Myth: "It's cheaper to eat healthfully than unhealthfully."

[Mike03]

Perhaps this used to be the case, but it is not the case now.

Nowadays, this is a great phrase for beating down people who are hard working middle or lower middle class and throwing the total responsibility for their health issues on their shopping habits, when it it simply not the case that health is cheap.

I'm reviewing my grocery receipt from this morning, trying to figure out how I could spend $180 on mostly fresh vegetables, organic foods when I can afford them, and herbal/vitamin supplements, when I know for a fact that if I had purchased the so called Standard American Diet (SAD) products, it would have been under a hundred bucks for sure.

Here are some figures at random:

Blueberries: $4.99 per pint
Three chicken breasts: $11.97 (Not organic; I can't even afford to buy organic meat here).
12 oz. of cherry tomatoes: $3.29
Kyolic garlic: $11
sixty Turmeric tablets: $13.00
Strawberries: $5.00 per pound
Tomatoes on vine (they didn't have any that were off-vine): $18.11
Organic almond butter: $18.99
Raw almonds: $9.00 a pound
Organic kidney beans: $2.00 a can (sounds great, except the non-organic leading brand full of sugar, corn syrup and benzo-something acid is $1 a can--and this goes for pinto, garbanzo and red beans, too)

Because of the levels of arsenic in the drinking water where I live, I prefer to buy bottled water.

Things like aspirin, motrin, Aleve, stomach acid blockers, etc.., will push a grocery bill up by $50 easily. Some important supplements, such as Coenzyme Q-10 are like $20 a bottle, while others--the B vitamins--are much more reasonable. Some things are still reasonably priced, but little by little everything is rising due to inflation, gas (transportation) costs, and what is shaping up to be deflation.

Why is it preferable, you might ask, to get raw nuts or organic nut butters? Because, when nuts are roasted they produce carcinogens called acrylamides. Roasted, salted nuts are less expensive than raw, unpasteurized and more healthy ones. Maybe the food industries are well aware that people who pursue healthful eating are worried enough to pay through the nose.

One final observation: I NEVER see healthy foods on sale; it's only the sodas, chips, refined carbs, sugar-laden cereals, dairy products, etc...

Maybe I should go back to eating the S.A.D. This is getting ridiculous.

[Smith_3]

1. My uncle always says that this is the reason that more lower class people are overweight.

Any type of processed food is usually cheaper.

[meow2u3]

27. Intermittent starvation is the main reason poor people are overweight

When you have food only half the month, and starve during the rest of the month, you would be fat, too. This kind of intermittent starvation slows metabolism, along with the fact that people who are half starved will overeat to compensate for having gone hungry too long. They'll eat themselves out of house and home because the food is there; that's just human nature.

[Stephanie]

44. What about filling up on cheap white carbs, like pasta, bread & rice?

I would think those starchy, processed foods, lacking in nutrition but loaded with calories, would be the culprit.

[madmom]

135. this is so true, went on low-carb diet for health reasons...much more expensive!

[eridani]

109. Right. Livestock breeders use the same trick to promote weight gain

So do Sumo wrestlers.

[The Gunslinger]

93. very true.

McValue menu for the family is cheaper than a healthy store bought meal.

[LostinVA]

133. Again, not true

[water]

112. Processed food is cheaper per weight in your area than fresh foods?

[LWolf]

119. Yes. n/t

[water]

144. How much are bananas?

[LWolf]

153. I don't know. I don't eat them any more.

Not because of cost, but because I have type II diabetes.

I was raised by a single working-class mom. We ate things like "hamburger gravy" on bread. Lots of spaghetti and macaroni. Why? Because you can fill up cheaper without feeling hungry. A bowl of cereal for breakfast, a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and something cheap, starchy, and filling for dinner.

I raised two kids as a single mom. To this day, my grown sons HATE lentils and will not touch them, remembering the constant supply of beans, lentils, and, yes, bread, pasta, rice, and other "fillers." They still tell horror stories about the ways I tried to stretch the food and add green things into the mix. Like the time I put brussels sprouts into the spaghetti sauce instead of meat, and pretended they were meatballs. The brussels sprouts were on sale.

They won't eat brussels sprouts to this day, lol.

There were times that I had to make a few dollars feed 3 of us for a week until the next check came in. We didn't spend the few dollars on fresh produce, which wouldn't have seen us through a few days, let alone a week.

I can tell you that a prolonged period of time on the food that costs the least, week in and week out, to fill everyone's belly, is a straight path to type II diabetes.

I was insulin resistant by the time I hit my teens.

[NoBorders]

137. Yes. Corn is a big reason, and it's subsidized to boot.

Corn makes up something like 40% of our diet, if you include corn syrup, and its very cheap. Cheaper foods tend to be highly processed and contain more corn-based products--and soy products for that matter.

[TwilightZone]

2. That's definitely a myth.

There have been related studies that show that low-income people tend to be the least healthy and more overweight than average, in part because they're forced into buying cheap, junky food.

[TheUniverse]

3. I dont know of anybody who believed that cheaper food is healthier.

It does cost money to get quality food. But you can get a complete meal with 1200 calories from mcdonalds for 4 bucks. Until that problem is solved, the obesity problem wont be solved either.

[RFKJrNews]

150. The problem is not having any healthy choices on the menu

at fast food joints. Although I'm on a low-carb, organic diet, I sometimes braek down and swing thru Mcdonalds or someother fast food place if I'm in a hurry or low on funds. The choices are abysmal.

your only safe bet is a salad (but you still don't know where the ingredients came from). Nearly everything else on the menu is a inexpensive heart attack on a plate.

Bottom line: if your diet consists of Taco Bell, Sonic, and White castle, you're gonna be fat. And feel really icky most of the time.

If it weren't for Subway, people on the go would not have *any* halfway healthy options - at least down here in my neck of the woods (TX).

[LisaM]

4. Quick question - are the blueberries, strawberries, and tomatoes in season?

None of those are seasonal here. So they probably cost more to import to wherever you are.

That seems really expensive for garlic.

It also looks as if you are spending twice as much per pound for almond butter as for the almonds. Can you shop at a coop where you can grind your own almond butter, or do it in the food processor?

It is far more expensive to buy natural foods than processed ones, unfortunately, but there are a few places there you could save some money.

[enki23]

15. right. stay away from unnatural foods

supernatural foods won't help either.

[Mike03]

36. No, they are not in season

I guess the reason I get them is because they are supposedly the most healthy fruits. When they are in season, they are half this price, you are right.

[fed-up]

38. buy in season and freeze or dehydrate them... nt

[havocmom]

162. I have to pay your out of season blue berry price when they are IN season

x(

[dysfunctional press]

5. why don't you try buying the items that are on sale?

i buy fresh vegetables and fruit all year round. i buy cage-free organic brown eggs. i buy freshh meat and seafood...
but i don't go to the store with a specific list of what i'm going to buy- i let the sale items dictate what i get, and i always do well. generally, 90% of the items i buy are sale items. and when the sale is an especially good one, i stock up.

[Mike03]

37. I do! For example, red and yellow peppers are less expensive

than usual right now. Also, the same is true for red leaf lettuce, on some days. These are not organic, but they are much cheaper than they are at other times of the year.

Of course I look for sales. Some whole grain products are often on sale, and they I buy them. Today, almond milk was on sale, and I stocked up a bit on that too.

[dysfunctional press]

85. if something i'd like isn't on sale, i look for something that is and buy that instead...

and i have almost no brand loyalty, the only big exception is breyer's ice cream- it's the only kind i buy, but i still only buy it if it's on sale.

[VotesForWomen]

146. i am poor; i buy *green* pepprs, not red or yellow ones, and i try to buy the green ones on sale.

sure, you can't buy anything that strikes your fancy, and expect it to be cheap, but there is healthy food that is cheap (relatively, given the overall outrageous grocery prices right now.)

[no_hypocrisy]

6. NY Times article from December, 2007 about this.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/

[upi402]

88. odd. low income people are not "sustaining themselves" on junk food

They're obese from eating too damn many calories. That's because the crap tastes so damn good.

I'm sticking with paying more, maybe too much, and buying local and organic whole food. I figure one medical issue would pay for an entire lifetime of blueberries out of season, etc.

[C_U_L8R]

7. Yeah and just think of all the money you gotta spend

by living longer !!!! It's just not fair. Hahaha.

Kidding aside, you're so right.... and I'd love to see a sale on raw foods!

[MrsMatt]

8. In the grocery stores where I live

the blueberries & strawberries this time of year come from South America (i.e. they are out of season, and consequently cost more).

I usually stick with apples & pears in the winter as they are closer to their harvest season.

[JVS]

9. Check the price of bread with HFCS and bread without HFCS

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. Come to Brazil and you'll think you're in paradise.

What about one dollar for two pounds of tomatos? Mmmmmmm?

(Whereas industrialized crap tends to follow American prices, exchange rate wise)

[enki23]

11. i don't feel sorry for anyone with that kind of a shopping list

food is getting more expensive, that's for damned sure. but someone buying tumeric tablets and $11 garlic doesn't need any sympathy from anyone. what they need is science education and a reality check.

[Smith_3]

13. Hmmmmm, garlic. nt

[karlrschneider]

12. Either you got robbed or you're a REALLY bad shopper...

and wtf are Turmeric tablets, and why would a human want anything to do with them?
:eyes:

[annabanana]

67. (Maybe I should come shop in Oklahoma). . . n/t

[karlrschneider]

70. Food is comparatively cheap here but if you want weird shit like "almond butter"

that's expensive here too.

