever frequented, the bulk bins (if there are any) are for 1) candy, 2) cereal, 3) grains. So yeah, I might be able to roast a great chicken at home, but in order to stock up my pantry to make things edible, I'm going to have to have a lot more money to devote to food at one time.

Also, in many places, there aren't nice grocery stores with meat counters who will give you 1/4 pound of this and half a slab of that. There aren't fresh fruits and vegetables to be found. You buy canned or pre-packaged or you get nothing. These places are called food deserts and they are way more prevalent that you might think.

This NY Times diagram from 2011 might be applicable for those of us fortunate enough to be able to buy things like entire bottles of oil, loaves of whole wheat bread, and quarts of milk at the local grocery. But for those who have to rely on assistance, who only have a small budget to devote to food at any given time, and who might only have a small convenience store in their neighborhood, sometimes McDonalds and the like is the most feasible option to feed your family.

TadaGanIarracht

A fair point to those with means who complain about the affordability of healthy food.

The problem I see with comparisons like these, though, is that they assume that you can buy $0.55 worth of olive oil. Maybe in some places you can measure out your own seasonings and cooking oils to buy just what you need, but at most of the grocery stores I've ever frequented, the bulk bins (if there are any) are for 1) candy, 2) cereal, 3) grains. So yeah, I might be able to roast a great chicken at home, but in order to stock up my pantry to make things edible, I'm going to have to have a lot more money to devote to food at one time.

Also, in many places, there aren't nice grocery stores with meat counters who will give you 1/4 pound of this and half a slab of that. There aren't fresh fruits and vegetables to be found. You buy canned or pre-packaged or you get nothing. These places are called food deserts and they are way more prevalent that you might think.

This NY Times diagram from 2011 might be applicable for those of us fortunate enough to be able to buy things like entire bottles of oil, loaves of whole wheat bread, and quarts of milk at the local grocery. But for those who have to rely on assistance, who only have a small budget to devote to food at any given time, and who might only have a small convenience store in their neighborhood, sometimes McDonalds and the like is the most feasible option to feed your family.

What a bunch of liberal nonsense. Would you like a tissue for your bleeding heart?

You could also feed your family grass soup, it would probably be about as nutritious as a Big Mac. The fact is, fast food tastes damn good. If you're poor and you don't have the nutrition education you need to make good choices, you're going to go with what you can afford that tastes good. And, in what world can you buy FF with food stamps? This isn't society's fault, unless you are blaming society for not educating people about food.

And I grew up DIRT POOR so you can take your libtard lines of bull and SHOVE IT. We didn't have processed junk because it WAS more expensive, a bag of cookies or frozen pizza was a very rare treat. Our staple meal was this: 1 box elbow macaroni, 1 can tomatoes, meat (ground turkey or a couple hot dogs, if we had it, never beef) or spaghetti which was a box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce, MAYBE some ground turkey. My mom did the very best she could nutritionally with her very limited means. All I hear here is a bunch of lame excuses to keep eating the **** that tastes good then blame the world for being fat.

Someone needs a hug or a brownie.

FrugalMomsRock75

A fair point to those with means who complain about the affordability of healthy food.

The problem I see with comparisons like these, though, is that they assume that you can buy $0.55 worth of olive oil. Maybe in some places you can measure out your own seasonings and cooking oils to buy just what you need, but at most of the grocery stores I've ever frequented, the bulk bins (if there are any) are for 1) candy, 2) cereal, 3) grains. So yeah, I might be able to roast a great chicken at home, but in order to stock up my pantry to make things edible, I'm going to have to have a lot more money to devote to food at one time.

Also, in many places, there aren't nice grocery stores with meat counters who will give you 1/4 pound of this and half a slab of that. There aren't fresh fruits and vegetables to be found. You buy canned or pre-packaged or you get nothing. These places are called food deserts and they are way more prevalent that you might think.

This NY Times diagram from 2011 might be applicable for those of us fortunate enough to be able to buy things like entire bottles of oil, loaves of whole wheat bread, and quarts of milk at the local grocery. But for those who have to rely on assistance, who only have a small budget to devote to food at any given time, and who might only have a small convenience store in their neighborhood, sometimes McDonalds and the like is the most feasible option to feed your family.

So you (general "you" not directed toward anyone) can't go buy a 3.99 bottle of olive oil (the price at Aldi, Save a Lot, and generics at the traditional grocers) with the assistance you receive, but you can afford to go buy McDonald's with real money (because I know assistance doesn't pay for that)...

0 sense...

A loaf of whole wheat bread at Aldi and Save a Lot is 1.29. I don't think that's breaking anybody's bank either.

silhouettes

It is when there is only one or two of you.... And we have no health food/ speciality store that sells cheap, bread that is "healthy" is $3.99 here, not $1 something. Yay for small towns eh?

And I find buying in bulk is cheaper, but with only two of us, some of the groceries go bad and it's a waste of money!

I had extra money last paycheck and spent $200 on groceries buying fruits and veggies when I usually can only afford $50 a week, and guess what? At least $10+ of that went bad because we couldn't eat it all quick enough and the price different was big!

And I am comparing "normal" food to heatlh food, not "Mcdonald's food. I mean a meal of frozen pizza is only $4-5 for Tombstone now, and like I pointed out, healthy bread is $3.99!! Spaghetti and Sauce only comes to like $3.50, to get all the stuff to make a salad, your looking at $10+ dollars, mind you that lasts more than once.. but I can't just eat a salad alone, I add in chicken or something to.

Travelfixer

Love it!