Subscribe“You’d Have To Be A Millionaire to Eat Like That”
A friend was describing my diet to his girlfriend and that quote in the subject was her retort. Now, considering that, unfortunately, I’m quite far from being a millionaire and I do practice what I preach, it’s quite obvious that you don’t have to be loaded to eat well. I can’t argue that it’s more expensive to eat as I do. I could eat food from more conventional sources (standard grocery meat) and buy more canned goods and boxed products. So how do I justify the additional expenditure that eating “like that” entails?
First, affording anything is a simple matter of priorities. Many people have no problem with buying the cheapest food in the store so that they can have 500 cable channels, lots of new DVDs and CDs, an unlimited cell phone plan, and/or a brand new car in the driveway with a big car payment. Those other things are their priorities and that’s fine. But before you can afford high-quality foods, you have to make them your priority. Only then will you find ways to cut costs in other areas so you can
Second, it is a form of preventative health care. I figure I can spend money now to eat high-quality foods - grass-fed/pastured meats, plenty of vegetables and fruits, and healthful oils - or I can spend money later on prescriptions to manage my failing body. The foods you eat are more important than all of the exercise in the world when it comes to managing your health. And the groundwork you lay today, be it a solid foundation or not, will determine how gracefully you age.
And here are several ways to eat high-quality foods at the lowest price possible:
- Buy in bulk - Grass-fed meats are much cheaper when you purchase a 1/4 cow at a time. Split it with someone if you need to.
- Shop in season - In-season produce is cheaper than that which is flown in from the tropics in the middle of winter. And in-season produce can be found cheaply (usually) at your local Farmer’s Market.
- Join a CSA - My half of the CSA box was $200 for 6 months, less than $10 per week for a pretty good load of vegetables that I only need to shore at the Farmer’s Market.
What do you think? Is the quality of your food a priority in your life? What about other ways to reduce costs without reducing quality?
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Filed in Diets (Paleo, Atkins, Etc) 11 Comments so far
Mark Salinas on 03 Jun 2008 at 9:15 am #
Eating healthy can be more expensive in the short term, but I believe that it contributes to long term benefits both financially and physically. Great Post!
Mark Salinas, MN
Robin Plan on 03 Jun 2008 at 10:19 am #
I agree that eating healthy costs more than the processed junk food but there’s a big difference in cost and the end price. The price paid for cheap junk food will cost you more in long term health care.
If more people would look at the long picture and realize how eating well is the key to excellent health maybe food would take the place of the drugs.
Great post
Robin
melissa on 03 Jun 2008 at 10:40 am #
I used to eat out much much more and even a SAD meal at a restaurant is more expensive than a homemae healthy meal. Also, I don’t have to buy Prilosec, which was at least $6 a week.
Dave in Ohio on 03 Jun 2008 at 11:32 am #
I guess my experience is different. For me, eating a good diet of fresh meats and vegetables at home is far cheaper that what I did before. My meals average less than $3 per person. My grocery store provides hormone/antibiotic free, partially grass-raised beef and I can live with that (supplemented with fish oil for n-3 balance).
Compare that to how I ate before. Some of my typical meals:
A small pizza and 3-4 beers: $15.
Rib dinner with wine or beer and tip: $30
Half can of peanuts with potato chips and chip dip: $6.
Big Mac, fries, and medium coke: $5
Restaurant spinach salad with grilled chicken, beer, and tip: $13
Almost any kind of prepared or packaged dinner at the supermarket also costs a lot more than making it at home from scratch. Of course, you have to forgo the preservatives, low protein content, and excess sugar when you make them at home, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. LOL.
