food is so expensive!!!

Tami113
Tami113 Posts: 117 Member
edited November 12 in Motivation and Support
ok i am a poor college student like some of you. i for the most part ate pretty well before starting MFP (it was more portion control than the food itself) i am a vegetarian, i don't drink soda or anything carbonated, i don't drink alcohol of any sort and i am not a "sweets" person besides chocolate that is.
with all that said, after starting here my grocery expense has gone up so much because the healthy choices cost more than the junk. this is so discouraging to me since there are other things in my life that necessitate money as well. i understand the investment i am making in my body, and i will continue to fork up the additional cost but it is still frustrating. i now see a huge reason why america has weight issues.
i just went grocery shopping for some basics, not a full grocery shop by any means, and yet i spend over $100.00!!!!!!! before i changed my eating habits $100.00 would last my husband (a carnivore) and myself a week!! now, not so much.
thanks for letting me vent :-/

Replies

  • leomentlines
    leomentlines Posts: 440 Member
    I agree that food tends to be more expensive when you're eating healthier, but just remind yourself that you'll be making things much easier for yourself down the line as you get older. Plus, (at least in my case), when I started eating better I stopped going out to fast food joints and limited restaurant visits as well. That helped keep a few extra bucks in my pocket that went towards food shopping.

    One tip I have is to buy things in bulk if they are on sale (I do this with cheeses and Greek yogurt).
  • nickyfm
    nickyfm Posts: 1,214 Member
    Wow that sucks. When I did a college exchange to the University of Kansas from Australia, I could not believe how cheap groceries were. I would load up my trolley at Dillon's with healthy stuff and it would only be $70. I could shop at the organic food store for the same price as regular groceries in Sydney!! It was insane.

    But then again, maybe it's just the mid-west that has extremely cheap groceries. Oh how I miss it. You buy like 5 items here and it's $70 LOL
  • MindyG150
    MindyG150 Posts: 1,296 Member
    Are you watching the sales? Try eating with the seasons, it gets boring but it's far more in-expensive.
  • Tami113
    Tami113 Posts: 117 Member
    i buy seasonal fruit and veggies. i tried buying in bulk however things go bad too quickly since it is just me and my husband. we don't go out to eat as much which is helping off set the cost a little but we never really went out a lot to begin with. i just wish i could buy food and not have to worry about costs.
  • sxci8
    sxci8 Posts: 24
    Same problem here... I try to eat with the seasons... and try whatever fruit or vegetable is on sale. And it's a motivating factor to reduce expenses on chocolate. I now think of how I could get a whole bag of dates (from bulk foods section) which will last several weeks for the price of three chocolate bars which I can finish at a sitting.
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
    Yep, same issue here in the UK. My fiancé can spend £40 a month on food - I was never that cheap with what I ate, but £80 wasn't a problem. Now, I spend £160 on food. Fresh meats are so expensive, for a start.
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
    In college I had the same problem but food cost went down for me when I became a vegetarian actually. I only lasted 3 years as a vegetarian though lol. I started eating meat again shortly after I graduated and food costs are back up now.
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