Subway Giftcard winners are: ‘Drea, Gloria Roberts, and Mamajuliana!! Congratulations to the three of you!! I’ll email you today so we can get your $10 gift cards on their way. Thanks to everyone who entered.
Is it possible to save money on food while cutting back on calories? Absolutely. I am always concerned with the cost of food, services and miscellaneous items. I am the keeper of the budget and our whole family works hard to keep our expenses down. With a family of nine, you can be sure that food is a large part of our monthly expenses. Especially considering that John and I are blessed with five growing boys. People often complain to me that it costs more money to buy healthy food than junk food. I can’t quote statistics on whether or not that’s actually true, but I can share my experiences with you.
I think it’s important to focus on foods you can buy every week at the grocery store, not restaurant meals. No matter what weight loss program you are following, you were probably initially told to get rid of the “bad” food in your pantry, and replace it with healthy alternatives. However, once you got to the grocery store you probably couldn’t believe that apples were $1.39 a pound and a little bag of baby carrots costs $1.99. Those chicken breasts were $1.97 a pound! You can’t afford that! Or can you? Look at this list:
- Cost of 11 ounces of Potato Chips – $3.21
- 14.5 ounce Oreo cookie package – $2.75 (on sale!)
- 16 oz. Powdered Sugar Donuts – $2.19
- 12 oz. box Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal – $3.39
- 48 oz Canola oil (Kroger brand) – $3.99
- 12 pack can Coke – $3.33 (on sale)
- 1 package Nestle Toll House dough – $2.50 (on sale)
- 1 pound sirloin steak $4.99
Okay, now what’s expensive? Prepackaged food that has very little nutritional value, or wholesome fruits and vegetables? Expensive steaks, or chicken breast on sale? Why is it that when I was overweight I thought nothing of spending $2 – 3 dollars on a bag of chips, but balked at spending the same amount of money on a bag of apples? Why was it okay to buy the $2.50 one pound bag of M&M’s that I would eat in an afternoon, but refused to spend the same amount of money on fresh veggies?
For me, I didn’t value the fruits and vegetables as much as I did the junk. The junk was fast, available and made me feel good when I ate it. The fruit was fruit. Salad was salad. It had no pizzazz and I gained no emotional comfort from eating healthy food. I wanted junk and junk I got. As I gained more and more weight over the years, I ate less and less healthy foods. I was careful with the kids diets – they ate good foods, but I didn’t. I thought I couldn’t afford to buy enough apples and grapes for all of us, so I’d just eat cookies. :)
I used money to justify my bad choices, when in reality I was spending much more than I needed to buy purchasing foods that weren’t healthy. Do you do the same thing and occasionally try to blame your food purchases on budget restraints? I’d encourage you to look closely at how much you are spending each week on food that doesn’t fill you up, and next time you are at the grocery story, do a little comparing of your own.
What are your thoughts about the cost of healthy foods? Diane
I used to buy pre-packed foods from a wonderful shop in South Africa called Woolworths…it was my daughter and I living together and I worked long long hours and had no time to cook….But it was pricey…
Now I only buy fresh and now and again a treat – I would rather spend money on nuts than biscuits for example…
I do think junk foods are expensive.
Even buying a roll while out to making it yourself…you can save a lot of money.
When we first began our weight loss journey my husband was really concerned about cost. He argued that healthy food was too expensive. I showed im that the bag of Sun Chips came to something like 3 dollars a pound, candy bars about 15 dollars a pound , while apples in our produce store were 69 cents a pound, romaine was 40 cents and so forth. He very quickly got on board. Then when I reminded him you either pay the grocer or you pay the Doctor and showed him exactly how that was true, all debates ended.
.-= Diane´s last blog ..An open letter to a retail chain =-.
THIS is one of my biggest pet peeves – the excuse that you cannot afford to eat healthy. Its such a non-valid excuse!
I tackled this on my old blog and think I will need to revisit this on my new one – it really gets my blood pumping! Thanks for lighting that fire for me again!
This is a good post, Diane. It’s also important to remember that if you buy healthy food you will also need to eat less of it to get your nutrition than if you eat junk food with a lot less nutrition in it but much more stuff our bodies don’t need, which just keeps us hungry for more!
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Brussels 20 KM: Race Report =-.
I say a resounding YES with the added BUT IT IS HELLA MORE EFFORT AND WORK.
(insert adage here about anything worth having being work?)