[KatyaR]

78. It's not THAT cheap--

I just went to the market tonight and spent $65 for one person. The stores are getting really sneaky right now--you can only buy hamburger in one-pound increments ($4.29 a pound), stew meat is packaged in LESS than 1-pound quantities, so if you want a pound, you have to buy two packages ($3.83 a pound), and the produce scales are marked as not being "accurate." That's the truth--I bought 3 Pink Lady apples (pretty much the only apples I like), and the scales said 3/4 pound. They were $2.49 a pound, so that would have been about $1.95. When I got to the checkout, they were 1.23 pounds and cost me $3.06--difference much?

And an approximately 8-inch wide bowl of cubed watermelon was $9.99. Unbelievable! I love watermelon, but I haven't had any in months. :(

The worst was whipping cream. I recently got a Cuisinart ice cream maker as a gift. I bought the ingredients to make a batch, and the whipping cream I needed, a one-quart container, was $5.65! That's over TWICE as much as a quart of whole milk! I couldn't believe it. So 1-1/2 quarts of ice cream is going to cost me about $13 to make. I guess I won't be making much.

I don't know how people can feed their families these days.

[karlrschneider]

127. I grind my own hamburger from chuck and round. Not only is it much cheaper,

I know what is and what -isn't- in it. And sorry if you insist on eating watermelon in January, you get no sympathy from me. It was trucked in from souther Mexico at great expense and a lot of fossil fuel burned.

[KatyaR]

147. I usually only eat it in the summer, but I'm trying to eat better,

and it's one of the few fruits I really like. But these days it's too rich for my blood.

[karlrschneider]

148. Watermelon is 'rich'? Well, the ones I get (and/or grow) are pretty watery...

:D

[KatyaR]

158. "Rich" as in "expensive."

n/t

[karlrschneider]

160. OH! My bad. I guess I'm spoiled on those, we live out near a watermelon farm.

We can pick our own for $2 each. :-)

[pitohui]

77. the poster may be at risk for alzheimer's disease (re the turmeric)

while i don't take the supplement, it's in my family, and there is some speculation that turmeric (a spice from india) can slow the progression of the disease

a lot to pay if it's unproven and ultimately turns out to be wrong but when it's your mind and it's a progressive, incurable disease that won't kill you until it has beggared your family (one of my relatives was kept alive without her mind for two decades) you'll do and pay anything that has a chance of working

some of the other shopping choices, yeah, i dunno

fresh fruit from south america, esp. fragile fruit like berries, probably a nice helping of pesticide on that, buy berries locally when they're in season, freeze extra for winter, or do without 'em

[havocmom]

163. Turmeric is also good for arthritis & other inflammatory conditions

Lucky me, I LOVE Indian foods, so turmeric powder to often in the recipes I use. It is a most healthful dietary addition for many of us. Ginger too.

But I need so much, I have considered getting a capsule filler and buying empty capsules along with my bulk spice purchases. I could fill my own capsules ... on the days my hands work well enough to do that sort of thing. x(

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

14. Food is even cheaper if you grow your own.

Planting a garden makes good sense. It requires some dedication, but it's worth it. You control what goes into your food (fewer chemicals and preservatives), and it's dirt cheap (no pun intended). Many fruits and veggies can be canned or frozen safely, with a little effort, so you can enjoy them throughout the year.

[enki23]

19. for many of us, time is not cheap.

americans are at *least* as starved for free time as they are for healthful foods.

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

58. Sure, time can be an issue...

But if it's something you're able to do, it's a great way to go. It can also be a great opportunity as a neighborhood effort.

One other important thing we all can do...buy local. Supporting local growers not only support your local economy, but also keeps down the amount of money and energy spent to ship items. Many areas feature markets with local farmers and growers who know their product, and take pride in what they raise.

[NashVegas]

96. Time Isn't Cheap, But It Is Free

It is certainly more economical, when you look at the amount of time it takes, to buy a head of lettuce than to grow your own.

However, the time you spend on it is time that *you* own. You may not be making $18 per hour, but you're the one calling all the shots. What would you otherwise be doing with that time? Playing Wii? Posting online? Watching cable TV?

All those things are time and money both spent with little return.

[GumboYaYa]

130. Find a local farmer to partner with.

We formed a group in my neighborhood that partners with a local farmer. We pay him at the start of each season and he delivers whatever is producing at the time on a weekly basis. It has been a great partnership for everyone involved.

[LeftyMom]

65. That assumes you have a yard with enough (but not too much) sun.

If you rent, you generally can't go tearing up the yard even if you have one, let alone taking out trees that block the light, etc.

[prolesunited]

75. You can get a lot out produce out of containers

which you can rotate in and out of the sun. Recycle some old 5-gallon buckets and you can have tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and herbs. It also cuts down on water use.

[annabanana]

69. Ah, a garden. .

Ah.. A yard big enough for a garden. . .

[Djinn]

83. If I could afford to live somewhere with a garden

it might be an option - as it is the rent on my teeny tiny one bedroom apartment is prohibitive

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. Where do 3 chicken breast cost $11.97???

I just got 3 organic chicken breasts in Chicago for $7.99.

Your like the worst shopper in history.

[karlrschneider]

20. I just bought 4 whole chickens for 9 bucks...

:eyes:

[sandnsea]

50. The store had ONE for $7.00

We did not have chicken that night. I waited until they went on sale and put some in the freezer. But that was a regular old chicken for $1.89 lb or something like that. CRAZY.

[JackintheGreen]

21. Montco PA

regularly.

[Snarkturian Clone]

116. montco as in Montgomery County?

Go to Sav-a-lot. You'll pay 1/3 as much for the exact same meat.

[JackintheGreen]

140. Yeah, that's the one...

Thanks for the tip. I've never been. 'course my daughter went veg. 2 years ago and I rarely buy meat, but sometimes...sometimes...

[bullwinkle428]

31. I wonder if he's defining "breast" as the pair -

my market typically sells boneless chicken breasts at around $3 per pound, and 4 individual breasts or two pairs weigh somewhere around 2 pounds. Simple math tells me I'm getting them for 6 bucks, and that's 4 servings in my world, but maybe the OP isn't defining it that way. :shrug:

[Djinn]

84. Australia

3 chicken breast fillets will cost you at least $9, organic you'd be looking at closer to $20.

Then again we have much better food health standards so at least I'm getting something for my $$

[NashVegas]

97. Lots of Places

Where do you shop? In Nashville, even on sale, organic breasts are $4.99 a pound, minimum.

[JackintheGreen]

17. My kitchen went anti S.A.D. about two years ago

And though I don't buy all organic/raw foods, I do try to avoid heavy processing (I have a ten year old who, though she isn't picky, does still enjoy "kid foods"). I spend, on average, about $60/week and get mostly perishables, beans/grains, dairy, coffee, etc for three of us. Maybe once a month I spend a whole lot more to get toiletries, pet care supplies, and the like, but never anything like $180. I fact, I spend about 50% less now that I'm off SAD.

Plus, I would never spend $18 on tomatoes. Never! Do you object to canned? This time of year its the best way (for me), and you can get them without all the processed crap.

[Stephanie]

45. anti SAD? can you tell me more?

this is the worst time of year for me, really struggling to keep my chin up. what do you do? links? :hi:

[pitohui]

79. you are talking about two different kinds of SAD

standard american diet vs. seasonal affective disorder

you need the proper lighting if you have seasonal affective disorder and winter is really getting to you, i'd be surprised if diet alone would help this

[Stephanie]

81. oh i was confused

I thought maybe there was an anti-SAD diet. Thanks!

[JackintheGreen]

143. Anti-SAD in the most brutish of senses

I cannot honestly say that I've gone all earthy-crunchy. Rather I operate under the assumption (not really an assumption since I know that most of the families in this area of suburban Philadelphia do this...) that most American families do not cook from scratch, preferring "easy" pre-prepped, just add meat type meals. These are expensive, and they are filled with crap we don't need to eat. Add to this high preservative snacks and drinks, fast food, and things that people can make at home but don't (presumably because they claim to be too busy) and you have my definition of SAD.

I avoid it all. If I cannot make it at home with simple ingredients I don't buy it. That doesn't mean that I make everything. I still buy bread sometimes, or chips. But if there is stuff on the label that I can't easily get or chemicals that I don't recognize, then I pick something else. For example, If I buy chips the ingredients are potatoes, oil, and salt. I can get those things myself, so I buy the convenience. Similarly, my corn tortillas are corn meal, water, and lime as a preservative. These things I can get myself, but I've never been able to make good tortillas myself, so I buy them.

We eat lots of vegetables (even canned for casseroles, soups and sauces and frozen for steamed and stir-fry), grains, and beans. And I simply avoid the processed boxes of X.

It takes some time to get used to the 'extra' work and the time necessary, but it really isn't that hard to eat "normally" without filling you body with weird and unnecessary chemicals.

Things I always have on hand are:
eggs
oil
flour
sugar
rice
barley
beans (dried and canned)
tomatoes (canned in juice or water, no salt added)
frozen vegetables (flash, no preservatives)
potatoes/onions
herbs/spices
dairy (milk and yoghurt and cheese)
nuts
fresh produce, and lots of it, but usually seasonal

Everything else, and I mean everything, is extra. And most of what I learned about food science I learned from my grandmother's Fannie Farmer cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, and Alton Brown.

