Eating Healthy is Too Expensive!

    

 "But Mitzi, eating healthy is too expensive!" a friend of mine said the other day.   

    I have heard this time and time again.  I must say, this is a lazy excuse to not eat healthy.  And, how much does it really cost the average person to eat healthier?  I am so glad you asked, because according to RushRate.com it only cost an extra $1.50 a day.  I even challenge that!  I bet, we could bring down the average amount a family of four spends of food a year and they could all eat better, feel more energetic and healthier.  

    "Seriously, Mitzi!  How can that even be!  Organic food, is too much.  Specialty items like gluten free bread is way  more expensive!  It is not possible."   

    Lets talk numbers.  Back in 2013, USA Today, said the average grocery bill of a family was between $146-$289 a week.  I am sure that number is greater now in 2021.  So lets round it up to $200-$350 a week.  (You may be between this, not all cities and towns have the same cost of living.)  That comes out to $10,400 - $18,700 a year in food!  Crazy right?  We can actually grow this stuff in our back yard and we are paying that amount of money in food a year!  So, how do you do it?  I am not one to pontificate on an answer when I can just say it straight out.  Cut the CRAP!

    Here is what you do to cut the cost of your food budget.  Dig around in your purse or wallet, maybe a grocery bag and find some of your receipts from your grocery shopping experiences.  Take a highlight and mark every item that is unnecessary.  Yup!  The chips, ice cream, soda, Gatorade, pop tarts, fruit snacks, lunchables, cereals...should I go on?  or do you get my drift?  Now, with the handy dandy calculator that is on your phone, add up the total....go ahead, I will wait.  What did those trips cost you?  I am sure it was more than $1.50.  

    When you choose to eat better, those items are not on your grocery list.  Soda, Gatorade, fruit snacks, pop tarts, oreos...they are not healthy.  

    Now that you cut your grocery bill, you do not need to add anything to your list.  That is step one of getting healthier.  

    "But Mitzi! that was my whole grocery list!  What do I eat instead?  What do I feed my kids for  breakfast and lunch?"  

    One of the best breakfast items out there...eggs.  A scrambled egg, an egg over easy.  A hard boiled egg!  (if you are pressed for time in the morning you can make these ahead of time...No Excuses).  You can start on the less expensive side.  A package of a dozen eggs can run you anywhere from $1.79 -$7.99 at King Soopers at the time of this writing (January 18, 2021).  Go for the less expensive route in the beginning.    Eggs are a great way to start the day because they are filling and healthy.  That means, the kids will not be hungry as quickly after eating an egg as they are after a bowl of cereal.  

    Lunch, is fresh fruit, some deli meat, carrot or celery some peanut butter and hey, throw in cheese you slice yourself (less expensive) and some wheat thins and you have a make your own lunchable. No need for the cookies, the string cheeses, the go-gurts.  They are unnecessary.  If they throw a fit, fine buy some yougurt in the big carton and divide it up into proportional sizes.  

    There are so many ways to cut the cost of groceries and other money burners.  As you know, I love me a list so here it goes.  

1.  Plan your meals!  Breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner

2.  Make a list and stick to it.  I tend to forget my list at home, so I take a picture of it with my phone.

3.  When you make your list, use the front page of the grocery circulars.  The front page is the items that the store has to much of or needs to get rid of, that the the fruit that is on sale, the meat, the veggies.  Start there.

4.  Buy local produce from a co-op or eggs from a neighbor.

5.  Make one night a leftovers night, another night a meat free night.

    Just try a few of the things listed.  It really isn't that much more to eat better.  And, really, when you think about it, yes, at first it does cost a bit more.  You are figuring out meals, what the family will eat and not eat.  You may end up throwing food out because the apples spoiled. ( I hate that, I will do another post on that too.)  However in the long term, you actually save more money.  People who are healthier, tend to have more money.  They tend to be happier, they can work longer, they are more productive.  Their costs are less.  The average adult spend $1200.00 a year on prescription medication.  Many common illnesses are preventative with a healthier lifestyle.  Most people that are happy are not spend the average $860.00 a year on alcohol.  

    If you need help and support in this area, I am here!  I have raised a family of four on a budget.  They are happy, healthy and they didn't starve because I didn't buy cheetos.