How much does good food cost?
Replies
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A big juicy honey crisp apple out of season here costs about 2-3$ each...
It depends on what you buy...if the fruits and veggies are in season (cheaper), where they come from (for Eastern Canadians) usually California or Flordia or South America so add in transportation costs, and the fact that there are issues in California atm and the price of food is high...(well non seasonal veggies and fruits for NB)
Lean chicken breast in my area ...a package of 4 could be 15-20$ when not on sale
Milk is 4$ for 2 litres so half a gallon, butter is about 5$ a pound, olive oil is 10$ a bottle...eggs almost 4$ a dozen, I wont even get into the organic items and their costs...
Potatoes are cheap for us since we are surrounded by potato fields...if I buy frozen veggies it's cheaper, and I always buy the meat on sale...
So yah it's expensive to eat in a "healthy" manner...my budget for food is about 200$ a week for 3 people.
ETA: yogurt for me is 1$ per 100g
Holy crap, the prices are way higher out east than where I am out west! My mind is blown
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A big juicy honey crisp apple out of season here costs about 2-3$ each...
It depends on what you buy...if the fruits and veggies are in season (cheaper), where they come from (for Eastern Canadians) usually California or Flordia or South America so add in transportation costs, and the fact that there are issues in California atm and the price of food is high...(well non seasonal veggies and fruits for NB)
Lean chicken breast in my area ...a package of 4 could be 15-20$ when not on sale
Milk is 4$ for 2 litres so half a gallon, butter is about 5$ a pound, olive oil is 10$ a bottle...eggs almost 4$ a dozen, I wont even get into the organic items and their costs...
Potatoes are cheap for us since we are surrounded by potato fields...if I buy frozen veggies it's cheaper, and I always buy the meat on sale...
So yah it's expensive to eat in a "healthy" manner...my budget for food is about 200$ a week for 3 people.
ETA: yogurt for me is 1$ per 100g
Holy crap, the prices are way higher out east than where I am out west! My mind is blown
less transportation...California is closer..most of my family works in transportation (specifically in shipping food in refers) so I know all about the transportation costs etc...it's always passed onto the consumers at the grocery store.
I have no issue paying that much for the apple...they are soooo good and it's a complete meal for me.
I can get smaller ones that are about 1.50$ -2$ each...0 -
A big juicy honey crisp apple out of season here costs about 2-3$ each...
It depends on what you buy...if the fruits and veggies are in season (cheaper), where they come from (for Eastern Canadians) usually California or Flordia or South America so add in transportation costs, and the fact that there are issues in California atm and the price of food is high...(well non seasonal veggies and fruits for NB)
Lean chicken breast in my area ...a package of 4 could be 15-20$ when not on sale
Milk is 4$ for 2 litres so half a gallon, butter is about 5$ a pound, olive oil is 10$ a bottle...eggs almost 4$ a dozen, I wont even get into the organic items and their costs...
Potatoes are cheap for us since we are surrounded by potato fields...if I buy frozen veggies it's cheaper, and I always buy the meat on sale...
So yah it's expensive to eat in a "healthy" manner...my budget for food is about 200$ a week for 3 people.
ETA: yogurt for me is 1$ per 100g
Holy crap, the prices are way higher out east than where I am out west! My mind is blown
less transportation...California is closer..most of my family works in transportation (specifically in shipping food in refers) so I know all about the transportation costs etc...it's always passed onto the consumers at the grocery store.
I have no issue paying that much for the apple...they are soooo good and it's a complete meal for me.
I can get smaller ones that are about 1.50$ -2$ each...
Yeah that completely makes sense. Just really put it in to perspective.
And I'm with you on that. Probably worth the price!0 -
You guys must live in some really ritzy places...I just paid $11 yesterday at the store for manager's specials on steaks and spaetzel. I walked out of there with a pound of spaetzel and 9 steaks.
Oh, and bananas are 32 cents a pound. Apples are $1.40 per pound. I can get 2-3 decently sized apples for that. Cucumbers are 49 cents, zuchinni's are 99 cents, broccoli is $1.12 for two heads, and lettuce is 99 cents a head. The only thing I ever had trouble buying was meat until I learned about the specials down the street.0 -
my grocery store has buffalo chicken rangoon for about $5.59/box of 12.
bake em at 425 for about 15min....damn it's good.0 -
Good food costs a lot less than the healthcare required by people who eat poorly.
ok, enough joking around, even if it is true
I feed my teen daughter and myself a local organic vegan diet for about $75/week.
