Is it possible to cut down food spending and still eat healthy?

[tvguy]

You must have a specially priced Walmart because I have never seen 1lb of organic salad greens (not iceberg lettuce, that has zero nutrients) for $1.99 anywhere, including Walmart. I beg you to take a photo of the product & price tag! I just do not believe you at all, LOL! Are you sure you're not thinking of an 8oz bag?? A 1lb salad bag is giant (Costco also sells an organic Power Greens blend in a 1.5lb bag which is giant).

And, yes, the Costco plastic tub is 1lb. They also have organic spinach in 1lb tubs...I have the spinach one in my fridge right now and double checked the weight to be sure, and it is 1lb.

The 8 ounce bag is $1.29. Iceberg is 1.59 for the 1 pound bag, and 99 cents for 8 ounces. But, we are just down the highway from Salinas where it is all grown.

 

[hsmamato2]

I agree with pp's... going ALL organic is going to kill your budget. I know, not looking for a debate on doing so, but it is higher priced,than ordinary food.
OP, I have decided,over time what I MUST have that I consider "clean" eating.... everything else, I buy the regular old stuff. For help,some people keep a list of the 'dirty dozen' fruits and veggies ,to help them choose.
I have only a few tips. (I only get free range, grass fed,no antibiotics meats,FWIW)
Make your own food, it's always cheaper. Today at the grocery store (none of it organic) I bought a 1 lb. spring mix box(do you know how BIG a pound of spring mix is? for 4.79. Cucumbers (usa) were 2/1.00(4)(2)- baby carrots,.69 a lb. Plum tomatoes,.99 lb. (I got 3)
that is enough salad for the 4 of us in the family for at least a week. I had a small container of ch. feta (2.19),and 1/3 jar calamata olives(2.00) on top, the cost of all the veggies I got for salads for the WEEK for 4 people was 12.86. that's 1.83 per day for 4 people.
Obviously, it would cost more if it were all organic, but that's a different discussion.
It always costs less to make a big salad, and bring your own daily.
It costs less to cook your own food at home,rather than eat out.
It costs less to cook from basic ingredients, rather than buying pre made items
And yes, it costs less to eat less meat.
Personally, for me, the killer was organic cheeses, I can't afford that. I understand the pricing, but I can't.
Seriously, 1 pound of salad greens is a BIG container, I filled a salad bowl full tonight, and used less than a quarter of the total amount in box,and had leftover....

 

[JillianMarie]

I'm fairly certain I just paid $1.99 for a bag of organic spinach at Trader Joe's. I'll get probably 3 salads out of that. When I have a coupon, I spring for the big container of Organic Girl greens. I can usually get that for $3 or so.

If you want to eat organic/fair trade/non GMO/free range and still pay your mortgage you have to cut back on meat. There just isn't really any way around it.

 

[ellone]

If you want to eat organic/fair trade/non GMO/free range and still pay your mortgage you have to cut back on meat. There just isn't really any way around it.

For salads I almost never put meat in them. I usually use kidney beans. A bag of organic dried beans is pretty cheap. Don't buy canned beans then you get BPA in the beans - it leeches out of the can lining.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

If you want to eat organic/fair trade/non GMO/free range and still pay your mortgage you have to cut back on meat. There just isn't really any way around it.

I totally agree with this. This is why I haven't been able to cut my grocery budget by much. I'm a Paleo eater so meat and veg are my two big foods groups which means I can't really cut down on meat. Well, I could but I wouldn't have beans or grains to substitute the nutrients with.

 

[Lisa71]

I could never be paleo because lentils and legumes are great cheap sources of healthy protein. High meat consumption is linked to numerous health issues even though it really makes weight loss easy.

 

[MolonLabe]

I could never be paleo because lentils and legumes are great cheap sources of healthy protein. High meat consumption is linked to numerous health issues even though it really makes weight loss easy.

Keep in mind virtually all those studies you'd be thinking of are based on large lot commercial meats, fed diets those creatures were never meant to eat.

For example the fat profiles for grass fed cow vs grain fed cows are completely different.

If OP is going organic and switching to free range chicken and pork and grass fed beef, a higher intake of meat won't negatively impact her health.

