Think it's too expensive to eat healthy?

My main thing about eating healthy being expensive is if you look at the price of cheap unhealthy grocery store items. You can get frozen pizza for $1, Ramen for like $.05, Mac and cheese for like $.70, where as you pay a TON more for fresh fruit and produce.

I agre with this 100%.. People here are saying "oh, well you don't spend as much on junk food and medical bills, so therefore eating healthier isn't more expensive.

But I'm talking about a side by side comparison of food in the grocery store.
As you said, mac & cheese or ramen noodles (unhealthy) is A LOT cheaper than fresh produce and lean meat. Period.

Also, it is very difficult when you are only cooking for one or two people, because you can't neccessarily buy some of the items in bulk. For example, when trying to lose weight, we don't eat potatoes as often as we used to, so if I buy a large bag of potatoes, chances are they will all go bad before I am able to use them all. So I'm unable to save the money by purchasing a large bag of potatoes, and instead, I must purchase a few loose potatoes, at a much higher cost. When we weren't trying to eat healthy, I could buy that large bag of potatoes and use it before they went bad (and save that money as compared to buying the loose ones).
Potatoes are just one example of this.

We typically spend about $160-240 a month on groceries for the 2 of us (my husband and myself) (we live in New Jersey)

that breaks down to $40-60 a week. sure this can change if we need some extras, but I'm an excellent shopper (i always find a bargain)

I try to buy only healthy foods, and organic when it's available and I usually prefer to shop at trader joes and occasionally shoprite.

I'm also going to check out this store that i've heard about called Aldi's (they claim its cheaper)

I live in NJ too.. I'm very curious how you could possibly survive on $40/week on groceries for two people.
I spend at least $25 just on produce for the week.

I''m not cooking or buying anything organic, extravagant or crazy.
For example, this week I made the following dinners:
Chicken breast with balsamic and shallots w/potatoes
Garlic chicken stir-fry with white rice
Griled Pork chops with string beans
Stuffed Cabbage

For breakfast, the husband eats cereal, I have a granola bar.
For lunch, he gets a salad at work, and I bring at turkey sandwhich and chips.

Our groceries are typically about $150/week, I shop with coupons - take advantage of sales when I can, and shop at Shop Rite (the cheapest store around here).

So please, do share with me how you can survive on $40/week for groceries for two people.

Just because you disagree or don't understand how something can be done, that does not give you the right to respond in such a rude manner.

Not everyone eats the same things that you do, nor do they have the same dietary necessities. Everyone is different, and I'm not about to scan in receipts just to prove a point. I was just stating that it can be done. That's all.

I was not being rude in any way, so please do not get all bent out of shape over nothing. You said that you are an excellent shopper and only spend $40/week on groceries for two people. Being from the same state, I was curious how that is possible. I gave you a list of typical meals I make during the week and I know how much my groceries cost. It would be interesting to see what meals you are cooking every day for $40/week, because I'd sure like to save $100/week on grcoeries if it is possible as you said.
Trader Joe's is expensive for every day groceries, so that makes this even less believeable for me. I'm not asking you to explain yourself, but I want to know what I can cook for two people on $40/week, and manage to shop at Trader Joe's.

But I'm talking about a side by side comparison of food in the grocery store.
As you said, mac & cheese or ramen noodles (unhealthy) is A LOT cheaper than fresh produce and lean meat. Period.

Of course if you take the very cheapest processed food available and compare it to the most expensive healthy food, the processed food will be cheaper. But, they opposite is also true.

Compare old fashioned rolled oats to Lucky Charms or Apple Jacks. Oats are cheaper.
Compare canned tuna to baby back ribs. The fish is cheaper
Compare a high end frozen pizza or lasagne to dried beans and brown rice. The beans and rice are cheaper.
Compare frozen pollock, talapia or haddock to ribeye steak. The fish is cheaper.

Just because some processed foods are cheaper, does not mean you can't eat healthy without breaking your budget. It just means you need to shop more carefully.
[/quote]

aahh yes! i hate when people say it's expensive to eat healthy
vegetables and things like beans are dirt cheap and they'll last a week or two (if it's just you, less for a family obviously)
the only time it gets expensive is when you start buying protein powder and only organic food etc
healthy food doesn't have to be expensive at all, people need to know this

i dont care what anybody says. IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE TO EAT HEALTHY.
When can you just buy 4 pieces of bread for .75? and 4 baking potatoes for 2.98? I dont think so.
This is misleading.

I agree. They have BOGOS all the time on ice cream and chips, but I've never seen a BOGO deal on any type of fresh produce or even on lean meat. (Eating healthy foods is still worth the long-term investment in our health, but it is not cheaper for my family.)

