Eating healthy is expensive!

Options
245

Replies

  • amyashworth98
    amyashworth98 Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    Tips from someone who cooked for 6 then 4 adults.

    Example Dinner: 120 - 130gms of beef mince per person, 1/2 cup of frozen or fresh vegetables each, 62.5gms of spaghetti or 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta. this is one meal and works out to be $1.60 per person or $6.40 for 4 adults.

    - Check out local markets for fresh produce.
    - Go to places like Aldi (if there is one near you) or buy homebrand (basic branded) frozen or canned vegetables.
    - Plan you meals in advance and spend one day prepping your meals.
    - I use the calculator app on my phone to work out the price per 100gms to find the cheapest price.
    - Take your time shopping, there is no need to rush.

    You'll find in time that things become easier and you become more savvy about shopping. I sometimes got to three different stores to find the cheapest prices.

    On average we spend for 4 adults:
    - $100 per fortnight on meat from the butcher
    - $30 per week on fresh fruit and vegetables
    - $15 per fortnight on bread from the local bakery
    - $10 per fortnight on milk
    - $100 per month on incidentals (pasta, frozen and canned fruit and veg, TP, toothpaste, condiments etc)

    You can do anything when you plan ahead.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
    Options
    You can do it....

    Portion control is key...this is how I survived ! There is always enough to eat, but controlling portions helps stretch the budget.

    Nothing is wasted....make stock and soup from bones, veggies leftover meats. Lunch is always leftover dinner.

    Buy in bulk and freeze. The best investment I made was a knife designed to fillet fish...it makes turning chicken and pork into cutlets so easy. I got it at a fishing tackle store.

    Plan menus each week, start with what you have, decide on the other days, make your shopping list accordingly.
  • 20Grit
    20Grit Posts: 752 Member
    Options
    just no. :huh:
  • Jeannine711
    Jeannine711 Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    I have found the opposite to be true...I am no longer buying the junk food and eating fast food...my food budget has gone down :-)
  • fanceegirl75
    fanceegirl75 Posts: 620 Member
    Options
    I'm lost why people say its expensive. Fresh veggies aren't expensive. Besides that I buy bags of frozen boneless skinless chicken breast, a few packs of ground turkey and some fish. I probably save since I'm not piling up on junk food.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    Options
    It depends on your definition of healthy.

    I eat very little meat, and base my meals around starches. Rice,cereal, potatoes, pasta,bread, corn and beans.

    I eat 2 servings of fruit most days, and stick to cheap stuff like bananas, frozen orange juice cans,raisins,apples.

    I buy a head or two of iceberg a week for salad, instead of bags.

    Frozen veggies are good too, I usually get peas. :)

    For fat- I use olive oil mayo or canola oil sparingly. Hummus as a spread. Light margerine.

    For dairy-fat free milk and yogurt, with almost no cheese.(I save the cheese for the kids)

    For meat- we don't this eat much, or often. Once a week I eat eggs/whites, the rest of the week it's beans or tofu, and once a week we eat frozen tilapia fillets from walmart,frozen salmon fillets, and invidually frozen chicken breasts from costco. Sometimes a Morningstar veggie burger!

    Snacks- I keep pretzels, trail mix, and tortilla chips in the cupboard for my family. I make oil popped popcorn on the stove most everyday for my kids.

    We spend 80 bucks a week on average, some weeks it's as high as 120, others it's as low as 40. I also include diapers/toilet paper/dog food/beer into this.
  • CariJean64
    CariJean64 Posts: 297 Member
    Options
    I'm only 5 days in.. But whenever I stuck to a 'diet' and spend extra on fruit/veg/healthy eating.. I think about how much I save on junk food!! I would normally get pizza or other delivery at least once a week...£20 easy... McDonalds lunch...£5.... I could do a few good healthy meals for £25 lol ???????????? (and more! Scary when you look at you debit card statement!! Waste a fortune on junk food without even realising!)
    I have found the opposite to be true...I am no longer buying the junk food and eating fast food...my food budget has gone down :-)

    This and this. It's a trade-off of expenses.
  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
    Options
    My bills are MUCH lower since cutting processed crap. Buy whole chickens or dark meat for cheap meat. Buy frozen veggies that don't come with sauce in the non-steam bags in store brand. You don't need steam bags and you can make your own sauce.

    For fresh veggies and fruit stick to what's in season. Out of season produce is ridiculously expensive, as are many desirable cuts of meat.

    Look for the weekly specials or grocery store card deals. Clip coupons.

    Seriously, I never pay more than $50 a week for myself (which includes a few expensive items for the boyfriend like Odwalla Superfood... I tell him it's just cleverly disguised sugar but he won't kick the habit lol)
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Options
    Fresh produce is expensive. Consider it a splurge. And buy frozen, where possible.

