My food budget has gone rampant!

[ThatGirl156]

There are a number of hidden costs to the SAD food in the forms of pills, doctor visits, medical equipment, lost days of work, higher insurance premiums, etc. These costs aren't always apparent to most folks at the cash register since they are usually down the road a bit. And that doesn't even factor in the cash value of the feeling of good health, which is even more valuable.

IMO, healthy food is the biggest bargain I can think of.

Lucky for me, I live in Canada and pills, doctor visits & medical equipment don't cost me anything. Also, any sick days that I must take are paid, because I work for an awesome company!

But you're right - feeling good is invaluable! Thank you SactoBob! You're awesome!!

[AnnaS]

[color=indigo]
Here's what I purchased yesterday:

1 mini watermelon 2.99
1 loaf ezeikiel bread 5.99 **
1 pkg ezeikiel tortillas 3.69 **
1 bag of cereal 8.49
6 peaches 6.28
10 kiwi fruit 3.99
1 nectarine (never had 'em before, wanted to taste) 1.38
1 butternut squash 2.51
6 bananas 2.04
1 pint raspberries (this were on sale) 5.00
1 pint blueberries (this were on sale) 2.50
2 quarts strawberries 5.98
2 sweet potatoes 2.67
3 fat free soy milk cartons 10.47
1 small pkg steel cut oats 3.69
TOTAL: $67.67

Is there a farmer's market near where you live or work? It's possible you could find cheaper produce prices there, especially as the season gets going in the summer. Or try some other stores? Those fruit prices do seem a little high, but it may be the currency difference or just plain regional high cost of food. If I were in your situation and that's all I could get, I'd pay the price anyway and still eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit. As Bob said, your health is more important than saving a few dollars.

About the cereal--When my husband and I first started McDougalling, we were still eating cereal (Kashi brand) for breakfast. I think breakfast habits are among the hardest to break! It is a processed food, though, as well as being expensive. We gradually phased it out and when we started eating steel cut oats we dropped the Kashi altogether. Now we almost always have hot cereal for breakfast--oatmeal, steel cut oats, polenta, other mixed grains and sometimes hash browns. I think it's healthier, and you get more food value for your money.

Let's see...you could cut your soy milk cost in half by diluting it with water. Try a small amount of dilution and see if you don't mind the change. Then do a little more, until you're accustomed to 50:50.

There are some things that might cost quite a bit that you still want to keep because of convenience, for example the Ezekiel bread. My husband and I buy pasta, which is pretty expensive (at least the kind we buy is), but it's extremely useful for us to have a really quick meal we can fall back on with no problem. So we don't mind spending the money.

Good luck!

[Mrs. Doodlepunk]

[color=indigo]Lucky for me, I live in Canada and pills, doctor visits & medical equipment don't cost me anything.

If you pay taxes, you are paying for it.

[Plumerias]

Is there a farmer's market near where you live or work? It's possible you could find cheaper produce prices there, especially as the season gets going in the summer. Or try some other stores? Those fruit prices do seem a little high, but it may be the currency difference or just plain regional high cost of food. If I were in your situation and that's all I could get, I'd pay the price anyway and still eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit. As Bob said, your health is more important than saving a few dollars.

I would also add the suggestion that you search out place where you can pick your own produce. We go to the blueberry farm (okay, we get already picked as DH hates berry picking), the peach orchard and the apple orchard. Plenty of options also exist for things like green beans and tomatoes in season as well. If I'm awake enough tomorrow morning, I'll try to keep track of the specifics of my farmers market purchases as opposed to just the total spent. I do have to say that I don't mind paying the slightly higher farmers market prices, as I know the stuff was just harvested yesterday (8am markets) as opposed to a week ago, and it was harvested at its peak as opposed to in shipping condition. Also, garden if you can. It feeds lots more than your belly.

[Plumerias]

Carroll, we are only a two person household, but I do remember my mother's frustration when my brother got into the fruit stash well in advance of grocery day! We have a full sized freezer and an additional refrigerator in the basement, both Sears scratch and dent sale purchases. We choose apple varieties from the orchard that keep very well as well as varieties that are difficult to obtain in the grocery stores. The peaches, well, I freeze lots, turn some into peach sauce, and the rest we eat like pigs. Burp. And yes, my man would rather pay extra for already picked berries, like the 14 quarts of black and 2 quarts of red raspberries I went out to get last Friday. Red raspberries I can buy in any grocery store frozen foods department, black I've never seen. Store bought frozen peaches taste like, well, akin to January tomatoes. Blueberries, there's a farm between home and a former client, he used to pick them up each business trip on his way home. By the time I was done with all the fruits and whatever vegetables and seasonal items I chose to make and freeze, that thing was full. I will miss it in the RV.