It all seems very simple and obvious, but I don't see my friends or my daughter's friends' families eating like this, or this simply.

[LisaM]

18. PS - you buy very expensive things

Can't you get your vitamin supplements somewhere cheaper? For that matter, it's far healthier to get as many vitamins as you can from your diet, not supplements. Eat more spinach and kale!

And do you buy store distilled water, or the fancier stuff like Evian?

I feel that I could knock $50 off your grocery bill with one trip. I buy foods that are fairly healthful, but for instance, at this time of year, if I was going to treat myself with out-of-season fresh berries, I would only buy one kind, and make them into a smoothie (which we do) with in-season cheaper foods like bananas and mangos.

[Mike03]

39. Lisa, I know, everything you are saying is true

The vitamin supplements I get at the store are much, much cheaper than the ones I get from my regular supplier. I know I'm getting ripped off from my vitamin company, and that is one reason I am eating eight percent raw vegetables, fruits and nuts--to get it from my diet. But there are some things I can't get only from diet, especiallly if I ultimately succeed in eliminating meat products.

[LisaM]

53. I've got a cheap, filling delicious meal for you

It's a soup I make in the fall and winter. I call it "vitamin soup". I use a tiny, tiny amount of oil and saute onions and celery. Then I add water, and put in carrots first, let them cook for a little while. Then I put in potatoes (diced), broccoli, sliced zucchini, sliced yellow squash, a little salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and fresh garlic. After it's cooked for a while, I throw in a package of frozen chopped spinach (but you can use seaweed or kale). I cook it till it's done, and put grated cheese on the top (I use cheddar, but jack cheese is good too). I always feel like a million bucks after I eat it, it's cheaper than cheap, and a pot lasts for about three days.

[knitter4democracy]

68. Something to try: Keep a price book.

Write down price and amounts for everything you get and see which stores are cheaper. You might find that Big Lots has something you regularly buy or Target or Meijers (if you have those). I found that the store I shopped at after we moved here was overcharging massively--to the tune of $40 a large trip or more. Now I have a rotation of stores for our monthly needs and pantry filling. Oh, I still go to that store for a few items, but it's really only three or four things anymore.

Oh, and frozen's as good as fresh. You can get those blueberries frozen at this time of year much cheaper and put them in a smoothie or microwave them with a touch of sugar for a nice treat. I only use frozen at this time of year, mostly because I'm not far from Michigan's blueberry belt, and I refuse to buy non-Michigan berries.

[lumberjack_jeff]

99. Amy Dacyczyn fan?

Hello fellow tightwad. :hi:

[knitter4democracy]

118. I just got her book this last summer. Great stuff in there.

:hi: She has some really, really good ideas.

[shanti]

62. exactly what i thought

and kale is sooo yummy and good for ya!

[El Pinko]

154. Bottled water is bad for the environment in so many ways...

We just filter tap water and it tastes great.

Distilled water tastes terrible - I'd much rather have filtered tap.

[nonconformist]

22. I've never heard that said... I've always heard the opposite.

"it's more expensive to eat healthy than unhealthy", which is true.

[Mike03]

43. Well, I just mean

I could fill an entire cabinet with things like sugary cereal and chips. They are so inexpensive! And so many of the cheaper/ not-so-good products have so many preservatives, that they would actually last a long time, compared to their healthier counterparts.

[eppur_se_muova]

103. 'Empty' calories are always the cheapest. nt

[Vilis Veritas]

23. Wow! What a bill.

Where is this? The moon? I hear transporting goods up the gravity well is expensive...;-)

On a serious note, those are very high prices...do you shop at an exclusive locally owned store? Try a local big box neighborhood store and not the local co-op...I had to stop shopping at a family owned 'Natural' store due to their prices.

The SAD fact is that a small grocer has to have high prices due to shrinkage and large ones have shrinkage built in to staples and due to volume they can offset the losses.

Peace.

[seabeyond]

24. havent heard that. i always hear and agree cheaper to buy UNhealthy than healthy

and since my hubby got his cholestrol test back and we are doing lots and lots of fruit and veggies i couldnt agree more.

[pink-o]

25. I've been a vegetarian most of my life

...and I can personally attest that eating healthy is far more expensive than buying processed foods in the grocery store or grabbing a dollar meal at McDonalds. Sometimes it depresses me that a 50 dollar supermarket purchase for me yields 2 small bags of produce, while the guy behind me pays less for 3 weeks worth of chemical crap.

But look at it this way: the guy behind me is gonna be paying later. Cholestrol and heart medication aren't cheap either, and I am doing all possible to avoid ever giving a cent to Big Pharma. Your healthy diet is an investment into your future. Eat your blueberries and enjoy the results!

[dysfunctional press]

26. if you NEVER see the healthy foods on sale- you're probably shopping in the wrong store...

and by the look of the prices you're paying-

you're DEFINITELY shopping at the wrong store.

[The2ndWheel]

28. Well it isn't cheap getting fat on cheap food

It's the same as when we want cheap oil. It may be cheap in a more direct way, as in the amount you pull out of your pocket, but the actual cost of cheap oil, or frankly any cheap concentrated energy, is enormous. The mass produced food might be cheap in terms of what you're taking out of your pocket, but every step in the process to make the food has an increasing cost. There is a price to pay for every action. It's not cheaper, when looking at the whole picture, to eat unhealthfully. It's not even more expensive to eat healthfully.

The problem is that physical reality is catching up to us again. That is why things are getting more expensive, whether it's healthy or unhealthy. If we can't run away from it, when it does catch us, it's going to suck. However, the price to pay for continuing to find ways to outrun physical reality, is that it chases us faster. Any slip up today, and we're screwed. We're running out of restaurants to dine and dash in. It's getting tougher to get around the security that all the restaurants have installed to catch us. The bill keeps adding up. It's not cheap to eat unhealthy food.

[Hatchling]

47. I absolutely agree with you.

And it's your tax dollars that are going to be paying for my health problems. I can't afford good food on my $850 a month SSA/SSI,(things like rent, utilities, medication, my monthly bus pass eat up most of that), but I do have medicare/medi-cal so I'll be seeing the doctor quite frequently, maybe even qualify for a gastric bypass a few years down the road as I get fatter and fatter. I try my best, but I have to stretch my meat and veggies with starches like pasta and potatoes and rice to go far enough.

I don't know what to do, honestly.

[Mother Of Four]

113. Here are some ideas for you...

Family of 6 here, husbands retired Army..and works as an LEO. I'm a stay at home mom (We are old fashioned) and at this time my kids are 11g 13g 15b 17b

So groceries are a big issue with us.

Take your time when you shop. I spend rougly 2 and a half hours grocery shopping.

http://www.nutritiondata.com is an excellent resource for checking the foods you buy, yes it takes some research but its well worth the effort.

Some tips.

Slow cooking rice is more nutritious than things like minute rice, and much less expensive. It takes 20 mins, but worth it.

Look in your freezer section for things like small popcorn shrimp to add to meals, or flash frozen fish filets. Many times you can get them inexpensively.

Any time you make a meal, that half of a cup of veggies-- or the chicken flavor left in the pan etc. Create a "Soup dish"

- freeze the leftovers in a ziplock bag, when you get enough of the little baggies of veggies and meats put them together to make a soup. Add white potatos instead of noodles or rice and you have a VERY inexpensive and hearty meal that will make you feel good.

Dried beans are a fantastic way to get good protien and fiber, and they won't break your wallet. Again, time is the key. Overnight soak them and make yourself 3 bean salad...chili...cold spiced lentils...Let your imagination fly with it.

ALWAYS check your stores "salvaged" section, 99% of the time the things there are good...but people are stuck on things being "pretty" so anything with a scuffed package will be there. Heck, I went shopping today and found 2 cans of escargot for a buck apeice. I didn't buy them, but was surprised at the price and wanted to mention it.

For around 30 dollars you can get a meatgrinder, this is something I'm investing in myself. Ground beef these days is outragous, but a chuck roast is cheap. All ground beef is, is chuck. http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/103461_meat-grinder.htm is one example. You'll end up with abot 93% lean for half the price.

Keep a sharp eye on the grocery flyers from your local stores, if they have a sale on fresh veggies...buy some and blanch them, then freeze them for later.

TIME is key to all of this, if you make the time...you can save money. Unfortunately, TIME is something many don't have alot of these days.

[gollygee]

29. Out of season berries and tomatoes? $11 garlic? Organic almond butter?

I think there are reasons beyond healthfulness that your grocery bill costs so much.

But I do agree that it's cheaper to get really bad nasty food than healthy food. Still, you could trim quite a bit off that bill if you weren't as picky.

[LondonReign2]

30. Ummmm...$18 for tomotos???

You are right, good food is not cheap, but you are your own worse enemy here. Almond butter $19/pound???

If those prices are real, why did you buy those items?

[Throd]

32. "Organic almond butter $18.99"

You sure don't know how to stretch a buck.

