Whole Food eating on a budget

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  • msleanlegs
    msleanlegs Posts: 188 Member
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    Trader Joe's, if you live where there is one. I have never spent less on groceries in my life, and I am eating better than ever before.

    I second this. I went vegan a month ago and my weekly grocery bill shot down $40. Plant foods are cheaper, as long as you don't buy a ton of the faux meat kind of stuff.
  • hbm616
    hbm616 Posts: 377 Member
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    The forks over knives cookbook has great meals that fit your parameters that I have also found pretty inexpensive. Canned beans are only 0.79-0.99 and the dried ones are even cheaper. Try looking for bulk bins in places like Whole Foods. Everything is cheaper by the pound because there are no packaging costs. Look for produce that is in season--it will be cheaper if its local and hasn't had to have been preserved and packaged and shipped cross country. Good luck!
  • squirrelythegreat
    squirrelythegreat Posts: 158 Member
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    Check out your local Aldi if its available. I get by on about $30 a week. And I eat all the time. Add another $10 a week or so for meat (which you don't eat)

    Doubt I break $50 a week on groceries.
  • roxierachael
    roxierachael Posts: 81 Member
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    Aldi can't be beat when it comes to inexpensive produce. They're also owned by Trader Joes.
  • stardoe
    stardoe Posts: 1
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    Some of you suggested Trader Joes which is great, but I always go to Aldis (Affiliated by Trader Joes) first. if you have one in your area it has Great prices on produce, meat, cheeses, dairy, and some seafood.
  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
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    I don't have any idea why people say that it's expensive to eat a whole foods diet! Even more so that OP is after a vegan diet.

    Meat is my biggest expense which I buy in bulk from the internet. It is a specialist retailer in the UK who supply free range and grass fed meats to athletes. I've extremely good value and good quality. Veggies are cheap - thats just a fact, anyone who disagrees it just lying. I'm sorry if that is controversial but to say they cost loads is just inaccurate.

    I don't buy anything pre-prepared like frozen meals or anything along these lines. If you buy just natural foods you won;t spend the earth. You just won't.

    It might help to understand what your weekly food budget is and for how many people. Your expensive might be another persons cheap.
  • MissHolidayGolightly
    MissHolidayGolightly Posts: 857 Member
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    You could join a Community Support Agriculture (CSA) if available in your area. You pay a flat fee to a local farm and they provide you with a box of produce each week for a set amount of time. Some also have animal products.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Research farmers co-ops in your area.. I spend less then 40 a week and I get all my bread, granola, coconut oi, fruit and veggies for the week.. Honestly I could probably go 2 weeks with the amount I get. But I'm nutty about food. I also eat meat and stuff though..
  • joe7880
    joe7880 Posts: 92 Member
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    I don't understand why people think whole foods is expensive and I especially don't understand why some people refer to processed foods as "food."
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    i tend to eat lots of rice ( buy a bulk bag ) with olives , sun dried tomatoes, and tuna. everything is getting so overpriced here in the UK. quinoa is really quite pricey here as are many foods which are reasonably price in the USA.


    It is actually at the point where its cheaper to buy junk food than real food here.

    It's ALWAYS been cheaper to eat junk food than whole food. One McDonald's value meal can give you more than enough calories for an entire day! But that's not very healthy.
  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
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    i tend to eat lots of rice ( buy a bulk bag ) with olives , sun dried tomatoes, and tuna. everything is getting so overpriced here in the UK. quinoa is really quite pricey here as are many foods which are reasonably price in the USA.


    It is actually at the point where its cheaper to buy junk food than real food here.

    It's ALWAYS been cheaper to eat junk food than whole food. One McDonald's value meal can give you more than enough calories for an entire day! But that's not very healthy.

    I'm talking about supermarket food. Fast food is not food. Anyone who relies on fast food as a valid meal option is just kidding themselves.

    Who seriously eats a happy meal and it fills them up? It's just sugar and fat. Over the course of a week if you ate fast food for 3 meals for 7 days of course a weekly shop is cheaper!
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
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    Coupons are my savior.

    Mambosprouts.com
    Common kindness.com
    Whole foods.com

    All have lots of discounts.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
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    When people say healthy food is expensive what they really mean is that healthy food takes longer to prepare.

    i.e They are so used to fast/convenience food that the idea of peeling, chopping and waiting for food to actually cook is completely alien to them.
  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
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    When people say healthy food is expensive what they really mean is that healthy food takes longer to prepare.

    i.e They are so used to fast/convenience food that the idea of peeling, chopping and waiting for food to actually cook is completely alien to them.

    ^^^ THIS!. Me and you are two peas in a pod hun. People be too lazzzzzy to cook.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Bump
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
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    I'll say this, a bag of apples costs the same as a bag of potato chips, (if not less) and lasts days longer. Peanut butter and apples is more cost effective than potato chips and cookies, plus you will want to gorge less. Many are the times I have eaten an entire bag of chips. Never have I eaten an entire bag of apples.
  • thisisme13
    thisisme13 Posts: 150
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    I eat a primarily raw vegan diet and don't find that it is too much in cost. Obviously it's more than I used to spend eating a vegetarian or regular diet however I don't find I'm spending too much more.

    Shop where it is cheapest. You don't have to shop at health food stores or fancy stores. I buy my produce from whatever store has the best sale. I try to plan my eating around what is on sale. I won't buy strawberries for example if they are not on sale. I buy the cheapest fruits and veggies. Lettuce recently was $3 for a small head... so I won't buy lettuce this week.

    Personally, I don't find eating healthy to be any more expensive than eating processed garbage all the time. It all comes down to where you shop, how you plan, etc. Eating healthy doesn't have to cost more.
  • mikeberthold
    mikeberthold Posts: 24 Member
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    I don't understand why people think whole foods is expensive and I especially don't understand why some people refer to processed foods as "food."

    Because some people don't have the same phobias others do?
  • KatieHall77
    KatieHall77 Posts: 129 Member
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    Do you live in an area where you can garden? I save a ton of money growing my own lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, green beans, and squashes. I freeze whatever is left that my family doen't need, plus I always wind up giving away dozens of pounds of produce to neighbors.

    Start small. My first year, I just did cucumbers. You can get a whole package of seeds for about a dollar- then once you get the hang of it, diversify a bit to include more veggies.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
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    I'll say this, a bag of apples costs the same as a bag of potato chips, (if not less) and lasts days longer. Peanut butter and apples is more cost effective than potato chips and cookies, plus you will want to gorge less. Many are the times I have eaten an entire bag of chips. Never have I eaten an entire bag of apples.

    I ate almost a whole bag of cuties once in one night (mandarin oranges)

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