Why is eating healthy so darn expensive?

RM10003

OK, one last post from me on this topic--since you say you're near NYC, see if there's an HMart near you. It's a Korean grocery chain that we love for produce, usually good quality and very good prices. They also often have good prices on organic milk and eggs. And there's always some tofu on sale.

iiiEllie

are you near a costco? they have the best prices on meat (I live in Ontario). I have 8 mouths to feed so every penny counts. Our grocery bills are over $300 a week on a non-meat week. I buy a ton at costco, they have a ton of gluten free options for me, lots of organic produce.

Nope, nearest one is 4 hours away and a 50$ bridge fee.
We have Superstore, Sobeys, and No Frills. That's it, and our Walmart doesn't sell food, besides some canned/boxed stuff.

We have a farmers market that is 2x more expensive than the stores too.

AllonsYtotheTardis

We have a farmers market that is 2x more expensive than the stores too.

Yeah, I think farmer's markets are different in the US. The ones in my area are a lot more $$ than the grocery store...


But overall, since trying to eat healthier, we've been saving money - the food bills have gone down, not up.

HSingMomto7Kids

I know it totally sucks!!!

hbunting86

I live in Auckland, New Zealand and food here is generally expensive partially I think due to the small population. Example: I bought bagged baby spinach for $3.30 the other day, and a bag of broccoli slaw was $3.70 for 450g. Milk is another one - 1ltr will set you back $3. The irony being NZ produces a vast amount of dairy and exports something like 95% of it!

I'm a student and so on a budget, but I still eat healthily. Each week I'll probably spend $40-$50 depending on whether I'm picking up fish/meat with that. My advice would be to eat seasonally where possible, and look for specials in the supermarket. Recently we've had bluff salmon at $22 per kilo, so I stocked up on that. I also buy prawns with the tail still on, uncooked as they're half the price. Eggs are great - they're portion controlled and packed full of good stuff, it's easy and cheap to boil a few eggs and have them with a salad for lunch.

In all, I'd say healthy eating isn't more expensive than processed because you get a lot more for your money. Whereas a single pizza/ready meal might be cheap to buy you invariably end up eating and buying more. Most of the time I'll cook dinner and the leftovers will do for lunch the following day. Potatoes are generally always cheap - a baked potato with filling and salad is a great healthy choice and not too hefty on the purse!

Cheeky_0102

I don't find it that much more expensive to be honest. I'm on a super tight budget right now, but even with buying local meat, and mostly organic veggies, I am coming in at around $100/week for myself, my husband, two preteen boys and a baby.
I make almost everything from scratch. I don't buy food with sauce, mixed ingredients etc. I make my own bread, bagels, pita bread, pasta and buns... I make my own sauces as much as possible (peanut sauce, mayo, bbq, misc marinades) so I know what goes into it. I buy dairy, but I really don't eat a lot of it at all (mostly for cost, but also for fat content - I do have keep it around for my growing boys) but I do get plain yogurt for myself and the baby and I add fruit or make smoothies from it.
I have found the best way to save money and keep the food healthy is to eat vegetarian a few times / week... we seem pretty happy with 3 times, one day fish, the others I serve small meat portions in large veggie dishes (stir fry, curry)... I ramp the protein up in our diets by cooking with broth as much as possible.
Veggies are cheap when you eat local and in season. I love the farm market for this... I can fill my fridge for like $20 and that lasts a week.
Fish I get in frozen portions from Costco, I just find it more manageable and cheaper.
I buy a whole chicken once a week - a nice big one from the farm (around $25) this makes one meat centered dinner, two meat accompanied dinners and about 10 cups of broth.
The bulk of my groceries is the junk my kids eat. I have transitioned them to homemade bagels, somewhat whole wheat (locally grown stoneground wheat if you care - lol) and they don't get granola bars in their lunch anymore (we bake muffins or healthy cookies) but they won't give up breakfast cereal and sweetened flavored yogurt
You need to do what works for you, but with a little effort and organization, it's not *that* bad

skinnytayy

Like others have said, think of all the money you'll save on future health costs. Also, keep in mind all the money you'll save not taking those sporadic trips to Mcdonalds and whatnot. I used to buy a bunch of junk at the grocery store and spend say $150 but then I'd still go out to eat 3-4x a week plus my local coffee shop nearly everyday. So you figure I probably ended up spending $300 a week and not even realize it. My fiance & I spent about $100 a week, sometimes a little more when we have to buy pantry staples or w/e. So we save anywhere from at least $100 to $200 a week now.

Also some more tips ...

1) Plan out all your meals beforehand. This is HUGE with me. If I go to the store with no list, I can EASILY spend $200+ and not really have anything that goes together.

2) Don't go when you're hungry ... this applies even to the healthiest eaters. You'll buy anything that looks good.

3) Plan your meals around what's on sale.

4) Buy in bulk whenever possible.

5) Don't buy too much produce at once, unless its freezable. I used to buy way too much & a lot would go bad before I used it.

6) Try not to waste food. Don't be afraid of leftovers. At the end of the week, gather up what veggies are about to start going bad and make a salad, soup, stirfry, etc.

