Eating healthy is expensive...

WhaddoWino

Also consider a backyard veggie garden if you live in a climate and space that allow it. It's exercise, fresh air, meditation, and organic/affordable produce all in one!

askeates

Very well said! There are times when I look at my grocery bill, and yes it has gone up a little bit, and cringe... but then I look at one of the old dresses I used to wear (I saved a couple of things to remind me how far I have come) and know that it is worth it!

As for time consuming... I normally spend a day during the weekend preparing things to help with the week. I have found that I can eliminate some of the extra steps during the week by doing this, and it gives less excuse to go out to eat. Although, now if we do go out to eat I make sure we go some place that has a low-calorie menu, or a place that I can look up the information on the web (it's nice that most restaraunts do this now). It really helps me to plan it all out

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feebz36

I usually buy what fruits are on special offer, or aldi does the 50p fruit/veg. I planted a few apple trees, a couple of blueberries, raspberries and cherries. They take a few years to establish so last summer was the first that I got apples... but that was nice! tomatoes are amazing if you home grow them, I live in the north of scotland, so I need to have them grow against the shed inside a wee clear plastic tent... but they taste so much better than the ones from a shop! Lastly, my garden is not big, and i work full time, so I just choose things that grow quickly and easily... cucumbers, peppers, courgette, tomato, raspberries, rhubarb (that stuff is like weeds, you would have to try really hard to kill it!)

Spokez70

Good post- planning is the key. I love going into Monday having a weeks worth of healthy lunches pre-made and ready to go. A little bit of work up front saves money and hassle dealing with traffic, lines, weather, etc. to get some lunch each day. Easy accurate logging too- when you make it yourself you know exactly what's in it and how much.

tanisha88

I find eating healthy expensive, but time is definately a massive factor aswell. I don't think i'm lazy as i work between 50-70hrs a week, as well as having to maintain my home. Always find it funny when people say about having a prep day on Sunday, would love to have the time to prepare meals for the whole week. But i'm struggling on : ) I'm assuming people commenting on doctors bills are from the US and don't have the fantastic NHS we have in the UK.

Lupercalia

I find I'm spending about the same as I was when I was eating junk and going to restaurants a lot (I wasn't into fast food). Money that I previously spent on going out to eat and buying junk foods now goes into buying more fresh produce and meat. Yeah, I cook slightly more. But I was cooking before quite a bit, too. I like to cook, so I don't see it as a burden or waste of time.

ingies2011

The no time for cooking also reminds me of this

Those who think they have no time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness - quote by Edward Stanley

You could substitute exercise with cooking/food preparation....

I think it is important to remember that most food manufacturers are only interesting in profit, and most healthy food is that we prepare from scratch.

lauren3101

I take full advantage of my Farmer's Market. I go every other Saturday and spend no more than $50. That gets me 4 tubs up unsalted nuts(almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, dried cranberry) Butternut and acorn squash. 5 tubs of Strawberries($5 for 5) 4 tubs of Blackberries, 4 tubs of blueberries, Spinach, field greens, sweet potatoes, melons, kiwi, lemons, apples, bananas(.29 cents a pound) carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, oats, granola, grapes...The list goes on, and I have yet to go over $50!

Sorry if this is a silly question, but how do you only buy fresh fruit and veg every two weeks? I have to buy these every couple of days or they go out of date, which is probably why my shopping is normally so expensive!

round10

did you buy your salad from harrods in london??? i can and often do eat for just £5.00 per day that includes breakfast lunch and dinner!

LorinaLynn

Eating healthy is expensive if you have expensive tastes. I spend a pittance on healthy food.

