Why Eating Healthy Isn't Expensive/Grocery Haul
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ReaderGirl3 wrote: »endlessfall16 wrote: »Do you folks know and keep a budget on groceries? It's a sensitive topic in my family so I gave up even talking about it. I don't know how to respond to sayings like ... "well, we're not throwing away money. It's for the foods we eat. We're not wasting". Get this over that? "It's not the same".
Is it also "false economy" to save on foods, only to overeat then exercise hard to "waste" the calories? Someone pointed that out to me.
Dave Ramsey followers here with a plan to be totally debt free, including mortgage, in around 7 years
The first thing I'm doing when that's all taken care of is raising that darn grocery budget lol!
DR follower too! Currently paying off the mortgage! 3 -
CoffeeNCardio wrote: »sunnybeaches105 wrote: »CoffeeNCardio wrote: »This. Entire. Thread.
It's blue, damn it . . .
Agreed. But trying my damndest I cannot convince my sister in law it's not white and gold. Anymore than I could convince someone of wealth and geographic luck that eating healthy is sometimes more expensive than not dollar for dollar, or that anyone could convince me that $45 a week is enough to feed healthy food to 2 adults in a grocery desert.
Seriously cannot even describe the depths to which a conversation about something so inherently personal and individual with so many variables it's not funny is a waste of time.
Yeah. Price per calorie, the fast food dollar menu or mac'n cheese is still probably the best value for your buck, pretty much everywhere you go. The only exceptions are probably oatmeal and beans, but I don't really know anyone who would want to eat oatmeal and beans every day... and the main thing really is that most people don't want to go through soaking and cooking beans when you can go to McDonald's and get fries and a burger for $2.
But in my case? My grocery bill decreased by over 50% when I started MFP.
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I love this post. I spend between $150-$200 on food for our family of 4 (not including baby formula for the youngest, so really 2 adults and a toddler). Also doesn't include paper products.
In addition to buying frozen and learning how to freeze meats, we also do the following:
1. Buy whole chickens/turkeys. Chicken and turkey meat is much more expensive by the pound than if you buy a whole one and clean it yourself (most of the time I just do this with my hands, since cleaning a turkey or chicken to the bone with a knife is a lot more work). We use the bones to make broth or sauces, save the gibblets for making gravy or for broth and/or soups, and we use the meat for a huge variety of recipes. During Thanksgiving or Christmas, we buy 2-3 turkeys, when they are marked down, cook them, clean them, then freeze the meat in airtight containers. It lasts for months with just the two adults and young child eating them. Works great in a ton of recipes also. Likewise, skip bags of cut lettuce. Buy whole heads of lettuce and cut it yourself.
2. Buy nearly expired meats. Often grocery stores will have meat that is about to expire deeply discounted, and, as long as you either cook it up and eat or freeze before the expiration date, it's perfectly fine.
3. Generics. Generics are awesome.
4. Meal plan BEFORE you shop based on what is on sale (check fliers) , what you already have, and your nutritional needs/preferences. Making a good shopping list and sticking to it (avoiding impulse buys) is important.
5. Try to give up pre-made drinks. If you still like to have some, look for powdered or concentrated mixes you can make yourself. They are cheaper by unit volume produced than pre-packaged drinks (examples: gatorade, juice, etc.)
6. Buy in bulk, especially dry goods, BUT only if you have room to store the items, will actually use it all before expiration, and if it's really cheaper than not. Sometimes bulk food stores like Costco have awesome deals, but sometimes not. Check the per-serving cost, not just the sticker price.
7. Buy dry beans in bulk instead of canned. Beans are awesome by themselves, in soups, etc. and they are cheap. They are easy to cook too.
8. Cook in bulk. Cooking bulk portions one or two days a week not only cuts down on your electric bills, but it helps with reducing the stress of cooking from scratch every single day, which, at least in our case, helps us stay on track and not go for convenience fast food, thus saving us money.
