Getting frustrated over the cost of healthy eating?
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I concur with whoever has said freezing. Freezing has come on leaps and bounds since the days of old since everything was pumped with water and tasted like cardboard. You can check packets and often will find no added water meat and fish in better produce- higher end stores tend to have these (in the UK thinking Waitress, Marks & Spencer, but I get mine from a delivery service often)- which is still cheaper than the fresh stuff. 'Flash' frozen foods often taste just as good and last forever, especially vegetables like edamame, mangetout etc.
You say you go out with a strict rule as to what you buy to eat- but have you considered your regimen may be too strict? If I go out to buy all the ingredients for a chilli (5% abeerdeen angus mince, onions, peppers, etc, half my wallet gone) and see something else on offer but equally as available to 'fit' in my calorie/carbohydrate allowance, then I'll go for something cheaper and chop and change to suit. I often have a list of meals that I make through the month and will spend a little extra time in the supermarket considering what I might want to buy to reduce cost and utilising offers.0 -
It's expensive because you're buying high quality meat, lol. I don't know the price in England, but here if I want good quality meat it's at least twice the cost of normal meat (which I eat and is just fine, frankly)... Frozen veggies are twice cheaper as fresh too...
So yeah, of course it's going to be more expensive than what other people pay...meganridenour wrote: »Those of you saying processed food is more expensive than fresh food, clearly don't understand that ramen is 10 for $1.
When I was living by myself and on a grocery budget of about $60 per MONTH, I mostly survived off processed food.
Now between my boyfriend and I, we easily spend $800 a month on groceries. It sucks, but we do like to eat well.
I don't get this. There are 4 of us and I spend $600 a month, and that's counting kid snacks and paper/cleaning products... My grocery bill has actually decreased by quite a lot since I joined MFP.0 -
Where I live beef is the most expensive meat right now so my family doesn't eat much beef.
Budget friendly foods where I live- dry beans and lentils, rice, pasta, potatoes, onions, carrots, oatmeal canned tuna, eggs, oatmeal, whole chicken or chicken thighs, frozen vegetables and fruits, peanut butter, cabbage, popcorn
Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/seasonal-calendar/all
Meal planning. Make a list and stick to it if you aren't already.
Use what you buy.
Cut spending on drinks if you are putting any money there.
I don't think you are doing too badly if your family is eating meals and snacks all prepared at home and you eat more because you are more active. The people you are comparing to may be eating less or buying a lot more food outside of their reported grocery spending like lunches at restaurants or snacks from vending machines.0 -
lynnstrick01 wrote: »Just curious here, I live in central florida, lots of farms... so also lots of little road side stands that sell all sorts of local fruits and veggies at VERY reasonable cost. Do all of you have that same opportunity where you live? If so it is a much better option than the grocery stores
Well, yes, but those of us in the Northern parts of the country have a very limited growing season, so we don't have that option year round. But, in this day and age, plenty of fresh produce is brought in from all over the world year round, and it does go on sale. However, I still say you can eat cheaper using as much dried grains, beans, fresh and frozen food, and paying attention to sales, than convenience foods. Taking the time to cook your own meals and making enough for future meals. Paying attention to portion sizes. Limiting, or avoiding entirely, restaurants and fast food options. I have been doing this for almost 4 years and know that it is possible to eat better, and at less personal cost, plus added bonus of being better for your health.
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I agree. Yesterday I bought two fresh red bell peppers and it cost me $7 (CDN). What the?? My husband and I spend between $700-900 a month on groceries and we mostly eat fresh food. Mind you, the grocery store we shop at has fewer deals than other places, so I am going to start looking for deals across the city by signing up for a "grocery smarts" weekly newsletter that tells you where all the deals are. Of course, it's not any better to drive around to five different places to save a few bucks, but we may just look for one place where the most deals are and try that out. Maybe you can do the same in your city?0
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I spend about £30 a week for myself and my boyfriend. II religiously meal plan and stick to lists when shopping. I buy our meat at our local butchers as I find the quality much better than supermarket stuff and it tends to go further - chicken breasts from him are much larger than supermarket equivalent. I do find some things quite expensive, so try to make meals go further, using beans/lentils etc to pad out some meals. My boyfriend does eat quite a lot, so always try to pad his meals out with extra veg/bread etc.
As far as vegetables, most of what I get is frozen. I find fruit can be quite expensive, but berries and things I also buy frozen. I try and pop into the supermarket on my way home from work once or twice a week and can sometimes pick up some bargains in the reduced section and these go straight in my freezer. I bought some baby new potatoes last week for 11p and managed to freeze them. I was dubious as to how they'd taste/cook afterwards, but they were absolutely fine!0 -
Every once in a while lettuce will pop up to $4.98 a head. We don't have salads that week. The weeks that limes are $19.98 AUD a kg, yeah Lime chicken is no longer on the menu.