Long Live The NHS - I can eat burgers all I want!
Also, our healthy food is actually quite cheap here in the UK. Avocados have gone down a lot in price recently because I'm guessing they are getting transported in bigger loads. They used to be £1 ($1.6) each, today I got 4 for £1.75 ($2.20ish). Bananas are pennies. Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions etc., normally about 50p per "pack" (so a lettuce, 4-6 tomatoes etc) Lots of Asian supermarkets popping up too so you can get a wide variety of noodles and things that are better than the standard (and disgusting) egg noodles we used to get. Fish should be cheaper because we're an island but we export like 70% of it, but a lot of the less popular fish types are cheap, like hake, trout, squid etc. Also remember I think our average wage is a bit higher, so £1 would probably equal $1 in actual buying power in some places. I bought about 2 weeks worth of fresh vegetables, cheeses, noodles and fish, as well as 4 weeks worth of frozen quorn, chicken, steak and cereal, falafel mix etc., (making around 3 weeks food total) for about £40.
Since we're talking about apples, it's £3 for 8 pink ladies (one of the most expensive) or 70p for a bag of about 7 of the cheapest.
Also if you're reading this in the UK and you're wondering how I did it - I used to think healthy food was more expensive too, but I set myself a challenge this month. I shop at ASDA (95% of it), Lidl/Aldi, markets and a local greengrocers and Asian supermarket.0 -
The cost of the food doesn't matter if you can't cook!!0
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I think food where I am is cheap. I made this yesterday for Australian $30 and will get 5 big meals out of it: At $6 a meal you cant really go wrong, if I was to buy lunch at work Id be looking at a minimum of $9 and it wouldnt be anywhere near as good.
Items in this meal
Vegetables - Garlic, Fresh, 3 g (1 clove)
Western Star - Butter (Original, Hard), 20 g
Rice - Brown, medium-grain, cooked, 500 g
Fresh - Onion Per, 66 gm
Generic (Fresh - Leeks, Vegetable, 132 g
Fresh - Celery Per, 328 gm
Fresh - Red Capsicum Per, 300 gm
Corn, Fresh - (Usda) Corn on the Cob, 225 g (1 ear)
Fresh - Carrot Per, 191 gm
Fresh - Sweet Potato Per, 403 gm
Fresh - Beet Root, 1.8 cup (136 g)
Fresh - Fresh Green Beans, 1 cup; 110g
Skinless Chicken Breast - uncooked weight Per, 630 gm
Total: 2,359 191 33 344
It was freaking delicious too btw :flowerforyou:
Edit: This all made a caserole in case people were wondering wth did she do with all that!0 -
Hi,
I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?
Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...
So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...
Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?
I live in Alaska. I've paid $5 for one Apple... i don't eat meat so I can't attest to that, but produce is VERY expensive here. I've taken to ordering some food (like dry goods) offline from amazon since the Prime shipping is free even to Alaska. It is VERY expensive to eat healthy here.0 -
For the sake of curiosity I whipped out my spreadsheet...
Including groceries, dining and out "drinks at gas stations" (all food costs basically):
I spent:
Jan 2014 $387.61
Feb 2014 $312.40
March 2014 $324.90
The goal is $250 and it has been done, but it's hard, and I like treats.
I actually almost met the goal in Feb, then turned around and bought a car, then took my family to a restaurant to celebrate, but then I had to factor that in, so I was no longer at goal after splurging to celebrate almost meeting the goal.
Silly finances.
I've decided since I work somewhere I don't get raises at all, I would compensate by reducing my cost of living.
You are great!
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Hi,
I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?
Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...
So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...
Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?
I live in Alaska. I've paid $5 for one Apple... i don't eat meat so I can't attest to that, but produce is VERY expensive here. I've taken to ordering some food (like dry goods) offline from amazon since the Prime shipping is free even to Alaska. It is VERY expensive to eat healthy here.
Uao, 5$?
Well... how do manage poor people? Do they have really just the option of fast food, junk?