9. Eat homemade food as much as possible. Not only is it better for tracking your intake, but it's much less expensive per serving. I pack up my lunches on the weekends when I cook, so I can just grab and go throughout the week. It's really helpful.
10. Don't buy individually packaged items. If you buy larger containers and repackage to single serve containers yourself, you can often get more mileage out of your purchase (example: chips, yogurt, etc.).
11. If you cook something like bacon, don't throw out the grease. Let it cool, store it, and save it for baking, greasing pans, etc.
CAVEAT: all of this takes time, effort, access to inexpensive food, and access to the cooking facilities and space to cook and store things, but this works pretty well for us. I don't always have the time to do it all during the week, but, when I can, it does significantly cut down our food bills.5 -
Assuming that OP has oil and butter and other staples like that already. And there's pork in there too (and protein bars, which often have nuts in them).
I mean, it's not that different from my diet. I get most of my fat from dairy and meat, which isn't exactly 'healthy' I guess. Bit of nuts and oil and avocado too but it's definitely not my staples. Avocados are expensive.. but I'd definitely have some cheese or yogurt in my grocery list.
But butter, nuts, and olive oil are pricey items, and if we're being honest about the cost tally for healthy food, they should be included! Last time I bought olive oil, it was $15.
I'm just saying I don't think there is enough 'on the table' to fulfill my caloric/nutritional needs for a few weeks.
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BranwynTaffy wrote: »We all differ on what is considered healthy & fresh. From the OP's pics of frozen & packaged food with tons of GMO laden ingredients & preservatives... not to mention that anything frozen depletes vitamins & minerals by at least 40%... I don't eat anything but fresh & that isn't cheap anywhere.
Despite cost, I still do fresh & almost all organic, but... I live alone & pay 2-4 times what a family of 4 lives on, based on what others have revealed about their food bills. If we want to eat healthy (organic & fresh, in my book), it's a huge % of our monthly expenses, unless you make far more $ than I do.
Agree-what you consider healthy I don't consider necessary, or optimal (my family is healthy eating the types of foods we eat, which includes frozen stuff, GMO stuff etc), but to each their own
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CoffeeNCardio wrote: »sunnybeaches105 wrote: »CoffeeNCardio wrote: »sunnybeaches105 wrote: »CoffeeNCardio wrote: »This. Entire. Thread.
It's blue, damn it . . .
Agreed. But trying my damndest I cannot convince my sister in law it's not white and gold. Anymore than I could convince someone of wealth and geographic luck that eating healthy is sometimes more expensive than not dollar for dollar, or that anyone could convince me that $45 a week is enough to feed healthy food to 2 adults in a grocery desert.
Seriously cannot even describe the depths to which a conversation about something so inherently personal and individual with so many variables it's not funny is a waste of time.
This is one of the least time wasting threads on MFP. OP was giving comparisons and it has resulted in a discussion about saving money. Sort of like comparing dry cleaners in different cities for a stain on a blue dress. Wait. Different blue dress. Never mind. What were we taking about again?
Oh yea, waste of time threads on MFP. Would you sleep with the above poster? Kiss, bang, marry, or twaddle? Do clouds really always have a silver lining?
The argument about the money is the waste. The information OP posted was very cool.
As if time spent in the forums for anyone who has already gotten themselves fit is a super productive activity? I'm here because it's slow in the office and I've already read 6 news sites and T-Nation, surfed for any used equipment I can't live without, pondered my kid's birthday party, and overthought my training calendar for the next month. Next up, coffee and an early exit to watch my kid practice.2 -
BranwynTaffy wrote: »We all differ on what is considered healthy & fresh. From the OP's pics of frozen & packaged food with tons of GMO laden ingredients & preservatives... not to mention that anything frozen depletes vitamins & minerals by at least 40%... I don't eat anything but fresh & that isn't cheap anywhere.
