Eating healthy costs

BlackEyedPanda

In the UK I find Morrisons and Lidl to be cheapest for veg. They are far cheaper than my corner veggie store.

I buy a lot of my veg frozen and some fresh. If I bought all fresh I wouldn't get much variety cooking for one. Also, freezer is your best friend for when you cook more as then you can freeze stuff and eat it later on. I tend to cook ****loads during the weekend and eat it from the freezer over the week.

kelly_lake

You just have to plan.

Eg. A whole free range chicken 1.5-2 kg will cost you circa £8. Last night we had roast chicken with brown rice and steamed veg, then strip the carcass, leave it in the slow cooker overnight, and tonight I will make chicken soup with the stock and leftover meat, which will yeild enough for mine and my husband's lunch tomorrow too. So three meals from one chicken. You could probably make it go further still but my husband has a v physical job and eats big portions!

Half a kilo of lean mince (circa £5 for decent quality from a butcher or farm shop) will do a huge chilli or bolognese which you can freeze for another meal, or a smaller batch and say burgers on another night.

Roast pork at the weekend, then stir fry another night with leftover meat and lots of veg.

With a couple of tins of crab meat (£1.80 approx) you can make delicious crab cakes and serve with noodle salad.

If you're happy to eat less meat/fish, then bulk up your meals with beans and pulses etc.

I buy all fruit, veg, tins, packets, dairy etc from the supermarket and spend about £50-60 a week, then we spend another £20 or so at the farm shop on meat or fish. So £80 a week for breakfast, packed lunch and dinner for two adults and one child, usually including a roast dinner with family at the weeked. That's less than £4 per day per person. It took us a while to get the routine down so that we don't waste food and use everything we buy, but when you compare that to how you can easily spend £5 a day on a sandwich and drink, or £40 on a meal out for two, we've made big savings. The most effective saving has been shopping at the buther/farm shop for meat. I think it's easy to be sucked in by offers at the supermarket, but it's often false economy, plus I like to know where my meat comes from. We eat really well too, you could easily trim it down a lot further if you're on a very tight budget.

But don't be fooled into thinking it's cheaper to eat crap, because it's not true. It's not cheaper, just easier sometimes.

pennydreadful270

Lidl veg isn't just cheaper, it's somehow enormous. Like a red pepper there might by only 10p cheaper than tesco, but it's also nearly double the size. Their sweet potatos are the best, £1each and it takes three days to eat it all. (I don't know how they do it and I don't want to know)

I hate how everything in the supermarket is default £1 as well. A tiny head of cauliflower should not be £1, same with broccoli and cabbage. Those are some of the few veg we don't have to import, and yet they cost the same as an aubergine or courgette. Huh? When they're in season those things should be really cheap.

And I used to be able to pick up just what garlic and ginger I needed, and I would buy like 20p bit of ginger so it was always fresh. Now my supermarket has pre-packaged it into £1 plastic bags, and it's gone all hard at the ends.

In fact I hate any veg that comes pre-wrapped. Most stuff is already starting to rot in the bag. I think it's a combination of the extra packaging time plus the heat and trapped moisture. These little things all become barriers to eating healthy and saving money.

/rant over

glovepuppet

Although I can maintain my diet pretty well atm, I have been noticing that eating healthy comes with a very heavy price tag here in England. Prices of good food is nearly trough the roof whilst junk food is dirt cheap... And they wonder why the UK is having so many people who struggle with obesity!

i'm in england an i think this is rot.
if you're willing to cook from scratch then you can live healthy and cheap.
a lot of the junk looks more expensive than what i'm eating.

the exception seems to be bread.

bluebear_74

I never pay attention to how much I spend when I buy groceries but I often plan meals on what is on special that week (i.e beef mince is n special, so i'll make meat loaf).

Lieann22

I'm uk based.

I buy my meat from the butchers - this weekend I got 14 chicken breasts for £20 which I was really pleased with. You can grab a bargain on fruit and veg on market stalls with the "£1 a bowl" option. I also but cheap beef cuts and make my own mice / burgers / meatballs.

The only things I really get is household stuff from the super market and sometimes the odd bit of shopping. I can easily feed myself and my husband on £50.

I also get tesco value porridge oats 75p a kilo

Is that £50 a week or month?

£50 a week - on food only

supermoo2

I make sure I eat plenty of fruit and veg, but try to buy on special when I can. It doesn't have to be expensive if you buy from the right places

Lunachic77

I think it all comes down to..you get what you pay for. Crap food is cheaper. It's cheaper to make, has tons of fillers, sugars, chemicals. Healthy food, mainly organics may cost more, but it's your body, and you have to treat it right. But you can still find the items you need to create a well balanced, healthy meal in places like your local grocer, Wal-Mart etc. Avoid processed meals, go for lean meats, chicken, fish. Pick out a bunch of fresh veggies, salads. There are tons of resources and websites on how to make home made dressings, sauces out of natural products without having to buy the processed ones. There are even tons of recipes on how to make the fattening dishes we love, lighter and healthier. You can eat better and healthier within a budget, it may require a little more effort but it can be done. Good luck to you

kirabob

Cheap food is an illusion. Heck, grocery stores are an illusion. How far away do you live from a farm? If the refrigerated trucks stopped running, how would you eat? In the USA, food prices are held artificially low due to subsidies for corn, wheat and soy crops. Real food, grown in a sustainable fashion, isn't cheap, and shouldn't be. There are ways to reduce overall costs (largely by making everything yourself), but IMO, I would rather spend my $$ on local, sustainably grown fruits, meats and veggies than have a big fancy house or brand new car.