The food at school, for example... do they give fresh vegetables and fruits? Or what?0 -
I have been going to a local farmer's market weekly to get produce -- I know what I can get cheaper there than at my local Kroger grocery store. I have always had to budget my grocery bill, but without the "extra" crap like chips, soda, ice cream, cookies, I have been about to keep my grocery bill about the same. The thing about junk food is that it has so little nutrients, you feel like you have to eat more of it in order to feel "full." Now that I'm eating a lot more fruits, veggies, salads, and have cut out red meat almost entirely, I feel full after a meal for a few hours and I don't have as many cravings.
Another reason it might feel like it's more expensive is when you're first starting out -- you pretty much have to replace your staples and get things that you'll use instead, so your first few grocery bills might be more, until you get used to it, know how much you need for a week, and can start combining ingredients for multiple meals.
If it was a lot more expensive, I certainly couldn't be doing it.0 -
Good food is by far more expensive everywhere I've lived.
If done right, it's not bad, but when you need at least 2500 cals just to maintain weight, that can add up.
Out where I live, some stuff is cheap, lettuces' are usually 99cents to 1.25$, bananas are 53-59 cents a pound.
But those are really the cheapest, everything else is closer to 1.75-3.46 a lbs.
Potatoes and rice are cheap, but I don't exsactly call them super healthy.
But when buying fresh produce and some healthy foods costs 9-15 bucks a meal, vs. a box of Velveeta Cheesy Skillet (1.50$) and a lb of ground beef (99 cents/lb) well...it's easy to see why someone would choose crap.0 -
and once you factor in the money saved from eating out and on the run all the time I bet most people will see their wallet get fatter.I have been going to a local farmer's market weekly to get produce -- I know what I can get cheaper there than at my local Kroger grocery store. I have always had to budget my grocery bill, but without the "extra" crap like chips, soda, ice cream, cookies, I have been about to keep my grocery bill about the same. The thing about junk food is that it has so little nutrients, you feel like you have to eat more of it in order to feel "full." Now that I'm eating a lot more fruits, veggies, salads, and have cut out red meat almost entirely, I feel full after a meal for a few hours and I don't have as many cravings.
Another reason it might feel like it's more expensive is when you're first starting out -- you pretty much have to replace your staples and get things that you'll use instead, so your first few grocery bills might be more, until you get used to it, know how much you need for a week, and can start combining ingredients for multiple meals.
If it was a lot more expensive, I certainly couldn't be doing it.
When I grew up you ate out, or ordered in, on "special" ocassions. Now many people eat out, at FF places much more often.0 -
Hi,
I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?
Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...
So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...
Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?
This is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to people who want to lose weight, go on a diet, etc when they wonder about the high price of 'healthy food.
I have yo yo'd over the years. I am not proud of it, but it has happened. I master losing weight buy eating better, eating less and exercising. It is just maintaining that has killed me. I am giving it one more go around.
When people complain and say they cannot lose weight because it is too expensive...that is complete BS.
YOu can easily lose weight, and gain more $$ in your bank account. It really goes hand in hand. People dont need to go out and buy fancy "healty" food to lose weight.
When I lose weight I make $$$$$.
I spend sooo much less on food. How? Because you eat less. MUCH, MUCH, MUCH less fast food, much less drinks. much less eating out, much, much less $$ spend when you eat less/healthier
This .. I think it balances out you are eating less so your spending less . I shop around I buy the produce pics from my local aldis this week a bag of baby carrots is 69 cents. Eggs are a pretty inexpensive protein. Some stuff like hamburger meat is more expensive lean but I eat less of it because its red meat not lean meat anyway. I feed me and 3 kids for 300 a month. We snack on things like celery carrots apples natural peanut butter greek yogurt protein bars and almonds is it 100% clean no but its a lot healthier than honey buns and oatmeal pies0 -
Hah! Funny. Did it taste like chicken? We have a ton of deer out where we are so I don't get any of the plums or apples from the new trees I planted. We want to put in a garden but will first have to put up a huge deer fence. Then I wonder about the little ground hog putzing around the property. Will we have to eat her if she tunnels into out garden? Send me the squirrel recipes!if you have a little dirt and a green thumb, it can be pretty cheap.
A couple tomato plants, some pepper plants, some onions, cucumbers, beans, and greens of some type. All pretty easy to grow. Just need the space for them.
My dog ate all my tomatoes, my cucumbers never made it past flowers and the green beans were nasty and grainy. I apparently do not have a green thumb. The parsley did well though.