 

[JillianMarie]

I guess at the end of the day there are two ways to look at it: either change your eating habits or change your shopping habits. The traditional American plate is (in the best of circumstances) half meat, a quarter starch and a quarter veg if we're lucky. Shift that around to making the meat more of a flavoring agent - closer to 1/4 of the plate - and you'll automatically see savings just because the bulk of what you're eating is plant based. And don't be like me and just start putting cheese in everything. There is just an incredible world out there or food that looks nothing like the usual meat and potatoes so prevalent in this country.

As far as changing your shopping habits, you've already talked about wanting to start bringing lunch from home so that's an awesome first step. I think you're overestimating the cost per lunch that you're going to pack and you'll see more savings there than you think, but you know your market better than we do. Personally I tend to do my shopping at farmer's markets and co-ops where things aren't necessarily certified organic, but I trust the farming practices and know where they've come from. Same with getting a CSA share. Maybe not certified organic, but I trust them. Not necessarily the cheapest option, but depending on how you eat it could be a valuable experience. Occasionally you can find coupons for stuff but I always think that anyone spouting off about how they're able to coupon their way to major savings at Whole Foods is buying more processed stuff than they let on. You just don't find coupons in the paper for bulk kale and carrots. But, that doesn't mean that you can't find coupons for almond milk or organic butter or things like that so it's possible to save money that way, I just never found it helpful.

The reality is that conventional food is artificially cheap because that's what people expect. What you're paying for organic meat and produce is what it actually costs to grow things. There is usually some wiggle room due to economies of scale i.e. Costco being able to sell organic meat at a fraction of what my local co-op can sell it for but mostly you get what you pay for.

 

[ellie05]

For us it just me and DH and we eat organic. I don't eat meat but DH eats chicken occasionally and it is trying to stop. We spend $480 a month in groceries, this includes all paper products and cat litter. I found a small organic market that sells all local products. We buy most of our dairy there. Farmers market are another great place to get great produce. Our health and what we put in our bodies is very important and it is one of the things I would not cut to save money. The one thing you will never be able to replace is your health.

 

[msmama]

Saving $20 a month on lunches seems like a lot to me, OP. It seems to me that you want to slash your budget big time, but the way that is going to happen is little bits here and there - and that 20 counts as cutting.

One thing not mentioned is where you shop. If you're buying at Whole Foods, for instance, you may be spending more than you need to. My regular grocery store has plenty of organic produce for less than whole foods. Do you have a trader joes? Costco may be another option but then you have to worry about food waste.

Buying seasonally is also going to help. Stocking up when there are sales (assuming you have room to store) is another way to save. Chicken breasts were on sale here recently and I bought 10 package to keep in my freezer. That will last me a long time, too!

 

[texasroni75]

Eat healthy on a budget? Yes! Organic....hmmm. That's much harder.

Oldest DD went through a time period where she was eating vegetarian and organic. It really killed our food budget and that was just for her! I learned a few things during that time.

Plain firm tofu was a good staple that could be prepared a lot of different ways and seasoned according to what you were cooking it with. One "block" would make 3 good-sized meals with veggies.

Bagged salads - NO! They get mushy and inedible way too quickly.

Beans - so many varieties out there and very inexpensive.

Try to plan out your meals ahead of time so you aren't running to the market 4-5 times a week. You won't save anything if you are using more gas to do more shopping trips.

I like to use ground turkey for the rest of us. It's also pretty versatile and freezes well so you can buy in bulk when it's on sale. I also recommend joining a local produce co-op.

 

[ellone]

One thing not mentioned is where you shop. If you're buying at Whole Foods, for instance, you may be spending more than you need to. My regular grocery store has plenty of organic produce for less than whole foods. Do you have a trader joes?

I do buy most organic produce at Whole Foods. The price may be a bit higher but my local store doesn't have much organic and for what they do have the quality isn't there. Strawberries are cheaper at the local store but the taste is nowhere near as good as the ones at Whole Foods (different suppliers). For bagged organic apples I will get a few not so good ones from the local store but none from Whole Foods. And I can't get organic kale or daikon from the local store.