Anyone else think eating Healthy is Expensive?

I seriously started NOT eating out because I would save money. Generally thinking of that sentence would be,"your right"

Eventhough that may be true.... I fell eating healthy is just as expensive if not more. Im not sure where you all live, but apples are 1.99 a pound,  on sale 1.29 , Pears are around the same... Oranges are ususally like 6 for 6.00, grapes are anywhere from 2.99 a pound to 1.99 a pound and there are 2 weeks out of the year they are .99 a pound, BUT you can keep food like this very long. I seem to go every Friday to get fresh fruit & veggies, and spend like $80.00... This is just a Produce store... things are ALOT cheaper there than the regular grocery store.  Then I show at the regular store for household food. $$$$$$$$$

I see why over 65% of people are obese.... Its a lot cheaper to buy a 32 oz box of cheeze its on sale for 1.50 than to buy a pound (16oz) grapes for $1.99....

Anyone have good health food tips that are not real "costly" or just comment on if I've lost my mind or not... Feel free to tellm ethe price of fruits & veggies at your store... I may relocate if its warmer (just kidding) hehe

I have absolutely spent more money since starting to eat healthy.  I get one bag of salad greens for $3.  Buying healthy meat instead of meat with fillers is twice as much.  Yeah, feelin a little broke on the weight loss train...

That's funny I've had the opposite experience.  I stopped eating out about 3 weeks ago and I have saved at least $200 on food.  I have gone to the grocery store twice for fresh fruits and veggies and spent about $50 each time. 

I bought: Cherries on sale for $2.99/lb; Nectarines $1.39/lb; Watermellon $3.99 each (about 15lbs); Grapes $1.99/lb; Corn 5 for $1.00. 

I've also been purchasing other nutrient dense foods.  I found these things called Flat Out Wraps ($2.99 for six wraps).  I bought the Sun Dried tomato basil flavor.  I take one, put less than a tbls of miracle whip & must, 3-4oz deli sliced turkey breast and 1/2 tomato - wrap it up and eat it!  It only has like 255 calories and costs me about $2.50 so it's a great cheap lunch that I can take to work with me or eat as an after work snack.

Can you shop at Wal-Mart or Reams or Wynco?  These are usually cheaper (though you have to rummage sometimes to find the good fruit it's worth it).

it is more expensive to buy healthy/organic

i plan on starting my own garden when the weather cools down a bit

i buy a lot of canned beans, rice, pasta and fruit that in on sale. Bagged vegetables, bagged organic carrots, raw green beans. I try to get the less expensive stuff

now, buying that kind of stuff i save money, and the food is more filling so i don't eat so much in general

LTP, you totally have not lost your mind.  I'm having the exact same experience and frustration.  I also buy all my fresh produce at a separate location from all my other household/grocery items.  My primary shopping store's produce dept. is crap.  So I go where I know the produce is fresh, beautiful, and yes, a bit more expensive, which I'm willing to pay for.  I don't believe in paying less for crap, particularly produce.  I typically spend $50 to $60 on fresh fruits and veggies alone for about a 2-week period.  That's basically just for me eating it alone.  Hubs can't identify a veggie unless it's corn or potatoes or butter beans.  My 2-year-old loves many fresh fruits, for which I am thankful, and I buy those things in quantity for us.  Grapes are going for $1.99/pound and up IN SEASON.   Apples, same.  Strawberries are $4.99 for a 2-pint pack.  The strawberry farm behind my house sells flats for $25 each when the strawberries are in peak season and fresh off the vine.  Romaine lettuce $1.50/ head, romaine hearts only, don't even ask!  Navel oranges are like a dollar apiece right now.   Blueberries 2.99 to 3.99/pint.  It's a crime what it costs to eat healthily.  Of course, though I hate to admit it, it's a crime and a shame what it is going to cost if I DON'T!  :-)

Oh, BTW, it's about 110+ degrees heat index usually by 11 a.m. most days here now.  Interested?  ;-)

Hi Trisha,

First of all, congrats, you look amazing.

I hear ya - I live right outside NYC and EVERYTHING is expensive here. :-) But seriously, I cannot just grab a slice of pizza or a bagel with the works or greasy chinese (all of which tend to be "cheap") but rather have to either cook or eat healthy out. Which is more expensive, of course. It's no coincidence that McDonald's doesn't cost much and obesity is on the rise (insanely) in America.

Healthy things that aren't expensive:

1lb bag of Carolina brown rice ($1.19/$1.29) and a bag of store-brand frozen mixed-veggie stir fry ($1.29). Stir fry with spray oil and some soy sauce. That's a good lunch/dinner.

Rice and beans are a great, cheap eat. And I know when I go to my local Shop Rite, there's always 2/$3.00 or 2/$5.00 deals on frozen bags of fruit/veggies.

EGGS are a great source of protein ($2.19/doz). I like to hardboil them, throw them over mixed greens ($2.49/bag) with some kidney or garbanzo beans ($.69/can) and low-cal dressing.