[Melinda]

Just wondering where you live in Canada, Thatgirl? We live in BC and my food spending has gone through the roof the past year! We have been veg for going on 19 years, and vegan for about 3 or so (me longer), but have always eaten lots of fruit, veggies and whole grains, and I have been buying certain organic foods for many years ( foods that are more heavily sprayed). I also like fresh produce, as compared to frozen. Prices have really gone way up the past year or so. You can save a lot on buying things like dried beans, and cooking them and freezing them in usable portions. I buy at the Farmer's market during summer. I find that the more involved recipes are more expensive to make and simple meals are easier and cheaper.

[MilesA]

I would estimate under $50 per week per person (U.S. $), and that is eating pretty well.

You are eating a lot of fresh produce, which can certainly be expensive, and might be more than you really need. I can suggest a few things that may help based on my own experience.

- Note that your cheapest and some of the most filling foods are whole grains and beans. They are also good for you and very versatile. Potatoes (white and sweet) are good, too (a bit more expensive nowadays).

- Buy in quantity, cook in quantity, use your fridge and freezer. Especially for your whole grains and beans.

- Use a pressure cooker. Dried beans cook in 20 - 25 minutes after soaking overnight. Whole grains in about the same amount of time. Wonderful soups and stews that taste like they took hours to make instead of minutes. Much, much cheaper than canned goods and you control how much salt and spices to use.

- See if you can shop at an Asian market. They love their produce! They usually have a much better selection, it is much fresher and cheaper on average. Example: Bok Choy, Asian grocery: 89 cents/pound; Safeway: 1.69/pound. Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli), Asian grocery: 85 cents/pound; Safeway (standard Broccoli): $1.79/pound, Cabbage (Napa), Asian grocery: 39 cents/pound; Safeway (standard cabbage) $1.00/pound, Kiwi fruits, Asian market: 6/2.00; Safeway 3/2.00. Excellent dried mushrooms, for cheap! I could go on...

- Avoid the processed foods when possible. You are paying more and most of it is going to the middlemen. Instead of packaged cereals, go with the whole grains. Have oats, rice, buckwheat kasha, quinoa, millet, etc. for breakfast. Soak them overnight, they will cook quickly. Instead of soy milk, make your own oat milk or rice milk, it's easy. Throw on a few berries, raisins, dates, etc.

-If I want bread (seldom), I sometimes make my own flatbreads such as Indian roti, tortillas, arepas, etc. (use Masa Harina instead of cornmeal). Sometimes quick breads such as cornbread. No preservatives or other junk! No elaborate kneading and waiting around! Cook on the stovetop, not the oven!

- Don't be afraid to use the freezer. Some of your staple foods can be just as good frozen and you won't miss anything once they're prepared. Examples: for stews and soups: frozen spinach, frozen corn, frozen green beans; for your oatmeal: frozen berries; for smoothies: frozen fruits. Note that ripe bananas marked down at the store are wonderful if peeled and frozen, and used in smoothies or sorbets. Frozen foods are often cheaper, usually frozen when very fresh, and keep a long time. Keep your whole grains and flours in the freezer, they will last longer.

- Sometimes canned goods are better and cheaper than fresh. Example: Tomatoes for soups, stews and sauces.

- Use Costco, buy in bulk when it makes sense.

- Indian markets are very cheap if you use a lot of spices, as I do. Oh, and for $10, I can get a box of a dozen mangos, one of my favorite fruits.

Edit: I forgot this is the MWL forum. You might want to dial back on the breads and the dried fruits.

[Daffodil]

I was going to say alot of what MilesA said. So the only thing I can add is: buy in season. Seasonal produce is cheaper than things out of season.
Here in Nevada, we get fruits and veggies all year round no matter the season. The one's in season always the cheapest. So you buy the cheapest produce and plan your meals around them every week.

And for soups, and anything you cook, consider frozen like MilesA said, as long as it's cheaper, plus some canned like tomatoes, green beans, and other types that come with no salt added if you can find it.

Our food and household budget for 2 people and 2 cats weekly is $65 or under. This is for food, cat food, cat supplies, dry goods, etc. Right now we have a good stockpile of mostly beans of all types, so I just buy things to add to them for soups, casseroles, lentil loaves, etc.
I just made 3 huge lentil loaves tonight that will last a couple weeks for lunches and dinner. Total cost of all the ingredients: $3. Cool, eh?

[ThatGirl156]

Just wondering where you live in Canada, Thatgirl? We live in BC and my food spending has gone through the roof the past year! We have been veg for going on 19 years, and vegan for about 3 or so (me longer), but have always eaten lots of fruit, veggies and whole grains, and I have been buying certain organic foods for many years ( foods that are more heavily sprayed). I also like fresh produce, as compared to frozen. Prices have really gone way up the past year or so. You can save a lot on buying things like dried beans, and cooking them and freezing them in usable portions. I buy at the Farmer's market during summer. I find that the more involved recipes are more expensive to make and simple meals are easier and cheaper.