EmmaKarney

Ramen noodles are dirt cheap but unhealthy. Can you name something healthy that can feed you as much as ramen for the same price? I can't think of anything so if anyone knows anything please tell me! (Other than dried beans!)

A bag of barley is less than £1 here - you could make a meat and vegetable stew with barley for an entire family for under £5.

Koldnomore

I'm in the US and I agree that it is costlier to buy all healthy things than to get less healthier and pre-packaged food. For example, ground beef is cheaper than ground turkey. Pasta is cheap, but not healthy. If I substitute quinoa for pasta, it does cost more. Plus vegetables. I buy frozen broccoli florets a lot ($1.38/bag) because we love broccoli. I use 1-4 bags when I cook depending on what I'm cooking and how much leftovers I want to end up with. Ramen noodles are dirt cheap but unhealthy. Can you name something healthy that can feed you as much as ramen for the same price? I can't think of anything so if anyone knows anything please tell me! (Other than dried beans!)

Your dinner (for 4) = 2 pkg ramen style noodles + 2 bags broccoli. I don't know what they cost there because I couldn't tell where you live by your profile. Here they are about $.40 / pkg. Total cost for 1 meal @ $4.00 ( rounding to account for extras & drinks etc.) Still $20 for 5 nights dinner assuming you eat exactly the same thing.

1 dozen eggs $2.00
1 kg potatoes $2.09 (roughly 2.2 lbs = 8-10 potatoes)
5 lb flour $3.00
===================
@ $7

With those 3 ingredients you can make:
-perogies
-spaghetti, lasagne noodles, any other type of pasta you want
-gnocchi
-eggs of every type for dinner snacks etc..
-mashed potato, hash browns, baked, roasted..etc..

You can feed a family of 4 dinner very easily for a week on 20$ and have leftovers to spare for lunches too. The challenge is actually cooking at home and not using packaged food. Pasta is NOT expensive at all if you take the time to make it at home. You don't need anything special at all .. 1/2 cup flour + 1 egg will give you enough dough for a huge portion. Just roll it out flat with a rolling pin, fold it like a jelly roll, cut into strips and you have spaghetti. You can invest in a pasta machine that will do the rolling and cutting for you for about 40$ but I made pasta by hand for years before I ever got one.

Perogies are just mashed potato, flour and egg. Fill with more potato, maybe some onion or bacon or whatever you have on hand.

Food is not expensive but most people do not want to take the time to make it. If you take one day on the weekend and cook your meals then freeze them for the week you can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. Yes it takes some time - this is why 'convenience foods' are so popular and expensive! But it isn't the food that costs..its the TIME that most people do not want to take to make it.

debrag12

I'm uk based.

I buy my meat from the butchers - this weekend I got 14 chicken breasts for £20 which I was really pleased with. You can grab a bargain on fruit and veg on market stalls with the "£1 a bowl" option. I also but cheap beef cuts and make my own mice / burgers / meatballs.

The only things I really get is household stuff from the super market and sometimes the odd bit of shopping. I can easily feed myself and my husband on £50.

I also get tesco value porridge oats 75p a kilo

Is that £50 a week or month?

£50 a week - on food only

wow thats loads

kelly_lake

I'm uk based.

I buy my meat from the butchers - this weekend I got 14 chicken breasts for £20 which I was really pleased with. You can grab a bargain on fruit and veg on market stalls with the "£1 a bowl" option. I also but cheap beef cuts and make my own mice / burgers / meatballs.

The only things I really get is household stuff from the super market and sometimes the odd bit of shopping. I can easily feed myself and my husband on £50.

I also get tesco value porridge oats 75p a kilo

Is that £50 a week or month?

£50 a week - on food only

wow thats loads

Seriously? It's less than £3.20 a day per person. That's less than an overpriced coffee from Starbucks.

ETA. Looked at your diary. I'd say it's less than you spend at macdonalds every day.

kennie2

shop at markets. i can normally get a weeks worth of fruit and veg for a tenner
mind you thats only for one person but i eat ALOT of fruit and veg! its like 90% of my diet

toutmonpossible

I agree. For a person of ordinary income, it's expensive to eat in a healthy manner, that's one reason why many ordinary and income-challenged people are overweight and obese: Because bad food is tasty, cheap, convenient, and more fun. BigFood manipulates the taste to make the food especially appetizing. To reduce the cost of better food, I'm sure it helps to belong to food coops, etc., but that requires organization and commitment.

Still, you have to do what you have to do to eat better. I'm trying to make incremental changes.

