Why is it more expensive to eat healthy??

Impman66

Just started in the last couple of days to get in the fresh stuff and make up my own sauces and things, then freeze them. I can't freeze too much as I only have a small freezer, and a lot of that is taken up by my kids stuff (I have them every weekend, otherwise it's just me).
The good thing is thanks to all your advice on NOT buying the 'special shakes' or 'fat-free brand name' goods, I managed to save around £15 on my shopping, so a result already.
Plus at the weekend i am aiming to buy cheaper cuts of meat, and all my veg and fruit from the market.

Money has never been tight before, but now it is I have to learn quickly on the best ways to save it. So a BIG, MASSIVE THANK YOU for all your contributions, I hope that some elements in this thread have given other 'newbies' some ideas on how to save as well!

Twenty pound off and counting ! !

Christi6604

You don't need meal replacements. Real food is much cheaper.

^^^ This. Also, if you factor in fast food that you maybe used to have...is it really more expensive? The portions I was eating before caused me to go through way more food than I do now.

I think the price of everything has gone up lately too - at least in the U.S. Bad corn crops...and corn is in almost everything...or fed to the meat you want to buy.

blondie60613

I don't think it costs more to eat healthy unless you are buying organic. Sometimes organic is more expensive. Where are you shopping? You can get fresh veggies and fruits for dirt cheap. Look around town, you will be amazed! It is more expensive to shop at Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods), but there are plenty of alternatives. Also, remember that when you eat crap you need to fill up more. So it may seem more economical to drive through Mc'Donalds or eat Mac and cheese from the box, but you will be starving again in a few hours. Lastly, the long term health benefits will save you money in the end on Doctors bills.

amandae0182

I have found that I spend the exact same on food. You just have to prepare everything rather then buy it ready made! I peel my own carrots instead of buying baby carrots, i make all of my own dressings( less calories and less $ and goes further). 95% of my groceries now i have to eat or they will go bad. I am on a crazy small food budget also.

j_wilson2012

Wienerschnitzel has a sale right now....5 dogs for $5.55!!!!! Isnt that a great deal? How Bout 2 for 5 Western Bacon Cheeseburgers, filled with low cut beef, fried onion rings, barbeque sauce, and 2 big slices of hamburger bread. In the states, here, we cant get away from fast food. That flyer, along with others, were in my mailbox yesterday, as well as in my paper. Commercialization and Corporate America have destroyed the nations health by making it easy for us to eat poorly. Is it like that in Europe?

DeadMarsha

Just started in the last couple of days to get in the fresh stuff and make up my own sauces and things, then freeze them. I can't freeze too much as I only have a small freezer, and a lot of that is taken up by my kids stuff (I have them every weekend, otherwise it's just me).
The good thing is thanks to all your advice on NOT buying the 'special shakes' or 'fat-free brand name' goods, I managed to save around £15 on my shopping, so a result already.
Plus at the weekend i am aiming to buy cheaper cuts of meat, and all my veg and fruit from the market.

Money has never been tight before, but now it is I have to learn quickly on the best ways to save it. So a BIG, MASSIVE THANK YOU for all your contributions, I hope that some elements in this thread have given other 'newbies' some ideas on how to save as well!

Twenty pound off and counting ! !

That is awesome!! Soon it will become habit! Keep it up.

hooah_mj

Medical cost far outweigh grocery $$

Keep it in perspective :flowerforyou:

albayin

I thought eat less would cost less...LOL

If you mean "organic and fresh food", yeah, the price is ridiculous...Why can't we go back to our ancestors day when everything was pretty much organic and fresh?

Impman66

Wienerschnitzel has a sale right now....5 dogs for $5.55!!!!! Isnt that a great deal? How Bout 2 for 5 Western Bacon Cheeseburgers, filled with low cut beef, fried onion rings, barbeque sauce, and 2 big slices of hamburger bread. In the states, here, we cant get away from fast food. That flyer, along with others, were in my mailbox yesterday, as well as in my paper. Commercialization and Corporate America have destroyed the nations health by making it easy for us to eat poorly. Is it like that in Europe?