CoachReddy

Where do you live? I'm in new York. The cost of living is a fortune. I easily spend $800 a month on groceries which does not include diapers, paper towel etc. you don't even wanna know what I spend on rent lol

haha it completely depends where you're from. I spend over 600$/month for my boyfriend and myself. Nothing is cheap where I'm from. Damn Island.

Well, potatoes are dirt cheap..

Trader Joe's girl!

tacticalhippie

as far as couponing...
if you combine them with sales for non food items like toilet paper, razors etc.
the money you save could be used for food

mistesh

Wait, what? I've saved hundreds of dollars a month since I started eating healthy! I'm literally eating less food, so everything I buy lasts so much longer, and some of the meals I make last for 3-5 meals. I freeze a lot of stuff so it doesn't go bad. I also rarely ever eat out now, which saves a ton, but my grocery spending alone has dropped so much.

I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's and local fruit & veggie stands. Eat less meat and you'll save tons of money (and your health!). There's no reason to eat a lot of chicken, and red meat is not good for you in any amount. Lentils, beans, quinoa, greek yogurt, eggs, and mountains of veggies.

So irritating. I cannot find even a tiny flaw in what you just said there. May many benefit from your experience.

katy_trail

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

this website has a database of local farms and csa's. you can often get meat, eggs, and many other items shipped to you, or just find out where your local farmer's market is.

redraidergirl2009

I actually spent way less money when I started shopping healthy. No idea what you're buying or where you're shopping...

macybean

http://www.ewg.org/goodfood/index.php

This is a website with ideas for eating well on a tight budget. I spend a small fortune on food, but for now I can afford it and I will only eat sustainably raised/antibiotic and hormone free (better for me, the planet and the animals). If my budget changes, I will eat less meat.

You can eat well on a budget, but you're right that there aren't a lot of coupons for good food. Also, corn, wheat, dairy and soy are subsidized by the government, making prices lower than they would be otherwise and making processed foods cheaper. There aren't any subsidies for vegetables. Buying in bulk can help (if you have freezer space) and making more of your own food.

Good luck, and, as others have said, in the long run, your good health is well worth any increase in cost.

johnhubbs

Costco Smart $ Final and local fruit Vegie stands. Know the prices and don't buy high. By low and stock up. Costco has great deals on Frozen Vegie mix. There picked and packed at prime ripe ,so you can't get much healther. I buy Chicken or samon burgers on sale and freeze

FeebRyan

This is one of the reasons I love doing intermittent fasting. My food shop has gone down not up, there is no way I could eat 5 times a day and have food that I would want to be putting in my body and was good for me. With IF I just eat when I feed the kids and husband and simply miss a meal or three a couple of times a week. Much much cheaper

jody664

I hear ya! I spent $186 at the grocery this weekend.....for just myself! Granted, I bought stuff for the next 2 weeks, but still.......I about died when they tallied it up. But I also bought stuff for 3 meals per day plus snacks....not just dinner. And other stuff like laundry detergent, dish detergent and paper towels. I try not to get too whipped up about it. I AM eating better. And I feel a ton better than when I was eating a boatload of cookies and cakes.

Athena53

I have just started planning meals ahead and making EVERYTHING from scratch. You pay for convenience.

Absolutely. I'm lucky to have a stay-at-home husband, but he'll buy whole chickens and butcher them into pieces before freezing. We rarely buy canned broth; we keep a giant plastic bag in the freezer and throw in all the pieces we cut off of vegetables, tops of green peppers, kale stems too coarse to eat, the bottoms of celery stalks.. when it gets full you throw it in a pot with water and let it simmer, then skim out all the solids, and freeze in small portions. Cost is near zero. Sometimes bits of leftover meat go in, too, but if there's enough meat left over after a meal I'll cut it up and throw it in a large salad and that's another dinner.

I make bread, but not too often because of the calories. It's SO easy and you can knead the dough, leave it to rise, and 3 or 4 hours later put it into the oven. It may not be as cheap as tasteless off-brand white bread but it's a fraction of the cost of the "artisan" bread they sell at the grocery store with the list of ingredients you can't pronounce.

DSzokol

For me the cost of eating healthier has actually balanced out. Where I used to spend $5 on junk food every few days, I now spend $10 on healthy snacks that when portioned right last almost the whole week (ie - crackers, hummus, mini rice chips, fibre 1 granola bars). Plus, now that I'm not eating all the fast food and processed food I find that my food expenses are the same. But, it was not at first. It is an investment. Here is what I did (mind you I'm only shopping for myself):
- Look at the prices for my junk food - and then at veggy's. A cucumber and a chocolate bar cost the same thing, but one lasts longer and is better for me.
- Read healthy recipes books and blogs. This helps me find snacking tips and ways to keep full, not to mention have a blast in the kitchen.
- Patience - once the habits are built in, it gets cheaper. It is an investment at first, but once it is habit it balances out.

Then again, I'm no expert. This is just what has worked for me.

kimdawnhayden

Do a search on healthy meal plans on the cheap. Oxygen Magazine will have some plans from time to time. You can eat healthy cheaper, you just have to plan and realize it's going to be more work than a ready made meal. There's a great book called Body Art that has some easy great recipes. It's kinda old, but it even has homemade protein bars and things in it. You said this was your first week of shopping for healthy foods. You'll get better at it and realize when you have a deal on something or not.