Hi Melinda. I'm way over on the other side of the Country, in the maritimes. Food costs have been increasing here too, and I don't like it one bit!

[Plumerias]

Be impressed, be very impressed. I actually remembered to write everything down this morning at the farmers market as opposed to my usual just dollar amounts method. I weighed what I got when I came home. I have tried to organize this list so the prices per units are available for comparison shopping. The adding machine needs batteries, so no grand total. This is this morning's haul:

tomatoes - $2.49/lb - 4.8 pounds - $11.95
green beans - $1.89/lb - 2 pounds - $3.90
corn - 14 ears - $5.50
suyo long cucumbers - 2 -$2.00
summer squashes, assorted varieties - $2.00/lb - 3 pounds - $6.00
snap peas - $3.00/qt (pound) - $3.00
broccoli - $1.50 each - $1.50
shitake mushrooms - 5 oz package - $5.00
swiss chard - $2.00/bag - $2.00
redskin potatoes - $3.00/3 lbs basket - 2 - $6.00
blueberries - $9.00/qt - 2 - $18.00
red raspberries $3.50/half pt or $6.00/2 - 2 - $6.00
peaches - $3.00/qt -2 - $6.00
Italian bread from the bakery inside - $3.00

Total this morning - $

I also bought carrots, chiles, apricots, cherries, pineapple, bananas, plums, and grapes at the grocery store on Thursday. Hope this all helps.

[ThatGirl156]

I just made 3 huge lentil loaves tonight that will last a couple weeks for lunches and dinner. Total cost of all the ingredients: $3. Cool, eh?

Would you be willing to share that recipe? It sounds like something I might be interested in. I love loaf type foods, and lentils are wonderful!

Thanks

[ThatGirl156]

You are eating a lot of fresh produce, which can certainly be expensive, and might be more than you really need.

You're right... I'm going to have to cave in and eat more frozen stuff.

- Note that your cheapest and some of the most filling foods are whole grains and beans. They are also good for you and very versatile. Potatoes (white and sweet) are good, too (a bit more expensive nowadays).

I love potatoes and eat them almost every day. I don't find them expensive at all, when I look at them from a "per serving" point of view.

- Buy in quantity, cook in quantity, use your fridge and freezer. Especially for your whole grains and beans.

- Use a pressure cooker. Dried beans cook in 20 - 25 minutes after soaking overnight. Whole grains in about the same amount of time. Wonderful soups and stews that taste like they took hours to make instead of minutes. Much, much cheaper than canned goods and you control how much salt and spices to use.

- Don't be afraid to use the freezer. Some of your staple foods can be just as good frozen and you won't miss anything once they're prepared. Examples: for stews and soups: frozen spinach, frozen corn, frozen green beans; for your oatmeal: frozen berries; for smoothies: frozen fruits. Note that ripe bananas marked down at the store are wonderful if peeled and frozen, and used in smoothies or sorbets. Frozen foods are often cheaper, usually frozen when very fresh, and keep a long time. Keep your whole grains and flours in the freezer, they will last longer.

It is unfortunate, but I do not have much freezer space. I need to look into getting a deep freeze for the storage room in the basement. Our fridge is the side-by-side model, and there isn't much room in the freezer, because the ice-maker and water dispenser mechanism take up a bit of space.

- See if you can shop at an Asian market. They love their produce! They usually have a much better selection, it is much fresher and cheaper on average. Example: Bok Choy, Asian grocery: 89 cents/pound; Safeway: 1.69/pound. Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli), Asian grocery: 85 cents/pound; Safeway (standard Broccoli): $1.79/pound, Cabbage (Napa), Asian grocery: 39 cents/pound; Safeway (standard cabbage) $1.00/pound, Kiwi fruits, Asian market: 6/2.00; Safeway 3/2.00. Excellent dried mushrooms, for cheap! I could go on...

- Indian markets are very cheap if you use a lot of spices, as I do. Oh, and for $10, I can get a box of a dozen mangos, one of my favorite fruits.

I WISH I had access to something like this. There are no Asian or Indian markets in my area. There is farmers' market, but the prices aren't any cheaper than the grocery store. Sometimes they are more expensive actually. I still like to go once in a while though, because I know the food is extremely fresh.

- Avoid the processed foods when possible. You are paying more and most of it is going to the middlemen. Instead of packaged cereals, go with the whole grains. Have oats, rice, buckwheat kasha, quinoa, millet, etc. for breakfast. Soak them overnight, they will cook quickly. Instead of soy milk, make your own oat milk or rice milk, it's easy. Throw on a few berries, raisins, dates, etc.