SaraBrown12

I have found this year in particular the price of fresh produce has rocketed in the UK. Potato's have almost doubled in price along with many many other things. The poor summer and terrible flooding meant as a country the UK has not produced as much as usual this year so we are paying a hiked up price. Buying junk food i.e frozen chicken nuggets and chips is actually cheaper then buying all fresh produce tho eating take outs cannot even compare as its way more expensive. Personally i would rather pay the higher price and have chosen to shop about at markets as you would be AMAZED how much you can save over going to a supermarket.

You can't put a price on your health but yes i understand your point and i agree with you that its a bit more expensive but to me its a small price to pay Good luck on your journey xx

songbyrdsweet

I'm in the US and I agree that it is costlier to buy all healthy things than to get less healthier and pre-packaged food. For example, ground beef is cheaper than ground turkey. Pasta is cheap, but not healthy. If I substitute quinoa for pasta, it does cost more. Plus vegetables. I buy frozen broccoli florets a lot ($1.38/bag) because we love broccoli. I use 1-4 bags when I cook depending on what I'm cooking and how much leftovers I want to end up with. Ramen noodles are dirt cheap but unhealthy. Can you name something healthy that can feed you as much as ramen for the same price? I can't think of anything so if anyone knows anything please tell me! (Other than dried beans!)

Your dinner (for 4) = 2 pkg ramen style noodles + 2 bags broccoli. I don't know what they cost there because I couldn't tell where you live by your profile. Here they are about $.40 / pkg. Total cost for 1 meal @ $4.00 ( rounding to account for extras & drinks etc.) Still $20 for 5 nights dinner assuming you eat exactly the same thing.

1 dozen eggs $2.00
1 kg potatoes $2.09 (roughly 2.2 lbs = 8-10 potatoes)
5 lb flour $3.00
===================
@ $7

With those 3 ingredients you can make:
-perogies
-spaghetti, lasagne noodles, any other type of pasta you want
-gnocchi
-eggs of every type for dinner snacks etc..
-mashed potato, hash browns, baked, roasted..etc..

You can feed a family of 4 dinner very easily for a week on 20$ and have leftovers to spare for lunches too. The challenge is actually cooking at home and not using packaged food. Pasta is NOT expensive at all if you take the time to make it at home. You don't need anything special at all .. 1/2 cup flour + 1 egg will give you enough dough for a huge portion. Just roll it out flat with a rolling pin, fold it like a jelly roll, cut into strips and you have spaghetti. You can invest in a pasta machine that will do the rolling and cutting for you for about 40$ but I made pasta by hand for years before I ever got one.

Perogies are just mashed potato, flour and egg. Fill with more potato, maybe some onion or bacon or whatever you have on hand.

Food is not expensive but most people do not want to take the time to make it. If you take one day on the weekend and cook your meals then freeze them for the week you can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. Yes it takes some time - this is why 'convenience foods' are so popular and expensive! But it isn't the food that costs..its the TIME that most people do not want to take to make it.

This this!

Basic staple foods are not expensive. Convenience is expensive. Canned beans are literally *twice* the price of dry bagged beans, for instance. Protein bars, granola, flavored Greek yogurt, organic snack foods...all can be made from scratch for a fraction of the price.

toutmonpossible

Ramen noodles are dirt cheap but unhealthy. Can you name something healthy that can feed you as much as ramen for the same price? I can't think of anything so if anyone knows anything please tell me! (Other than dried beans!)

What's wrong with dried beans? I feed a family of three (myself and two big eaters) on dried beans and brown rice or whole grain flour, all from the bulk section. We augment with different spices, vegetables, and sometimes tofu or cheese, depending on the meal. We eat fabulously and on the cheap, even with everything coming from Whole Foods!

Because so much global cuisine uses beans and rice as a base, we have a pretty exciting diet; with a few basic cooking skills, it's like we eat at a restaurant every night: Thai one night, Mexican the next, Afghan after that. Dishes from Turkey, Morocco, the Caribbean, Ethiopia, India, China, and South Africa are all easy to make with just a few combinations!

Rahmen is also very convenient. Pour hot water on it, maybe add some vegetables, eat. I lived on it in college. Later, I saw how much fat and sodium had and stopped eating it.

I don't eat it anymore, but I love cheap rahmen.:blushing:

RunForChai

Hi,
I have to respond to this as I hear it so often....yes, sometimes eating healthy costs more upfront. But in terms of nutrition and long-term health--it is a bargain. When you think of the costs of "junk calories" [those that have no redeeming value and actually damage the body] and nutritious calories [those that are healthy] there is no comparison--pay now or pay later.

Having said that, when I visit London [frequently] I am shocked at the price of food and the lack of fresh healthy greens and non-fried foods. I think if I lived there I would sprout my greens for a daily salad or try to have a garden. I think I'd learn to make my own breads or meals.

Good luck!

stargazer008

Eating healthy is not expensive because it benefits your health while processed food such as chips do not benefit you, instead they slowly burden your body. So what's more expensive? It would be the processed food. Think of all the medical bills you won't have to pay if you ate healthy and stayed active.