6. Posted by mrsbrandyhall on Tue, May 29, 2007, 10:25 am PDT
3 words... Duh, common sense!Oh yeah, as an afterthought, image isn't everything! Most wealthy and well off people got there by using this kind of common sense! Try waiting for 93% ground to go on sale, then buy $50-100 worth, seperate into 1lb packs and freeze!
7. Posted by Leeny on Tue, May 29, 2007, 10:26 am PDT
Not bad ideas. I saw something similar about eating healthier but still indulging in your fav foods. Mix a bit of your not so healthy cereal in with a healthy one like Fiber One - you get the added benefits plus some of the taste of the cereal you really want to eat.
11. Posted by dadevans4x on Tue, May 29, 2007, 11:26 am PDT
You know, some of the healthiest foods ARE the cheapest. I don't know what HG means by eating healthy will break the bank. It's all the pre packaged, sugary, processed, fried and canned things that are expensive. I cringe when I see someone paying for a cartful of cheezwhiz, oreos, haagen daz, and fruit loops with food stamps. Don't they know they cold be healthier, thinner and have more money left if they didn't buy that crap? Getting the frozen fruits and veggies is cheaper and there's zero waste. It's even fresher too because they're flash frozen within hours of being picked at the peak of their freshness. DUH.
12. Posted by luckyshot12 on Tue, May 29, 2007, 11:36 am PDT
way too many "low-fat" and "no-cal" foods are packed with manufactured ingredients that seldom help anyone's waistline/health more so than their regular counterparts. and yes, since when does "eating healthy" break the bank? cookies, ice cream, and all that other crap is WAY more expensive.
13. Posted by Candilynette on Tue, May 29, 2007, 11:46 am PDT
I stopped eating meat....Meat is expensive. My grocery bill for a week fo rmy 6 yr old and I was $130 a week. Now since we've gone meat-free (him mostly), the bill has dropped to around $50 a week. Now that's Spring/Summer, farmer's stands have popped up all over the place, and they sell produce real cheap. If you buy extra fruit and veggies, you can freeze em. They'll last for a few months! Walmart is pretty cheap with just about all food items. Plus if you take in a flyer from a competitor they'll price match. And Martin's gorcery store does double coupons everyday, plus they have a lot of buy one get one free deals. Another option would be to make friends with a farmer and get stuff free!
15. Posted by Gwen on Tue, May 29, 2007, 12:06 pm PDT
Wow! You know I'm still a teenager, so I depend on Mom's money, but with these ideas, she can still have enough money to give me so I can go to the mall! Does anyone hear, SHOPPING SPREE!:)
16. Posted by David Bell on Tue, May 29, 2007, 12:12 pm PDT
I agree, that most of this article is common sense, but if it helps some folks, then that's a plus. I do disagree with the statement that it is cheaper to eat healthier. Most grocery items are packed with partially hydrogenated oils and/or high fructose corn syrup. Most store bands are as well. Kachi cereal is more expensive than all of the Kellogg's and Post varieties. "All Natural" products are more expensive. Most snacks that are "baked and not fried" or "low-cal" or "reduced fat" are higher priced. Take yogart, for example: almost all store brand yogart is sweetened with artificial sweetner or high fructose and contain coloring. The brands like Stoneyfield cost considerably more. Just my $0.02!
19. Posted by mondoggy01 on Tue, May 29, 2007, 12:22 pm PDT
I agree that eating healthier is more expensive, both time and money wise. it is much cheaper and easier to go to a fast food restaurant for a couple of value menu selections than to go to a grocery store, take it all home, and spend actual time preparing at home. as far as cheaper organic veggies and fruits, I find that local farmer's markets are the best places to go for that kind of shopping. this article is basically all common sense, but it is really helpful towards people who especially might think that eating healthy = breaking the bank.
21. Posted by angela s on Tue, May 29, 2007, 12:37 pm PDT
see the joy in the 100cal packages is i cant cheat and eat just a bit more, i dont wanna open a new package.. i have issue with portion control..... price is worth it for me.
22. Posted by M on Tue, May 29, 2007, 12:53 pm PDT
Yes shop "Guilt-Free" at your local supercenter. Pay no mind that the food you're getting there was probably grown on the otherside of the world by workers being paid next to nothing using all kinds of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, shipped here on a massive scale via cargo ship / planes / trucks, and delivered to a warehouse where it will sit. No guilt there...
23. Posted by disneymom396 on Tue, May 29, 2007, 1:23 pm PDT
As a single mom on the tightest budget in the world, the gas I'd use just driving from store to store doesn't seem "money saving"!
Living in California, gas is $3.35 a gallon. And no Super K-Mart or any other discount store like that.
24. Posted by *gYpSy* on Tue, May 29, 2007, 1:41 pm PDT
Eating healthy would be easier for some if the good foods didn't cost so much. And even if it's not expensive, healthy recipes sometimes require a lot of ingredients (ones that you probably don't already have stocked in your cabinet or has to be purchased fresh constantly). People tend to stock up on big bags and boxes of processed foods because it has more longevity and doesn't require extra ingredients (also, time is money).
So it's good to hear of more ways to eat right, while keeping a budget. I'm gonna start doing the frozen fruit instead of "fresh" fruit. I may have to get my protein from other sources because, like someone mentioned, meat can get pricey (I just eat chicken mostly anyway). I'd like to see some more articles like this, maybe with suggestions on how to do fish dishes for cheaper, or what substitutes for fresh foods are okay (like substituting regular fruit for frozen fruit)....
One thing I noticed though, when you eat better or diet for awhile, seems like your stomach (not tummy, but actual stomach) shrinks down a bit and it takes less to feel satisfied. Also, eating nutritious foods keeps you feeling fuller longer because they aren't full of empty calories. So in the long run, you may end up eating a lot less on a daily basis, and be able to cut down on the amount of food you buy in general. Maybe the costs even out at some point...
25. Posted by S T on Tue, May 29, 2007, 1:58 pm PDT
Oh my god! Is the world coming to an end? Can it really be true that a Hungry Girl post didn't pimp a single processed and packaged brand name food-type item? I wonder what happened? Surely Hungry Girl is still getting kickbacks from Kraft, P&G, and other mega food-product producing conglomerates? Amazing.
26. Posted by Isabel on Tue, May 29, 2007, 2:03 pm PDT
that is the dumbest article i have ever read.
people should be buying from local sources, such as local farms, and bakerys to reduce the amount of waste and gas used to package and ship their food. it also supports the local economy. advising people to buy packaged foods (by the way, what are they going to do with a bottle of low fat low cal dressing when you dont bother to mention to buy some lettuce) is irresponsible of you. packaged junk food is often full of chemicals as well, as is a lot of fruit from your mega box store. dont even get me started on what they put in the meat at these wal mart or target type stores......
27. Posted by Ross S on Tue, May 29, 2007, 2:07 pm PDT
For those looking to save on ground meat- There have been university studies that show that buying cheaper (higher fat content) ground beef, then cooking, draining the fat and rinsing under hot water...you will actually end up with meat just as low in fat as the higher-priced, low-fat choice.
28. Posted by David K on Tue, May 29, 2007, 2:29 pm PDT
I was surprised to see individually-packaged oatmeal on your list - it's much cheaper to buy it in bulk, which also gets around all the processed sugars that are added to the flavored varieties. I find dried and/or fresh fruit usually provides enough (natural) sweetener.
LEAVE YOUR COMMENT
You must sign in to leave a commentShowing 30 of 272 Comments