Why is eating healthy so darn expensive?

Unless you're somewhere with a high cost of living, this shouldn't be happening. I'm in one of those upper Midwest town clusters that only passes for city because we're surrounded by farmland and liberal use of the sale sheets will knock my food budget down to roughly $100 for a month's worth of food. No organic goodies, just lots of not -prepackaged things.

That's what I'm sayinnnn! That needs to change. Healthy eating is a standard. We want to be healthy and live longer and we have to pay MORE for that?

Buy in-season fruits and vegetables, they are usually cheaper because there is a higher supply of them and often times they are locally grown instead of shipped from Mexico.

This time of year, hit up the farmer's markets and check to see if you have any CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture) in your area. The CSA's require an up front investment but you get in-season organic fruits and vegetables all summer and into fall.

Get a Sam's or Costco membership and buy your meat in bulk, split it up and freeze it in meal sized packages. Better yet, if you have a big freezer find a local farmer and buy the meat straight off the farm. You can have it processed and wrapped ready for the freezer for a nominal cost and overall it's cheaper than store bought.

I stock up on staple items like brown rice, whole grain pasta, couscous, etc. when places like Whole Foods or Sprouts have their bulk sales.

Save money on cleaning supplies and paper goods by shopping at your local dollar store or making them yourself. I make a month's worth of laundry soap for about $3 (just my husband and me, so it would be a little more if you still have kids at home)! I make my own window cleaner, dusting solution and fabric softener too.

Beans. Whole grain rice. Lentils. Oatmeal. Vegetables and fruits in season, on sale. Less meat, or even no meat. Eggs are usually a good buy. Don't let the yogurt fool you -- it is full of sugar, often almost as much as a candy bar!

You need to come up with recipes for the cheaper ingredients. Cabbage is usually a really good buy, and so are carrots. Try making some rice and cheap vegetable stir fries, homemade soups and homemade bean dishes. One of my favorites is something I call Lentil Cabbage Casserole. Cook up about a half cup each of lentils and brown rice, mix them together, then chop up one medium cabbage and two onions, steam them for about four or five minutes. Mix them all together with a little butter, salt, and enough pepper to see flecks of it and to get a kind of warm taste. Dinner for four, for just a few bucks!

Plan your week's menus around what fresh produce is on a good sale that week.

I have found that coupons are for processed foods that I wouldn't choose to eat. They are over-priced, too.

This! Eating mostly vegetarian saves a lot of money. I stock up on any processed foods when they are on sale. (Veggie sausages, frozen foods, canned beans, rice etc) I buy fresh stuff, fruits and veggies every week. It averages about 50-60 dollars a week for the two of us. We eat out once or twice a week on average, so that includes about 20 meals and snacks. Shopping at discount places, like Aldi, really helps too.