STOP saying healthy food is more expensive
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and oh yeah, wanted to add that we DO have a vegetable garden but so what? for two months we eat fresh tomatoes and cukes. string beans for three months. we get 3-4 months of hot peppers and herbs. and guess what else....start up costs were over $200, compost is not free, nor is water. I'll ignore cost of seeds for now.0
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At our local farmers market I spend around $20 on produce for just me (picky eaters, I'm the only healthy eater here). It usually lasts me just about a week. Watermelon is about 3-5 bucks for a giant one.0
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Reasonable Quality Steak: $26.99 a pound
Potato Chips: $3.99 a bag
Just sayin!
This !!!!
This is like comparing apple to kittens, lol ... they're not even in the same food group, or even interchangable in a recipe ...
Pork, chicken (dark meat, which by the way is more nutrient dense than white, and only has 3 more calories per ounce (raw weight, than white), eggs, and canned/pouch tuna or slamon are all reasonably priced alternatives...0 -
Where on earth do you live that watermelon is so much? I love me some watermelon, so I can't afford to live there. lol
Indianapolis.
Seriously. $7 here. And they are pure crap. I wouldnt pay $2-3 for them and they are one of my favorites too!
If you're willing to brave the wilds of Southern Indiana, Posey County has awesome watermelons.0 -
I like turtles.
Me too.0 -
Honestly if people don't want to achieve something they'll find excuses. Let them, there's no point pandering to their self pity lololol0
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Where on earth do you live that watermelon is so much? I love me some watermelon, so I can't afford to live there. lol
Indianapolis.
Seriously. $7 here. And they are pure crap. I wouldnt pay $2-3 for them and they are one of my favorites too!
Here in New Jersey, the cost is the same-- $7 for crap. Around Independence Day, they go down a bit-- but as the summer wanes, prices soar.
I won't buy 'em, either.0 -
In response yo the "not enough calories" argument ... well, um ... fattier, high calorie cuts of (fresh, not preserved like sausage and bacon) meat are usually cheaper ... And potatos (sweet or white) and other root veggies are pretty calorie dense ...0
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I spend a fortune on healthy food for my family. But I'd rather be doing that than spending it on trips to the doctor...0
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I'm in NJ, and honeydew is 2.99-4.99, around here ...
Where on earth do you live that watermelon is so much? I love me some watermelon, so I can't afford to live there. lol
Indianapolis.
Seriously. $7 here. And they are pure crap. I wouldnt pay $2-3 for them and they are one of my favorites too!
Here in New Jersey, the cost is the same-- $7 for crap. Around Independence Day, they go down a bit-- but as the summer wanes, prices soar.
I won't buy 'em, either.
But whatever ... here in NJ, we are lucky to be able to get a whole flat (6 dry pints) of fresh blueberries for $6 ... We have good local produce ...0 -
In response yo the "not enough calories" argument ... well, um ... fattier, high calorie cuts of (fresh, not preserved like sausage and bacon) meat are usually cheaper ... And potatos (sweet or white) and other root veggies are pretty calorie dense ...
And I eat all of those, and pay through my nose for them. 100 dollars a week= 5, 200 dollars a year. And this doesn't count meat, which I buy in bulk once ever 3-4 weeks.0 -
In response yo the "not enough calories" argument ... well, um ... fattier, high calorie cuts of (fresh, not preserved like sausage and bacon) meat are usually cheaper ... And potatos (sweet or white) and other root veggies are pretty calorie dense ...
And I eat all of those, and pay through my nose for them. 100 dollars a week= 5, 200 dollars a year. And this doesn't count meat, which I buy in bulk once ever 3-4 weeks.
Not being argumentative, just trying to give suggestions ...
Buy in bulk ... cook in bulk and freeze ...
Like I said, just a suggestion ...
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in...to learn how 30.00 feeds two people for a week....
I live by myself and spend about 150.00 a week....0 -
ok, a tiny brick (more of a wedge) of cheap cheddar is $8 near me. seriously op, where do you live?0
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Where on earth do you live that watermelon is so much? I love me some watermelon, so I can't afford to live there. lol
Indianapolis.
Seriously. $7 here. And they are pure crap. I wouldnt pay $2-3 for them and they are one of my favorites too!
If you're willing to brave the wilds of Southern Indiana, Posey County has awesome watermelons.
Thats the problem I have with grocery stores and corporate farming. The crappy watermelons they sell in our stores are probably from Idaho or something whereas we could probably get better ones locally sourced. Its ridiculous.
Yes I am complaining about the costs of a $7 watermelon and I have not taken the time to drive around to locals farmers markets and check out what they have. That is an option but look at the cost there. Its a farmers market so more than likely theres no website and maybe not even a phone number to call and check to see whats available and fresh? So the alternative is to hop in the car and drive around all afternoon at $4 gallon until I find a decent watermelon for $3.50. Its a lose lose.