My phone and Pinterest have been a huge help in this. Even though I have a list I can change recipes on the fly if ingredients are too $$$ that week0 -
lynnstrick01 wrote: »Just curious here, I live in central florida, lots of farms... so also lots of little road side stands that sell all sorts of local fruits and veggies at VERY reasonable cost. Do all of you have that same opportunity where you live? If so it is a much better option than the grocery stores
I live in Florida too.
We are living in the best place on the planet because right now glorious local grown strawberries are in season.
Those who do not live in Florida travel a different path.0 -
I have prob saved money since eating better because I prepare food to take to work rather than buying pre packed stuff! Also not buying any of the chocolate/ crisps etc0
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If you think you are spending too much money on food, then stop buying the expensive food that is not required for a healthy diet or weight loss. Steak is upwards of $8-14/lb here, shrimp is $12-14/lb, chicken is $2/lb. Fruits/Veggies that are out of season are $4-6lb, where as in season can be under $1/lb. Processed food is not inherently evil and sometimes is very tasty and cheap.
I feed a family of 5 for ~$950/month including all of my bathroom/paper/cleaning products and eating out. I'm also down 45lb and in the best shape of my life. My diet does not include top choice organic grass feed steak, because it is both expensive and unnecessary.0 -
I'm in CT and it's cold. No fresh produce now. I can still get farm eggs, locally. One thing my hubs and I do is buy a CSA share in the Spring. It's a share in a farm and you get a box of produce every week. Our farm has fruit & vegetables and runs from May through November. Especially in Fall, we get so many apples & squashes. I make applesauce & butters. Or dehydrate the apples for snacks. The squash keep for a long time. In the end, it turns out to be a good deal and a lot of healthy food. I froze a lot of the produce and didn't even have a chest freezer. You end up eating healthy because it's fresh produce and you don't want to waste it. OP, maybe look for CSAs in your area for the next growing season.0
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snowflake930 wrote: »clafairy1984 wrote: »i dont like to buy frozen meat and fish, as often pumped full of water, meaning you actually get less for your money. My Dad used to work in a eat proccessing factory, and was a fisherman for a while, and he's told me so many stories of what they do to the meat/fish before it's frozen.
I agree. A lot of sodium added to frozen chicken/turkey as well. Fresh is better, but it is more expensive unless you can get it on sale.
You might just have to look around to find the ones that don't have sodium added. I noticed that too but there are some frozen ones with zero or very low sodium ones added. At least here in the US.0 -
I get most of my meat from tescos as I live in a small town and it's the only supermarket we have. Tesco tend to do a value range, a finest range and a middle of the road range of all the most popular cuts of meat and I find the middle range perfectly fine and nowhere near the cost of the "finest" stuff. They also do big packs of fresh meat that I portion up and freeze so that I can get more meals out of them.
I can't say that I've found I'm spending more money since choosing to eat healthier. Although to be fair, I never was a fan of things like burgers and oven chips etc.
Out of interest, what goes in the green smoothies? In my experience it takes quite a lot of fresh produce to make one glass of smoothie so they can end up being pretty expensive to make..0 -
i keep a bag of frozen berries and chuck it in with a banana and whatever greeens i have in at the time eg spinach, kale. I'm not finding that i often but stuff in for them. More a case of using up stuff .0
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clafairy1984 wrote: »I buy fresh good quality fish and meat, fresh veg and fruit, nuts etc. All meals are prepared fresh and i use processed ingredients as little as possible. I have soups for lunch, and green smoothies for breakfast, snacking on homous and veggies, nuts etc inbetween meals. There are 2 adults and a 5 year old. I'm even careful about wastage, with any leftovers being taken for my partners lunch at owrk, or being chucked into smoothies and soups. I create meal plans and tend not to devaite from my shopping list or get tempted by deals. Only way i can think to reduce the cost is to buy frozen ingredients and lower quality meat, and substitute for more proccessed foods, all things i dont really want to do.
Well, fresh fruits and vegetables and quality meats are -- relatively speaking -- luxuries. People who choose to consume them regularly will pay more. If you aren't willing to incorporate frozen fruits and vegetables (which have the same health benefits as fresh) into your meals or substitute different meats (or base some meals around meatless sources of protein), you will pay more for groceries. It's all about what you value.
This is going to be true for anything that you buy.
I like to sleep on high quality bed sheets. It doesn't frustrate me to pay for them because I know it's my choice to pay more.
