WHY IS EATING HEALTHY SO EXPENSIVE?!?!?!111

Seriously, guys, my fiancé and I have saved a little over $200 in two weeks since we have stopped eating out and started counting our calories. Turns out, not buying and eating more than your body needs is actually a good thing.
«134

Replies

  • 25lbsorbust
    25lbsorbust Posts: 225 Member
    Yeah, it's mad expensive to eat out. I'll go for special occasions, or maybe hit up a food truck, but anything more than $10 a person and it's usually not worth it haha.
  • DeficitDuchess
    DeficitDuchess Posts: 3,099 Member
    Those people who claim they can't eat healthy because it is too expensive are usually just looking for an excuse to not lose weight. Stop eating out and be a little creative and it's really not bad at all. Of course I am a terrible shopper and I like to eat out so I always spend too much money but that's a whole other issue...

    I eat out but I only order 1 or 2 items, off of a dollar menu!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,145 Member
    Because I live on an island that doesn't grow a majority of foods so they have to be (literally) shipped over.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited September 2016
    I don't even spend $150 a week for 4 people.
  • HazyEyes93
    HazyEyes93 Posts: 89 Member
    This is a false equivilency. It's cheaper to cook healthy food at home than it is to eat outside the home all the time, but those aren't really comparable. If you are already eating at home most of the time anyway then grocery shopping is going to run you a lot more eating lean proteins and produce than it will eating lots of mac and cheese and Ramen noodles. Beans and rice are healthy, but also have a lot of calories.

    Likewise, it's more expensive buying healthy food while out and about than it is buying unhealthy food in many cases. I can buy three slices of pizza at 7-11 for less than it would cost me for one container of fresh fruit. Which do you think is going to stick with me for longer?

    What you're saying isn't wrong, however these are things that can easily be avoided by planning ahead. I bring my lunch to work, and I prep my lunch on my day off for the entire week (and this is from someone who can work 20 hours a day, and no, I am NOT exaggerating). I suppose it also helps that I subscribe the the IIFYM train of thought. I literally eat a $1 microwavable pizza every single night, but nutritionally, my diet is pretty solid. The only thing I'm still trying to figure is getting more potassium into my diet. Finally got the hang of iron and calcium, so I'm going in the right direction.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    Because I live on an island that doesn't grow a majority of foods so they have to be (literally) shipped over.

    Me too, so I understand your situation. Then the government taxes imports and makes some healthy choices un attainable for the lower to middle income groups.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited September 2016
    Those people who claim they can't eat healthy because it is too expensive are usually just looking for an excuse to not lose weight. Stop eating out and be a little creative and it's really not bad at all. Of course I am a terrible shopper and I like to eat out so I always spend too much money but that's a whole other issue...

    This is a sweeping generalization and not true for all people who say "eating healthy" is too expensive. Besides, what is considered healthy? It's all in the perception.

    There is nothing wrong with eating out, but it can indeed get expensive.
  • VT802VT
    VT802VT Posts: 18 Member
    edited September 2016
    If you meal prep, and only buy what you need and dont go out to eat all the time or anything, you end up saving a lot of money. Plus i grow a lot of vegetables/fruit in my own garden to make it a lot cheaper too. I grow strawberries, black Berries raspberries, carrots, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. Also planted 3 apple tree's 2 years ago and they produce so many apples so i always have a snack in the morning before leaving for work! Its a little bit of work every year, but totally worth it.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    I have been at this for over 4 years. Very seldom eat out, and have saved a lot of money.
    I cook meals from scratch in large quantities and freeze in single serving containers for future meals. Prep and package fruit and veggies on the weekend too, enough to last for the coming week. It takes planning and time for prep, but is really worth the effort. For the price of a salad eating out, you can buy veggies for salads for the whole week.
  • JoshD8705
    JoshD8705 Posts: 390 Member
    Chicken breast - $23 a month
    Ground Turkey - $13 a month
    Tilapia fish - $23 a month
    Broccoli - $8 a month
    Green beans - $8 a month
    Brown rice - $18 a month - It can be done much cheaper I pay for convenience here.
    Oat meal - $3 a month
    Protein - $60 a month
    Sweet Potatoes - $12 a month
    Blue berries - $15 a month

    $183 a month for me total. That's just what I pay roughly. You can get some of these things much cheaper.