Why Eating Healthy Isn't Expensive/Grocery Haul
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kshama2001 wrote: »salembambi wrote: »oh look a thread of someone declaring its easy to eat healthy and totally cheap cause they can do it in their area , with their income, education & access to stores, congrats
Unless you're referring generally to Privilege, I'm not seeing how education is relevant. Any formal education I may have had on nutrition was in junior high Health class in the 1970s. Formal education has helped me think critically, but it's not the sole vehicle for learning that skill, and I know plenty of people with advanced degrees who fail utterly at critical thinking.
I think she's referring to "education" in what is and isn't "healthy" as well as accumulated knowledge (usually imbibed on us by our parents) on how to cook food without a microwave. I empathize with that, as no parent ever made any attempt whatsoever to teach me how to do anything other than heat things up. There was no 'education' on the non-school skills in my childhood, and I'm sure I'm not alone. I don't think I even knew how to make a salad myself back then (as in, not the kind that comes in a bag).
Everything and anything I know about food outside the Hot Pockets category I learned after the age of 18, after getting kicked out, and was typically learned from observing other people's parents or by trial and error. And trial and error is where I personally found the expense in food. You burn "healthy" food, or season it badly, or let it go rotten cause you've never had fresh tomatoes in your life and you don't have any experience in how fast they go bad, one too many times, that's my grocery budget for the week and now I'm back to whatever the waffle house owner considers the "employee meal" once a day. (It's more like a snack).
I expect to an outside observer, my situation sounds extreme, but literally everyone I know is the same save my one born upper middle class friend Morgan. No one ever taught them anything about food or how to make food or how to put food together. The nicest meals we ever had were two canned veggies (like, those yellow green beans and "new" potatoes, whatever that means) and a piece of meat (typically frozen nuggets or pre-made broccoli cheddar stuffed chicken, the frozen kind). And that doesn't sound bad, it was not that bad, but it doesn't exactly lend you the knowledge you need to buy cheap food. Cause, end of the day, the cheapest foods dollar for dollar are the meals that take prep. And prep is something you have to be educated on. It's not just heating up stuff anymore.7 -
"Healthy eating is so expensive", say people who would then go and spend £20 on a takeaway pizza rather than something they can make on their own from the supermarket....
Healthy eating is expensive here. For me to buy 6 skinless chicken breast it's 30$....but I won't spend it on takeout either...
I wait for it to go on sale for 15$ and buy 2.
But skinless chicken breasts are not the only product considered healthy. Besides, healthy eating is just as much about quantity. There is nothing wrong with eating a burger either. There is just something wrong with eating 10 of them.
The chicken is an example, not that she eats only chicken. I can make the same argument for fruit and veg where I live. I'd guess 80% of the produce in my grocery stores is imported (brought over via ferry). Higher food prices (along with other products) are a price I pay for living on an island. I've figured out ways to eat "healthy" within my budget and living circumstances. It certainly won't meet most people's idea of "healthy" but it works for me and mine.
exactly...healthy foods here are more expensive. ATM pork is pretty inexpensive as is chicken...beef is awful..
fruits and veggies same thing. We buy frozen. My point is that not everyone lives where you can eat cheap.
My grocery bill last week was 205$. For 1 week...for 2.5 people. That is a normal week for me.0 -
CoffeeNCardio wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »salembambi wrote: »oh look a thread of someone declaring its easy to eat healthy and totally cheap cause they can do it in their area , with their income, education & access to stores, congrats
Unless you're referring generally to Privilege, I'm not seeing how education is relevant. Any formal education I may have had on nutrition was in junior high Health class in the 1970s. Formal education has helped me think critically, but it's not the sole vehicle for learning that skill, and I know plenty of people with advanced degrees who fail utterly at critical thinking.
I think she's referring to "education" in what is and isn't "healthy" as well as accumulated knowledge (usually imbibed on us by our parents) on how to cook food without a microwave. I empathize with that, as no parent ever made any attempt whatsoever to teach me how to do anything other than heat things up. There was no 'education' on the non-school skills in my childhood, and I'm sure I'm not alone. I don't think I even knew how to make a salad myself back then (as in, not the kind that comes in a bag).
Everything and anything I know about food outside the Hot Pockets category I learned after the age of 18, after getting kicked out, and was typically learned from observing other people's parents or by trial and error. And trial and error is where I personally found the expense in food. You burn "healthy" food, or season it badly, or let it go rotten cause you've never had fresh tomatoes in your life and you don't have any experience in how fast they go bad, one too many times, that's my grocery budget for the week and now I'm back to whatever the waffle house owner considers the "employee meal" once a day. (It's more like a snack).