I think Ive seen too many SATC previews but it all makes me think its the same as looking snazzzzy!hip!fasionable!on a budget.
time + effort + cutting back elsewhere perhaps = success!
.-= Miz´s last blog ..MizFit Memorial Day confession (video post) =-.
Oh yes, it is possible but I wouldn’t have said that a bit ago. I did what you did – made excuses that I just couldn’t because it was too expensive. But I have learned that all the junk I was eating was much more expensive than making my own foods. And restaurant meals are overpriced too for what little nutrition you get.
Great points Diane! Sometimes you just have to look at this in a different way as you did! Yes, it takes a bit more efffort to plan & cook some of the healthy stuff, vs. a package but when it comes to your health, aren’t you worth it!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Risks of Sunscreens: New Report =-.
I’m with you! Living on a student budget, I learned how to eat SUPER healthy and REALLY cheap. If all you ever buy is really just whole, real foods, you save a ton of money. And it’s worth it. I’d rather eat nutritious food for slightly more than eat nutrient-devoid food for a buck or two less.
Of course, some things are just outrageously expensive. Sometimes organic produce is five or six times more expensive than regular produce, so I just choose the regular stuff. Maybe someday when I have more disposable income I’ll be able to choose more organic foods.
.-= Sagan´s last blog ..Feeling like a fraud =-.
I think the cost of buying healthy foods is more worth it than the costs you will pay for eating unhealthy foods. Medical bills will cost you a lot more than the cost of fresh fruits and veggies.
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Memorial Day Weekend: Friday and Saturday =-.
Sadly, there are people who can’t afford to eat healthily. I suggest everyone watch Food Inc. to see real life examples of this. When you have to choose between a crappy hamburger that will fill you up and a couple of apples that are much healthier but not enough to keep you full, the answer is clear.
So yes, you can eat healthy on a budget, but if you’re really poor, the answer is no.
.-= NewMe´s last blog ..Take the Stairs! =-.
Healthy food covers the whole price spectrum, if you need to watch your money very closely, you’ll need to do some cooking! During my college years (which I paid for myself), I bought lots of dried beans and made fabulous dinners based on them. Nearly every culture has good rice and bean recipes or hearty soups made from beans or lentils and vegetables. I also made my own vege burgers from all sorts of things – brown rice and carrot, soy beans (my favorite!), black beans. I baked my own whole grain bread because I really enjoyed it and took peanut butter sandwiches, carrots and apples to school with me every single day. Now I don’t have to watch my budget quite so closely, and I design my dinners around vegetables rather than around beans. I buy vegetables in bulk(including some organic vegetables) at CostCo where they are inexpensive. I also shop the farmer’s market and have a garden. I think it’s a myth that healthy food costs more, it just takes more time and a little planning ahead. $5 worth of peanut butter and whole grain bread will make more lunches than 5 dollar meals at a fast food restaurant. Yes apples are expensive, but carrots, celery, cabbage, etc. are faily inexpensive.
I look at other people’s shopping carts and often they are full to the top – but I can’t see ANY REAL FOOD in those carts. (I am not talking about whole grain breads, noodles – those can be real food).
Carts are full to the brim with the really bad processed.
And that is not food (to me).
It is NON-Food.
So no matter what the (cheap) cost of each individual item – a whole cart is going to add up BIG TIME.
And whatever that total – they are throwing away that money – because there is no FOOD.
Very shortly – local farm markets will be popping up all over the place – and they are a good way to buy a lot of local produce at very economical rates.
And I don’t doubt you at your word – that you were feeding your kids healthier than you yourself ate.
But I do not think that is true for most people.
I think most people are feeding their kids a lot of processed things – boxed mac and cheese, hamburger helper, pop tarts, canned soup, Pop Tarts, breakfast/nutrition bars, fruit snacks/roll-ups, frozen waffle stuff, Cheese/crackers, Hot Pockets.
there is a lot of sodium and a lot of fat and a lot of empty carbs in that list. And very little protein.
One of the BIG problems that I see is people thinking ‘what in the whole wide world will they eat’ and then feeding them that in the most convenient way possible instead of looking at nutrition. There is somehow this ‘kid food’ outlook that started and needs to be stopped. Kids grow up and they continue with what they are used to eating/doing. The habits are set very young.
.-= vickie´s last blog ..The icky glasses post – I think we absolutely can tell how we felt about ourselves on the inside, by how we looked on the outside =-.
