Why is it cheaper to eat unhealthfully...
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I find that it's not, you have to go to the market more often though which is why most people probably think that it is more expensive. They are used to buying in bulk, even when they are at a regular grocery store. So...they purchase more than they can actually eat before it does what perishable food does and goes bad.0
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loaf of 100% whole grain bread (Arnold's) - $4.49
loaf of white bread - $1.99
I'm dirt-broke, and I buy Arnolds. I check the circulars online before I go shopping and regularly get Arnolds for half price. Sometimes buy one, get TWO free. I freeze two loaves right off the bat. I'll only buy what's on sale, and when it's not on sale, I buy the store brand version of the same bread for $2.59.
And for all that 95% beef is supposed to be a better cut, and it is lower in fat and higher in protein... I really don't like it all that much, so I usually get 85% or 80%. If I do get 90% or higher, it's when it's on sale for only a 30 cents or more than more fatty.
What everyone is saying is that you CAN eat healthy on a budget. Granted, higher quality products will always cost more than inferior quality ones, whether it's food or an automobile. But the original post was about why is fast food cheaper than groceries, and it's clearly not.0 -
It costs less money to produce unhealthy food in bulk. This is why Mcdonalds has $1 meals and stuff like that.
Actual fresh food that is grown, I suppose is higher for obvious reasons. A dollar looks like a "Deal" at first, but it really isn't when it comes to your health.0 -
It's actually much much much cheaper to eat wholesome healthy foods. It will just take you a While to figure it out. It seems like a learning curve everyone has to go through.
I agree with this
Chicken breast, oats, rice, beans, lentils all cheap
Thanks (both) for opening my eyes to that! I was just pining over how cheap fast food is in comparison to healthy food myself. But that definitely makes sense :drinker:0 -
To prove a point, from my local grocery store:
1/2 gallon of Skim Plus - $3
Gallon of Whole Milk - $3.99
loaf of 100% whole grain bread (Arnold's) - $4.49
loaf of white bread - $1.99
75% lean Ground beef (value size pack) - $3.89/lb
93% lean Ground beef (not available in a value pack size) - $5.79/lb
These are way more than a 30 cent difference. Again, this has nothing to do with the costs of long term health, etc.
I am just comparing apples to apples here, and the price differences are very obvious. But yet people keep saying this isn't true. Maybe it isn't true for you if you have access to farms and who knows what, but for many people, this is reality.
This is only true where you live. Where I live a 4L jug of whole milk is $4.29 whereas a 4L jug of skim milk is $3.99. Sorry but it really DOES depend where you live.
Furthermore a package of 2 pieces of chicken breast costs $10.00 whereas 2lbs of ground beef costs $8.00. Poultry is definitely NOT the cheaper option here. Beef is. But then we're cattle country which may have a part in that.
Bagged popcorn (the kind you heat up by throwing it into the microwave) costs $4.00 for a pack of four bags.
A bag of whole popcorn kernels costs the same amount but can make you at least twice the amount of popcorn, plus you get the added benefit of only preparing as much as you need/want as opposed to having the set amount per each bag.
Fresh whole wheat bread is $1.89.
Fresh white bread is $1.89.
I mean, I could go on. I work in a grocery store. But the bottom line is it may or MAY NOT be more costly to eat healthy. Just depends where you live and what options are available to you.
Where I live there are three grocery stores. The one I work in is one of the more expensive but even so I can get by with $40.00 for groceries a week and I eat no prepackaged, processed junk. It's all healthy fruits, vegetables, meat. *shrug*
PS: I brought up the popcorn because it's my alternative to chips.