Stock-based or vegetable puree based soups, or homemade chili (with ground lean meat or tempeh) are also a good, inexpensive choice, if you have the time to make them.

I hope this helps a tiny bit...

Colleen

Fresh fruit and vegetables will be about that expensive... it is an option to have a tree or bush planted in your yard?  My neighbor has a huge blackberry bush that he lets us pick from, we have citrus, plum, and pomegranite trees, and grow own own tomatoes.  These things are a lot cheaper, but it takes a little bit of time and effort to take care of the plant.

Also, my trainer told me to go healthy on fats - meaning, if you are going to buy better quality food let it be the meats and cheeses that you are purchasing.  Admittedly this can get expensive but Costco has a four pack of 20oz ground turkey pkgs for $8, which for me (by myself) is about 12 meals worth of meat and it's a lot lower in fat and calories than beef.

Also, I don't buy anything pre-packaged or pre-cut when it comes to my fruits and veggies.  Buy lettuce ($.99 per head), not salad mix ($2.99/bag and about equivalent to half a head of lettuce); buy whole carrots ($1.99 for a 2lb bag) instead of baby carrots ($1.99 for a 1lb bag); and whole watermellon or canteloupe for $1.99-3.99 for a whole mellon instead of pre-cut fruit for $2.99 for an 8oz container.  If it's less work for you, it probably costs more so you have to determine what your time and convenience are worth to you.

I live in NYC.  There are several supermarkets and tons of grocery stores near where I live and I can regularly buy apples, grapes, tomatoes, nectarines, strawberries, lettuce, etc for .99/lb or less. I can buy a dozen eggs for a dollar and 8 oz of cheese for 1.00 to 1.50. HOWEVER, because I live in NYC, my taxes are very high and you should see my cable bill.  So maybe it all balances out!

frozen veggies keep and are cheap. canned veggies & fruit too.

if you are really feeling chipper you could can fruits on your own.
my grandma did this..and there is NOTHING like homemade spiced canned peaches.

dont buy bagged salad stuff. get it by the head.
$$$ lettuce i think is a waste because it goes bad so fast
you can get a whole head of iceberg for a buck. thats like 3 bags of lettuce or more.

buy your fresh stuff on sale only. bananas are cheap. you can buy a whole bag of apples for 1.99. they are not huge and pretty like the ones that are 1.99/lb but the taste the same and are cheaper.

you can freeze grapes if they are starting to go bad. they make a nice summer icey snack.

bulk your meat with firm tofu soy. its cheap and you can freeze it.

eggs are a cheap protien source.


i dont really find that its more $$$ than before.
i think it might actually be cheaper because i dont buy a bunch of junkfood all the time and i dont overeat.

also you could look at the cost in the longrun.
do you know how much diabetes meds are a month?
at least over 100 dollars! and then the blood pressure meds, arthritis meds....gah gah and GAHHHHHHHHHH

makes the fruit look cheap.
hee hee

Try to buy produce that is in season & on sale.  The produce will still be a bit pricey, but not as bad.  Apples are going to be cheaper in the fall, oranges probably cheaper in the winter.  Right now, you can probably get better deals on watermelons, cherries, peaches/nectarines, strawberries and blueberries.  This also prevents you from getting fatigued at eating the same things over and over. 

It's still going to be more expensive in one respect, but in the long run, you are probably saving on the money you would have spent on medical care if you ate cheap-o fast food for the rest of your life and had a heart attack/stroke in your middle age.  I did the poor college student eating for a long time, and it wasn't worth the money I saved.  I wish I had spent the extra to get healthy food instead of eating 10 cent packs of Ramen noodles.  Maybe then I wouldn't be borderline diabetic & insulin resistant.

It depends on whether or not you're willing to modify your eating habits to include the healthy on sale fruits and vegetables or if you're going for organic.

Organic = $$ more money, it's often considered to be healthier, it often tastes better.

Specific items = $$ more money.  If you want peaches and it's not peach season, you're going to spend more.

Ways to save - Check your grocery circulars and buy the items that are on sale, this means fresh cherries when it's cherry season, fresh peaches for a week or two, fresh nectarines for a week or two, etc. 

I'm not a person who makes a lot of time for cooking and chopping and shopping, so I find that I'm better off buying frozen veggies to keep in the freezer and fresh veggies only when I'm going to eat them in the next day or two, salad greens are delicate, I can't buy them in advance.  Tomatoes only last about 1 week, so I have to plan.  I do buy frozen broccoli by the bag, it keeps just fine in the freezer, so does frozen asparagus, frozen peas, frozen edamame, and frozen veggie mixes although those aren't as good.  I end up paying less by buying the frozen items than I do if I buy fresh and don't eat them before they go bad.  I like frozen items, I cannot stand canned fruits and veggies.