Same here. I buy frozen veg, unless fresh is in season and cheaper, chicken, pork and ground beef in the "Big Packs" at less than 2.99/pound, wait for BOGO specials on some items, scour the circulars before shopping and hit multiple stores if it's financially worthwhile.

dsjohndrow

But, it doesn't have to be.
Buy in bulk. I buy my pitas and sandwich thins at Costco. I freeze them. I buy frozen veggies and fruits. For protein, I buy beans. You can get the same amount of protein in 3oz of beans as a 3oz chicken. Same calories, but less expensive. Also, I buy chicken in bulk and I freeze them. The freezer can be your friend. Use it. There are so many ways to cut costs. It really doesn't have to be expensive

^^^ This. I cook for 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon and I am set for 2 weeks with frozen lunches. (I don't really like salad, so it's protein and steamed veggies) Breakfast I make an egg sandwich with cheese and salmon in a "breakfast sandwich maker" I got for $35. Over a few years it has saved me a bajillion dollars and I get a healthier food than DD or some other coffee joint. We usually cook dinner at home, but it's often something grilled with a side of steamed or roasted veggies.

zyxst

Congratulations on learning that 'expensive' doesn't always mean 'cost more money'. :drinker:

fitbum19

The thing I didn't realize until recently was....when you eat WHOLE and HEALTHY foods, you don't need to eat as MUCH or as OFTEN. So really, it doesn't cost you more....just a little more time in preparing your meals. No biggie.

Ayirela

I agree, it's actually turned out to be money saving for me. This could be because I don't eat meat or dairy or eggs anymore either. Beans, lentils, couscous, quinoa oh so cheap! I'm enjoying eating healthy (while I still indulge on going out to eat once in a while I just make better choices or if we're in a pinch like yesterday (was st patricks day everywhere was over booked so on our way home from Dublin we stopped at Burger King) instead of getting a lot of junk I got their veggie bean burger with obviously no mayo or cheese and a small fry and small drink. While not the best choice it could have been worse.

I have found changing the way I eat has been so much fun. There are so many new and exciting recipes to make which makes it more of an adventure than eating the same crap all the time.

shadowkitty22

I take full advantage of my Farmer's Market. I go every other Saturday and spend no more than $50. That gets me 4 tubs up unsalted nuts(almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, dried cranberry) Butternut and acorn squash. 5 tubs of Strawberries($5 for 5) 4 tubs of Blackberries, 4 tubs of blueberries, Spinach, field greens, sweet potatoes, melons, kiwi, lemons, apples, bananas(.29 cents a pound) carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, oats, granola, grapes...The list goes on, and I have yet to go over $50!

Sorry if this is a silly question, but how do you only buy fresh fruit and veg every two weeks? I have to buy these every couple of days or they go out of date, which is probably why my shopping is normally so expensive!

The freezer is your friend! At least for the berries. I've never tried freezing my whole veggies...

NHoughton13

I totally agree. I never wanted to take any time to make anything, even a grilled cheese. Sure, the grocery bill has gone up, but I guess it evens out with the money I save packing my lunch and making breakfast at home vs. egg mcmuffins and taco bell.

lauren3101

I take full advantage of my Farmer's Market. I go every other Saturday and spend no more than $50. That gets me 4 tubs up unsalted nuts(almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, dried cranberry) Butternut and acorn squash. 5 tubs of Strawberries($5 for 5) 4 tubs of Blackberries, 4 tubs of blueberries, Spinach, field greens, sweet potatoes, melons, kiwi, lemons, apples, bananas(.29 cents a pound) carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, oats, granola, grapes...The list goes on, and I have yet to go over $50!

Sorry if this is a silly question, but how do you only buy fresh fruit and veg every two weeks? I have to buy these every couple of days or they go out of date, which is probably why my shopping is normally so expensive!

The freezer is your friend! At least for the berries. I've never tried freezing my whole veggies...