(this part right here does help the OPs case a bit)
I do have a strawberry patch in my front yard though. Strawberries are awesome!!! They started out as 2 plants I bought at lowes or home depot for about the cost of 2 pints of strawberries. I said it was a patch. Yup the two plants just took off and now cover about 50 sq ft of space. When ripe the strawberries taste better than just about anything Ive had in any store.0 -
it isn't an excuse. as a newlywed, just starting off, and still in college, i find myself trying to cut back where ever i can. and there really aren't many things i can do. i use coupons to save my family enough money to survive on, and i can't find coupons for produce anywhere. when my store gives them out i use them but they are very rare, so i'm stuck to prepackaged crap... i don't have a fortune to spend on healthy food. and when you live on a 75 dollar a month food budget, you need to cut costs where ever possible, and i would rather spend my calories, than my rent money. however, i don't complain when i am over my calorie budget, i just try harder burn them off.0
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Exactly how much it costs my family of four. Glad I'm not the only one. lol0
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In response yo the "not enough calories" argument ... well, um ... fattier, high calorie cuts of (fresh, not preserved like sausage and bacon) meat are usually cheaper ... And potatos (sweet or white) and other root veggies are pretty calorie dense ...
And I eat all of those, and pay through my nose for them. 100 dollars a week= 5, 200 dollars a year. And this doesn't count meat, which I buy in bulk once ever 3-4 weeks.
Not being argumentative, just trying to give suggestions ...
Buy in bulk ... cook in bulk and freeze ...
Like I said, just a suggestion ...
And I do all of these things. For example I spent 90 dollars to feed myself for 11 days (just myself)
I made a big pot of curry, then put in individual things and froze it. I dump it into the pan, toss in noodles, place on lid and walk away.
I made a pasta bake, which is 8 serving for me. Again, individually portioned. I pre-cook chicken thighs (breasts cost too much) and but them in baggies for salads and quicky meals.
I have bags of cut and then frozen peppers and onions and maybe blueberries (I'd have to look).
So I do all of the suggested things, I shop deals and clip coupons when 'healthy' items are actually on sale. It's still a crapton of money. I could never feed myself, alone, on $30 dollars let alone myself and my husband. It was much cheaper to feed us before. It is worth it, sure. But worth it doesn't suddenly make it less expensive.0 -
I'm in NJ, and honeydew is 2.99-4.99, around here ...
Where on earth do you live that watermelon is so much? I love me some watermelon, so I can't afford to live there. lol
Indianapolis.
Seriously. $7 here. And they are pure crap. I wouldnt pay $2-3 for them and they are one of my favorites too!
Here in New Jersey, the cost is the same-- $7 for crap. Around Independence Day, they go down a bit-- but as the summer wanes, prices soar.
I won't buy 'em, either.
But whatever ... here in NJ, we are lucky to be able to get a whole flat (6 dry pints) of fresh blueberries for $6 ... We have good local produce ...
Im from New Jersey and the London Broil prices there are one of the things I miss as well!0 -
I'm having a hard time wrapping my head arounf this because I eat a lot of "exotic" stuff, that would normally be considered expensive, in larger quantities might I add, and I spend max $75 a week, and that's if I make a stop at the Whole Foods cheese counter ... I eat berries (all types), sheep's milk yogurt, unhomogenize yogurt, raw almonds ... my diary is open ... all rather "high priced" fare, and I keep to my budget ...
EDIT: For me AND my mom ... 2 people ... though, I do eat way more than her because of my activity level.0 -
and oh yeah, wanted to add that we DO have a vegetable garden but so what? for two months we eat fresh tomatoes and cukes. string beans for three months. we get 3-4 months of hot peppers and herbs. and guess what else....start up costs were over $200, compost is not free, nor is water. I'll ignore cost of seeds for now.
One possible answer to this might be community gardens, but, that sort of thing isn't for every place. Can't imagine people getting into it in the suburbs.0 -
lol. 2 people to feed. That's adorable.
In other news, I feel damn good that I bought 2 weeks of groceries for 4 people for $135. Georgia produce at the Farmer's Market = epic cheapness.
Whether it lasts the expected 2 weeks is another story...0 -
You can definately buy healthy for less. Aldi head of lettuce cucmber and tomatoe is less than $3 . Mix that with canned chilli. 88 cents a can and jiffy corn bread mix. I eat salad chili and bread for about 6.00 can feed 3. But most time i buy quick lo cal more expensive items at deli. Pre cooked hard boiled eggs. Chopped veggies etc. I also eat chick fil a. Lo cal items but expensive. So eating healthy can be cheaper and more expensive. It is cheaper than buying all the medicine i use to buy.0
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I have a hard time with this one, too. And with remembering some people can't get well priced fresh produce.