    Americans spend less of their income on food than any other developed country. When food is expensive you eat less and enjoy it more. We spend our money on broadband internet, smart phones, satellite tv, etc.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    Options
    What do you guys do to cut costs? I can't afford to eat like this every week!!
    I don't agree. I buy smart; in season and on sale...nothing processed or in cans. Plus since I eat all natural food, I eat less.....
    I actually spend less money than before.
  • gfrogel01
    gfrogel01 Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    Budgeting helps me. I usually take the average of my food costs, gas costs, bills ect. and separate them into envelops for a week. I also have an envelop for miscellaneous things, like going out to eat, or just luxury things that I want. Like a lot of people said, look for deals on fresh fruits. Seasonal things can be expensive when they are out of season. Search different stores. I like to buy my produce from Food Lion. I've found it to be fresher and slightly cheaper. Bargain hunt. I'm sure you've heard this a million times, forming these healthy habits now will lead to cheaper medical bills in the future. This is a long run type of lifestyle, it will all pay off :)
  • Mary407
    Mary407 Posts: 635 Member
    Options
    Probably self evident from my profile pic, but I place value on the veg and don't mind buying (or, like a poster above, growing my own this time of the year in Colorado). But there are tips I find helpful when buying, and some folks above hit on some of these.
    Don't make a habit of buying things crazy out of season (e.g., winter squash will be cheap now - avocados won't). We can get anything anytime from all over the world, but cherries in December cost an arm and a leg where I live... and might taste like paste.
    Find a store with good produce specials. Sprouts, near us, has great deals.
    Buy plant based protein. Beans are very healthy, versatile, and super cheap. (I also like tofu, but fear recommending that lest this thread devolve into anti-tofu forum hate...)
    Be selective in what you buy organic (if that is a priority for you) - the "dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen" lists can be found online and are useful if you are interested.
    Stock up on frozen veg when it's on sale.
  • Organicgasm
    Organicgasm Posts: 592 Member
    Options
    Never ever buy something processed or premade if you can do it yourself. Get in season, frrsh local ingredients. Be willing to shop aeound and try new foods. Practice.
  • CherylG1983
    CherylG1983 Posts: 294 Member
    Options
    I can understand where she is coming from. I don't think she means fruits and veggies. Just to replace other items it does costs up to two times more. Example, I buy Laura Scudder's - All Natural Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Smooth. The only ingredients in it are peanuts and less than 1% salt, this jar costs about 2x what a regualr jar of JIF peanut butter cost. Same thing with sugar free jelly, yogurt ranch, pita bread, extra lean ground beef, turkey bacon etc....
    So yes, I do agree that eating healthy is expensive. I love and eat my fruits and veggies, but i do like to eat other foods as well. Also so many fruits and veggies have very little calories, that you can eat more and more of them, thus meaning you will continuously keep buying these items. And yes they do add up, fast!
    The only thing, i can tell you is to shop at food stores like Aldi. Here this store is pretty cheap with their fruits and veggies. Also think about the long run of your health, a few extra bucks on healthier foods is better than a lifetime of diabetes :ohwell:

    THIS. This is what I mean. I went from paying $3 for a jar of peanut butter to $7, just to make sure I'm not eating additives. Little changes like that add up. Regular pasta costs a buck, quinoa pasta costs $4. Also, there is no way in hell I'm eating veggies from a can. Frozen is fine, but do you know how much sodium is in that crap? No thanks!
  • ghosthackexe
    ghosthackexe Posts: 181 Member
    Options
    RICE
  • willnorton
    willnorton Posts: 995 Member
    Options
    So is diabeetus





    amen to that...I have had diabetes since 2005.... i spent $400 a month just on insulin.....

    I got serious and went on the PALEO diet...that is what worked for me.... and I am no longer type 2 diabetic.... I have been on insulin since 2008 and now I take NO INSULIN AT ALL...

    so I buy clean fresh whole foods...yes a little expensive but my health is worth it...and I got $400 a month more in my pockets!

    Chief Rocka is correct
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    Options


    THIS. This is what I mean. I went from paying $3 for a jar of peanut butter to $7, just to make sure I'm not eating additives.

    I don't understand this at all. We went from buying regular kraft peanut butter to all-natural kraft peanut butter (nothing in the jar but peanuts). It's the same price.


    And why do you need quinoa pasta? I can get whole grain pasta for the same price as regular pasta.
  • iiiEllie
    iiiEllie Posts: 224 Member
    Options
    Completely depends where you're from. For two of us here it's at least 700$/month to keep us stocked on produce/meat.
    My usual shopping list: Apples, lettuce, oranges, green onion, bell pepper, spinach, bread, eggs, almond milk, chocolate milk, greek yogurt, whatever meat is on sale chicken is overpriced as hell here, so I stock up when it's on for 4-5$ a pound, canned beans, canned corn and we're at around 130-150$ after taxes. Repeat for product every 5 days tops at 70-90$ a trip.
  • iiiEllie
    iiiEllie Posts: 224 Member
    Options
    Ha. We get super high cost healthy food, plus my fiance is a type 1 diabetic, test strips run 1$ a piece and he tests 4-6 times a day to stay on top of his sugars.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Options


    THIS. This is what I mean. I went from paying $3 for a jar of peanut butter to $7, just to make sure I'm not eating additives.

    I don't understand this at all. We went from buying regular kraft peanut butter to all-natural kraft peanut butter (nothing in the jar but peanuts). It's the same price.


    And why do you need quinoa pasta? I can get whole grain pasta for the same price as regular pasta.

    Yep this!! 40 oz. jar of Regular Jiff is 5.67 and a 40 oz. jar of Jiff all natural is 5.67...... same goes for alot of other items and I find things when the are on sale and then stock up to save too.... Best of Luck

Categories