[Hatchling]

33. My monthly grocery bill is around $60-70.

I get a Share package that costs about $26 dollars. This month it had

1 lb mild Italian sausage
2 lbs chicken breasts
1 lb hamburger
1 lb tilifia fillets
1 lb ham

8 oz spaghetti noodles
1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 lb baby carrots
1 romaine lettuce
5 kiwi fruit
2 grapefruit
5 oranges
6 lbs potatoes
2 zucchini

I have no idea what I get month to month but I learn to eat things I normally wouldn't. When the fresh fruits and veggies are gone, that's it for the month. Next month there are dried pinto beans in the package so I'm saving some of the ham from this month to cook those with.

This month I bought these items to go with the share package @ 23.50:

Cream Ckn Soup 0.68
Cream Ckn Soup 0.68
Creamer 2.64
Creamer 2.64
Eggs (18) 2.37
Gal Milk 4.5
Mayo 1.5
Mushroom Soup 0.68
Mushroom Soup 0.68
Refried Beans 0.66
Refried Beans 0.66
Coffee 3.48
Cereal 2.33
I'll maybe spend another $10 on things like tomatoes or iceberg lettuce if they are in season and on day old bread or if the grocery store has an incredible buy on meats. They used to occasionally have whole chickens on sale for about $2.50, but now when they go on sale its $3.50

And yes I am fat.

[fed-up]

34. I buy organic greens/carrots $1 a bunch-gr onions/garlic-50Cents, organic chx-$2.49lb

organic steel cut oats-89 cents lb
organic raisins $2.49 on sale
organic brown rice (local Lundberg)-$1.09 (I think)
veggies are from farmer's market where it is cheaper than chemical laden crap at the grocery stores
still working on the 30 lbs of cheese ($1 lb) I got when local canned foods moved
wild salmon $2.49 for a serving
canned tuna-49 cents a can
beans for soup-69 cents a lb

bananas (not organic) .39lb
apples-not organic $1.00

day old organic bread-$1.79

day old organic canned soups for $1 each
organic small TV dinners $2.49-2.99


pb and jelly sometimes organic, sometimes not depending on what canned foods has

organic coffee $4.99 for 12oz

I DO NOT buy expensive food that is out of season
I do not eat all organic, but do my best

edited to add sweet potatoes which I eat 2-3 times a week, a quick easy to cook item, I forget the price of those

[Hatchling]

40. Transportation is part of my problem.

There are some co-op or farmers markets where I could get veggies and bulk things like raisins, oats etc. But they are not on any bus route unless I want to take a four round trip ride hour ride.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

35. I do most of my food shopping at a co-op in my neighborhood

and those prices look outrageous to me.

Whatever happened to fresh carrots, potatoes, onions, cabbages, mushrooms, green peppers, tofu, eggplant, squash, spinach, eggs, hamburger, etc.?
Give me any four of those veggies and one protein source, and I could make a great stir-fry or curry.

I will say, though, that despite the proliferation of gourmet cooks, the cooking skills of ordinary people making ordinary food have deteriorated. I used to belong to a food co-op that was located in a poor neighborhood and offered classes in cooking healthy food cheaply. Even 30 years ago, they were finding that a lot of poor people had never learned how to cook from scratch.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

41. its also far cheaper to eat at mcdonalds then at a restaurant with better food options

[El Pinko]

155. Even at McDonald's there are good choices or bad choices.

If you get the grilled chicken sandwich, skip the mayo, NO FRIES, with a salad and iced tea, you'll be just as well-nourished as if you got the big mac and fries and a coke, but your balance won't be all thrown off in the direction of fat, sugar and empty carbs.

The worst culprits in the fast food joints are the damn fries and soda pop.

If people didn't have it so ingrained in their heads that a fast food meal without those items was incomplete, I bet the obesity problem in this country would be significantly lower.

[nosmokes]

42. You need to join a CSA, start eating seasonally and putting away food

when it's abundant.True, that can make Winter seem like a bore, but you'd be surprised what you can do and you start making it a game to outdo others that are part of your *circle* with interesting recipes anat.And why are you buying beans in a can? hella lot cheaper to buy dried from the bulk bin.

[Mike03]

52. Good idea, but what is a "CSA"?

I want to do things sensibly rather than improvising and storing things that will go bad.

The reason I buy beans in a can is that I just only in the past five years even cared about storing up stuff. The beans are organic, and I was told that canned things last a long time.

But I am so open to advice and suggestion you would not believe it. So if anyone can direct me towards some good info or advice, please go for it.

[fed-up]

54. CSA info-produce subscriptions, where buyers receive a weekly or monthly basket of produce etc

with map and search box to type in your locaqtion
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Community Supported Agriculture (And Other Farm Subscriptions)
Many farms offer produce subscriptions, where buyers receive a weekly or monthly basket of produce, flowers, fruits, eggs, milk, coffee, or any sort of different farm products.

A CSA, (for Community Supported Agriculture) is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become "members" (or "shareholders," or "subscribers") of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments. Some CSAs also require that members work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season.

A CSA season typically runs from late spring through early fall. The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to over 1000.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-supported_agriculture
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new socio-economic model of food production, sales, and distribution aimed at both increasing the quality of food and the quality of care given the land, plants and animals – while substantially reducing potential food losses and financial risks for the producers. It is also a method for small-scale commercial farmers and gardeners to have a successful, small-scale closed market. CSA’s focus is usually on a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables, sometimes also flowers, fruits, herbs and even milk or meat products in some cases. A variety of similar production and economic sub-systems are in use worldwide:

The CSA system

CSA generally is the practice of focusing on the production of high quality foods using ecological, organic or biodynamic farming methods. This kind of farming operates with a much greater-than-usual degree of involvement of consumers and other stakeholders—resulting in a stronger than usual consumer-producer relationship. The core design includes developing a cohesive consumer group that is willing to fund a whole season’s budget in order to get quality foods. The system has many variations on how the farm budget is supported by the consumers and how the producers then deliver the foods. By CSA theory, the more a farm embraces whole-farm, whole-budget support, the more it can focus on quality and reduce the risk of food waste or financial loss.

In its most formal and structured European and North American form, CSAs focus on having:
a transparent, whole season budget for producing a specified wide array of products for a set number of weeks a year;
a common-pricing system where producers and consumers discuss and democratically agree to pricing based on the acceptance of the budget; and
a ‘shared risk and reward’ agreement, i.e. that the consumers eat what the farmers grow even with the vagaries of seasonal growing.

Thus, individuals, families or groups do not pay for x pounds or kilograms of produce, but rather support the budget of the whole farm and receive weekly what is seasonally ripe. This approach eliminates the marketing risks and costs for the producer and an enormous amount of time, often manpower too, and allows producers to focus on quality care of soils, crops, animals, co-workers—and on serving the customers. There is little to no loss (i.e. waste) in this system, since the producers know in advance who they are growing for and how much to grow, etc.
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/


Some confusion about the CSA system has arisen as some CSAs are less whole-budget, whole-farm oriented and have more the character of subscription farming. This kind of arrangement is also referred to as crop-sharing or box schemes. In such cases, farmers often simply set the weekly prices and retain a high level of risk, marketing costs and so on. Thus there is an important distinction between the producers (farmers, gardeners, etc.) selling shares in the upcoming season's harvest or selling a weekly subscription that includes x, y, z amounts of produce. In all cases, participants contribute a pre-agreed amount (sometimes an equal amount, sometimes variable) and in return receive a weekly harvest.

[GumboYaYa]

131. We do that in addition to our own gardening.

I love it. We never know what is going to show up each week. We have found all kinds of veggies that we love b/c that is what our farmer brought us.

[nosmokes]

66. someone already defined CSA for ya. check out these websites:

And keep in mind that a lot of CSAs are open to work/trade options for a portion of the cost of a share if you're into that sorta thing or if it would help you out.

Local Harvest

Chiron Communications

Organic Consumers Association

[elizfeelinggreat]

80. thank you

those links are great!

[Sanctified]

46. You need to also average in the cost for your health care. People who eat healthy are less likely

to have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and so on. If you save money on your groceries by eating ramen noodles, hotdogs and soda don't be surprised to see your health care costs go through the roof.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

48. That organics are healthier is largely a myth.

How do the figures for healthy and unhealthy food add up if you leave organic or otherwise out of it and just compare junk food with stuff like fresh (non-organicly grown)fruit and veg?

[fed-up]

49. please back up your false statement nt

[nosmokes]

56. Your statement is a MYTH. There are many studies showing that organic

fruit and veg are higher in vitamins and minerals than their chemically poisoned, excuse me, conventionally raised, soil and soul depleting counterparts. Organically raised, free pastured grass fed meat is also healthier than the stuff on grocery store shelves that comes from the torture chambers of corporate CAFO agriculture.The health benefits of organic dairy can vary greatly depending on age and amount of consumption.Personally I wouldn't serve rBGH milk to anyone but especially not to anyone under 25.

[karlrschneider]

63. What studies? Sounds like a bunch of feel-good propaganda to me.

:eyes:

[nosmokes]

76. google it yourself. the most extensive I know of offhand was done by the EU

a few years ago. It was a 4 or 5 year study and started because of USDA data that showed fruit and veg grown in the states was losing nutrional value,i.e.: the carrots grown in 1999 were not as nutritous as carrots grown in 1939. this particular study confirmed that conventionally grown veg contained less vitamin and mineral content and much less anti-oxidents. Depending on the particular veg the difference could be quite striking. There was also a study at the Uof Michigan(?) that came to the same conclusions.Another study done in Maryland i think also found organic fruit and veg to be healthier. All of this is in addition to the obvious health advantage of not having any pesticide or other synthetic product contaminates.

