Why is it more expensive to eat healthy??

WendyTerry420

I just did *exactly* this when I went shopping.

Here's what I did. I created a menu for two weeks. (I get paid every two weeks.) Then I made a grocery list based off my menu items. I spent HALF as much money as I normally would have spent by doing that. Not a single coupon, no hunting for sale items, just planning.

WendyTerry420

TRUTH!!!!!!

DeadMarsha

A few things:

LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD FROM SCRATCH... if you can follow directions you can follow a recipe... If you are willing to put in the extra time to cook and make food for yourself you will save LOADS of money. Cooking is just like anything else; if you practice you will get better at it. I'm confident enough now to alter recipes or make "Rock Soup" (whatever is in the pantry) because I have been trying out a few recipes a week.

Learn to buy foods that are in season and learn where to buy foods locally. We got potatoes, a head of fresh lettuce (no wilts! I am weird about wilty lettuce), a 10-lb watermelon, onions, and a bag full of summer fruits for $13 today at our Farmer's Market. All organic.

Learn to like foods in their most basic forms. That way you can spend less on extra flavorings or pre-made meals.

It is possible! People think clean & healthy equals gourmet... just learn how to make foods that are in season and learn to make stuff from scratch, and retrain your tongue to like simpler, subtler flavors.

tinytoyjess

It's expensive because not enough people do it. If more people ate real food it wouldn't cost as much.

Fake food is cheap because it isn't food. So, actually, you're getting more food for your money when you buy healthy things. Think of it that way.

Oh, and buy store brand items when possible.

tinytoyjess

Yes - and I agree with buying in season.

j_wilson2012

BTW---- in the States, more people are obese than are healthy. Our healthcare system is out of order. In most cities, you cant go a mile without running into a fast food joint, and they make it easy to go "Super Size".
And how does the worlds leading American fast food company,and the #1 cause of consumer weight gain in America, sponsor the worlds largest athletic competition? What, they got money? Would have been nicer to see Subway as the sponsor.
"This is what you can do when you get older, kids! Be the best! Oh by the way: if you buy the large fries with that Big Mac, you have a chance to win MORE FRIES!"

AReasor

We save money by cooking big healthy meals and using them as work meals(pot pie, meat loaf, chicken and dumplings, chili).

It's amazing how low in calorie lots of different foods are if you cook them yourself.

WickedGarden

I did throw away a LOT of food at first, i just got used to eating smaller portions.

my number one rule: the freezer is your friend!

I buy a few days worth of produce, and create meals from that. One example is organic romaine lettuce, organic red bell pepper, organic celery stalks, and a frozen salmon patty. The produce I can buy for around $5 (which will make 5 salads) and a 14ct package of the Wild Alaskan salmon patties is around $15, so that salad cost me about $2...the same salad would cost $10-12 at the market or a restaurant. (I no longer use dressing on salad-it's a waste of calories, i just use pepper and lemon crystals).

When veggies are on sale, buy extra to freeze for a stir fry, soup, or crock pot meal.

Costco is an excellent source for frozen berries, organic eggs, meats, bread, and Greek yogurt. I buy 99% of my protein shake ingredients from there (soy milk, Greek yogurt, cinnamon, berries) so I pay less than $2 for each protein shake.

I pretty much only buy veggies at the market, and go to Costco for everything else, I buy fruit there too, and I do go thru it all before it goes bad.

good luck!

JanSmelly

A few things:

LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD FROM SCRATCH... if you can follow directions you can follow a recipe... If you are willing to put in the extra time to cook and make food for yourself you will save LOADS of money. Cooking is just like anything else; if you practice you will get better at it. I'm confident enough now to alter recipes or make "Rock Soup" (whatever is in the pantry) because I have been trying out a few recipes a week.

Learn to buy foods that are in season and learn where to buy foods locally. We got potatoes, a head of fresh lettuce (no wilts! I am weird about wilty lettuce), a 10-lb watermelon, onions, and a bag full of summer fruits for $13 today at our Farmer's Market. All organic.

Learn to like foods in their most basic forms. That way you can spend less on extra flavorings or pre-made meals.

It is possible! People think clean & healthy equals gourmet... just learn how to make foods that are in season and learn to make stuff from scratch, and retrain your tongue to like simpler, subtler flavors.

All of this.

amruden

ohh and I have Coupon for the Morning Star!!

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.