Don't even get me started on how much a bag of chips costs here. The popcorn is way cheaper. 0 -
For most Americans, food is the first or second largest item in the budget. It takes lot of planning, careful shopping and home cooking, to eat healthy foods cheaply...especially until you get used to it. There are many helpful websites-- check out moneysavingmom.com . Hope that helps. As Debbie says, if you have to start factoring in medical care, even $1.50/pepper foods start to look cheap. Good luck.0
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I disagree. It's just easier to buy unhealthy, already prepared food.0
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I always thought this was the case but I find it's the opposite now, shop sales, look at your flyers, I buy chicken and fish when it's on sale and cooking at home is a heck of a lot cheaper, I went out to dinner with my friends friday night, my portion of the bill was 30 bucks for the one meal and for 30 dollars I can cook at home for an entire week.0
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Everybody (or most) are missing the point!
A package of 93% lean ground beef is MORE EXPENSIVE than the same size package of 80% lean beef.
A package of multigrain or whole wheat bread is more expensive than a loaf of White wonder bread.
A gallon of skim milk is more expensive than a gallon of whole milk.
These are straight up facts - same package sizes, but cheaper for the "less healthy" items.
How can you say that isn't true??
I am not talking about how much it costs overall to feed my family with healthy foods, vs. fast food.
I'm talking about the one-to-one comparision of buying these healthy items vs. unhealthier items.
That's nowhere near the original comparison, but I'll bite.
80% vs 93% ground beef - drain it, or cook it in a way that the fat can be removed (skillet cook it before putting it in baked dishes, grill it, etc). Also, if you're in an area with (non-factory) farms nearby, you can get far, far better meat (in fat content and quality), for cheap, because you can buy it direct from the farmers or butchers.
Multigrain vs White - I'm not sure I'd even classify Wonder bread as actually being food, but aside from that... last time I was at Aldi (which, granted, has been a while), wheat bread was only about 10-20 cents more than white bread. There's also the option to make your own. Seriously, bread is dead simple to make - yeast, sugar, flour, water - mix together, let rise, bake. Want whole wheat bread? Buy whole wheat flour.
Skim vs whole milk - again, I've never seen more than about a 30 cent difference. And that depends on the state (in some states, milk prices are regulated; in PA, skim milk ($3.27-$3.48) is cheaper than whole milk ($3.64-$3.85) - http://www.mmb.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pricing_information/4744 ). If you're so poor that you're sweating over a 30 cent difference on milk, then perhaps you should be looking at canned or powdered milk (or rethinking your milk usage altogether; the same goes for bread).
And yep, I've been there. Most of my family is still there (my mom, as well as my aunt and uncle, hover in that no-man's land where they make too much for assistance programs, but not enough to really get away from living paycheck to paycheck). They've handled it by cooking at home, growing their own stuff and/or getting food from other growers, and doing crazy things with coupons (my aunt is borderline extreme couponer; most of the stuff, I personally wouldn't eat, but I can't deny her effectiveness on getting stuff that they eat for literally next to nothing).
80% lean beef is DISGUSTING. If you are trying to eat healthy, draining the fat from it is not enough. And who is going to start making their own bread every week? Should we buy cows and make our own milk and butter too??
I'm not saying that there aren't ways around the price differences, I am just trying to point out that there are clear differences in price between the healthy and unhealthy food options in the GROCERY STORE. I'd say the majority of people don't have access to non-factory farms or cheap farmer's markets. We have to shop at the local grocery store chains, and have no choice on the prices. Sure, I could drive 40 miles to a farmer's market, but I'm not saving money when I need to pay for my gas.
The store brand breads go on sale for the same price for the healthier or less healthier. Whole milk isn't less healthy than skim, in fact, many people would argue the opposite of that, you just have to portion properly for the calories. The 'healthy' vs. 'non-healthy' snack packs just switch out chemicals for chemicals. You are just lowering the amount of calories. There are many options throughout the store to make the same foods you enjoy without paying more.0 -
loaf of 100% whole grain bread (Arnold's) - $4.49
loaf of white bread - $1.99
I'm dirt-broke, and I buy Arnolds. I check the circulars online before I go shopping and regularly get Arnolds for half price. Sometimes buy one, get TWO free. I freeze two loaves right off the bat. I'll only buy what's on sale, and when it's not on sale, I buy the store brand version of the same bread for $2.59.