I expect to an outside observer, my situation sounds extreme, but literally everyone I know is the same save my one born upper middle class friend Morgan. No one ever taught them anything about food or how to make food or how to put food together. The nicest meals we ever had were two canned veggies (like, those yellow green beans and "new" potatoes, whatever that means) and a piece of meat (typically frozen nuggets or pre-made broccoli cheddar stuffed chicken, the frozen kind). And that doesn't sound bad, it was not that bad, but it doesn't exactly lend you the knowledge you need to buy cheap food. Cause, end of the day, the cheapest foods dollar for dollar are the meals that take prep. And prep is something you have to be educated on. It's not just heating up stuff anymore.
I did get a good background in what was healthy food from my mother, but unfortunately she didn't teach me how to cook. Thank goodness I got a hold of a "Joy of Cooking" soon after I moved out. And internalized my gramma's favorite cooking quote, "If you can read, you can cook."2 -
sunnybeaches105 wrote: »CoffeeNCardio wrote: »sunnybeaches105 wrote: »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.
If everyone who was already fit stopped coming on the forum there would be no one left to explain things to those who have yet to achieve their own goals.
Which is why many of us are here when we have down time.
Although epic trolling by some is also entertaining.
And arguing about nothing . . .
Whatever happened to the gif wars?
The "what are you still doing here" always reminds me of Jim Gaffigan's sketch...
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kshama2001 wrote: »I agree that this information is good, but not everything is doable for everyone. We have food budget in our house for three people (my self and two significant others) and we try to make the most of deals when we see them.
All three of us work 60+ hours a week. Spending time to go coupon hunting is just not feasible at all. I see a lot of you say you spend time one day a week doing coupon/bargain hunting. For me to take and hour or so each week to do this would severely cut into other things I have to do.
When I stopped eating a lot of ultra-processed foods I found hunting for the few coupons I could still use not worth the time spent collecting and using them.
I do, however, look through sales flyers and base my shopping and meals on them.
Agreed!! 99% of the coupons I see are for processed food. I end up using maybe one a week (I just clip the ones that go directly on my store cards). Typically it's for yogurt, paper products, and sometimes cookies/crackers I buy for the kids, but that's pretty much it. I end up not using half of them anyway because that specific item doesn't go on sale during that time anyway... so it's not even worth it...
But here I'd be surprised if I spend more than $200 a week for the 4 of us, but my husband is stinky about taking leftovers to work, so there's that (sigh).0 -
Ohio here Hocking hills area and I love Kroger. Its my go to. I get coupons from them for produce and salad for my kroger card. Budget101.com also has a great ebook thats free last i checked on how to drastically reduce your grocery bill and eat healthy.0
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LOVE Kroger's 10 for 10's lol
Sometimes they have whole canalopes for 99 cent0 -
sarahfadell87 wrote: »LOVE Kroger's 10 for 10's lol
Sometimes they have whole canalopes for 99 cent
Acme does that too.
Irks me though because you don't have to buy 10 to get that price, so that marketing ploy to make you believe that you have to is extremely annoying to me
(I don't know Kroger though, maybe you do have to buy 10?). 0 -
I think what ppl need to remember is that no one has the best of everything.
If my grocery bill is cheaper than yours nationally, maybe your crime rate is lower nationally which lowers your city, county or state taxes.
My grocery bill may be lower than yours but maybe gas is cheaper where you live?
My grocery bill may be lower because I live in a city where I've got access to multiple food sources, but I also have to live on top of my neighbors, and not have that fresh country or rural air. My children don't have a safe front yard to play in.
Yeah I may pay less for "healthy food "; whatever that means is subjective ? But I live in an inner city where car insurance is double what someone in the burbs is paying. So whose really "winning "?6 -
Good post.0
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ummijaaz560 wrote: »I think what ppl need to remember is that no one has the best of everything.
If my grocery bill is cheaper than yours nationally, maybe your crime rate is lower nationally which lowers your city, county or state taxes.
My grocery bill may be lower than yours but maybe gas is cheaper where you live?
My grocery bill may be lower because I live in a city where I've got access to multiple food sources, but I also have to live on top of my neighbors, and not have that fresh country or rural air. My children don't have a safe front yard to play in.
Yeah I may pay less for "healthy food "; whatever that means is subjective ? But I live in an inner city where car insurance is double what someone in the burbs is paying. So whose really "winning "?
This post has nothing to do with who is winning. I'd even argue it was the complete opposite of that as the OP was trying to show EVERYONE can do this too.1 -
MorganMoreaux wrote: »I agree that this information is good, but not everything is doable for everyone. We have food budget in our house for three people (my self and two significant others) and we try to make the most of deals when we see them.
All three of us work 60+ hours a week. Spending time to go coupon hunting is just not feasible at all. I see a lot of you say you spend time one day a week doing coupon/bargain hunting. For me lto take and hour or so each week to do this would severely cut into other things I have to do.