You can freeze fresh strawberries? Why did I not know this?! :noway: :laugh:

elyelyse

Calorie for calorie, even without taking into account preparation time, it is more expensive to eat healthy. But oh well, at least I don't feel all fat and awful and half dead anymore. Totally worth it.

i disagree with the idea that eating healthier has to be more expensive, but let's pretend for a minute that I agree healthy calories cost more...
we must also consider: calorie for calorie, healthier foods tend to provide more nutrition. you may get less food "mass" but you get more food energy, vitamins & minerals that you can really use.

lizp114

Even tho you might kick out more money on your groceries, that's less money you have to kick out for health care ( hopefully) eating healthy has so many benefits. Everything has pros and cons. I guess spending more money is one of the cons for healthier eating

AllonsYtotheTardis

Honestly the food costs more but here is the difference, I have stopped eatting out at resturants, thus saving money in the long run.

This is exactly what I've found too. Grocery bill went up a little (not a lot really), but restaurant spending went way down. Saving money by eating better!

BoatReadyBody

Sure seems cheaper than all the hospital bills latter in life..

vikkistarr89

All i have in my cupboards are rice/lentils/chickpeas whatever and then rice noodles/fresh fruit and vegetables/sweet potato etc

It forces me to assess whether I'm hungry enough to get up and make myself something, plus standing up cooking burns extra calories

The_Transforming_Journey

I was in the same boat as yourself! Since I've been taking the time to make more healthful meals, I've discovered that I actually don't like the taste of dollar menu cheeseburgers anymore

yamsteroo

We do a shop once a week and that hasn't increased, if anyting it's gone down a little as we always ate healthily, we just ate too much off it! We're also staying off beer and cider so while we were never big drinkers, it's still maybe £10 a week off for that.

The bit I am really saving on though is the mid-week shops. You know the story; you stop off on the way home from work to pick up a £2 bag of salad and see some pastries or chocolate bars, or some other thing you don't need but you buy and eat? I don't do that now so instead of spending £10 on stuff I don't need, I spend the £2 I was planning on spending, just on the green salad so i'm quids in.

I'll put the savings towards some new clothes when I get closer to goal

SuperSexyDork

Eating healthy is expensive if you have expensive tastes. I spend a pittance on healthy food.

Same here. I buy frozen veg, unless fresh is in season and cheaper, chicken, pork and ground beef in the "Big Packs" at less than 2.99/pound, wait for BOGO specials on some items, scour the circulars before shopping and hit multiple stores if it's financially worthwhile.

I agree with this. I feed a family of 4 for about 3 weeks on $300.
I pre-plan though. My meals are planned out for 2 week periods based on sales ads. The 3rd week is based off of what is still left in the freezer/cupboards since I buy in bulk.
Oh and I do buy plenty of fresh vegetables/fruits but I buy what's on sale.

nekoxvampyx

I had a cashier at the grocery store telling me that all the healthy food i bought was expensive that i should buy cheaper stuff instead.. and this happened a few days after i had lost my mom to diabetes so I wasn't in the best of moods.. i was like lady.. this is nothing.. DEATH is more expensive...being stuck at a hospital because of a disease that could be treated or prevented by eating right and working out is more expensive! -.-

bostonwolf

You can freeze fresh anything. For greens (spinach, collards, kale etc) you should blanch them (dip in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then push them into a bowl of ice water, then freeze. This keeps them nice and green.

As for eating well being expensive, I just made a pot of chili for myself that I was able to freeze into 9 portions. It contained the following.

3 lbs of trader joe's ground beef 80/20. For two pounds I drained the meat on paper towels after browning to lower the fat, for one pound I just dumped it in the slow cooker. Total cost about $7.50

3 15oz cans of black beans, rinsed (note, you could use dried black beans to be even cheaper) Total cost $3

A bag of carrots, diced. $2

Two big onions, diced. $1

A bag of bacon bits that I rendered down and then dried on paper towels. $5 (and I saved the fat for cooking)

Various spices, call it $2.

A jar of salsa: $2.50.

To for a total cost of $22 I just got nine lunches. $2.44 per meal.

Pkiddy

bump for later. no time to read right now.

CLFrancois

I find that paying $4 for a bag of dorito's is very expensive, $4 for a bunch of oreo's is insane.

For that $8 I can feed my family for a day. Crazy.