Some options that I've used when I've wanted or needed to economize on food: Use fresh vegetables and fruit as accents or treats and use frozen vegetables and fruit for the rest. Learn lots of bean dishes. Don't automatically discard all processed foods (pasta, for example, can be a great meal combined with beans and vegetables -- it's very filling and can be very, very cheap). Figure out the cheapest healthful food for a category and buy that instead (example, kale is very trendy where I live, but other greens are much, much cheaper). Reconsider pricey snacks like nuts (use nuts as an accent instead of a main component). Befriend cheap grains: rice and oats bulk up meals and help you feel full. Smoothies can be very expensive: you're often taking more expensive foods that could last for days and combining them into one serving.0 -
It looks like you are from outside the U.S., but some options that may be available to you: if you have a large freezer you can order a piece of an animal, cow or something...I find roasting full chickens to be more affordable than buying chicken breasts...nuts at bulk sections or farm stands helps...we have this place here called Costco where I get most of my meats in bulk (chicken, turkey, fish) and nuts in bulk and it helps a lot...but i mean, what better to spend money on than the great feeling that comes along with eating high quality foods?0
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I think meal planning is of the utmost importance for keeping costs down especially when you're dealing with very perishable food. One trick that restaurants use to keep cost down is buying in bulk and then using that bulk item in multiple meals. For example, buy a whole chicken instead of chicken breasts and use that chicken in different recipes throughout the week or buy a lean roast and make slow cooked pulled beef and make that throughout the week. If you're already doing these things, then it sounds like you're doing pretty well and I agree it does suck that eating healthy can feel so expensive.0
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4. Decide what is most important to you - good food at a good price or food ethics. A barn raised chicken egg tastes no different to a free range one from a shop (home kept free range are definitely tastier though) but will be up to 20p cheaper per half dozen. I understand and accept that some people like their food to be organic and well raised but to me it comes down to price pure and simple.
This stands out to me because it's how I do my things. I cook for a family of three and neither my special dudefriend nor I made enough that we can shop our ethics versus our pocketbooks. So I don't buy organic, and I tend to buy a grocery-brand meat products because I can afford to feed my family well on them, and still pay our bills. It's not ideal, but it's what we have.
I don't know how different the US and the UK vary in grocery shopping, so I don't know if any other advice helps from me. I shop sales and markdowns like a mofo, and freeze everything. My grocery store of choice marks down meat and produce when it's on sale, and I always cruise the marked down meat. I also like to buy in bulk and freeze, when I can. I watch coupons and circulars that come in the mail, and I use their app for digital sales.
If food ethics are more important than cost to you -- more power to you! It's an admirable thing to follow.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »I can't say I have experienced the same. Are you sure you are counting everything? Eating out, drinks, pantry staples? Comparing families with the same number of adults and children? What ARE you buying? Everything organic? Frozen vegetables? What do you drink? Do you cook yourself? Do you throw away food sometimes? Do you shun carbs? Lots of healthy foods are cheap, and they go a long way.
All of this.
I think eating well and especially cooking from whole foods (not WF, however) ;-) can be quite inexpensive vs. relying on convenience foods. My biggest expense when it comes to food is eating out or buying lunch (since the places that have the kinds of foods I like aren't usually the cheapest). But meat and veg and eggs aren't expensive and other staples (since I don't ban things like potatoes, sweet potatoes, dried legumes, canned tomatoes, dried pasta) help cut costs too. I do splurge on non frozen vegetables since I find the others more convenient and flexible in how I can use them, but if cost was an issue I'd buy frozen off-season -- they are actually probably higher in nutrients than off-season veg carted in from elsewhere.
Fish certainly can be quite expensive depending on where you are and how you source it. I love it and am also willing to splurge on it, but I've noticed that there are quite reasonably priced frozen fish at TJ's too, and I can sometimes get local (ish) trout that's reasonably priced. (Where I live pretty much all fish will have been frozen, so going for unfrozen just means it's been thawed. Easier if you want it that night, but otherwise pointless.)0 -
Yes I agree it's a shame that buying real food has to cost so much. As to where you can it Raman noodles and processed cheese for a dollar. Shopping at whole foods is expensive. But I guess eating healthy is worth it in the long run. I won't eat that processed garbage0
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lynnstrick01 wrote: »Just curious here, I live in central florida, lots of farms... so also lots of little road side stands that sell all sorts of local fruits and veggies at VERY reasonable cost. Do all of you have that same opportunity where you live? If so it is a much better option than the grocery stores
In the summer and fall, sure. Now, no.0 -
Yes I agree it's a shame that buying real food has to cost so much. As to where you can it Raman noodles and processed cheese for a dollar. Shopping at whole foods is expensive. But I guess eating healthy is worth it in the long run. I won't eat that processed garbage
But the options aren't "shop at Whole Foods" or "eat garbage." Even if you want to dub certain foods "garbage," I've never been at mainstream grocery store that doesn't have affordable options in fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, beans, grains, pasta, canned tomatoes, nuts/nut butters, spices, and other foods that can be turned into tasty and nutritious meals.
