Why is eating healthy so freaking expensive?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have to be very careful what we eat b/c DH is diabetic. So $1200 month is about right for 4 (2 teenagers) We don't do fast food, or bulk from Costco very much -- we feel we wasted a lot of food that way. Yes, lots of fresh fruits, veggies, and it does get expensive. Worth it for the health benefits for us.

I hear you and learned the hard way about wasting Costco "bargains," but wanted to pass on that if you plan what's going to happen with, say, that 10lbs of carrots, it can work very well. When I have a big produce haul from Costco, I will put in the time up front to portion and prep some of it.

So - giant bag of onions, caramelize half of them and freeze in recipe portions. Properly caramelized onions take a long time, so unless I have them ready to go, they're not happening on a weeknight. They add so much flavor, it's nice to have some to grab.

Giant bag of lemons or limes - half or wedge and freeze some. They defrost quickly and release more juice after freezing. I might also put up a jar of preserved lemons.

Fruit is washed and portioned. If I got a flat of apples, I'll make sure to use them in salads, baked, etc. so that the amount left for fresh eating is more manageable.

Carrots, peppers, garlic etc. - roast with olive oil (usually along with that night's dinner), pack tightly and freeze. Wash and chop most of the rest for fresh snacking - place in the most prominent spot in the fridge.

Sometimes I portion out the big tubs of hummus so they'll be grabbed first when someone's looking for a snack. We have several recipes that use up the rest of a large jar of salsa.

Parsley, cilantro, other fresh herbs - run the amount we're unlikely to use that week through the blender with a little oil and freeze in ice cube trays. These can be the herb base for soup, pesto, added to guac, whatever.

When I start running low on the freezer goodies is when I make an effort to use up the rest, then plan another Costco run in a week or two.

[Anonymous]

OP, I posted something like this recently too. I spent $1300 a month as well on food. Produce kills my budget, it's SO EXPENSIVE!! I do buy mostly frozen veggies -- we dont eat much meat ever but I do buy a lot of organic foods.

Anyway I dont really have any suggestions except meal planning helps. Buy only what you need for the planned meals that week!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not see how $1300 is "normal" for this area for 3 people. I can't even fathom how one spends nearly 300 at the grocery store in a week. I only do this if I'm entertaining.

It certainly isn't frugal or even sensible, but for two-income families where both parents are high earners, and aren't buying beans in the can and having sensible tuna fish sandwiches for lunch, I think it is not an uncommon amount to spend.

Especially if they are buying gourmet foods, imported cheeses, and of course wine and beer. Of course it is cheaper to buy bricks of cheddar and to buy your meat in a bulk "family pack" and re package to freeze in more sensible servings. But some people just don't do that.

$1300/month is on the high end, but I don't think it is that out of line for what well off people in this area spend at the grocery store each month.

OP, what are you spending your money on? Do you buy generic cold cereals and bulk meats; blocks of cheese? Cans of beans to make casseroles and your own hummus? Big bags of frozen peas and green beans? Potatoes in sacks of 10 pounds?

If people are such high earners, they why are they complaining about a 1300/mo grocery bill?

I'm the person you quoted and our HHI is in excesss of 450K and I think spending 150-175K is actually pretty high. I don't look at prices and buy all organic animal products and organic for the dirty dozen. We eat beans because we like them and we are physically fit and would like to keep it that way.

I still cannot see how one spends in excess of $300 a week on groceries. Even if they are buying $20lb cheese and if they are eating $100 worth of pancetta and cheese, then I guess they should be happy they will have enough money left over for lap band. The OP is complaing htat HEALTHY food expensive, not that it is a shame that Cakebreak cost $85 for a bottle of cab.

if you are spending that kind of money, you buying a lot of pre-prepared foods (and you are kidding yourself if you think this is healthy), throwing a lot away, or you are heading toward morbid obesity.

I don't think OP was looking for finger-wagging and scolding.

What just sympathy? Because no one who grocery shops and eats healthy from scratch meals is going to relate.

Maybe she got lost and thought she was posting on Baby Center.

Sorry I have no idea what Baby Center is. I do know rudeness when I see it though. Why don't you go over to the Private School forum. Judgmental nastiness reigns supreme there.

[Anonymous]

I spend approx $1000 a month on food (including eating out 1-2x month dinner and 4x month lunch). We are a family of 4 and eat all other meals at home.

I use coupons and buy almost only on sale. We only eat meat/chicken 2-3x a week for dinner and never for lunch, except for leftovers.