Despite cost, I still do fresh & almost all organic, but... I live alone & pay 2-4 times what a family of 4 lives on, based on what others have revealed about their food bills. If we want to eat healthy (organic & fresh, in my book), it's a huge % of our monthly expenses, unless you make far more $ than I do.
We may all differ but some of our ideas are backed by good evidence. Your anti-GMO and pro-organic bent not so much. The bit about freezing depleting vitamins and minerals by 40% is from The Food Babe? Sounds like her brand of crazy.9 -
CoffeeNCardio wrote: »sunnybeaches105 wrote: »CoffeeNCardio wrote: »This. Entire. Thread.
It's blue, damn it . . .
Agreed. But trying my damndest I cannot convince my sister in law it's not white and gold. Anymore than I could convince someone of wealth and geographic luck that eating healthy is sometimes more expensive than not dollar for dollar, or that anyone could convince me that $45 a week is enough to feed healthy food to 2 adults in a grocery desert.
Seriously cannot even describe the depths to which a conversation about something so inherently personal and individual with so many variables it's not funny is a waste of time.
Yeah. Price per calorie, the fast food dollar menu or mac'n cheese is still probably the best value for your buck, pretty much everywhere you go. The only exceptions are probably oatmeal and beans, but I don't really know anyone who would want to eat oatmeal and beans every day... and the main thing really is that most people don't want to go through soaking and cooking beans when you can go to McDonald's and get fries and a burger for $2.
But in my case? My grocery bill decreased by over 50% when I started MFP.
The "best" money per calorie would probably a cheap bottle of cooking oil. Price per calories doesn't mean all that much.5 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »While I don't disagree with your overall premise, you have to take into account where people are. Some of your prices are what I could only dream of.
Skinless, boneless chicken on sale is at least $4 a lb. Sometimes you are looking at $15 for 3 breasts.
Tuna, on sale, is almost twice as much.
99 cents for a dozen for eggs!
Not to mention the berries, bananas, asparagus, even the cucumbers (99 cents for one is a sale).
Damn.
I was thinking the same thing! It's $5.99 for strawberries here...1 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »While I don't disagree with your overall premise, you have to take into account where people are. Some of your prices are what I could only dream of.
Skinless, boneless chicken on sale is at least $4 a lb. Sometimes you are looking at $15 for 3 breasts.
Tuna, on sale, is almost twice as much.
99 cents for a dozen for eggs!
Not to mention the berries, bananas, asparagus, even the cucumbers (99 cents for one is a sale).
Damn.
Yep, I was going to say I pay $5-$10 per bag of frozen veggies, depending on the size. I also pay $26 for 4 kg of frozen chicken when it's on sale. Fresh chicken is double. So that's $2.95/lb at the best I can find. Cheapest tuna is $0.97/can. $3 for the cheapest dozen of eggs. Fruit is crazy right now. I paid $6.68 for strawberries (large container) two days ago.
Now that being said, the junk food is more expensive too... lol.0 -
Food costs are highly variable depending on where you live. In the Canadian north, for example, the cost of fresh foods is incredibly high. In the very far North, a bag of grapes can go for as much as $30. In my own town, a head of lettuce is $3 in season and eggs are $5. I bought a pack of chicken breasts today for $12 (2 lbs) and that's a good deal. Milk is $5 a gallon.
Foods high in sugar or salt tend to last longer on the shelves, which mean they can be sold for much cheaper and can last longer for people that might only have a chance to shop once or twice a month. Fresh foods are often imported, especially when they're out of season, and that costs more money than producing processed foods domestically.
If I only bought foods that were in season and local, I'd starve in the winter time.
Eating whole foods is always preferable and always healthier, but there's a reason that obesity is linked to poverty and that's because unhealthy foods are cheaper and more accessible to people that are struggling financially.