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Like I said above, I find eating mostly from whole foods (but not from WF!) can be done pretty cheaply. ;-)0
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I also suggest frozen veggies over fresh. "They" (no I don't have sources materials at my finger tips, so nobody ask) are finding that frozen veggies may be more nutritious than fresh. They are frozen quickly after harvest where as fresh are stored and may travel for days before reaching the stores, losing nutrients the whole time.
Plus frozen is considerably less expensive. For example right now cauliflower is $2.10 for 1/2 of a tiny head, It is $2.60 for 500g frozen.
I agree, sometimes I buy lots of fresh vegetables, but by the end of the week, they are not as fresh. And in winter...where I live, sometimes broccoli or cauliflower is insanely expensive. Food is expensive period. Sometimes fresh vegetables and fruit adds up a lot. So do meats. Shop specials and freeze meats, buy bulk, sometimes the initial cost is more, but the actual per gram price is lower overall.
I wish I could eat all organic, all range fed meats, everything natural, but realistically normal wage earners, just don't have that kind of cash.
Ahhhh if I was a millionaire....I'd just get liposuction, or a private chef and trainer.
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My husband was a fine dining chef for many years, and we've gotten majorly spoiled in the food department. We usually choose fresh over frozen because we feel it tastes better, and we buy sustainable products because that's important to us. We spend a lot on our food, and yes we shop at Whole Foods (or Whole Paycheck as my friends call it) because our food makes us happy. I have no illusions that this makes us any healthier though. It's all aboutabout what makes you happy!0
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Coming from the arctic I can definitely understand where you are coming from. Up here processed/frozen food is insanely expensive (look up food prices in the north - there is a hilarious youtube video). I buy frozen vegetables to make up a large part of our diet. I don't know if you have this where you shop but at some stores, when fresh meat gets a little closer to the "eat before" date they put it on sale for 30% or 50% off. If you figure out when they mark things down (or make friends with the butcher to find out) you can save a ton of money on meat since each package will be discounted. I will usually buy a ton of it when it's marked down and freeze it when I get home. This has helped us a lot. We have 3 adults and per month we spend around 600CAN (coming from the North this is fantastic).0
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janejellyroll wrote: »Yes I agree it's a shame that buying real food has to cost so much. As to where you can it Raman noodles and processed cheese for a dollar. Shopping at whole foods is expensive. But I guess eating healthy is worth it in the long run. I won't eat that processed garbage
But the options aren't "shop at Whole Foods" or "eat garbage." Even if you want to dub certain foods "garbage," I've never been at mainstream grocery store that doesn't have affordable options in fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, beans, grains, pasta, canned tomatoes, nuts/nut butters, spices, and other foods that can be turned into tasty and nutritious meals.
Agreed. When I was four miles away from a Whole Foods, I shopped there all the time. Now that WF is no longer convenient, I rarely go there, and am able to get the vast majority of the food that meets my values from the local supermarkets.
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meganridenour wrote: »Those of you saying processed food is more expensive than fresh food, clearly don't understand that ramen is 10 for $1.
When I was living by myself and on a grocery budget of about $60 per MONTH, I mostly survived off processed food.
Now between my boyfriend and I, we easily spend $800 a month on groceries. It sucks, but we do like to eat well.
I'm guessing a lot of this is going towards the more expensive proteins? When I tracked my food budget, I was eating lots of organic produce plus all humanely raised meat and dairy for $200 per month. However, I ate a lot of chicken and very little red meat.0 -
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clafairy1984 wrote: »I buy fresh good quality fish and meat, fresh veg and fruit, nuts etc. All meals are prepared fresh and i use processed ingredients as little as possible. I have soups for lunch, and green smoothies for breakfast, snacking on homous and veggies, nuts etc inbetween meals. There are 2 adults and a 5 year old. I'm even careful about wastage, with any leftovers being taken for my partners lunch at owrk, or being chucked into smoothies and soups. I create meal plans and tend not to devaite from my shopping list or get tempted by deals. Only way i can think to reduce the cost is to buy frozen ingredients and lower quality meat, and substitute for more proccessed foods, all things i dont really want to do.
You can save money on meat by buying more chicken and less red meat and fish, and buying chicken when it is on sale and freezing some.
Or you could buy the cheaper cuts of red meat and cook them in a crock pot. These are better suited for slow cooking, anyway.
When fruit is out of season, I buy it frozen.0
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