Squirrels ate all mine last year....so I ate the squirrels.0 -
I spend about $350/ mo on Paleo for myself, my daughter and my boyfriend.
Dang, how much is ya'll monthly expense?
$350 a month?!?!?! I spend that in a week. Monthly grocery bill is anywhere from $1400-1500.0 -
Someone up there just made a good point, anyone in a less accessible area thought about ordering some of your food online? Amazon has great deals on a lot of stuff.0
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I find we spend about the same making healthier choices, but food preparation is a bit more labor intensive. Totally worth it, but it does take a bit longer. We do eat out once a week or so...usually with a coupon or a twofer deal. I also participate in Bountiful Baskets. Co-op twice a month and make sure to use all that food as efficiently as I can (only one of us can eat most fruit...)0
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I live in North Carolina. I went grocery shopping yesterday, these are some of the things I bought:
1 dozen tangelos - 2 dollars
Pre-cut fresh pineapple - 2.50 for 1 lb
10 lb bag of potatoes - 3 dollars
10 lb bag of chicken - 6 dollars
1 lb of grapes - 1.39
1 gallon of milk - 2.50
1 whole cabbage - 1.50
Total : $18.89
This isn't what I'm eating all week. I have other stuff at home. I just needed to grab a few more things. But this is a lot of food. If I was the only person in my house, it would last me a week or more.0 -
Heavens! I am scheduled to travel in the USA for 6 weeks in August/September...obviously I shall need to triple my travel $!!0
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If I convert from metric to Imperial.....
A bag of 1,5kg (about 3.3 lbs) delicious crisp red apples costs about $1.60, and deboned, skinless chicken breasts (free range) about $2 a lb.
A 10lb bag of chicken about $6.
Pineapples, whole, less than $1 each, and with winter coming I can buy large bags (about 10 lbs) of fresh picked oranges for about $0.75 the bag, from fruit stall vendors.
Milk is about $2.50 a gallon. A good filet steak is about $3.50 to $4.50 a lb.
This is in South Africa. I've done the conversions and exchange conversions as best I could.
From having traveled in Europe, the UK and the USA, I have found that our restaurant food is much cheaper, relatively speaking. There does not seem to be as much markup here as there is elsewhere. So a really good, first class restaurant might charge the equivalent of $12 for a 70 oz steak with salads or seasonal veg. At the local family restaurant I pay about $7 for a half rotisserie chicken with salads. That is probably only double what I would pay for the ingredients.
So I am happy to eat in restaurants quite often, which I find makes a meaningful contribution to my lifestyle. And I don't find diet food to be more costly...except for the cutting out of bread, for which benefit I am happy to pay!0 -
Hi,
I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?
Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...
So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...
Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?
No it is a complete myth that healthy food is expensive and a poor excuse to add to the list of excuses that people use for not losing weight comprising metabolism, plateaus and the whatever 'third party' reasons they can think of.0 -
I spend on average $125 a week for a family of 3, basically i didn't notice a price difference between my more healthy diet versus my older not as healthy diet.
ETA : Prices for a Nova Scotian0 -
Hi,
I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?
Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...
So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...
Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?
I'm interested to know where in the UK you lived, because it is incredibly expensive. As is everything in the South East of England.
That really depends where you shop.
And how creative you are with your meals.
And if you cook from scratch.
And ensure nothing is wasted etc etc.0 -
Whole Oats. Less than 10 cents per serving.0
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I live in North Carolina. I went grocery shopping yesterday, these are some of the things I bought:
1 dozen tangelos - 2 dollars
Pre-cut fresh pineapple - 2.50 for 1 lb
10 lb bag of potatoes - 3 dollars
10 lb bag of chicken - 6 dollars
1 lb of grapes - 1.39
1 gallon of milk - 2.50
1 whole cabbage - 1.50
Total : $18.89
This isn't what I'm eating all week. I have other stuff at home. I just needed to grab a few more things. But this is a lot of food. If I was the only person in my house, it would last me a week or more.