Even in the far north I don't think eating healthy is more expensive than eating junk food, yes you don't get fresh veggies. Generally there is lots of local sources of meat (wild game). I live somewhere that has a road but chose not to spend $15 on grapes - but I get frozen fruits & veggies and some 'fresh'. But I've been in fly-in communities. Cans of Coke cost can cost $8 (for one 355ml can) but people still buy it!
Everything is more expensive, it's just how you spend your money. The nutritionists came into the local school calculated that kids could buy a banana (roughly $2 for 1 banana) for cheaper than a chocolate bar ($2.60). But really, if you are a kid with money, what are you going to buy?1 -
butterfli7o wrote: »3dogsrunning wrote: »While I don't disagree with your overall premise, you have to take into account where people are. Some of your prices are what I could only dream of.
Skinless, boneless chicken on sale is at least $4 a lb. Sometimes you are looking at $15 for 3 breasts.
Tuna, on sale, is almost twice as much.
99 cents for a dozen for eggs!
Not to mention the berries, bananas, asparagus, even the cucumbers (99 cents for one is a sale).
Damn.
I was thinking the same thing! It's $5.99 for strawberries here...
I don't buy certain things because they're cost prohibitive, but I find other options that are reasonably priced and go with those. Or wait for the expensive items to go on sale and then stock up (lots of veggies and fruits can be flash froze for example). I'd never pay over $2 for strawberries, so I get them frozen at the dollar store or from the Upick farm . The other times we just don't eat strawberries and do something else 1 -
This is a helpful thread and has gotten me thinking about certain things.
I live in a pricey coastal city, so no my prices don't match the OP's. But also my fast food is probably slightly more expensive as well. It is definitely cheaper to cook at home than eat out. I spend a staggering amount on fast food. I could care less about how "unhealthy" it is, but the pricey part of it has recently made me debate cutting back.
Problem is when we DO cook at home it's not substantially cheaper because it ends up being these onesy-twosy meals that are still pricey. I also have a picky spouse. He doesn't really enjoy how much fast food we eat, but at least if McDonald's hamburger is crappy it isn't a comment on my cooking. Yes I know he could cook too, but that's how we end up eating out, when both of us are too tired to make whatever we'd planned, or most times too tired to even try to plan.0 -
I don't see how anybody can proclaim that eating out cost less than preparing food at home. It seems like every fast food place gets about $8 for a meal and a drink these days. My packed lunch has to be less than that. There is nothing wrong with frozen veggies and some say they retain more of the nutrients because they are frozen so fast after picking. I personally like the fresh better. Here are some cheap things that work for me. Get a costco or sam's club rotisserie chicken $4 and use for dinner that day and than pick it apart for sandwiches and salads. Oatmeal at costco $6 will last me about two months. I do end up putting about $15 of fruit and nuts on it a week. Dinner I do some roasted veggies and a frozen piece of lean meat or fish. Costco helps and I alternate between costco, the produce stand and the farmers market for the produce.3
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I don't see how anybody can proclaim that eating out cost less than preparing food at home. It seems like every fast food place gets about $8 for a meal and a drink these days. My packed lunch has to be less than that. There is nothing wrong with frozen veggies and some say they retain more of the nutrients because they are frozen so fast after picking. I personally like the fresh better. Here are some cheap things that work for me. Get a costco or sam's club rotisserie chicken $4 and use for dinner that day and than pick it apart for sandwiches and salads. Oatmeal at costco $6 will last me about two months. I do end up putting about $15 of fruit and nuts on it a week. Dinner I do some roasted veggies and a frozen piece of lean meat or fish. Costco helps and I alternate between costco, the produce stand and the farmers market for the produce.
I hear you. But you can get a burger and fries for $2 at Mc Donald's. Not enough food for me, but heck. And ramen is what, $1 for 2 now? And a box of mac'n cheese is maybe $1.
Mostly though... all that stuff is easy to make. It's probably not a popular opinion but I think that most of the 'eating healthy is too expensive' crowd are people who don't take the time or are too lazy to cook. Which I don't really get either as I can get a pretty good, filling meal, for less than $2 with 1/4 of a rotisserie chicken and a bag of frozen veggies too. And it doesn't exactly take a long time to make either.