[El Pinko]

156. I wouldn't be surprised if organic produce was more nutritious and safer than regular...

...however, I don't think the difference in nutrients, carcinogens, etc. would be anywhere near as big as the ENORMOUS difference between eating a diet based on "regular" produce and whole grains, etc. as opposed to convenience/processed foods.

I make less than 30K per year - I'm on a tight budget and organic is not really affordable to me, but I still try to buy my family a fresh, whole-food based diet. None of us are at all overweight and everyone is in great health. I don't think that would be the case if we were eating Hot Pockets, Lean Cuisine and Entenmann's all the time.

But I have the time to cook a decent meal every night, and I make my own lunches every day, not with cold cuts, but with chicken breasts I bake up myself at the beginning of each week and keep sliced up in the fridge for sandwiches.

I realize that a lot of people work two jobs and don't have time to cook a proper meal. But even they can grab a few bags of frozen veg and chicken meat and do a stir-fry for dinner - that takes no time. But at the supermarket, there is aisle upon aisle upon aisle of garbage. There is a whole huge aisle of just chips ahoy-type cookie crap, and another aisle of chips, including real, greasy chips, and the ones with olestra that give you anal leakage - YUM! I know that the affordability of healthy food is a problem, but so is addiction to all of these junk foods that even the most ignorant people realize are junky, IMO.

[Djinn]

86. is there any standard in the US

that have to met for a food to be sold as "organic". Oftentimes it is purely a marketing gimmick

On an enviro level REAL organic is probably better but there is very little evidence to suggest eating is has health benefits. There havn't been any independent credible tests that demonstrate this.

[Muttocracy]

141. USDA and some states have specific legal standards for organic

other words like "natural" "eco-friendly" etc. are meaningless. And most people have no idea what organic food actually means.

[Djinn]

87. Apples and oranges

Bovine Growth Hormone doesn't really have a place in this argument. Milk can be non organic and still not have rBGH in it.

It was never part of the Australian dairy industry.

There have been NO credible independent studies on the health benefits of eating an organic diet

[Redstone]

51. Absolutely a myth. You are correct.

What healthy food can compete with generic boxed macaroni & cheese at 49 cents a box?

Redstone

[fed-up]

problem with the comparison-one is food-one is empty/low nutrition calories nt

[nosmokes]

57. har! but we're talking food, not

food like substances...

[piedmont]

55. It depends on how much of your own labor you put into it.

If you buy (or grow) the base ingredients and turn them into finished foods yourself, it's not too bad. But if you go to a "natural foods" store and buy pre-processed foods and fancy stuff, it can be both expensive and unhealthy.

[shanti]

59. wow

i definitely agree with you that prices are up, but the figures you quote are really off the chain. do you shop at high end health food stores or such? i can get a 5 or 6 pound bag of frozen chicken breasts for about $7, but i shop at grocery outlet. however, even THEY have raised their prices, so where it was good to shop there before, now it's a must! lots of expensive cars in the parking lot too...

[Zynx]

60. McDonalds Double Cheeseburger: $1

That's the most calorically effecient food I've ever seen, and it will kill your ass.

[El Pinko]

157. At least the cheeseburger has some protein and calcium with the fat. The fries are much worse.

Massive amounts of fat and empty carb calories. Compared to french fries, a burger is a balanced meal.

[mdmc]

61. i disagree

Since I stopped eating shit (snack food, anything processed, soda), my food bills are far less.

I don't buy anything organic or upscale, just fruits, veggies and the basics.

[TheMadMonk]

64. How about something middle of the road.

There's a huge difference between healthy and fanatical. The stress of worrying about your health probably offsets a goodly chunk of the benefits you gain with a carefully thought out perfect diet. Stop stressing and you might be able to dump some of those tummy drugs too.

• Use raw or minced garlic in your cooking more and ditch the Kyolic.
  
• Pick other fruits. Buy cheap in season, in bulk and bottle your own.
  
• Tomatoes for pasta dishes and general cooking: Again buy in season and in bulk and throw into the bottom of a chest freezer if you have one. A nice bonus: run frozen fruit under hot water and they peel in an instant.
  
• Freeze other fruits for stewed deserts. Freezing breaks down the cell walls, so the fruit will cook quickly enough to retain a lot more of the vitamins. Probably more than you get from out of season, cool store, under ripe, but don't it look good on the shelves rubbish anyway. Try mincing/pureeing the skins (recovered as above) to make a fibre supplement, the idea just occurred to me so it might be a total fail, but then again it might not.
  
• Grow your own vine fruits for a fresh treat in season. You can do this even on a tiny balcony. Google/Wiki Terra Preta. Don't buy water crystals. Collect your own from the little packets that come with consumer electronics. And moisture absorbers for closets are the same thing at a far lower cost IIRC. Check it out.
  
• Just use a decent regular butter or one blended with olive oil.
  
• Filter your own water. BTW it costs next to nothing to remove arsenic with rust. (you'll have to Google it.)
  
• Grind your own ultra-premium mince from bulk rump or stewing steak.
  
• A bit of fish oil goes a long way towards taking the toughness out of cheap and flavourful cuts of meat.
  
• Learn to love Vegemite and ditch the B vitamins, cheap as they might be.
  
• Stop worrying about the acrylamides. They're in your wholegrain toast too BTW. Yes they might be cancinogens, but in the amounts even a Texan BBQ freak ingests, the risk remains unquantifiable. Are you aware how much those lab rats were fed to demonstrate they were carcinogenic? Soot particles from the road outside are worse. Keep back from the kerb.
  
• Do your own "slow release" aspirin by mixing soluble aspirin in a jug of water in the fridge, drink through the day.
  
• Three months worth of multi-vitamins will set you back $20-25.
  
• Try a soluble fibre supplement instead of beans.
  
• Buy direct from the wholesale markets.
  
• Buy by the case with friends and save even more.
  
• Visit the farms.
  

A perfect diet might well cost a fortune. But we have not trouble at all putting a decent main meal on the table in my house for between $2 and $4 a head, (AU$ BTW) simply by blending a Mediterranean diet with basic meat and three veg. Stews, casseroles and roasts.

Perfect? By no means. Good enough? You betcha. Even with today's extended generations, you'll live well and truly long enough to make your kid's lives hell by spoiling your grandkids rotten, and who can ask for more than that from life?

[gollygee]

71. Excellent tips there! But vegemite is really hard to get in the US.

Husband is Australian. We used to be able to get it from World Market but they stopped carrying it, so now we get it from an expensive mail-order place. B vitamins might be cheaper. But he loves it and he's got the kid hooked on it.

[nosmokes]

73. OMG! vegemiteNOOOO! that stuff is industrial waste ya know?

fo'real. even though I do indulge in a wee bit once in great while, mostly to just to see someone else's face the first time they taste it...:evilgrin:

[TheMadMonk]

91. Just dead yeastie beasties.

And oh so marvelously vile, one has to try it again because your taste buds just can't believe what you've just done to them.

Them before you know it you're hooked on the stuff.

BTW folks. Spread it thin. Very thin. It should "streak" into the butter not cover it.

[nosmokes]

101. spread thin on toast w/ a bit of very sharp cheddar or maybe even

some bleu cheese and a smidge of strawberry jam. But it really is industrial waste, or at least it started out that way. It was all the sediment at the bottom of the beer brewing vats and one of the harpbrewmeisters figured there hasta be some way of making money off this stuff or at least putting it to use.The story I heard was it was fed to the horses and then some of the stable hands started eating it and now it's become that gunky stuff that oughta be called *ass in a jar*.

[TheMadMonk]

107. Well I'll give up my indusrial waste when you prise it from my cold...

...dead hands. You can pour whatever else comes out of those vats straight back into the horse, but don't touch my Vegemite.

[Djinn]

89. I'll be happy to gather up as many jars as I can

and post them over - the less of that vile substance we have the better.

[NashVegas]

100. You Really Don't Want to Freeze Tomatoes

Unless they are too ripe for canning. Freezing tomato sauce is preferable.

Came across this tidbit in the NYT article posted elsewhere in the thread:

Based on his findings, a 2,000-calorie diet would cost just $3.52 a day if it consisted of junk food, compared with $36.32 a day for a diet of low-energy dense foods.

Whoa.

Reminds me, I've got a pear to put in the oven, for a treat.

[TheMadMonk]

121. Freezing is definitely a no go if you want something tomato shaped when thawed.

But for a meat sauce or suchlike no problem. Just delay adding them to the pot for a bit as they are half "cooked" as it were. Keeps the vitamin C up a bit too for a nice bonus.

As for that ridiculous super diet, um WTF? 2 hrs working to pay for a 1 hr extension to your life. Just use my advice above.

[alfredo]

72. Eat foods in season, and appropriate for your region. Buy tumeric

in bulk, add it to the food, buying in capsules is very expensive. Dry beans are cheap and easy to cook. Lentils don't need soaking, cook quickly, and are easy to digest.

Use meat as an ingredient, not as the centerpiece. Use meats as flavoring.


Rice and beans with jalapenos, onion, and and a bit of extra sharp cheddar is a very nutritious meal. A couple steamed broccoli heads with a bit of lemon juice is a good way to get your vitamins.
The way I steam them is I wait until the water level is level with the rice, then I pitch in the broccoli heads. I make sure the stems are cut to allow the steam go get inside to cook them through.

Collards and mustards are cheaper than other greens and very tasty.