There must not be a Winn-Dixie or Save-A-Lot where you are located because they have excellent deals on meat. Winn-Dixie has BOGOs every week on meat, usually boneless, skinless chicken breasts, center cut pork chops, and various cuts of steaks. Also, Save-A-Lot has great deals on turkey based items. They usually have Butterball turkey bacon and 12 oz. packages of ground turkey for $1.

I really dislike macros like this that oversimplify the situation. It's been said but these things vary according to where you live--not just the state but the city and area within that state. Not only do things cost different depending, but not everyone has the same access to the right foods. There are places where McDonalds is literally more plentiful than fresh produce at a supermarket or wal-mart.

Not only that, eating out vs cooking at home is apples and oranges. Try and prepare a McDonalds-like meal at home and then we'd have a comparison to start from. Of course dry beans and rice are cheap. But spices aren't, decent oils aren't--all those things you have to have enough money up front to buy ahead of time and we can't all take that for granted.

There are factors other than laziness at work. I do spend more now than I did when I was pretty much eating one meal a day of fast food -- and it's MORE than worth the expense. But that doesn't mean I'm in the position to judge anyone else.

Well another problem with buying healthier food is sometimes shelf life, to buy the larger quantities of food and be able to take advantage of the savings so that I can say my meal cost the same as that photo, with only two people eating it we may end up with moldy bread and bad lettuce, which gets even more costly.

Depends upon what you ate before. I didn't eat McDonalds. I ate ramen noodles and pasta and velvetta. Ten dollars could last a week, but I can't buy fresh fruit and vegetables for ten to last a week.

It depends upon what you were used to buying and are trying to eat now.

Depends upon what you ate before. I didn't eat McDonalds. I ate ramen noodles and pasta and velvetta. Ten dollars could last a week, but I can't buy fresh fruit and vegetables for ten to last a week.

It depends upon what you were used to buying and are trying to eat now.

I have to agree with this and it's part of the reason the fast food vs. healthy grocery store meal argument drives me bananas.

Chicken, potatoes and salad for 4=$14ish

Pasta for 4- $3 ($1.50 for pasta, $1.50 for a cheap can of sauce)
Hot dogs and fries for 4- $5 ($1 for the hot dogs, $2 for buns, $2 for a bag of fries)

I can get more for my money buying groceries rather than fast food but if money is really tight and you still need to eat are you going to spend $14 on one good, healthy meal or are you going to spend it on 4-5 not so great ones?

Depends upon what you ate before. I didn't eat McDonalds. I ate ramen noodles and pasta and velvetta. Ten dollars could last a week, but I can't buy fresh fruit and vegetables for ten to last a week.

It depends upon what you were used to buying and are trying to eat now.

I have to agree with this and it's part of the reason the fast food vs. healthy grocery store meal argument drives me bananas.

Chicken, potatoes and salad for 4=$14ish

Pasta for 4- $3 ($1.50 for pasta, $1.50 for a cheap can of sauce)
Hot dogs and fries for 4- $5 ($1 for the hot dogs, $2 for buns, $2 for a bag of fries)

I can get more for my money buying groceries rather than fast food but if money is really tight and you still need to eat are you going to spend $14 on one good, healthy meal or are you going to spend it on 4-5 not so great ones?

This has been said before... a bag of beans, a bag of rice and a bag of frozen veggies is way more nutritious than your cheapo meals, will make more meals and costs about the same. MEAT IS EXPENSIVE but it is not a necessity. Just because you can't make your family a 4 course, all organic, all healthy meal every night is no excuse to feed them hot dogs and mac n cheese (yuck!).

ETA I can eat 1000 calories of fast food and be hungry in 2 hours (give or take) but I can eat around 500 calories of rice/beans/veg and be full for hours. Assuming they cost exactly the same, which is the better deal?

Where you buy 2 big Mac for $3?

Uhhhh

2 Big Macs = 3
1 Cheeseburger = 1
1 6pc nugget = 2.50
2 medium fries = 3
2 small fries = 2
2 medium cokes = 2
2 small cokes = 2

Total cost: $15.50

What, did they leave a $12.39 tip for the guy in the drive through?

Your math is a little skewed (although the math in the photo is a bit too, but prices to vary depending on the region). I'm in FL...

a smarter consumer would do it this way (with the given food; I'd do it way differently for less money and more food, myself):

2 Big Mac Meals: 5.79x2
1 6-piece chicken nuggets: 2.19 (regular price; only .99 on Mondays and Wednesdays)
1 cheeseburger: .99 (only .69 on Sundays, but then the nuggets are full price that day)
2 small fries: 1.19x2
2 small cokes: 1.39x2

19.92 (21.31 with tax)

Purchases separately:

2 Big Macs = 3.89x2
1 Cheeseburger = .99
1 6pc nugget = 2.19
2 medium fries = 1.99x2
2 small fries = 1.19x2
2 medium cokes = 1.99x2
2 small cokes = 1.39x2

total 24.08 (25.77 with tax)

Still a little less than in the picture, but way more expensive than being a savvy shopper and preparing meals yourself... and I think the drinks may be 2.19 for medium and 1.59 for small.

