eating healthy is expensive

Since our family has gone to eating healthier foods, we have almost doubled our grocery bill. Sad to think that it's cheaper to buy a bag of chips or pkg of cookies than it is to buy apples for the week....

This is what I don't get. A bag of apples may cost more than a bag of chips, but when you consider volume, serving size and the many things that can be done with them, then they are more affordable. I mean a bag of chips is what 12 oz (12 1 oz servings) and a bag of apples 5 lbs (10-12 6oz servings). I think part of it is that the apples take more effort and anyone with 9 people in the house has to be very busy. But if you really sit down and compare, the healthy food is not always or necessarily more expensive. It is more time consuming though. It also takes a bit more planning because of spoilage potential. There were some great suggestions about sticking with frozen and in season vegies. I have not found frozen fruit to be less expensive than fresh though. The farmers market in our area is hit and miss, but can sometimes find great stuff. We also purchase a lot of stuff from the local asian market. Huge bags of rice for a great price. One of the best places in our area is Aldi. They only stock the staples, but the quality is good and the produce is cheaper than just about anywhere else. We also are able to plant a small garden in the summer. I'm not sure the vegies are any cheaper in the end than store bought, but they sure taste better.

I agree with the comment about Aldi's. I have found that they have really nice produce, and it is way more affordable than in traditional grocery stores.

Do you have CSAs where you live? I find them to be very reasonable. You get fresh, local produce at a lot cheaper cost. We pay $120 for half of a share over a 10 week period. Every Thursday I go pick up our veggies for the week. This past week it was swiss chard, freash garlic, green house tomatoes, cucumbers and butternut squash.

P.S. The OP asked for help, the size of their family is a part of the facts, let's not criticize them. Can't we just stick to helping someone who, like us, wants to eat healthier. THAT is what this is about.

Holey toledo 9??????

Okay um normally I scold people for saying eating healthy is expensive (Because for your family of 2-5 it's really not that bad.....and there are ways to save massively w/ coupons, farm markets, and other strategies I'd be happy to share) But 9!!! I can see how that'd get a bit 'up there'

The biggest one I'd say is find out if there is something called bountiful baskets in your area (or a version of one) They, once a week (usually SAT am) collect product that is in okay condiiton (not perfect but edible) that stores are going to get rid of....and they will give you like 60 lbs of produce for about $10...you'll have to plan your meals around what they have....I can't imagine you both work with 9 kids....so cooking is probably a normal thing for you????

Also, if you don't know how to CVS/Walgreens/Rite Aid shop yet you NEED to learn because I'm sure shampoo and toothpaste for 9 add up, and drug stores are the way that I have not only gotten my family YEARS supply of toiletries, otc meds, and cleaning supplies FREE (plus evil tax) but had enough to donate to my church, friends AND sell at garage sales. I'm sure your family of 9 could benefit from that strategy. You don't need to pay an online website to learn, find a couponers blog (free) in your local are (to find good local deals you may miss out on otherwise).

Depending on where you live, growing your own veggies from seedlings can be pretty cheap (depending on where you live!) It was super cheap in OH, here in Phoenix it's not (you gotta buy all these pots and soil ack!) But at least here we have citrus trees so you can plant them or find a neighbor with WAYYYY too many grapefruits or lemons that they know what to do with

Again I don't know where you live but look into zaycon foods - they bring a truck of ORGANIC meats/produce (one item at a time) to certain west coast cities - you have to buy A LOT at once (but you can split w/ another family or....your huge family) and get for ex boneless skinless chick breast ORGANIC for 1.67/lb! 40 lb minimum.

Learning how to coupon properly in your grocery store can also save a bundle. Try learning on hotcouponworld or slickdeals about your local grocery store....I've often gotten reallly close to free organic foods. A great printable website for organic foods is www.mambosprouts.com

I could go on and on about ways to save on healthy foods, and it sounds like you really need it! So feel free to add/pm me because I'm horrible at checking back on posts!

buy fresh fruit and veggies that are in season, they are dirt cheap. It is out of town and out of season produce that costs a lot. On top of that you may want to look into getting dried beans and lentils (way cheaper then canned and way less sodium)

This!

I find it cheaper to eat healthy, fresh/frozen fruits and veggies as long as I don't eat at restaurants or grab fast food. Frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh ones... same with fruit. Find farmer markets... buy bulk! Your health is more important and your body will thank you.

Go with frozen. Usually they are picked and frozen at peak season, so tend to actually be more nutritious than stuff that is harvested then shipped "fresh" (if you want to call them that). Farmers markets (if you have one) also tend to be fresh (but be careful, because sometimes they can be shipped in from other places, as well).

I have no problem using frozen at all. Just really depends what application you use them for. Eaten out of hand, frozen tend to be mushy if you thaw them. But in just about anything cooked, frozen is the way to go.

Soups, stews, and chilis are a good way to stretch the food budget and pack in the nutrition.

Nutritionally, frozen vegetables are most often better for you than fresh vegetables. The nutritional content of a vegetable detoriates quickly once it's been picked. Frozen vegetables are generally frozen within 24 hours of being picked, so they are at the height of their nutritional value. Fresh vegetables take a week to get to your grocery store, may sit on the shelf for a couple days, then may linger in your fridge for a week. By the time all that time has passed, the nutritional value has significantly dropped. So, if all you can afford is frozen, you're probably doing better by your family than fresh usually!