So yeah. *shrug*1 -
This food looks great and very healthy, but I'd be curious to know how many calories per day (roughly, on average) this works out for you. You've bought a HUGE variety of low-calorie vegetables and fruits, eggs, and about 8 lbs of fresh meat and a little bit of canned fish. But I don't really see ANY fat sources (beyond the ice cream). I personally don't think this grocery load would be sufficient for me to get enough calories and provide the necessary healthy fat in my diet.
I eat around 2000 calories a day.
Before this shopping trip I had three bags of unopened frozen fish in the freezer, all from Aldi. I don't remember their individual prices but much, much less than Kroger. One bag each of salmon, swai and flounder.
My fat comes mainly from oil. As someone else mentioned, I already had it. I use canola oil ($2.49ish, Kroger), coconut oil (~$6, Target), butter ($2.99/lb, Trader Joe's) and olive oil ($5.99, Trader Joe's). I eat a lot of fat, I just didn't need to buy any on this particular trip. I don't eat/drink much dairy as it bothers my asthma. I do love cheese very much but rarely eat it.
When Kroger has tuna steaks on sale I buy tons and make my own shredded tuna. It's much tastier and cheaper than cans.2 -
The one thing I will admit can be a barrier to entry isn't the food but the cooking oils, seasonings (including pricier items like vinegars, sauces, SPICES jeez louise the price of spices and herbs) and cookware (if you're really just starting out). But those amortize quickly and start paying for themselves. Case in point: I used to spend about $5 a day on coffee or tea. I then bought my own electric kettle (~$20, keep it at my desk at work), a box of tea (Tetley's) once per month and a pint of milk once per week. I made up the difference and more within a month.1
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Food costs are highly variable depending on where you live. In the Canadian north, for example, the cost of fresh foods is incredibly high. In the very far North, a bag of grapes can go for as much as $30. In my own town, a head of lettuce is $3 in season and eggs are $5. I bought a pack of chicken breasts today for $12 (2 lbs) and that's a good deal. Milk is $5 a gallon.
Foods high in sugar or salt tend to last longer on the shelves, which mean they can be sold for much cheaper and can last longer for people that might only have a chance to shop once or twice a month. Fresh foods are often imported, especially when they're out of season, and that costs more money than producing processed foods domestically.
If I only bought foods that were in season and local, I'd starve in the winter time.
Eating whole foods is always preferable and always healthier, but there's a reason that obesity is linked to poverty and that's because unhealthy foods are cheaper and more accessible to people that are struggling financially.
+10000.
When I worked in Alaska and traveled to the North Slope, I understood immediately why chronic disease is a problem among the Alaska Native population. A case of water costs $24, fruits and veg? Ridiculously expensive and rotten. Gallon of milk? $10 each. Sodas were cheap, of course, as well processed foods. It was a well-known fact that anyone traveling up there should bring a cooler of fresh fruit and vegetables up for our colleagues, because otherwise they'd never get it. You know how, in Game of Thrones, Sansa LOVES lemon cakes? Because in Winterfell, they don't get citrus fruits. It's like that IRL.2 -
The one thing I will admit can be a barrier to entry isn't the food but the cooking oils, seasonings (including pricier items like vinegars, sauces, SPICES jeez louise the price of spices and herbs) and cookware (if you're really just starting out). But those amortize quickly and start paying for themselves. Case in point: I used to spend about $5 a day on coffee or tea. I then bought my own electric kettle (~$20, keep it at my desk at work), a box of tea (Tetley's) once per month and a pint of milk once per week. I made up the difference and more within a month.
I get spices for $1 at Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Aldi.2 -
sunnybeaches105 wrote: »CoffeeNCardio wrote: »This. Entire. Thread.
It's blue, damn it . . .
It's white!0
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