And for all that 95% beef is supposed to be a better cut, and it is lower in fat and higher in protein... I really don't like it all that much, so I usually get 85% or 80%. If I do get 90% or higher, it's when it's on sale for only a 30 cents or more than more fatty.
What everyone is saying is that you CAN eat healthy on a budget. Granted, higher quality products will always cost more than inferior quality ones, whether it's food or an automobile. But the original post was about why is fast food cheaper than groceries, and it's clearly not.
All of this. You just need to be aware......and take some extra time for shopping. Go look around the perimeter of the grocery store. I went from 300 a month in groceries to less than 200. I lost weight doing it and I eat good quality and HEALTHY foods. Plus I went to mostly organic (meat and produce) since I was saving so much money.
Seriously? HOw can you compare making your own bread to buying a cow and making butter/milk? Whoever said it earlier is right...it's like a 5 ingredient recipe and only requires a little hands on time.....It's not brain surgery to make bread (or butter for that matter).
You also can't compared a full gallon of whole to a half gallon of skim.... smaller packaging = more expensive . Try looking at gallon prices on both.
Eating healthier is just as cheap without special stores or markets, but you have to actually put some work into it.0 -
I also live in Ontario. They never go over a dollar a pound at my local No Frills, and when they're super cheap they're grown in Ontario and consequently super fresh, too! Do you live in Toronto and/or shop at high-end grocery stores? :noway:When I visited America I found that grocery stores overcharge by a lot. $1.50 for a single green pepper? Yeah, ok, I got a 4-pack for $1.29 at home (Canada) yesterday! :grumble:
WOW! Where the in Canada did you get that? OMG, a 4 pack of peppers is 6.99 here in Ontario (not even organic), & if you buy them individually it's approx., 2.50 per pepper.0 -
If you have a Trader Joe's near you, shop there. Their produce does vary from store to store, but the rest of their stuff is pretty much standard. They have lots of organic products and their name brand items are generally very inexpensive. They also make sure to not use any GMO ingredients in their name brand stuff. If you're lucky enough to have a store with great produce, you will save a ton of money over "regular" grocery stores.0
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I actually found that's its much cheaper to eat health. I used to eat out all my meals, my stove had been collecting rust lol. In the past a typical day would cost me anywhere between $30 -35.This included coffee, no breakfast, lunch from the food court and Chinese take out ... wow no wonder I gained all that weight. Now I maybe spend 15 a day and most of that's is still for the numerous cups of coffees. So not giving that's up.
I'll make a few dishes on Sunday and they last me for most of the week. Now my grocery bill is less then 100 per week and I try to look at the flyers to see what's on sale & use that. In the summer I go to the local market for Vaggies
& fruit, tast better and cheaper also.0 -
To prove a point, from my local grocery store:
1/2 gallon of Skim Plus - $3
Gallon of Whole Milk - $3.99
loaf of 100% whole grain bread (Arnold's) - $4.49
loaf of white bread - $1.99
75% lean Ground beef (value size pack) - $3.89/lb
93% lean Ground beef (not available in a value pack size) - $5.79/lb
These are way more than a 30 cent difference. Again, this has nothing to do with the costs of long term health, etc.
I am just comparing apples to apples here, and the price differences are very obvious. But yet people keep saying this isn't true. Maybe it isn't true for you if you have access to farms and who knows what, but for many people, this is reality.
Whole milk is healthy. It has more calories, so drink less. That makes it even a better deal.
What brand is the white bread you compare to Arnold's? I see plenty of whole wheat and white cheaper brands in the 1-2 range. I don't have the money for a 4.50 loaf of bread, but I can still get healthy bread cheaper.
