The price of veggies is insane!

swaney3
swaney3 Posts: 12
in Food and Nutrition
I'm trying reduce the effect of gravity on me by reducing my mass and girth.

just sound better then trying to lose weight

Anyway, when did vegetables get so fricking expensive. Now I'll admit it's been years since I gave veggies more then a passing glance, now I am up to date on the important things like bread, and eggs, and steak, and Doritos, and beer. It's not like I hate them or anything but usually if they are in the house it's because my wife bought them.

But today is day 3 of my diet and I remembered when I was a kid my Mother used to slice cucumbers and keep them in the ice box in vinegar and water. They were tasty, and fat free. The last time I bought them they were like 10or 12 for a dollar, when I was a kid, we grew them in our garden and so did the neighbors and often people would just give bags of them away to the neighbors who would use them for hog feed. How could they be?

They were .69 cents. Not .69 cents a lb but .69 cents a fricking piece! (and no it didn't include a *kitten* or anything like that, that was my 1st question too)

Needless to say I didn't bring any of those home. I did buy 3 bunches of red radishes. (3 for a dollar) And a nice head of Cauliflower (.88 cents a lb) and a bag of baby carrots.

So for breakfast I had 7 radishes, about 1/2 cup of Cauliflower, a bottle of water, lots of coffee, and a keyStone Light.

So far so good.

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,421 Member
    Awesome :laugh:


    I live pretty far North, almost all our veggies have to be shipped here. The rising cost of fuel has really made everything more expensive.
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
    It's rough business sometimes. I usually spend about two hours planning meals for each two week period, and in my meal planning I view every sales ad for every grocery store in the area. Means I usually end up making three or four stops to get all of my shopping in. I'm lucky in that I have a schedule that allows that, but you could save a good bit just looking to see who has what on sale.

    Not to be a total creeper, but there's a Sprouts Farmer Market near your town (as listed in your profile), and that's where I have the best luck. I can usually get three to four cloth bags full of vegetables and fruits for under 50 bucks. Just check the sales ads, they do double-sale Wednesdays.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    I'm trying reduce the effect of gravity on me by reducing my mass and girth.

    This is funny. But yes veggies are expensive. I try to see what's on sale and figure out how to use that for the week. Also helps to keep me from getting bored. Farmer's markets are good to try too.
  • jjjohnson31
    jjjohnson31 Posts: 108 Member
    They were .69 cents. Not .69 cents a lb but .69 cents a fricking piece! (and no it didn't include a *kitten* or anything like that, that was my 1st question too)

    Try buying veggies in Alaska...I spend at least 60% of my food budget on vegetables because everything is so darn expensive...no BJ here either but you do feel like you got screwed…
  • coxy46
    coxy46 Posts: 23
    Whatever you do, dont come to the UK because all food is expensive here. I spend about £40 a week on fruit and veg which is daylight robbery!!!!
  • ladybug1620
    ladybug1620 Posts: 1,136 Member

    They were .69 cents. Not .69 cents a lb but .69 cents a fricking piece! (and no it didn't include a *kitten* or anything like that, that was my 1st question too)
    lmao. love this. You can also try to buy big bags of frozen veggies, they last longer so you get more for your money.
  • jasperann
    jasperann Posts: 136 Member
    Cucumbers are a $1 here. That is for only one. Until the summer and the farmer markets open, then they will be 4 or 6 a $1. What gets me is Artichokes, they are like $5 a pound... =(
  • pixiechick8321
    pixiechick8321 Posts: 284 Member
    Seeds are less than $2 a packet - try growing your own!

    And yes, veggies are expensive because most of the time they aren't subsidized by the government the way cheap corn and soybeans are (used to make cheap candy, chips, beer, soda, etc). You gotta pay for real food!

    That said, if you slice a cucumber thin and freeze it, you still get a ton of food, even if you pay a bit more.
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
    Awesome :laugh:


    I live pretty far North, almost all our veggies have to be shipped here. The rising cost of fuel has really made everything more expensive.

    Us too. A cucumber here is around $1.29. I would gladly pay under $1 for one!!
  • VMarkV
    VMarkV Posts: 522 Member
    Certain frozen vegetables are good if not better than certain fresh ones
  • mcknz121
    mcknz121 Posts: 44
    They were .69 cents. Not .69 cents a lb but .69 cents a fricking piece! (and no it didn't include a *kitten* or anything like that, that was my 1st question too)