We try to keep on a grocery budget of $50-60/week for two of us, and we love to eat good food! Except on weeks when I need to replenish staples or buy toiletries/cleaning supplies I can keep to that budget. One of my favorite cheap meals is white bean soup. Get one pound of dried white beans (about $1) and cook them with a bag of frozen Italian-style miripoix (diced carrots, celery, onions - which I grab a bunch of when they're on sale at Kroger for $1 or $.075 ea). Once that's done, add in a bag of frozen chopped spinach (also about $1 or less on sale) and a big can of diced tomatoes (about $1.30). When I have it, I'll cook two links of Italian sausage (get the family packs at Sam's/Cosco, they usually are about $2/lb which is way cheaper than the usual grocery store prices - and two links are only about 1/2 lb so it's only $1 for the meat addition) and mix that in. Pour water in to make it soupy enough, it may have thickened in the cooking process and needs extra water. I can make easily 10 servings from this for around $5-7. It's absolutely delicious, and one of our favorite meals.

I really am a big advocate of replacing meat with beans. We try to eat vegan/vegetarian at least three days a week, and not only is it better for us, we're also saving a ton of money. I make mixed bean chili (which can be put over baked potatoes for a second meal) for just a couple bucks. Red beans and rice is also a great option. If your family likes Indian food, you can make an awesome vegetarian curry with chickpeas (always buy them dried and cook) and frozen spinach, then pour over rice. Tofu is also an excellent option. I go to the Asian market here and get it for $1. I made a Thai curry with one pound of tofu, a few carrots, half a bell pepper, and some onion that fed six for about $8.

I think the key is stocking up when things are on sale. If you don't already have one, I'd really suggest saving up for a chest or standing freezer. Growing up and even now, that's a saving grace. You can buy lots of things on sale and stock up on them. There's always a bunch of soups, entrees, sides, etc. that I've made and frozen for us. That way, if we don't have time or can't cook something, we have something healthy to eat. We got ours used, so check your local newspaper.

I also keep all kinds of scraps for stocks. I keep the ends and bits of vegetables (broccoli stems, leftover roasted veg, corn cobs, etc) in the freezer. Once I have several gallon bags full, I throw it all in a pot and cook it down for an hour or so. I usually get around 20-25 cups of really delicious vegetable broth from things that would have otherwise been thrown away. I do the same with chicken bones (keep everything!) and make lots of stocks for soups, dinners, etc. Waste not, want not, right?

I have lots of ideas, so feel free to friend me and we can chat more if you'd like.

P.S. The OP asked for help, the size of their family is a part of the facts, let's not criticize them. Can't we just stick to helping someone who, like us, wants to eat healthier. THAT is what this is about.

^^^ SO VALID ^^^

Although I share certain beliefs on assistance and families being proactive in their decisions, that is NOT the topic of this post. There is a time and a place for everything. This is not the place to vent your frustrations regarding the politics of someone's past decisions based on today's political structure.

That being said, I would highly recommend a warehouse membership like Costco or BJs. Although there is a fee to be a member, you will save far more than the fee on your grocery bill. Definitely make a meal plan and a grocery list before you go shopping. Stick to your list!

The advice on finding CSAs in your area is also a very good tip. Here is a link to an article about the 'best' CSAs in your area:

http://www.phillymag.com/health/articles/eat_local_best_csa_programs032210/?show_ad

RE warehouse clubs, you need to be VERY careful about those places....I teach people to either share a membership or don't get one at all (When I teach my coupon classes) - unless you're doing it for the gas prices b/c you drive a lot I find the extra cash you spend on things you *think* are cheaper in bulk outweighs the benefits by far. Things like snacks, cereals, toilet paper, etc. you can always find cheaper couponing places that don't charge a yearly membership. Frozen foods you can sometimes get a good deal on at the bulk store, but if you wait for the right sale/coupon at a normal grocery store the normal grocery store will always win on price in the end. If you are both working with 9 kids...then yes...join a bulk store...but if you need inspiration about busy women who coupon you can visit http://jane4girls.com/ - Single woman with 4 kids feeding them on $800 a year - and not all junk! So a married coupole with 7 kids can pull this off if both working by dividing responsibilities as well.

Eating healthy is more expensive than not is a MYTH! Here is a fabulous article published this week that is backing this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all?src=tp&smid=fb-share

I read that and laughed at the author. While eating healthy is not undoable, it IS indeed very expensive. Spoilage is the number one thing that makes it really expensive, so it's best to go with frozen when you can and save any non frozen (like lettuce) for when you are certain you are going to use it up right away.

Not everyone lives in an area that has a farmers market, or with a grocery store just a few blocks down from their home. There's the cost of fuel to run down to the market to keep resupplying (assuming it's unfrozen). And with kids, it's also pretty darn extra inconvenient. Not everyone lives where there are lots of grocers to compete against one another or who do double coupons days. There's all sorts of factors involved that that author doesn't really touch upon, and doesn't even sound experienced with.