Soups save money.

Eat low on the food chain.

Read this:

http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Food-Eaters-Manifesto/dp/1594201455

[LeftyMom]

74. While you have a point, I really think you need to look at where you shop and for what.

1. Garlic is garlic. It's good for you. It should not be expensive. Get real, raw garlic, not a supplement, and eat a lot of it.

2. I'm vegan, for heaven's sake, and even I know that's an insane price for conventional chicken breasts.

3. Eating seasonally can save you a ton. Sure, berries are good for you, but you can buy a lot more of whatever's in season for the $5/lb you're spending on berries now. I do keep eating tomatoes all year, but I buy canned rather than the ones trucked in from god-knows-where, since they usually cost a fortune and don't taste real good anyhow. Eating seasonally also adds variety, which is nice.

4. That is a really crazy price on the canned beans. At our local food co-op, organic canned beans run maybe $1.19 when not on sale. I get them at the discount grocer (keep in mind, still organic) 2 for $1 pretty regularly (canned organic tomatoes too.) If you can't find a deal like that, find a local grocer that stocks a conventional canned bean that's just beans, water and maybe salt, or start cooking your own in the crock pot and freezing them, which is the cheapest thing to do.

5. As for the almond butter, I don't normally buy it, but I know it's much cheaper at Trader Joes, if there's one near you it might be worth the occasional trip to stock up on things like that and beans that your local store is ripping you off so badly on.

Seriously, I've only seen prices that high in tourist trap towns with no competition. That's so nuts.

[Djinn]

82. it's something I noticed

when I lived with my ex. I've always bought fresh unprocessed food in the main because I just prefer the taste but my ex liked all sorts of shite.

His food was always cheaper than mine.

Coke is cheaper than fruit juice
Pre-cooked frozen meals were cheaper than fresh meat & veg
Frozen veggies cheaper than fresh

Even if I shopped at the market just before closing it was still more expensive for me to buy food that had been picked and packed than to buy food that was concoted, chemicals added packaged in a million tonnes of plastic etc

[TheMadMonk]

90. Frozen generally has a higher nutritional content unless you can...

...get produce less than a coupla days old. Texture and colour might be shite, but counter-intuitively it IS actually better for you.

[Djinn]

98. I tend to eat for taste

and food that's picked before it's ripe then flash frozen tastes like crap, soggy and bland.

Health benefits not such a big deal to someone who smokes 30 cigs a day, drinks like a fish and inhales pot like oxygen

[joshcryer]

92. For $20 at Dollar Tree and the Bread Store, I can get enough food to last a month.

It is very unhealthy, but it keeps me breathing.

[lumberjack_jeff]

94. Yikes. Give me a break.

You are confusing "healthy" with "dolphin-safe, free-range, organic, fair trade, hormone free and farm fresh". You're not buying healthy, you're buying boutique.

Flour is $0.31/lb. Whole chickens are $1.50 (coupon sale). Organic brown rice is $0.62/lb Sugar is $0.49/lb. Yuban coffee is $1.33/lb. Oatmeal is $1.40/lb. Eggs are $2.50/doz. Hamburger is $2.49/lb. These are all what I have paid at Costco in the last month, and although I don't know what the current price for multivitamins is, they aren't expensive.

The last 40 pounds of potatoes we bought cost $8.00.

What fresh veggies we don't grow is bought from the local farm stand.

And what makes you think that the bottled water isn't bottled in your neighbors garage? How much arsenic is in it? No one knows, because unlike your city's tapwater, no meaningful reporting requirements exist.

$18.99 for peanut butter??? :rofl:

[Dr Fate]

105. But not everyone can grow their own fruits & veggies. I think the OP has a good point.

Even the non-organic & genitically altered fresh fruits & veggies are expensive if you compare their price to what else you could buy to stay full on a budget.

If you have $15.00 and you have to shop at a nearby store- are you going to spend it on some apples, bannanas some green beans, and maybe some peas & some bread (maybe 2 days worth of meals)- or are you gonna buy a pound of sausage, bologna, a pound of cheap hamburger meat, white bread and a box of cheap-o cookies (enough to last a week)

And frankly- I've never seen a $1.50 whole chicken in my whole life- and certainly not the healthier organic ones. More like $3.50- $10.00 depending. And coffee and sugar prices are almost irrelevant-those are not healthy things you need- kids certainly dont need either of those.

[dorkulon]

95. Who says this?

Junk food is cheap. Real food costs. I don't think I've ever encountered this myth.

[WillowTree]

102. I have fresh fruits & veggies virtually all year long at summer prices.

I load up on fresh corn, beans, broccoli and fruits like raspberries, strawberries and blueberries at farmer's markets at the end of the season, vacuum seal them and eat them all winter long. Most vegetables need to be blanched first and fragile fruits need to be quick frozen first and then sealed, but I spend a couple of weekends at the end of August and the first part of September gathering my winter fare and getting it all washed and sealed-up and frozen and I'm good to go. The Foodsaver has paid for itself many times over in being able to have fresh produce all year on the cheap. Not to mention being able to get virtually all of my meats when they're on sale and eating them when I'm ready.

And you don't have to have a huge chest freezer to do it. I live in a condo and have only a side-by-side. But not having a bunch of ice cream and junk food in there leaves plenty of room for the good stuff.

And sorry, but the only reason anyone would pay $11.97 for three chicken breasts is so they can say they paid $11.97 for three chicken breasts. That's just obscene.

[Dr Fate]

106. What if you have to grab something on the go, or you dont have resources to buy in bulk?

In those cases- the OP's main point stands.

At work-If you failed to pack a lunch or didnt manange to make it to the store-You can buy a double cheese burger at McDonalds for $.99 or you can maybe buy a bannana and a granola bar for the same amount at a convient store.

If you dont have the resourses to stock up like you do, you can blow your $20.00 on some fruit & veggies and it would barely last 3 days- but how much bologna, eggs & white bread will $20.00 buy?-enough to keep you full for a week.

I think the OP has a point- I've been there & eating healthy when you live from pay-check to paycheck is difficult.

[WillowTree]

115. Oh please.

If the OP is paying $18 for tomatos, $4 apiece for chicken breasts and $19 for almond butter, we're talking about a designer grocery budget, not someone who's barely scraping by paycheck-to-paycheck. Or if he is, how he shops for food might be partially to blame. For that $50, I can buy enough fruit at roadside stands and farmer's markets to last me a couple of months.

I generally spend about a half hour on the weekend getting my lunches together for the work week so all I have to do is take them out of the refrigerator in the morning and go. When I make homemade soup or stew, I make a double batch (takes no more time) and freeze individual portions in vacuum bags so some days all it means is grabbing one of those from the freezer and throwing it in my briefcase to be stashed in the fridge at work and microwaved at lunchtime. If I don't have time for breakfast at home, I have some oatmeal and a small container of raisins in my desk drawer. That, with a small bottle of juice for about a buck out of a vending machine will provide adequate sustenance.

It's a matter of planning and priorities. But the list the OP provided isn't representative of someone who's making even a token attempt to be economical whether eating healthy or not.

[Dr Fate]

104. THat has always been my experience. I've noticed that for years. Example:

At the Medical College of Georgia Cafateria I could get a sausage gravy biscuit, eggs, cheese grits, bacon and sausage and a coffee for about $3.50

A bagel, yogurt, bannana and orange juice will not only run you about $6.00, but barely fill you up.

Dont even get me started on organic steaks & hamburger meat- it costs three times the amount of the frankenstein stuff.

[troubleinwinter]

108. If you are eating so "healthy", why do you need $44 of suppliments?

WTF? "Kyolic garlic: $11, sixty Turmeric tablets: $13.00, Coenzyme Q-10 are like $20 a bottle". WTF for?

And why would one need $50 of "things like aspirin, motrin, Aleve, stomach acid blockers, etc.."

EIGHTEEN dollars of tomatoes??!!! Five bucks of blueberries in January? Nineteen dollars of nut butter?!

This is a fucking joke, right?

HAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!

[El Pinko]

110. I eat healthfully and frugally

Blueberries are a luxury food, not a staple.
Kyolic garlic? Why not by garlic cloves?
Turmeric tablets? Again, not a staple or necessity. I put a dash of it in some foods, and yellow mustard has plenty of turmeric.
Strawberries - yum, but again, aluxury treat - always has been
You must buy a LOT of tomatoes. I spend about 2-4 bucks a week on tomatoes
Organic almond butter? Are you serious?


I'm sorry, but most of the items on your grocery list are not crucial to a healthy diet.

A more typical grocery list for me would be

Chicken breasts
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach
Carrots
Lettuce
Cherry tomatoes
Cucumbers
apples
tangerines
lowfat milk
wheat bread or french bread
multivitamin

None of these are all that expensive. I spend a bit more per calorie than I would if I was buying all processed convenience foods, but get a lot more nutrients, and thus need fewer calories.

PS - I can't afford organic ANYTHING, but my diet is still way healthier than people buying all that factory-made food.

[water]

111. At most grocery stores in Austin...

... buying fruit, vegetables, rice, beans, and (lean) beef and chicken is MUCH cheaper per weight than anything else.

Those sugary cereals you bash are pumped full of vitamins and minerals, making it easier to have a balanced diet (and often times having fewer calories than you would think; the milk is what adds the calories).

As for soda? Nothing is cheaper than water, period.