I live in SA, Texas and have a Fruit/Vegetable Store I've been frequenting for nearly 10+ years called Chico Boys [http://www.chichoboys.com/], where I can buy 5-8 bags of fresh produce for around $25-$30, and it'll last me a whole long time. A lot longer than just a week.
I'm really, really into eating healthy because it is *incredibly cheap* for me to do so. I do a lot of buying in bulk, portioning out and freezing for use across the coming weeks (for meals, for snacks, and for smoothies)At HEB or Walmart it would cost 2-3 times as much. So I'm definitely there with the original poster.
Cheaper for me (but I understand some people don't have the resources available to them or aren't interested in them, and even with a whole lot of other people in this city, still, don't even know they are available to be taken advantage of).0 -
Bottom line is: Where there's a will there's a way ... if you really want something you will make it work.
By the way, this applies to all aspects of life.0 -
I agree that eating healthy doesn't have to break the bank ... BUT it does depend on where you live, how much time you have available to cook, and your level of creativity in the kitchen.
I'm fortunate to live on the west coast of Canada, where family farms, and their corresponding produce markets, abound. Mid-summer it's not surprising to get two full grocery bags of produce for around $15. Then I get creative. I don't have a lot of money, so this is the type of thing I do to make healthy food on a budget:
- To a pound of lean ground chicken ($2.50), I extend it with oat bran, mushrooms, onions, grated zucchini and/or chopped spinach (2-3 cups of whatever was a good deal) ... and end up with about 8 healthy chicken burgers. No reason this couldn't be done with hamburger too.
- Or I'll cook a $1 head of cauliflower, toss it and the water into a blender, return to the pot and add half a can of coconut milk (about 75 cents) ... and end up with 4-5 2-cup servings of really delicious soup for $1.75.
- A friend just gave me a smoked trout, so I turned part of it into another fabulous soup, with onions, frozen chopped spinach, and a half a can of coconut milk.
- Instead of spending a lot of money on fresh or frozen juices, pick up a $2 bottle of lemon juice and make tons of lemonade.
- Freeze all leftover meat bones and make a delicious and very nutritious bone broth, which can be eaten on its own, or used to make other things such as soups, sauces and gravies.
These are just a few ways I've found to eat healthy without taking out a mortgage.0 -
Bottom line is: Where there's a will there's a way ... if you really want something you will make it work.
By the way, this applies to all aspects of life.
Absolutely agree. And if you really refuse to give up fast food, you're going to find a way to rationalize why you "can't". I've done it in the past. My husband does it now. He "doesn't have time", so he eats fast food. I've cooked lunches for him (things that he likes for dinner at home) and packed them up and had them ready to go and he won't bother to bring them to work so he "HAD" to stop at McDonalds. He's got it rationalized in his head as to why he has absolutely no alternative...
When he wants to eat healthy he will, but nothing I'm ever going to say is going to change him so I just let him eat what he wants and listen to him complain about how I lose weight and he doesn't. I know I've found out that after years of my own whining about how much work it would be to plan out meals and cook ahead of time and how I'd be bored with what I cooked, etc.... it turns out to be cheaper, easier, and honestly quite delicious. I didn't want to hear it before. I had to really want it before I made the effort to make it happen.0 -
We are on a very, very tight budget this summer. We shop at Aldi. The produce is hit and miss. The lettuce has been great (1.99) and lasts about a week. I also get avocadoes there. We don't typically buy meat there. However, we have some in the fridge right now. Sure, I'd love to buy grass-feed ground beef, but NO way is it in the budget...not right now. As it is, I'm trying to get 2.5 meals out of it. We buy most our baking baking products there and our dairy.
We have a garden. Yellow squash was great, then with all the rain, it rotted. Cucumbers and lettuce--bum crop this year--last year it was plentiful. Our tomatoes are doing great. I have a bunch ripening on the counter and will pick a bunch tomorrow. I really wanted to get 60% of our produce from the garden, it just didn't happen. The rain and cool temps we had hurt the veggies.
I also try and make as many things as I can from scratch. We are almost out of bread, I will probably bake a batch tomorrow. We go a bread outlet as well, but not sure I can get there tomorrow.
Eating healthy is more expensive, IMHO. I manage alright with our budget. I haven't gained any weight.:drinker: and my whole family is drinking a lot more water!0 -
yeah... no. If I want 5 chicken breasts it costs $12-15. There goes half of my budget. A gallon of milk is more than $5.
WELCOME TO BC!
Go to Safeway or Superstore; 4 kg of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts ~$250
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