That is incredible, especially the chicken for 60 cents a pound. I am driving to where you are to shop. Where do you shop?0 -
and once you factor in the money saved from eating out and on the run all the time I bet most people will see their wallet get fatter.I have been going to a local farmer's market weekly to get produce -- I know what I can get cheaper there than at my local Kroger grocery store. I have always had to budget my grocery bill, but without the "extra" crap like chips, soda, ice cream, cookies, I have been about to keep my grocery bill about the same. The thing about junk food is that it has so little nutrients, you feel like you have to eat more of it in order to feel "full." Now that I'm eating a lot more fruits, veggies, salads, and have cut out red meat almost entirely, I feel full after a meal for a few hours and I don't have as many cravings.
Another reason it might feel like it's more expensive is when you're first starting out -- you pretty much have to replace your staples and get things that you'll use instead, so your first few grocery bills might be more, until you get used to it, know how much you need for a week, and can start combining ingredients for multiple meals.
If it was a lot more expensive, I certainly couldn't be doing it.
When I grew up you ate out, or ordered in, on "special" ocassions. Now many people eat out, at FF places much more often.
most people here who are saying eating good food is cheap and not a good reason not to lose weight missed the title of the post...
how much does good food cost....
Not is it too expensive to lose weight.
You can lose weight eating out everyday or eating KD and hotdogs..
But healthy food depending on where you live can be expensive. Even if you watch the sales...clip coupons etc...
The only reason my family can eat healthy is because I do shop sales, and we both have good jobs...otherwise we wouldn't be eating good cuts of meat, veggies and fruit and whole grain etc.
Losing weight does not cost more...being healthy does...
from healthy food, to gym memberships to equipment like bikes, treadmills, good shoes for walking/running etc all costs and sometimes those costs do hinder people...in their search for health...not weight loss.
ETA: I make homemade pizza over ordering it in and trust me it costs more to make the pizza then it would to order in the exact same thing...ground sausage, pepperoni, bacon, cheese etc (lots of protien, veggies and cheese) costs more than the 12$ I would spend on a pizza I am ordering in....0 -
Hi,
I was wondering now and then why people complained about the costs of dieting..
Now a new fried wrote that he has to pay 3 dollars for an apple?!?!?
Well, I really hope it is not like this everywhere...
I live in Italy, and I lived in the UK, and the food is by no means as expensive as that...
So, my questions, out of curiosity... how much does "good" food cost where you live?
Fresh fruit and vegs, chicken and pork meat, legumes, potatoes, rice...
Do you really find that eating healthy is more expensive than not?
This is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to people who want to lose weight, go on a diet, etc when they wonder about the high price of 'healthy food.
I have yo yo'd over the years. I am not proud of it, but it has happened. I master losing weight buy eating better, eating less and exercising. It is just maintaining that has killed me. I am giving it one more go around.
When people complain and say they cannot lose weight because it is too expensive...that is complete BS.
YOu can easily lose weight, and gain more $$ in your bank account. It really goes hand in hand. People dont need to go out and buy fancy "healty" food to lose weight.
When I lose weight I make $$$$$.
I spend sooo much less on food. How? Because you eat less. MUCH, MUCH, MUCH less fast food, much less drinks. much less eating out, much, much less $$ spend when you eat less/healthier
This .. I think it balances out you are eating less so your spending less . I shop around I buy the produce pics from my local aldis this week a bag of baby carrots is 69 cents. Eggs are a pretty inexpensive protein. Some stuff like hamburger meat is more expensive lean but I eat less of it because its red meat not lean meat anyway. I feed me and 3 kids for 300 a month. We snack on things like celery carrots apples natural peanut butter greek yogurt protein bars and almonds is it 100% clean no but its a lot healthier than honey buns and oatmeal pies
Eating less? Hah. I'm eating literally all day. I eat as much as 2500 on serious workout days.
Eating less. That's funny.0 -
What I really notice is how often special offers are available for highly-processed/high-sugar/high trans-fat items, and how rarely equivalent offers come up for natural/raw/unprocessed items. For someone shopping on a tight budget, that can make a very big difference. I have learned to hit the supermarket on certain days at certain times to buy meat (and fish when available, though this is rarer) for freezing when it is reduced, as it's reached its' sell-by date, but that tactic is pretty hit-or-miss, and doesn't really work for fresh produce (and, as for many London house-sharers, freezer space is at an absolute premium in our small shared freezer, so buying frozen isn't an option), dairy, eggs and other staples. I can't wait for summer, when the price of berries and salad vegetables tends to drop at least a little.0
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