I freely admit that I do eat at mcd's now and then... I just don't do it all the time. It's a once in a great while kind of thing, and it usually happens when the kids can get a happy meal for 1.99 (Tuesday or Thursday), and I skip the fries and just eat me a nice big fat Big Mac with a water or milk. tasty.



btw: meat doesn't have to be expensive. Buy when it's on sale, stock up, portion and freeze it, and you have savings. I buy several pounds of chicken or whole chickens at a time and do that. I save lots of $$ at the grocery store too. I feed a family of 7 for under 400 a month, on non-birthday months. When there's a birthday, the bill goes up because of the cake, feeding guests, etc.

We typically spend about $160-240 a month on groceries for the 2 of us (my husband and myself) (we live in New Jersey)

that breaks down to $40-60 a week. sure this can change if we need some extras, but I'm an excellent shopper (i always find a bargain)

I try to buy only healthy foods, and organic when it's available and I usually prefer to shop at trader joes and occasionally shoprite.

I'm also going to check out this store that i've heard about called Aldi's (they claim its cheaper)

I love Aldi's. They have a lot of processed junk but they also have some good finds in there...

I too love Aldi! I walk there a lot to do my shopping. Bagged salad is half the price there than at the grocery. They have a new produce sale every week. Sometimes I get 2-packs of colored bell peppers for .99-1.19! Regular price is still better than the grocery-2.19. 5# bags of oranges for .99. This week 2# bags of kiwi are .99. 2# packs of grapes are 1.99. They have good cheese prices and great frozen veggies too.

A fair point to those with means who complain about the affordability of healthy food.

The problem I see with comparisons like these, though, is that they assume that you can buy $0.55 worth of olive oil. Maybe in some places you can measure out your own seasonings and cooking oils to buy just what you need, but at most of the grocery stores I've ever frequented, the bulk bins (if there are any) are for 1) candy, 2) cereal, 3) grains. So yeah, I might be able to roast a great chicken at home, but in order to stock up my pantry to make things edible, I'm going to have to have a lot more money to devote to food at one time.

Also, in many places, there aren't nice grocery stores with meat counters who will give you 1/4 pound of this and half a slab of that. There aren't fresh fruits and vegetables to be found. You buy canned or pre-packaged or you get nothing. These places are called food deserts and they are way more prevalent that you might think.

This NY Times diagram from 2011 might be applicable for those of us fortunate enough to be able to buy things like entire bottles of oil, loaves of whole wheat bread, and quarts of milk at the local grocery. But for those who have to rely on assistance, who only have a small budget to devote to food at any given time, and who might only have a small convenience store in their neighborhood, sometimes McDonalds and the like is the most feasible option to feed your family.

What a bunch of liberal nonsense. Would you like a tissue for your bleeding heart?

You could also feed your family grass soup, it would probably be about as nutritious as a Big Mac. The fact is, fast food tastes damn good. If you're poor and you don't have the nutrition education you need to make good choices, you're going to go with what you can afford that tastes good. And, in what world can you buy FF with food stamps? This isn't society's fault, unless you are blaming society for not educating people about food.

And I grew up DIRT POOR so you can take your libtard lines of bull and SHOVE IT. We didn't have processed junk because it WAS more expensive, a bag of cookies or frozen pizza was a very rare treat. Our staple meal was this: 1 box elbow macaroni, 1 can tomatoes, meat (ground turkey or a couple hot dogs, if we had it, never beef) or spaghetti which was a box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce, MAYBE some ground turkey. My mom did the very best she could nutritionally with her very limited means. All I hear here is a bunch of lame excuses to keep eating the **** that tastes good then blame the world for being fat.

Someone needs a hug or a brownie.

It is when there is only one or two of you.... And we have no health food/ speciality store that sells cheap, bread that is "healthy" is $3.99 here, not $1 something. Yay for small towns eh?

And I find buying in bulk is cheaper, but with only two of us, some of the groceries go bad and it's a waste of money!

I had extra money last paycheck and spent $200 on groceries buying fruits and veggies when I usually can only afford $50 a week, and guess what? At least $10+ of that went bad because we couldn't eat it all quick enough and the price different was big!

And I am comparing "normal" food to heatlh food, not "Mcdonald's food. I mean a meal of frozen pizza is only $4-5 for Tombstone now, and like I pointed out, healthy bread is $3.99!! Spaghetti and Sauce only comes to like $3.50, to get all the stuff to make a salad, your looking at $10+ dollars, mind you that lasts more than once.. but I can't just eat a salad alone, I add in chicken or something to.