I have always believed that poor shopping habits are born from laziness, addiction, and apathy, not budget concerns. Laziness, in that most poor quality food requires little or no preparation time. Obviously addiction relates to sugar and fat addictions which corporations do foster so not all the blame goes to the individual, though most should. Apathy is the bigger issue — play on words intended.
Frankly, people just don’t care what they put in their bodies anymore. As the obesity numbers rise, it becomes more acceptable to become obese. Dr. Nicholas Christakis played this out supremely last year in his book, “Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives”.
Here is a link to an 18 minute video lecture by him that encapsulates that book. There are some astonishing visual graphics in the lecture Diane, and I truly belive you will appreciate them.
http://www.ted.com/talks/nicholas_christakis_the_hidden_influence_of_social_networks.html
.-= Emergefit´s last blog ..A Fairwell To Legs… =-.
This is so true. I have noticed that as I cut down on buying the prepackaged snacks and started buying fresh fruits and veggies our food expenses didn’t really change.
I think the organic stuff can get a little pricey, or even fresh produce when it’s out of season. However, I’ve decided that the few extra cents is worth feeling so much better!
.-= Leah´s last blog ..Yuck – A Vent of Sorts =-.
Diane,
Nice comparison of prices. I’ve heard that apples cost more than birthday cake. In the end, though, even if something healthier is pricier, I think it’s worth it in the long run.
Thanks for the Subway card.
.-= ‘Drea´s last blog ..Month-End Review, May 2010 =-.
To add to your point, it is EXPENSIVE to be unhealthy. If we eat junk, undoubtedly we’ll be going to the doctor more often, spending more on Rx and OTC drugs, etc.
.-= Kate´s last blog ..Cantaloupe Bliss =-.
For us, YES. Definitely. Because we always ate healthy meals, so I bought the good stuff anyway. The budget breaker came when I slipped in that bag of mini Reese’s peanut butter cups and/or the giant bag of Lime Tortilla chips in addition to the good stuff.
.-= Tish´s last blog ..Rocky Mountain High =-.
What a great post! I agree with MIZ! It does take more work to eat healthy if you are cooking interesting meals.
It takes longer to clean a bowl of strawberries,cut up an apple, peel some carrots and so on than it does to pop open a package of chips! I am not complaining though because I look and feel better when I am eating healthier.
I shop a lot at the warehouse stores and I can get a lot of produce pretty cheap and they even carry some organic produce now! I won’t go back to the way I use to eat. If you want anything bad enough you can figure out a way to get it.
Cooking and cutting back on processed foods is WAY cheaper than eating out. And, although it takes a bit more time, I am worth that extra 30 minutes. Plus, with practice, I’ve gotten super efficient and quick at putting together meals. Love it. And I honestly believe cooking is therapeutic.
But anyway, I buy in bulk. From Costco. Veggies mostly. Some bread. Almond butter. Some granola bars.
I also shop at ethnic markets. Asian markets are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than American supermarkets. I also utilize Trader Joe’s. I’m a huge fan of using the reward cards. And I typically buy things on sale. And, if it’s stuff like beans, I’ll buy the uncooked kind and cook it myself. WAY cheaper. I honestly don’t believe that stuff like lean cuisine is cheaper than cooking your own meals. When you cook your own meals, you can cook in huge quantities. It just takes more time.
I think most people use money as an excuse to not cook since they don’t want to invest something more expensive: time.
.-= Jess´s last blog ..Weigh-in #17 =-.
Great post. There are definite parallels between obesity and low income that lead many to make a very wrong assumption. It is much less expensive to eat healthy if you are willing to put in some preparation time.
.-= Joe´s last blog ..Memorial Day – Southern Style =-.
There is no doubt that the cost of food prices has risen in recent years, but you are dead on that many people spend money on “food” that they don’t really need. There are some low cost/healthy items available. A few of my choices are my local grocery’s generic bags of dried beans, whole wheat pasta, natural peanut butter and plain non-fat yogurt.
.-= karen@fitnessjourney´s last blog ..Making Memories =-.
Wonderful details, but weight reduction is usually a very serious process. You must try dieting and exercise, gastric bypass surgery must never be done unless it is a considerable problem. Even if you’re particularly obese, it’s not too late to get balanced and fit the natural way, I’ve met so numerous individuals who struggle with weight problems even immediately after getting the surgery.