    ^^hahaha awesome. Except I agree...so freakin expensive. do you have space for a garden? that's what im doing this year because im broke. also try to just buy what's on sale (aka what's in season). also frozen veggies like several people have said. you can get coupons online and use those when they're on sale to get an even bigger discount. or contact the manager of your store and demand a BJ to go with their expensive produce
  • Maxylicious
    Maxylicious Posts: 226 Member
    Haha im glad im not the only one with this problem. I tried to switch to cauliflower-rice instead of my usual brown rice to help me cut down on carbs, but my local store (weis) has just 1 cauliflower head at $3.50 which is more expensive than a 2lb bag of brown rice worth 20servings! I guess i'm still stuck with those carbs for now....:(
  • davidlbass
    davidlbass Posts: 159 Member
    Broccoli, radishes and beer? Glad I don't share an office with you.
  • Prayforya
    Prayforya Posts: 68 Member
    I was thinking the same thing, just a little while ago I bought ONE stalk of broccoli it cost $2.14, I had to do a double-take at the register. smh
  • DaveneGfit
    DaveneGfit Posts: 338 Member
    One thing I have noticed that helps is try to buy veggies that are in season. They tend to be a lot cheaper and they often taste better.
  • UnalaskaMel
    UnalaskaMel Posts: 4
    I live in Alaska too....we spend about 2k A MONTH on food, you deal. Salaries are higher and that's just life. I think all the **free** salmon, halibut, crab, moose etc. Make it worth it. free HAHAH after buying the boat and all the equipment, gas, plane tickets etc. etc. :) What can you do?? Nothing. People do grow veggies -- a green house would be very cool! There really aren't yards with dirt here and there is still snow out in my driveway, sooooo not a long growing season.
  • cjv428
    cjv428 Posts: 124
    I live in Alaska too....we spend about 2k A MONTH on food, you deal. Salaries are higher and that's just life. I think all the **free** salmon, halibut, crab, moose etc. Make it worth it. free HAHAH after buying the boat and all the equipment, gas, plane tickets etc. etc. :) What can you do?? Nothing. People do grow veggies -- a green house would be very cool! There really aren't yards with dirt here and there is still snow out in my driveway, sooooo not a long growing season.

    Wow, this is fascinating. I'd never imagined the practicalities of living in Alaska. I'm so jealous of the amazing fish... Sushi must be phenomenal. If there is still snow on the ground in May, how many months do you have without snow?
  • nicholawelch
    nicholawelch Posts: 74 Member
    It is ridiculous my fruit and veg bill is normally a minimum of £42 a week and sometimes will need to top up on that if the kids eat extra fruit.

    I am lucky in that I get given fruits and veg sometimes by people I know that grow their own and it is always much appreciated.
  • alexsmith01
    alexsmith01 Posts: 350 Member
    Farmers markets are good - and also best to buy what's in season (usually what is the cheapest) for example at the moment can get avocados 5 for $2 at the moment, but sometimes they are $3-4 a piece.

    Cucumbers here are often more than $1, and other vegies are more than the prices you've said - but exchange rate etc is different I guess cos I don't find that expensive.

    You won't spend 69c on a cucumber, but would you spend that on a chocolate bar at the checkout, or on a bag of chips? Thats how I look at it when I am looking at the vegies - there's no reason they should be cheaper than the packaged foods.
  • amphion
    amphion Posts: 48
    I find if you eat with the season and shop at farmers markets, you will save big time on vegetables. Another bonus is as you get to know the purveyors they will guide you towards the best product. Another option if you live in an area that has them you might try joining a CSA. You will get a fresh box of veg dropped of weekly and part of the fun is figuring out to do with what you received.
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    WOW .69 c I WISH they are about £1.00 here at the mo! :sick: double your price..... all veggies are REALLLLLY dear here they just dont want you to eat healthy....
    try reducing the meat a little and adding more veggies tho you get some of the money back and still fills you up x
  • Andwynn
    Andwynn Posts: 38 Member
    Whatever you do, dont come to the UK because all food is expensive here. I spend about £40 a week on fruit and veg which is daylight robbery!!!!

    I was going to say! I'm stunned that anyone can complain a cucumber is too expensive to buy at under a 69c, which is, what, about 50p? A quick glance at Tesco and the price of cucumbers are 90p for a whole one, 45p for a 'portion' and 1.25 for an organic one. Which seems pretty cheap to me, I'm sure they were considerably more than that over winter.

    Not that I ever buy cucumber - the MiL will provide plenty enough of them over the summer, assuming we ever get any nice weather.
  • tarnbop
    tarnbop Posts: 53 Member
    Whatever you do, dont come to the UK because all food is expensive here. I spend about £40 a week on fruit and veg which is daylight robbery!!!!


    ^ tell me about it! I remember when I first joined there was a post saying how expensive it was to eat healthily and everyone was disagreeing and I thought I was just going mad! Especially with shops like Iceland close by, where you can get a pizza for £1... spending 40 times that on fruit and veg a week has made my bank manager rather happy!
  • Andwynn
    Andwynn Posts: 38 Member
    Haha im glad im not the only one with this problem. I tried to switch to cauliflower-rice instead of my usual brown rice to help me cut down on carbs, but my local store (weis) has just 1 cauliflower head at $3.50 which is more expensive than a 2lb bag of brown rice worth 20servings! I guess i'm still stuck with those carbs for now....:(

    ... what is cauliflower rice?
  • citygirl4ever
    citygirl4ever Posts: 123 Member
    Try shopping at Farmers Markets and buying veggies that are in season. I live in the Los Angeles area so I am very lucky that I can find a Farmers Market almost any day of the week and all year round. About a month ago, I was in downtown Los Angeles and came across a Farmers Market. I bought green beans, tomatoes, strawberries, zucchine, red potatoes, and broccoli for about $7.00. The green beans were already bagged and I was afraid they would spoil before using them all so I froze 1/2 of the beans for use at later time. Get to know the farmers at your local farmers markets and sometimes they will give you a discount on their produce.

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