We use 2 gallon of milk and 2 ojs per week. Otherwise, just drinking water.

Cooking is expensive: one recipe of baked ziti is $13: $2 for pasta, $4 ricotta, $3 for marinara, $2 mozz, $2 for spinach. Add in a salad or a protein (sometimes we'll add some veggie sausage and you are looking at $20 for dinner)
$20 x 30 dinners a month is $600 just on dinner.
A roast chicken costs $12 + $2 rice + $3 broccoli = $15. For my family of 4, this only lasts one night w/ no leftovers.
I'll make a lentil soup, but usually as part of a larger meal and not by itself for dinner.

I dont see how you feed a family of 4 on $600 a month.

[Anonymous]

Chicken: on sale for .89 or so a lb. Sub cottage cheese for half the ricotta, use store brand pasta. The .89 sauce in the can is just fine. Use frozen spinach, bought on sale, and for easy on cheese. If four people are eating a pound of pasta, you maybe need less food. That's dinner and lunches for my crew of four, at least. No need for meat with that much cheese, but veggie sausage is nasty. Salad is 89 cents or so a bag. Add some carrots and half a cucumber and you are good.

We eat meat every night of the week as well as lunches and breakfast and I don't spend near that much on food. Buy on sale and don't waste money on "pastured free range" chicken and beef. It isn't worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chicken: on sale for .89 or so a lb. Sub cottage cheese for half the ricotta, use store brand pasta. The .89 sauce in the can is just fine. Use frozen spinach, bought on sale, and for easy on cheese. If four people are eating a pound of pasta, you maybe need less food. That's dinner and lunches for my crew of four, at least. No need for meat with that much cheese, but veggie sausage is nasty. Salad is 89 cents or so a bag. Add some carrots and half a cucumber and you are good.

We eat meat every night of the week as well as lunches and breakfast and I don't spend near that much on food. Buy on sale and don't waste money on "pastured free range" chicken and beef. It isn't worth it.

Unfortunately, I buy kosher chicken, so the best I ever do is $3 lb. Even the store-brand whole wheat pasta is closer to $2 a box and a baked ziti usually gives us some leftovers for lunch. I find cottage cheese in baked ziti really disgusting, so its worth the extra $2 to get something we like.

I am not complaining about the amount of money I spend, just saying that its not actually that difficult to cook simple meals and get to $1K a month.

[Anonymous]

I don't spend anywhere near $1300 per month to feed a family of 3. I usually buy protein (meat) from a farmer or from Costco. We are getting ready to spilt a side of beef between 3 people our portion will feed us for several months and will cost less than $500. When I shop at Costco I usually stock up on organic chicken and ground beef. I buy a month's worth for less than $100. And then my weekly trip to the grocery store is another $75 to $90 for organic milk, eggs, produce, cheese, bread, etc. I buy only what we will eat. I buy a lot of whole produce -- ie bags of organic carrots and then I peel them and cut them up. My husband would leave home if I did any meatless meal so no lentils or beans here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chicken: on sale for .89 or so a lb. Sub cottage cheese for half the ricotta, use store brand pasta. The .89 sauce in the can is just fine. Use frozen spinach, bought on sale, and for easy on cheese. If four people are eating a pound of pasta, you maybe need less food. That's dinner and lunches for my crew of four, at least. No need for meat with that much cheese, but veggie sausage is nasty. Salad is 89 cents or so a bag. Add some carrots and half a cucumber and you are good.

We eat meat every night of the week as well as lunches and breakfast and I don't spend near that much on food. Buy on sale and don't waste money on "pastured free range" chicken and beef. It isn't worth it.

I wouldn't eat meat at all if it were industrial meat. Of course pastured is worth it. It's the difference between eating a living creature that choked on air full of ammonia and aerosolized feces, that was miserable, in pain, often cannibalistic, that never saw the sun, that was raised fat and sick on the cheapest, crappiest food available for more yield per animal. Have you ever been to a CAFO? They smell really bad, and they smell really bad from 500 yards away. It is stomach-churning and deeply immoral. If I gave these places my money, I'd feel responsible for their health and environmental problems, animal abuse, worker abuse...

Pastured meat might as well be from an entirely different species. The flavor, lipid profile and nutrient content are better, and in my experiences, pastured meat doesn't shrink up the way industrial meat does. It also supports small family farms directly.

Worth it to me to buy in bulk and pay a few bucks extra per pound, even when it means eating less.