[eShirl]

114. I buy tumeric powder by the pound ($2.40)

take the amount of tumeric that you would have taken in a gel capsule, mix into a small glass of water & drink it, and save yourself a ton of money

http://www.herbalcom.com/store.php3?list=cats

[Snarkturian Clone]

117. You're going to the wrong store.

Stores that charge that much are the kind that people go to so they don't have to look at poor people.

[AlertLurker]

120. Not that I disagree with your premise, but where the heck are you shopping?

Last friday, I bought a pint of blueberries for $1.99. I also bought a buttload of boneless, skinless chicken breast for $2.69/lb (about $4.50 for three breasts). I don't buy Kyolic garlic (I grow it) or turmeric (I dig it, dry it and grind it for free, actually - we call it chi-chi-ma), but tomatoes on the vine are $2.00/lb, as are hothouse and romas. How much almond butter are you getting for $18.00? I can get a pound of it for $9.00. $9.00/lb for raw almonds? Seems incredibly high. Try $4.00/lb - that's what I get them for. I don't buy organic kidney beans, but $2.00/can seems a little insane, too, considering a can of regular kidney beans can be bought just about anywhere for $0.59...

I am the Coupon Queen. I shop every friday at four different grocery stores and manage to feed a family of four (and feed them Healthily and WELL) on about $125/week (average). I don't include any medication or vitamins in this figure, because we don't use any. That shit'll KILL you. During an average outing, I probably save about $10.00 with coupons. Most weeks, I get at least one item free because of mis-scanning/mis-pricing. I buy most often BULK FOODS and items that are ON SALE. I buy family packs when I can and when I see something ON SALE, I buy A LOT of it (I bought 20 lbs of chicken breast).

I will never shop at Wal-Mart, however, no matter HOW low their prices seem. Their prices do not reflect the actual HUMAN COST of the item. I hate them I hate them I hate them!!!

I think that you have to be willing to change your shopping behaviour in order to save $$$. Be willing to take a lot more time (I take approximately two hours) to get your shopping done in order to get what you want at a price you are more willing to pay. I took my unemployed, 23 year-old nephew shopping two weeks ago. I believe I blew his tiny mind, but there are a LOT of mistakes he will no longer make, I'll tell you. The moron is STILL too "embarassed" to use coupons, however. Fool.

Irregardless of this, you are right. Organics don't go on sale a lot. Be prepared then to buy like a madwoman when you see something you like at a reduced price. Another thing: Take up gardening. Whether you have 100 acres or just a window box, you will be AMAZED at how much $$$ you can save and how much better home-grown food tastes...

And for the love of all that is HOLY, use COUPONS, folks - it's just FREE MONEY, not FOOD STAMPS!!!

[Coexist]

122. funny thing here, regular milk has gone up, but organic really hasn't

so now it is only about $.70 more expensive to buy my family organic milk!

[RadiationTherapy]

123. Almond prices are off the charts because of the honeybee situation

I have been getting cashew butter for $7.70/pound. Delicious and very rich and oily; good for the brain.


Nut butters may seem like "weird shit" to some, but they are just crushed nuts in a jar. Peanut butter is infested with aflatoxin, at the least, and sugar and other crap ingredients if you do not buy pure. I would mention the "bugs in the peanut butter" thing, but I am sure nut butters have them as well. Also, peanuts are legumes which, for some people, causes digestive discomfort.

[Irreverend IX]

124. If you want nut butter, why not grind your own?

http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/nut_butter_machine.asp

The machine is $1400, but considering the price difference between raw almonds and almond butter, you can amortize the cost over a couple years.

Another healthy eating option is a 50/50 mixture of lentils and quinoa, cooked in a rice cooker. A few weeks' supply of these two bulk products (assuming that you eat them frequently) is around $30.

[BreweryYardRat]

125. Where in the HOLY EVERLOVIN' FUCK are you shopping?

God DAMN, dude, those prices are insane.

Go to a Sweetbay or something -- I've seen chicken breasts at $1 a breast. (And if I was living in an apartment with an actual freezer, rather than a fucking dorm with a mini-fridge, I'd have gotten a couple packages in a heartbeat.)

You'll probably get everything else cheaper too.

And a good multivitamin doesn't cost more than $10 for two month's supply.

[hertopos]

126. I went through your list and here is my analysis

I don't think eating healthy is cheaper than eating typical American 'processed food' oriented diet.

However, I am trying to cut down my grocery and here is my suggestion.

1. Stop buying out of season produce and fruits. I buy apples and tangerines. Only out of season fruits we buy is banana and other tropical fruits when they are on sale. Use canned tomatoes during off season.
2. Buy more cheaper vegetable such as green leaves, potatoes, onions, and carrots. For example, you can make very nutritious salad out of carrots, onion and garlic.
4. You can stop buying some supplement if you can get them fresh such as garlic and turmeric as food spice.
5. Buy whole chicken instead of pre cut ones.
6. Better yet, buy more tofu and beans instead of chicken.

It is also very important to cut wasted food. I have my own problem and I am making sure I won't buy too much.
Idealistically, you should do grocery shopping several times a week rather than once a week.

Hope this will help.

Hertopos

[ingac70]

128. Depends on the stores you go to..

I shop at places like Aldi and Sav A Lot, where food, even the healthy stuff, is 75% cheaper than Kroger, Publix, and Harris Teeter.

Yep, even the veggies and fruits.

[GumboYaYa]

129. Garden, garden, garden

The least expensive way to eat healthy is to grow most of your own food. Can and freeze for the winter. I haven't bought jelly or jam from a store in ten years. Most of our vegetables come from our home garden, our community garden, or our farmer partner. It is better for you and the environment to use local fruits and vegetables. It is also substantially cheaper than any other option I have ever found. During the summer we practically eat for free except for a few staples.

[LostinVA]

132. It is the case

ESPECIALLY if you have a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods (the bulk stuff is a great price, as are a few other things), and/or a Farmer's Market or produce co-op. If you don't, then you have to be more creative. And, you have to have access to a fridge, stove, and a grocery store. If you do, then it's totally possible.


Those prices you list seem a bit over the top to me. I could get organic chicken breasts for way less than that.

[annonymous]

134. Where do you live and do you shop at Whole Foods?

Grocery prices in my area are not nearly that high. However, I don't shop at Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck. Part of the problem is that you are paying for fresh produce out of season i.e. blueberries. It is best to get blueberries in season and then freeze them. You should try to go to a cheaper grocery store such as Aldi, Save A Lot and Trader Joes. Buying supplements at the grocery store is expensive. Try buying supplements at Costco or mail order through Swanson or Puritan's Pride.

[cgrindley]

136. Offensive, wasteful and dumb shopping

1. vitamins are unnecessary, foolish purchases. a healthy diet WILL provide you with all the necessary nutrients

2. healthy foods are NOT confined by the terms "organic" or "natural"

3. purchasing boneless skinless chicken breasts is sheer laziness and waste... purchase whole chickens and carve them up yourself, use the leftover parts to make stock. For 8 dollars, you could have purchased a WHOLE ORGANIC CHICKEN and cut it up yourself. it's not rocket science

4. kyolic garlic? turmeric tablets, organic almond butter? jesus fuck just use regular garlic and common sense

this is just wasteful bullshit. You shopped like a jerk.

organic almond butter? I haven't been so angry reading a shopping list in like ever. Give me the $180. You don't deserve money.

[Mendocino]

138. I have no problem eating cheap and healthy.

Brown rice, fresh and dried fruit, dried beans, oats, wheat germ, ground flaxseed, lentils, home-baked bread, soy nuts, and fresh vegetables make up a majority of my diet. I have an egg about once a week and will eat fish occasionally. I very rarely eat out. I'd estimate that 90% of this food is organic. I would guess that I eat for about $4.00 to $5.00 a day.

Is it healthy? My total cholesterol level is 142, HDL(good)46, LDL(bad)92, Triglycerides 120. My BP this morning was 112/71, pulse 56. I'm 5'11" 172#, 50 years old. I've been eating this type of diet for around ten years. My doctor says I'm in excellent health for a person of my age.

Other factors: I walk about 2.5 miles a day. I only have about 5 drinks a week, a few beers and a glass or two of wine. I don't smoke. I have a fairly large veg garden, with blueberry and blackberry plants, so produce in season costs me next to nothing. We have a Farmers market nearby for what I don't grow. My family history has a tendency for long and healthy life.

So can one eat cheap? yes
Can one eat cheap and healthy? I think so
Can access to gardens, farmers markets and organic food help one eat healthy? definitely

I'm not saying what works best for me would work best for others. Every situation is different. But if someone is truly worried about their health and diet, it may be hard to put a price tag on it.

[alittlelark]

139. Don't buy Tumeric pills! buy the spice - much cheaper.

I spend 2-3X more than I 'need' to each month on groceries. If I needed to I would trim $$$ elsewhere - not on food.

PS - buy the beans dry, it cost 10X less.

[Terran]

142. Sorry, it's what you're buying that's ridiculous

You can eat healthily on far less than that. If you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables you probably don't even need vitamin supplements. Organic is all well and good but they do cost more; and some of that other stuff...well, I see luxury items there, not health food.

[VotesForWomen]

145. it is absolutely cheaper to eat heathily; it's takes more time to prepare the food, but it is cheape

cheaper. you are correct that the items you mentioned are very high priced, but that doesn't mean that there are no inexpensive healthy foods. i am poor and i don't eat the things you mentioned, but i find other things which are generally cheaper than even the cheapest processed, unhealthy foods. the biggest drawback is the time it takes to prepare meals.