It is pretty much the same in Europe, I suppose my problem is that I have been a bit too lazy to actually have a look around for cheaper fresh food - but not anymore! Now the way I see it I can burn calories whilst at the same time looking for things to reduce my calorie/fat intake - win - win situation
I am going to heed the advice of making my own shakes, but first a question, where would I buy these "protien whey powder' from, and number 2, is oatmeal what we Brits call porridge oats???

jfrankic

I have found that my food goes much farther now because I am watching portions. Something with 6 servings actually feeds more than two people! With extra fresh produce, you can always make a vegetable soup and freeze so the veggies don't go bad. I really like to make extras and freeze. (edit here) i just saw your post about limited freezer space. But maybe that suggestion can help someone else.

Get creative with your meals. Think about how you can reuse leftovers.

A fryer chicken (skinned, of course) can be easily cooked in the crock pot and eaten for dinner, then leftovers used on top of salad and then some left for a healthy chicken salad (yogurt and sour cream help make lower calorie). You can also use the juice for broth in soups.

A bag of black beans can be cooked, then used in chili or a mexican dish, black bean hummus and veggie burgers. And a one pound bag only costs about $1. That's about half what you would pay for the equivalent amount in canned.

Fresh produce is cheaper when in season. You can shop farmer's markets and know which grocers have the best produce for the best prices. Do you know someone with a garden? Make friends with them. Or better yet, plant your own if you have a yard. Before the drought, I was picking a bucket of zucchini, squash and tomatoes each day and couldn't give it away fast enough.

Do you have a coop nearby? We have a local coop that has organic produce, bulk rice, beans, spices, etc. I'm not too particular about buying organic, mainly due to cost. But the coop is definitely less expensive than organics in the regular grocery store.

ValerieMartini2Olives

Break it down this way... if you go out to eat for fast food 3 times a day... figure you're spending $5 a pop, $15 bucks a day.

I can spend $6 at Aldi one time and I have ingredients that last me for 2 or 3 days.

I went the other day and got over a pound of chicken, green peppers, mushrooms and grape tomatoes and spent under $7. I cooked all the chicken at once, then separated it into 3oz portions. I had enough for 6 portions (less than 50 cents a serving). The peppers were $1.49 for a 3 pack (3 servings - 50 cents a pepper). The mushrooms were 69 cents (2 servings - 35 cents a serving). The grape tomatoes were 99 cents (3 servings - 33 cents a serving)

rtell

Oatmeal is more finely ground than porridge oats, but is on the same shelf in the UK supermarket. Oatmeal is better for smoothies, prridge oats better for ... porridge. But I make a tablespoon of uncooked porridge oats with plain yogurt and frozen berries, as a portable breakfast/snack.

kls13la

I found that when I first started out I was wasting a lot of food and money because things "sounded good" or "looked good," but I couldn't eat it all before it went bad. (I also live alone -- so I know it can be tough to finish things before they go bad!) I also had big plans to make X, Y, or Z, and would often not end up doing it because life got in the way. I've really had to make an effort to realistically look at what I will be able to eat each week. (I go grocery shopping once a week.)

I love fresh vegetables, so I cycle mine each week. Initially I bought everything -- bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumber, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. I could never finish it all and wasted so much money. Now I pick two or three each week and limit it to that. I also started bringing some of them with me to work to snack on so they won't go to waste. Same with fruit -- I love fresh fruit, but now I buy maybe two items of fresh fruit each week -- i.e. a thing of blueberries and a few peaches, or a few kiwis and a thing of raspberries. I had to realistically start looking at how much I could eat before it would spoil. Frozen vegetables can be great and cheap, though. I love frozen corn and asparagus as side dishes for dinner. Look for sales and stock up. Each bag is usually multiple servings. Also keep an eye out for sales on non-perishable staples, like canned black beans.

I'm not a big meal planner (and could never do it to the detail that some people do), but before I go shopping I generally think about my week and how much I will eat. Is there anything in the freezer or pantry that I can use? How many meals will I be eating at home? How many salads do I plan on eating? Do I have a protein for each dinner? Do I need snacks for work this week? Am I packing my lunch this week? What one or two recipes do I plan to try this week? Etc... This really helps keep me limited on how much I buy. Unless something non-perishable is on sale or I need to replenish a staple in my cupboard, I generally only try to buy enough to get me through the week. (I realize it's probably cheaper to buy in bulk, but I don't really have the freezer space for it.)

fay_pigu

Q: where would I buy these "protien whey powder" from.

I think Holland & Barretts

And they have buy one get second for a penny.


www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/categories.asp?cid=47