High Cost of Healthy Living

Christian Hansen · 11-07-2005, 08:12 AM

Holy cow. I just tallyed up my Trader Joe's purchases from October. $630.00. Probably 30 of that was booze so that makes 600 bucks for food. For me. No wonder I'm broke. Getting off the fast food dollar menu for lunch can break a man. I really need to start finding cheaper sources for food and doing some more menu planning. Anyone out there with some ideas for poor and paleo?

Gerhard Lavin · 11-07-2005, 08:39 AM

Could you do a rough breakdown on what you eat daily and what you bought. $600 does sound excessive.

Ross Hunt · 11-07-2005, 10:08 AM

Cheap protein:

Eggs and egg whites (the latter made by throwing the yolk out, not by buying ready-separated).

Cheap monounsaturated fat:

Peanuts.

Cheap vegetables:

Frozen bags by the pound.

Cheap fruit:

Whatever's in season and 99 cents a pound.

This is not tasty by any stretch of the imagination, but if you make most of your meals consist of something like this, you will be better able to afford something more expensive now and then. Incidentally, by the calorie, I believe peanuts are even cheaper than most grains.

Jason Simpkins · 11-07-2005, 10:09 AM

Yeah, organic veggies and grass fed meats are expensive, but it's all relative. Most people think nothing of spending big bucks on cars, clothes, home electronics etc... but then scoff at shelling out for proper nourishment.

When I was younger and foolish I would think nothing of dropping $200 easy on a night out of partying. Oh man, if I could only have that money and my brain cells back now! Maybe I wouldn't look like this:
http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/23/15872.jpg

Ted Williams · 11-07-2005, 11:29 AM

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I'd rather spend money on good food than anything else...

One way to save money on produce, shop at local produce stands. I've found that they are usually cheaper than markets. I walked away with a bag full of stuff from our local stand..it was about $3.50...probably would have hit $10 from Whole Foods.

Ted

William Hunter · 11-07-2005, 12:09 PM

I'm glad I shop at the local farmer's market. Good fresh food at an affordable price.

I'm also glad that 4 years ago I invested in Whole Foods stock (up 500% :-) )

Beth Moscov · 11-07-2005, 02:25 PM

I don't find trader joes to really be a low cost option. I spend less on vegies and stuff at my local store (also organic which Tjoes doesn't always have). I think where the joes is good is for canned and bottled things.

Nikki Young · 11-07-2005, 04:03 PM

Yeah fully. I've found that tuna, nuts and cauliflower/broccoli are the best bets! Cheap and last a fair while. Nuts are fairly expensive sometimes, but they last a while. Meat is the most expensive part, chicken and mince...

Eggs for me aren't very cheap because it's around $5AUS for a dozen and i rarely eat the yolks, so they are all gone in 2 meals. I've invested in egg albumen which if you consume in serving sizes 2x a day, works out to be about $25AUS a week (14 meals).

Farmers markets are cheap for some stuff. I find my local supermarket has some good deals sometimes, but somethings are quite a bit more pricey than other places.

I should start growing my own veggies!!!

Beth Moscov · 11-07-2005, 04:55 PM

My eggs are cheap. I own chickens. Their feed is about $12 bucks a month plus I sell the extra eggs so my own eggs cost nothing.

But this isn't a solution for city dwellers! :talker:

Tim Weaver · 11-07-2005, 05:04 PM

Farmers markets? Fresh produce? this is Phoenix for goodness sake....

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11-07-2005, 08:12 AM	#1
Christian Hansen Member Profile: Join Date: May 2005 Location: Pasadena CA Posts: 146	Holy cow. I just tallyed up my Trader Joe's purchases from October. $630.00. Probably 30 of that was booze so that makes 600 bucks for food. For me. No wonder I'm broke. Getting off the fast food dollar menu for lunch can break a man. I really need to start finding cheaper sources for food and doing some more menu planning. Anyone out there with some ideas for poor and paleo?

11-07-2005, 08:39 AM	#2
Gerhard Lavin Member Profile: Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Berlin Germany Posts: 973	Could you do a rough breakdown on what you eat daily and what you bought. $600 does sound excessive.

11-07-2005, 10:08 AM	#3
Ross Hunt Member Profile: Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Annapolis MD Posts: 914	Cheap protein: Eggs and egg whites (the latter made by throwing the yolk out, not by buying ready-separated). Cheap monounsaturated fat: Peanuts. Cheap vegetables: Frozen bags by the pound. Cheap fruit: Whatever's in season and 99 cents a pound. This is not tasty by any stretch of the imagination, but if you make most of your meals consist of something like this, you will be better able to afford something more expensive now and then. Incidentally, by the calorie, I believe peanuts are even cheaper than most grains.

11-07-2005, 10:09 AM	#4
Jason Simpkins Departed Profile: Join Date: Jan 1970 Posts: 221	Yeah, organic veggies and grass fed meats are expensive, but it's all relative. Most people think nothing of spending big bucks on cars, clothes, home electronics etc... but then scoff at shelling out for proper nourishment. When I was younger and foolish I would think nothing of dropping $200 easy on a night out of partying. Oh man, if I could only have that money and my brain cells back now! Maybe I wouldn't look like this: http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/23/15872.jpg

11-07-2005, 11:29 AM	#5
Ted Williams Member Profile: Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Jose CA Posts: 381	Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I'd rather spend money on good food than anything else... One way to save money on produce, shop at local produce stands. I've found that they are usually cheaper than markets. I walked away with a bag full of stuff from our local stand..it was about $3.50...probably would have hit $10 from Whole Foods. Ted

11-07-2005, 12:09 PM	#6
William Hunter Member Profile: Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Rome GA Posts: 967	I'm glad I shop at the local farmer's market. Good fresh food at an affordable price. I'm also glad that 4 years ago I invested in Whole Foods stock (up 500% :-) )

11-07-2005, 02:25 PM	#7
Beth Moscov Member Profile: Join Date: May 2007 Location: Boulder Creek CA Posts: 1,269	I don't find trader joes to really be a low cost option. I spend less on vegies and stuff at my local store (also organic which Tjoes doesn't always have). I think where the joes is good is for canned and bottled things.

11-07-2005, 04:03 PM	#8
Nikki Young Member Profile: Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Canberra ACT Posts: 458	Yeah fully. I've found that tuna, nuts and cauliflower/broccoli are the best bets! Cheap and last a fair while. Nuts are fairly expensive sometimes, but they last a while. Meat is the most expensive part, chicken and mince... Eggs for me aren't very cheap because it's around $5AUS for a dozen and i rarely eat the yolks, so they are all gone in 2 meals. I've invested in egg albumen which if you consume in serving sizes 2x a day, works out to be about $25AUS a week (14 meals). Farmers markets are cheap for some stuff. I find my local supermarket has some good deals sometimes, but somethings are quite a bit more pricey than other places. I should start growing my own veggies!!!

11-07-2005, 04:55 PM	#9
Beth Moscov Member Profile: Join Date: May 2007 Location: Boulder Creek CA Posts: 1,269	My eggs are cheap. I own chickens. Their feed is about $12 bucks a month plus I sell the extra eggs so my own eggs cost nothing. But this isn't a solution for city dwellers! :talker:

11-07-2005, 05:04 PM	#10
Tim Weaver Member Profile: Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Phoenix AZ Posts: 561	Farmers markets? Fresh produce? this is Phoenix for goodness sake....