Also, check with friends who might have a fruit tree.  You can post on your local craigslist.org that you're willing to come by and pick whatever fruit someone might have going to waste.

Sure, "healthy" foods seem more expensive, but did you ever actually add up the $$$s you spent on junk food? Can't even eat cheap at McDonald's any more...and for their prices the nutrition is nearly zero.

There's many good suggestions here, but most importantly, your Health and Well-being are Priceless! So make an investment in yourself!

People who say they're saving money from not eating out must not have been hitting the dollar menu at the fast food places like I was or something. =)

For me, it's also wayyy more expensive to lose weight/eat healthy. Every fat, poor person (and I know a lot) has said the same thing. And I'm also at the grocery store about twice a week instead of once every 2 weeks!

Plus soft drinks are cheap and (for me) were an appetite suppressant. Spaghetti, boxes of mac and cheese, and the cheapest hot dogs are way, way cheaper than the stuff I buy now.

I'm lucky I live in an urban area and there are *lots* of different grocery stores. Here, Wal-Mart is *not* the cheapest, by a long shot, for produce. Wally world does sell some things way cheaper (I get my lean sliced deli meat there), but I find that if I watch sales for stuff like other meats (especially beef) and produce at regular grocery stores, I pay about _half_ (at least) what I do at Wally world. This is not necessarily true in rural areas.

The cheapest I've found is Food City. I don't know if that's a local chain but here in Phoenix they cater to the Hispanic population and their produce is the cheapest I can find. You have to pick thru stuff like tomatoes to find the good ones, but for a minute or two of extra effort, it's well worth the savings. I also watch the flyers for all the grocery chains and do hit multiple stores if it's worth it (they're all fairly close).

I do all this, and I know I *still* spend more money overall, than hitting the dollar menu every day. Plus I'm currently unemployed and looking for work. Because of this, my husband is still lobbying for the cheapest hot dogs etc!! But when I ask him if he wants me to lose weight, he grudginly agrees to the more expensive stuff.

I live in a nice area with farms and farmers' markets (and then the city right there too) and I buy all my produce from the farmers there.  It's incredible... I love fresh corn on the cob, and while it lacks nutritional content (if you cook it) i like to eat it raw and it tastes so much better.  I also shop at sam's club.  Here's a hint: never, EVER buy their apples, bananas, watermelon, canteloupe, etc.  It's mostly all bad. BUT their baby carrots are cheap and they're good, adn the five pound bag of carrots you can get there... I can juice that for a week, and I'm good. They also have the cheapest organic milk (which I can't price off the top of my head) ... and the gas is cheap too! haha... but seriously, try a farmer's market? I live here during hte summer, and during the winter I go to school,s o I live in Philly.  There I like to hit up the china-town markets because they're pretty cheap too... so much cheaper than the whole foods, which is ridiculously expensive. I remember spending over 20 just for celery, peanut butter and raisins to make ants on a log.  That's expensive for a healthy snack!

good luck to all!

LTP: First of all, you look fabulous!!  I can't believe how much weight you've lost and how great you look!  And love your hair!

I totally agree with you.  As a poor college student trying to eat healthy it was impossible, a head of lettuce or 10 packs of Ramen, hmmm, 2 days of salad or 5 days of ramen.  BUT I know if I kept eating like that I was just killing myself.  All of my suggestions have already been posted but just wanted to let you know that I feel your pain!  Just last night I went to the grocery store for a "few" fruits and veggies, milk and more Lean Cuisines.  More than half of my purchace was fruits and veggies and my bill was $80!!!  I almost died!  But I know it's just what you gotta do to look and feel like I want.

Hang in there and try all the suggestions posted above (except the tofu thing, just kidding!  Tofu scares me.)

Are farmers markets only popular here in the northwest?  It is only a seasonal thing, but between price, taste, fun and ohh soo freshness I absolutely recommend it.

When you first approach healthy eating it does appear more expensive.  The only way I can seem to get around the cost is by spending time cooking things from scratch.  Luckily I love to cook and enjoy meal planning.

Unfortunatley it does appear if you want to go "fast food" it is definatley more expensive to be healthy.  Unhealthy fast food is always cheap fillers, fried junk and refined carbs.  If you buy wholesome bread and quality low fat protein it comes with a higher price tag.

You can do it if you shop the sales ads, but again it all takes time.  I guess everything in life revolves around priorities.

protien - Egg, tuna (canned), whey protien (taste mehh)
carbs - brown rice, beans, oatmean!!!
fats - fishoil/natural pb

+ multivitiman and your set.

ANd yea trust me, im on a budget myself [being in college + little money].  It will get boring... the price you pay.

HOLY CRAP! I can't believe how much progress you've made in your before/after pictures! I bet you're so proud of yourself.....


I'd say that right there is a great reason to go broke eating right!

try TRADER JOES if you have one in your area... they are great at healthy foods... and less expensive than those big grocery stores.