Dave
Beth on 03 Jun 2008 at 12:01 pm #
I agree completely. While it may seem more expensive, it usually is way cheaper than eating out. My roommate and I may spend a lot of money at the grocery store, but we tend to get a lot more for our money. For example, we buy salmon that feeds both of us for $7. No way we would get 5 oz. of salmon each at a restaurant for $3.50. Great post
Anna on 03 Jun 2008 at 12:01 pm #
I think more like Dave in Ohio. I might spend more on individual ingredients than I used to (organic produce, grass fed beef, raw whole milk from pastured cows, organic unsweetened coconut and coconut flour, coconut oil, etc.) but there is a huge list of stuff I just don’t buy anymore (sodas, salad dressings, jellies & jams, veg oils, various jarred sauces, cookies, crackers, cold cereals, sweetened yogurt, pre-marinated meats, chips, pre-cut veggies, etc.). That saves me money or leaves more resources for the real foods.
With a CSA membership for produce, buying eggs and meat direct from the farm, there is far less to go to the store for now. When I do go to the store, my list is shorter, I make far fewer impulse purchases, and I put so many things back on the shelf after I read the labels.
Reminds me of the saying, “penny-wise, pound-foolish”.
Jennifer Thornberry on 03 Jun 2008 at 3:53 pm #
I agree completely on both counts. It’s a matter of what you are committed to.
With food prices rising, I recently made a few changes in priorities so I could absorb the increase in the grocery bill without compromising on the healthy foods I like to buy. I paid off a student loan (yay!), did away with cable, raised the deductibles on my car insurance, and I’m taking more measures to save energy in my house, which (I hope) will reduce my electric bill.
I figure even in an economic pinch, my healthy takes priority. We all hope the economic pinch will turn around, but our health will be with us as long as we live, and the choices we make today will have a long-term impact.
I would rather spend a little more money week to week now on healthy food than spend it on medicine to manage health problems later.
Great post!
Scott Kustes on 03 Jun 2008 at 7:02 pm #
To go with what everyone else pretty much said, if you used to eat out a lot, it’s actually cheaper, or at worst no more expensive, to eat high-quality foods. I rarely eat out anymore and when I do, I’m rarely impressed. I usually leave thinking, “I just spent $20 on something I could’ve made better at home.” You can’t always match the social aspect of a restaurant, but I’d rather have a few friends over to cook and have a beer or two than go out to eat generally. Like Anna, I get my produce from the CSA or Farmer’s Market, eggs and coconut stuff from the co-op, order my beef in bulk, and get my chicken and such at the Farmer’s Market too. I basically go to the grocery for olives, olive oil, and sardines.
Jennifer,
You got it…if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. It makes me wonder how priorities can become so misplaced that people will work themselves to death to make another dollar. I wish my student loan was paid off! Wanna help me out?
Cheers
Scott
Dan on 03 Jun 2008 at 10:30 pm #
Edit: Duh, didn’t read Scott’s first point (which makes the argument I made below), just the intro, second point and suggestions. So I, uh, like, agree.
Dan
Even if your friend’s girlfriend cannot be convinced that making your own meals is cheaper than buying processed rubbish, there is another way to look at this. How much top quality organic food does a $2,000 plasma TV buy? Or a $30,000 new car every 3 years? Or hundreds of dollars every month on the latest bling and brand clothing? Many people choose to throw money at items like these (money they often don’t have) when they could spend it on something less ephemeral and more meaningful.
This is not about the absolute cost of food. This is about relative priorities. For most people quality foodstuffs are way down the chain.
Dan
Marissa on 05 Jun 2008 at 2:19 pm #
I wish it was like that where I live. The Farmer’s Markets in Seattle are MUCH more expensive than grocery stores since the yuppies shop there. Very frustrating. I was getting a CSA box until I noticed some of my produce was coming from Mexico…not remotely local. I was also paying $30 a week for it. Free Range organic eggs in Seattle are at the very least $4 a dozen, and usually $6 a dozen. I still prioritize food over other things, but my god…this is incredibly expensive, and I don’t even eat meat (other than fish on occasion).
I feel bad when I have to buy cheaper produce at costco, but I just cannot afford to buy everything at the Farmer’s Markets here.
How to Eat Healthy and Save Money | Mark's Daily Apple on 18 Jul 2008 at 12:23 pm #
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