So it's not a priority to you- nothing wrong with that. There actually apps that allow you to create a list of your groceries and link you to the coupons, and it lets you save the list to use in the future, and you have the option of being notified when coupons are available. It takes such a small amount of time, you probably spend much more time on this forum in a given week. It only takes me 30 minutes to coupon per week, and we save hundreds of dollars every month. Because of couponing (for everything, not just food), I am no longer in a position where I have to work, I choose to work. Previously, we were barely getting by after meeting monthly obligations, now we are in a position to really knock out debt and and save for later. I guess it's all about priorities and planning. I personally want as little stress in life as possible, it's worth it to me to take the time now to plan than to simply just exist jumping through hoops having stress. Good luck to you - your situation sounds tough.
Most of the time when I am on this forum it is because there is a lull at work. When I am home, I am barely on my phone or computer (with the exception of logging).
You basically assumed that we are in a "tough" situation because we are constantly busy/working a lot. It's the exact opposite, and judgement/pity (that is how it came off as) was really not needed. Two of us work for the same company that has a lot of gaps in the schedule right now. We pick up the extra shifts so that there is coverage (and we both happen to love what we do). The third person only works full time part of the year so she likes to make up for hours she loses during the rest of the year.0 -
So much "whoooooosh" in this thread.0
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3dogsrunning wrote: »ummijaaz560 wrote: »I think what ppl need to remember is that no one has the best of everything.
If my grocery bill is cheaper than yours nationally, maybe your crime rate is lower nationally which lowers your city, county or state taxes.
My grocery bill may be lower than yours but maybe gas is cheaper where you live?
My grocery bill may be lower because I live in a city where I've got access to multiple food sources, but I also have to live on top of my neighbors, and not have that fresh country or rural air. My children don't have a safe front yard to play in.
Yeah I may pay less for "healthy food "; whatever that means is subjective ? But I live in an inner city where car insurance is double what someone in the burbs is paying. So whose really "winning "?
This post has nothing to do with who is winning. I'd even argue it was the complete opposite of that as the OP was trying to show EVERYONE can do this too.
You've misunderstood my point. I'm simply saying that just because someone doesn't have the direct means of sourcing the great deals the OP procured, doesn't negate the cost savings elsewhere in their budget ;which can be applied to one's higher grocery bill.
So with a little finessing the budget you may still be able to eat healthy.2 -
I agree that one can eat quite well on healthy food and not spend a ton of money. I do find that organic food is going to cost more, but even then, there are deals to be found. This morning I found boneless chicken breasts on sale at Safeway in the butcher's case for $1.99 a pound. I bought 3.3 pounds and after dividing it up for two people I got five dinners, and two lunches for one by cutting off a few loose pieces and cooking them up in a burrito. I found a bag of small Hass avocados for $1.99, which was 11 avocados. Trader Joe's had beefsteak tomatoes for $0.79 each, and I got 8 bananas for $1.99. A 5 pound bag of fresh carrots runs about $2.50 and a bag of celery $0.99.
Another great way I save is buying at Winco in the bulk bins. I make my own bread and I can get 7 pounds of unbleached flour for about $2.50. I buy dried beans, soak them overnight and cook them up the next morning. When they have cooled, I put them in freezer bags and freeze them for use whenever I need them. I save about 50% on beans by cooking them myself. I keep a stock of pinto, black, red kidney and navy beans, as well as dried lentils, and split peas. I also buy jasmine and basmati rice, and pasta (both whole wheat and white).
I have a very small pantry area and I keep it stocked with my dried and canned goods. When I find a sale on pasta sauce, tomato puree, canned vegetables, I grab a dozen. Same thing with frozen vegetables, but without a big freezer, I have to be careful how many bags I get and they are usually large, bulk bags.
I shop at Costco, Winco or Grocery Outlet for as much as I can, and then watch sales at other stores. I buy in bulk when I can and I avoid convenience food. It has too much salt, sugar, and preservatives, anyway. Cooking from scratch doesn't have to be hard or take forever. At any rate, I just wanted to share my thoughts and some of the things I do to keep my grocery bill under control.
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ljashley1952 wrote: »I agree that one can eat quite well on healthy food and not spend a ton of money. I do find that organic food is going to cost more, but even then, there are deals to be found. This morning I found boneless chicken breasts on sale at Safeway in the butcher's case for $1.99 a pound. I bought 3.3 pounds and after dividing it up for two people I got five dinners, and two lunches for one by cutting off a few loose pieces and cooking them up in a burrito. I found a bag of small Hass avocados for $1.99, which was 11 avocados. Trader Joe's had beefsteak tomatoes for $0.79 each, and I got 8 bananas for $1.99. A 5 pound bag of fresh carrots runs about $2.50 and a bag of celery $0.99.