My fiancee, who is so graciously being drug along on the McDougall plan, would not be very happy if he couldn't have cereal and soy milk. He is a complete omnivore, and I am VERY lucky that he'll settle for soymilk and healthy cereal for breakfast. He also eats anything that I cook, and doesn't buy meat for the house. He's a great man, and I love him, and I can't take the cereal and soy milk from him. LOL

-If I want bread (seldom), I sometimes make my own flatbreads such as Indian roti, tortillas, arepas, etc. (use Masa Harina instead of cornmeal). Sometimes quick breads such as cornbread. No preservatives or other junk! No elaborate kneading and waiting around! Cook on the stovetop, not the oven!

I won't be eating much bread either (haven't had any yet), so I don't mind paying for the Ezekiel bread, since is it whole grain and sprouted. The loaf will probably last me a couple of months (hopefully it won't get freezer burned before it gets eaten up).

- Sometimes canned goods are better and cheaper than fresh. Example: Tomatoes for soups, stews and sauces.

- Use Costco, buy in bulk when it makes sense.

Costco is a weak spot for me, because when I go in there I often end up buying things I don't need. But you're right, I'm going to have to suck it up and be responsible and only buy in bulk when it makes SENSE!

Edit: I forgot this is the MWL forum. You might want to dial back on the breads and the dried fruits.

Oh yes, I know, I won't be eating much bread, and wouldn't dream of eating dried fruit. Too many calories in just one small bite.

Thank you very much for all your great advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to type all that out for me.

[ThatGirl156]

Be impressed, be very impressed. I actually remembered to write everything down this morning at the farmers market as opposed to my usual just dollar amounts method. I weighed what I got when I came home. I have tried to organize this list so the prices per units are available for comparison shopping. The adding machine needs batteries, so no grand total. This is this morning's haul:

tomatoes - $2.49/lb - 4.8 pounds - $11.95
green beans - $1.89/lb - 2 pounds - $3.90
corn - 14 ears - $5.50
suyo long cucumbers - 2 -$2.00
summer squashes, assorted varieties - $2.00/lb - 3 pounds - $6.00
snap peas - $3.00/qt (pound) - $3.00
broccoli - $1.50 each - $1.50
shitake mushrooms - 5 oz package - $5.00
swiss chard - $2.00/bag - $2.00
redskin potatoes - $3.00/3 lbs basket - 2 - $6.00
blueberries - $9.00/qt - 2 - $18.00
red raspberries $3.50/half pt or $6.00/2 - 2 - $6.00
peaches - $3.00/qt -2 - $6.00
Italian bread from the bakery inside - $3.00

Total this morning - $

I also bought carrots, chiles, apricots, cherries, pineapple, bananas, plums, and grapes at the grocery store on Thursday. Hope this all helps.

I'm jealous!! But very happy for you at the same time.

[Autumn]

I cant add much but I will tell you what I do. I pick 10 lbs of strawberries, peaches, blueberries, and raspberries or more when they are in season and eat off them throughout the year. I stick with a really bland diet without much variation. Potatoes for my starch, veggies (most of them are frozen or ones I grow except for salads) and fruit that I defrost. It keeps me thin since when your diet isnt varied much there is no urge to overeat and its better on my budget since my hubby is still a SADer so only one is eating that way now. I never buy organic, I would like to but its too expensive.

[Chile]

Grains in their whole form will last longer than when they are ground. Wheat berries, for example, store far better than whole wheat flour. You can cook the berries whole and eat in place of rice, although I prefer to sprout them one day (until they have a tiny little "tail") because they will cook in half the time. If you have a Basic grain mill (about $65), you can grind small quantities at a time. If you want flour, it will take a bit of time and work, but you can also just crack the berries for your very own cracked wheat, or grind it a little more to cook for a cereal.

Whole wheat flour will last for a couple of weeks on the shelf, but should be refrigerated or frozen if kept longer.

Other grains with a higher fat content need refrigeration or freezing to keep the fat from going rancid. We had to toss out a fair amount of rolled oats and brown rice that I tried to store too long at room temperature. If you buy them fresh and use them quickly, the pantry is fine. For any length of time, though, especially if you are buying bulk to save money, store them cold.

Beans store fine at room temperature. As they get older, they will take longer to cook, so keep that in mind when buying in bulk. Dried beans, in bulk, are far cheaper than canned.

For fresh produce, consider starting a garden. Talk with other gardeners in your area to find out what produces well and grow those things with the biggest bang for the buck. Zucchini, for instance.

Does your area have a CSA? Sometimes buying a share in a farm this way is cheaper than the Farmer's Market, but you will not have any control over what produce you get each week. Still, it's worth investigating. Enter your zipcode at Local Harvest to search your area.