You need to compare the same size packs of ground beef. Did you ask anyone in the butcher area if they could pack the more lean meat in a value pack at a discount? A lot of times they will do stuff like that. Besides, eating healthy doesn't always mean you get to eat the exact things you used to eat. We swap all the time. Bottom line is, with careful shopping, we spend much less than when we get the pre-packaged foods.0 -
a plot by the man not only to hold you down but give you poor health to buy the script drugs they make bazillions on ..... its not really that hard to fathom if you think about it0
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Eating healthy can be cheap, but it does take work and extra time. To me its worth it but believe me, I can understand why people go through drive thrus or eat lots of banquet pot pies, hot dogs, ramen, chips, etc. Grab heat then eat. Then there's the clean up....I make all my meals and even most of what goes into my daughters' lunch bags. Graham crackers, protein bars, yogurt, pancakes etc. My freezer is over-flowing! And I don't even have a dishwasher!
But my food tastes way better, I use less ingredients(fillers) and make them my way and many times it is cheaper. For example, I make enough plain organic yogurt that I eat 5-6 days per week, plus my kids and my daycare kids eat at least twice a week all for $3.58. It takes me 13 1/2 hours to make it though (I don't have a yogurt maker) and then I drain it in small portions for me to make thick Greek yogurt. Not everyone is willing to put in that much time and effort into saving some bucks but it taste amazing and I can make it any flavor I want!0 -
The farmers market, Aldi's, and Walmart actually make it cheaper to eat healthy than to eat unhealthy. And not feeling like my stomach is going to drop out of me, like McDonalds does, kind of makes it an even bigger bonus!0
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I hate, HATE this excuse. It's not true. A family of 4 eats at McDonalds for, what, $15? I made grass-fed beef shortribs braised in red wine with barley, asparagus and artichokes for $4.75 per serving last night: $6 bottle of table wine, $7 chuck roast on sale, $1.50 barley, $2 asparagus, $2.50 artichokes. So $0.75 more per person AND we had 2 servings of veggies. This is one of the most expensive dinners in my regular rotation.
There's a major misconception that "healthy" means only the best, most expensive, organic-free-range-massaged-twice-daily-sung-lullabies-at-night products. Sure, grass-fed beef and organic chicken are more expensive, but that's not the only route to healthy. Basic dry beans & legumes, grains, and local produce, while not as trendy as some of the expensive stuff, is just as good for you. Even organic meat goes on sale occasionally.
There are a million resources here and elsewhere on the internet that show how to eat healthfully on a budget, even if you're short on time. People who cling to "it's too expensive to eat healthy" or "I don't have time to cook" are just not willing to make the change for their health.0 -
It is simply not cheaper to eat unhealthy food.To prove a point, from my local grocery store:
1/2 gallon of Skim Plus - $3
Gallon of Whole Milk - $3.99
loaf of 100% whole grain bread (Arnold's) - $4.49
loaf of white bread - $1.99
Any reasonable person would just buy the cheaper version of those products, as the variation in nutrition is minimal and not worth the price differential. What should be compared instead is the price and nutritional value of a meal made from scratch versus prepackaged/takeaway food.
If you make all your meals from scratch, they work out significantly cheaper than unhealthy food!
What I do every Saturday morning is work out every meal I'm going to eat for the week. Then I go to the market (great quality and half the price of a supermarket) and buy all the raw ingredients to make those meals. I normally spend about AUD$100 which gives my wife and I 6 dinners and 6 lunches for the week (and the buying power in Australia is a lot less than the US). For example, minestrone soup is a regular at our table; it's really tasty, nutritious and it costs about $5 to make 6 serves!
If I bought a takeaway meal for my wife and I here, it would cost $25 for one meal and I'd be hungry in an hour.0 -
The farmers market, Aldi's, and Walmart actually make it cheaper to eat healthy than to eat unhealthy. And not feeling like my stomach is going to drop out of me, like McDonalds does, kind of makes it an even bigger bonus!
Wal-Mart gladly sells GMO corn. That's not healthy.0
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