Another great way I save is buying at Winco in the bulk bins. I make my own bread and I can get 7 pounds of unbleached flour for about $2.50. I buy dried beans, soak them overnight and cook them up the next morning. When they have cooled, I put them in freezer bags and freeze them for use whenever I need them. I save about 50% on beans by cooking them myself. I keep a stock of pinto, black, red kidney and navy beans, as well as dried lentils, and split peas. I also buy jasmine and basmati rice, and pasta (both whole wheat and white).
I have a very small pantry area and I keep it stocked with my dried and canned goods. When I find a sale on pasta sauce, tomato puree, canned vegetables, I grab a dozen. Same thing with frozen vegetables, but without a big freezer, I have to be careful how many bags I get and they are usually large, bulk bags.
I shop at Costco, Winco or Grocery Outlet for as much as I can, and then watch sales at other stores. I buy in bulk when I can and I avoid convenience food. It has too much salt, sugar, and preservatives, anyway. Cooking from scratch doesn't have to be hard or take forever. At any rate, I just wanted to share my thoughts and some of the things I do to keep my grocery bill under control.
Great point about the flour. I do that too. I have a bread maker which does the dough for me, then I shape and cook it. Takes up very little of my time, and you can't beat fresh!2 -
While I agree with you that eating whole foods is more affordable than most people make it out to be, I disagree that everybody can afford to eat whole, fresh foods (or even many frozen vegetables). When you live on a disability or SNAP supplemental, pay for all your meds out of your limited income, etc and so forth, only have access to the one store you can get to with your clunker car or a ride-along with your neighbor, you're faced with a choice to go hungry part of the month and eat well part of the month, or have food on your plate every day. And in THAT scenario, yes, 19c ramen and sodium-laden canned vegetables, white pasta and watery, sugary spaghetti sauce, high fat content ground beef, off-brand hotdogs, cheap (sugary) peanut butter and so forth are vastly more affordable than healthy eating. Generally speaking, THOSE people are the people for whom calorie-dense, nutrient-lacking food is more affordable.
I know people on a fitness forum likely aren't living the extreme limited income, ramen-or-starve lifestyle, but I always cringe whenever I see a "look at all you can get if you eat fresh!" post that seems to disregard the fact that so many people have to feed more than one person all month on what you spent today.
All that said, Target sells pureed veggies?! Do you use them in soups or other recipes?6 -
kshama2001 wrote: »salembambi wrote: »oh look a thread of someone declaring its easy to eat healthy and totally cheap cause they can do it in their area , with their income, education & access to stores, congrats
Unless you're referring generally to Privilege, I'm not seeing how education is relevant. Any formal education I may have had on nutrition was in junior high Health class in the 1970s. Formal education has helped me think critically, but it's not the sole vehicle for learning that skill, and I know plenty of people with advanced degrees who fail utterly at critical thinking.
Wow, are you serious?
Privilege is a symptom of never experiencing a hardship.Or never taking the time to educate yourself as to what it would be like. Another example is white people who say 'I don't see color' Sonetimes I'm embarrassed to be a middle class white person4 -
sarahfadell87 wrote: »LOVE Kroger's 10 for 10's lol
Sometimes they have whole canalopes for 99 cent
Acme does that too.
Irks me though because you don't have to buy 10 to get that price, so that marketing ploy to make you believe that you have to is extremely annoying to me (I don't know Kroger though, maybe you do have to buy 10?).
I think most stores have to tell you if you MUST buy 10 to get the 10/$10 price. For Kroger, you can buy individually unless it's a buy 5 save $5 kind of deal. BOGOs at Kroger require you to buy one at full price, unlike Publix which rings each individual BOGO item as half price. Meijer 10/$10 also don't require you to buy 10 items unless you want that 11th item free. Don't know about Meijer BOGO though.1 -
sarahfadell87 wrote: »LOVE Kroger's 10 for 10's lol
Sometimes they have whole canalopes for 99 cent
Acme does that too.
Irks me though because you don't have to buy 10 to get that price, so that marketing ploy to make you believe that you have to is extremely annoying to me (I don't know Kroger though, maybe you do have to buy 10?).
I think most stores have to tell you if you MUST buy 10 to get the 10/$10 price. For Kroger, you can buy individually unless it's a buy 5 save $5 kind of deal. BOGOs at Kroger require you to buy one at full price, unlike Publix which rings each individual BOGO item as half price. Meijer 10/$10 also don't require you to buy 10 items unless you want that 11th item free. Don't know about Meijer BOGO though.
my kroger rings up the BOGOs as half price for each item.0
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