[Blue-Jay]

149. I had a Mickey D's double cheeseburger for a dollar last week.

[Ineedchange]

151. Maryland Area...1 Orange at a local store cost $1.25 Each!!!!

How can the poor get healty with prices like that?

[stravu9]

152. this is correct! I have clients who are diabetic and they complain the Food Stamps ..

they receive, usually about 40 bucks if they receive $637.00 per month which is the average SSI check.
Imagine living on that and paying rent , utilities, cab fare or bus fare, if they are lucky enough to have a mass transit system in the town and feeding yourself to healthily manage diabetes on that!

[asthmaticeog]

159. You're getting totally chumped at the grocer's.

For an ENTIRE CHICKEN - cage free, antibiotic free, natural feed - I pay $1.79/lb, which works out to about $5 or $6 for a whole fryer, which I can eat off of for days, and then make broth from the carcass. And yes, the price of chicken has risen drastically, largely due to what's been happening with corn lately, but there's still there's no reason you should be paying those kinds of prices. If you insist on eating muscle meat, you *could* use pork instead, it's less per pound, and there are really lean cuts to be had. The health danger from pork fat comes from sausage and bacon, not chops.

As for the roasted nuts thing, you've been sold a bill of goods. The amount of acrylamides in roasted nuts is negligible, and really, the browning that can form on ANY cooked food (and what were you going to do with those grossly overpriced chicken breasts, boil them?) is acrylamidic. And no study has ever shown them to be carcinogenic in humans. Worry more about traffic exhaust than nuts. Roasted, salted nuts are a perfectly healthful snack.

All those supplements, jeez, they really saw you coming! If you eat right (which is inexpensive to do, contrary to your stupid assertion) you don't need those. At all. Coenzyme Q-10? Ever heard of FISH? You're getting punked left and right on that garbage. At most, you could use a Centrum (or generic equiv). All that other shit is just overkill, and their benefits are arguable at best.

Others have pointed this out, but I'll join the pile-on: berries in winter? You're ASKING to be overcharged.

Canned beans? Great as a convenience, I use them myself sometimes, but if you're watching your budget, dry beans are way cheaper. Is it such a big deal to soak 'em?

And all the organic stuff? While it's good to avoid GMOs, organic labeling doesn't exclude them. The only organic stuff I'll spring for is dairy and eggs (and I NEVER get non-organic dairy or eggs), because of how barely-there the sanitary practices are in large-scale poultry and dairy factories. Organic beans? You're wasting money. Organic almond butter? You're getting fucked sideways.

What you're doing isn't healthful eating. You're just as much a victim of marketing as the people who eat convenience foods every meal are.

[Kajsa]

161. Find drinks, juices WITHOUT HFCS.

You have to look for them, but the manufacturers are finally
catching on to the fact that high fructose corn syrup is
crap and it tastes bad.

[SouthPasadenaDem]

164. Yeah. It is getting lots more expensive. And it didn't used to be this way.

Fresh produce used to be dirt cheap at the major supermarkets. Granted, the Central Valley of California is the fruit and vegetable basket of the nation, and we in the Los Angeles metro area have always benefitted from that proximity, but cheap produce ain't necessarily so anymore. I was in Vons last Saturday and tomatoes were almost $5.00 per pound. Not the fancy , on-the-vine ones, not the huge hothouse tomatoes, but Roma tomatoes. Cooking tomatoes. I realize that tomatoes are out-of-season this time of year, even here in sunny Southern California, but WTF? For the first time in my over forty years on this planet, I decided I didn't need tomatoes.

Part of the problem, I suspect, is that major supers have decided to upscale their stores and the consumer is paying for it. Six or eight months ago, the Vons in my neighborhood redecorated its store. Made it look more like a Pavillions, the more upscale version locally. (Both are owned by Safeway, which no longer operates Safeway stores in Southern California. Both Vons and Pavillions have the exact same specials each week, but Pavillions basically has higher prices on everything not-on-sale, as well as a more upscale bakery department. But I digress.) Anyway, the Vons added hardwood floors in the produce department and little halogen spotlights over the apples and began displaying the produce in little wooden crates, and, voila, prices skyrocketed immediately thereafter.

Here are some of the strategies I've been using to keep the grocery bill under control:

Generally don't shop at Vons anymore except for the good advertised specials. Started shopping at what we in Southern California would refer to as a "Mexican supermarket". There are a several smaller grocery chains here in SoCal that cater largely to less affluent Latino neighborhoods and the produce prices are much, much better and they all have wonderful specials each week. Mexican cooking typically involves a lot of produce, and the prices tend to be much more reasonable. None of it is organic, of course. I'm sure it's all "conventional" agriculture, but the next day, when I went to the Superior market, the tomatoes were only 99 cents a pound, and, after all, the ones at Vons weren't the organic ones either, just five times the price. Here are some typical prices at the "Mexican supermarket" for produce: Navel oranges: 5 pounds for a dollar (99 a pound at Vons, on sale); Avocados: 59 cents each for the large ones, 2 for a dollar for the small ones, 4 for a dollar for the small ones when they're on sale (Vons: a buck apiece when they're on sale, $2.49 a pop when they're not); Romaine lettuce: 99 cents a head (Vons: two bucks plus a head and a smaller head of lettuce); red onions: 3 pounds for a dollar (Vons: don't even want to go there); Russet potatoes: five pounds for a buck at Superior and they're the nice big baking potatoes (Vons: $2.49 for a five-pound bag, on sale, and they're assorted, smaller sizes, never the big ones.) Anyway, you get the picture. I can get lots of stuff there and still spend under $40.00 a week, including a big tray of boneless/skinless chicken breasts (nonorganic) and other sundry staple goods. The other advantage to the Superior market is that (i) since they cater to the Latino community, there's an entire aisle devoted to salsas, mole sauce and all variety of heavenly comida mexicana; and (ii) the Muzak they play in the store isn't Muzak at all, but (get this) late 50's -- mid 60's American popular music (which, I am informed is very popular in the Latino community), so I get to sing along with songs I actually know while I pick out my tomatillos, so I look forward to going and always have a smile on my face while I shop.

Trader Joes: Best prices on coffee beans, eggs (only $1.29 a dozen and that's for the extra large ones!) and all dairy products (except cheese which is higher at TJ's but generally imported or otherwise fancy), frozen fish fillets (best prices anywhere), and some produce items (Mushrooms: $3.50 for one of those little blue styrofoam thingies at Vons: $1.69 at TJ's and that's the everyday price.) Also King Arthur Flour, which I swear by, is the same price as the junky bleached store-brand flour at Vons.

The day-old bread store: I'm lucky. I have an Orowheat bakery thrift shop blocks from where I live. I can get a loaf of my favorite whole wheat bread for $1.49 to $1.99 (depending on how many days old it is) whereas it's over four bucks a loaf at Vons and never on sale there. Also Milton's brand crackers (my favorite) and Bob's Red Mill brand whole grains (cracked wheat pilaf, whole pearl barley, etc.) are a much better buy there.

Gardening: Even though I live in an apartment, I'm fortunate in that it's a small building and that I have a sunny (albeit asphalted-over) area by my kitchen door next to the clotheslines. While I realize that many (if not most) apartment-dweller's don't have that space or climate advantage (much less a landlord who will tolerate it), I manage to grow enough tomatoes for salads in the summer for myself and the occasional dinner guest - but never enough to can or freeze (and I live alone), fresh herbs most of the year (except in August and September, when it gets deadly hot and kills everything) and lettuces to harvest from Christmas through April if I plant in early November. Right now I have three (three foot by one foot by one foot deep) rectangular plastic planters of mixed baby french greens (hey, if you're going to plant your own, grow the expensive salad, right?) plus three big, round planters of baby butter lettuces, one of green onions and three rather sickly looking stalks of brussels sprouts (an experiment this winter). I've also managed to produce a few handfuls of snow peas in the winter and a few zuchinni squash in the summer (which really require more space than a planter, but, what the hey.) It's certainly not enough to live off of, even with the extended growing season here in SoCal, but every little bit helps. (Plus, all my friends see my little container garden and think I'm the Martha Stewart of apartment living, a not-insubstantial advantage in and of itself).

Yes. Eating in a healthy manner has become quite expensive, particularly if you are limited by your location to major supermarkets. But what else are you going to do? Live on McDonalds and Stouffer's frozen lasagne? No thanks.

On edit: Farmer's markets here in SoCal are not much help with the budget. While they've become very popular, they are often mostly about yuppie couples pushing those double strollers (it has become a veritable weekly heterosexual pride festival in my town) and eating supper from the full half of the market devoted to fast food stands (tamales: 3-4 bucks per; canned cheese sauce nachos; crepes suzette "Planet Cookies", etc.) Not all of the produce offered in the produce section is organic, just very high end (teeny-tiny baby squash, pencil-thin, out-of-season asparagus, out-of-season strawberries, etc.) One produce stand in my town's farmer's market offers "pesticide-free" produce (not organic) at reasonable (though not cheap) prices. Example: last week, "pesticide free" brussels sprouts were $2.00 per pound, in-season. I bought two pounds, just because I love brussels sprouts (I know, I'm weird), but not bargain basement prices, by any means.