Fitness Friday: $$$eating healthy

[pc747]

It's Friday and we about to bring before you another tidbit of information to help you along this journey of getting healthy. Remember this is a journey and along the way you will fall and scrape your knees and elbows along the way but the most important thing is to get up and keep heading toward the finish line. It helps if you have a group that holds you accountable but also give you room to grow. When you are around people who are all going in the same direction you may fall but will be motivated by them and the same holds true when you are going strong be a motivation for them. So if you have a period when you are in a slump do not give up remember that along the way you are going to have days when you are on fire and days when it just seem like you can not get out of your own way. I know as I have been there myself.

Today I want to talk about the cost of eating healthy. When you think eating healthy there is a tendency to wonder if we can afford it. Grass fed meat without added hormones tend to cost more than the hormone chemical filled version just as organic produce cost more than the non-organic. It feels like you are having to swim up stream to live a healthy life as the alternative feels lighter on the wallet. I want to actually disprove that myth. Yes you are going to spend more for meat without hormones unless you buy from your local farm. But if you are like me and the local farm is a bit of a drive some times you have to make due with what you have. I found that when I loaded the cupboard with fresh fruits and nuts to snack on I actually spent less and here is how. For one I am eating foods rich in fiber and nutrients that make me fuller longer so there is no need to stop at a local burger joint. When I looked at my receipt log (I log all my receipts of my purchases) I noticed in the long run I spent more money going out to eat than if I took the time to cook my food. The $15 here and there seemed to overtake the 50-60 bucks I spent at the grocery store. Plus I also learned ways to spend less on produce.

Example: I used to grab the fresh pre-cut fruit in the cup/bowl from Publix/Krogers only to realize that the fruit in the cup/bowl cost much more than the fruit itself. At Krogers it cost more for a watermelon in quarters or halves than the entire watermelon (guess the effort to cut it up was added to the fee). Now here is the kicker, as told to me by a Kroger's associate, you can buy a watermelon and ask them to cut it in halves or quarter for you at no charge (go figure). So the tip here is to avoid the precut fruit for one they are not grabbing the fruit straight off the truck and cutting it up they are grabbing fruit that they are about to throw away. So do yourself a favor and grab whole apple, melons, and berries and just cut it yourself.

As far as meat if you go to your local butcher you will find you can buy a lot more, especially if you buy in bulk or a whole chicken or half a cow and have them cut it up for you. Of course I recommend you invest in some vacuum sealed bags and a deep freezer but you can save a lot of money vs going to the grocery store everyday. So there are ways you can eat healthy and stay on budget of course that will mean you will have to put in a little effort but it is worth it in the long run. Plus the money you save in healthcare costs will make the investment even more worth the effort.

 

[Dusty]

If you're lucky enough to have a separate freezer and a local butcher listen to PC!

My butcher has something called "packs" (thrift pack, freezer pack, and quarter pack) that contain all of the major cuts from a cow, pig, lamb, chickens, and more all in one big deal. The quarter pack costs a bit but consists of enough to feed a family of three for weeks and comes out a great bit cheaper. It's bulk buying at its finest! The meats are premium cuts, and not the BS door-to-door meat. If you have a good butcher he should be using organic, grass fed and hormone-free cuts. You have to call ahead to order your pack. He cuts your choices FRESH from the sides, does fresh grinds, and splits the chickens by hand. You drop by later that day and pick it up and put it in your freezer. The butcher should also have fresh game like elk, buffalo, wild boar, or venison which are all VERY lean meats. At that point all you have to do is pick up your fruits, vegetables, and breads through out the month.

The hard part is meal planning and finding time to cook so you're not eating too late. I can't tell you loud enough... find a local butcher and give him your business.

The only time you end up spending a lot at the butcher is if he ages his own choice cuts, but that's a different topic.

 

[liftedplane]

I'm with @Dusty and @pc747 when I have the spare cash I go to my Local butcher and the meat ALWAYs lasts about 2 months for $400 and that's me and 4 children. It took me some time to learn to shop healthy, however the money I save by not buying Soda (pop, cola, coke, soda pop whatever it's called near you) and quick snacks more than makes up for the difference in price for better food.

getting the right items also makes it easier to make quick healthy snacks instead of processed garbage sugar super carb food you can just mow down on that does nothing to you. Great post, so much win.