How much $$$$ have you saved by dieting

I think we've actually spent more on food because the processed stuff is so much cheaper...We've actually had to choose processed stuff that's not as high in calories because we can't afford produce or whole foods...it generally spoils within 24 to 48 hours when we buy it ...

I think my bill has kind of stayed the same. I have noticed that I am eating alot more frozen veggies and fruit than fresh. It just lasts longer and I have to figure out where to save the money. Being I am the only one working right now. I wish it was Summer time though. Love the fresh fruit and veggies from the market.

HA ha. Saved??? Goodness no, not a cent. However, it's money very well spent and I dont regret or feel bad about it. :happy:

^ This too.

Where I saved was the cost of eating out. My husband and I were ALWAYS under and couldn't figure out with two full time jobs why we were not even able to cover basics. Well in February of this year I tracked every cent spent and we figured out that we had spent over 320.00 in outside food costs from restaurants and quick grab deli items. Not only was this stalling weight loss but hurting our budget. We decided to make a goal to eat healthier and only eat out twice a month and wow it is amazing how much more money is in our pocket. Not only do I feel better but only allowing twice a month (Sometimes it is more but we keep it pretty locked down) we choose good, healthy options rather than go to the all you can eat buffet with the generic food.

I don't see the cost of healthy groceries costing me more than I was spending, I am just recycling the money to healthy items rather than chips/cookies/frozen meals. I look for deals and stick to what I know about shopping. The food lasts a lot longer than the junk so I believe in the long run I am saving more money than I know

Extra money?? hehe I wish I had some of that!! I'm spending money every month on a gym membership ... and the more I go to the gym, the more my 25 year old football playing, wrestling, crazy high metabolizing, black pit stomach of a boyfriend goes to the gym. The more he goes to the gym, the more hungry he gets. He was almost impossible to feed before I started making these changes. He eats two or three times as much now! I'm spending more money on food lately than I ever did before. I also eat more now, but my choices are simply healthier than they were a year ago. So now that every adult in our family eats more, and we have less leftovers, and have to actually cook a different dinner every night (rather than every other or every 3 nights) .. all my extra money goes to buying fruits, veggies, and canning supplies so I can start canning my own home made, healthy, organic sauces.

SAVED money?? I'm spending more money now. Not only because of a gym membership, but because buying a lot of fresh produce isn't exactly cheap. You know what's cheap?? Mac and Cheese. Ramen noodles. Soup.

However, I really don't mind spending more money. It's fine, it's for a good reason. But I really only wish I was saving money.

I've never tracked it but I think it's just about evened out. What I used to spend on breakfast, lunch and snacks at the drive-thru or in the cafe at work are now spent on more healthy foods.

I have found a huge difference!! By watching what I am eating, I am planning my meals ahead more, which means less impulse buys that sometimes ended up being thrown out or given away from not eating it in time. Also, with my crazy schedule I ate WAY too much fast-food. But I quickly learned how unhealthy the stuff I was eating is, and when I stopped, I very quickly noticed the change in my bank account

Congratulations on the extra vacation from your savings! Very exciting!! What a great reward for your hard work!

I haven't really tracked it but I'd guess my saving are minimal if any. My boyfriend moved in with me a few months after I started MFP which doubled the food budget (at least) so it's hard to say. I ate fairly healthy before so am now more concerned with portion size (which subtracts cost) and variety of food (which adds some.) I didn't eat out very often before but I am doing it less now. I don't eat a lot of meat but try to buy grass-fed and local meats. I think I have saved some from boozing less. I am about to that point where I really need to buy a new wardrobe as the saggy, wearing-older-sisters-clothes look isn't cutting it at work. I should be able to start on that at the post-holiday sales with my Christmas bonus, but it will cost a lot.

I'm actually eating a lot more now. Our grocery budget has nearly doubled. I used to "live" off mountain dew and 1 meal a day. So that really sucks, but it's worth it

Any money I've saved from eating healthier and not eating out is blown on new clothes. I'm down 2 sizes and trying to buy minimal new clothes until I get to my goal weight. Such a pain, but I'm not complaining!

I have lost 37lbs so far, but I have managed to recycle some of my 15 year+old clothes.
I am planning a shopping blitz come the January Sales.

Speaking of old clothes, I dug a pair of 12 yo jeans out and they fit. My son saw me and the first thing he said was OMG, MOM, Dad's wearing skinny jeans! I was so mortified I went and took them off. Funny thing is they were just regular cut jeans back in the day..

People perceive healthy eating/ dieting as expensive to a greater or lesser extent because of what they choose to eat - the perception that fresh vegetables are healthier than frozen, that meat in any way needs to be part of a healthy diet, still eating more than the recommended portion size, unwillingness to consume fish or pulses or organ meats, not considering if it is cheaper to remove fat or skin or bone from your own meat ... choosing fruit or bagged salads over vegetables, eating out of season, wasting a lot more food than they admit to themselves.

Dried beans and lentils, canned oily fish, frozen and root veggies are all incredibly cheap here in the UK as are many other healthy foods, many vegan meals cost next to nothing to make for example (I am not pushing the lifestyle from any angle other than cost and nutrients). Anyone in the UK should check out Moneysavingexpert forums, plenty there are feeding their families healthily on the cheap.

Just looking at Tesco and Asda not shopping around: pigs liver £1 a kilo, eggs £1.50 for 15, canned pilchards in tomato sauce £2.20 a kilo, whole chicken £2.50 a kilo, plain yoghurt £1.30 a kilo, mixed dried fruit ~4p a serving, fresh carrots, red onions, dried green peas and mixed frozen veg ~5p a serving, fresh pineapple ~8p a serving, canned kidney beans 6p a serving, dried red lentils £1 a kilo, peanut butter £1.80 a kilo, wholemeal flour in bulk 50p a kilo, porridge oats 75p a kilo.