Vent: My grocery bill doubled after switching to 'healthy' ingredients

I used to just buy whatever was on sale at the Aldi here in Columbus, you know, cans of soup and frozen pizzas for like $40 a week. Then I saw this whole before-and-after thing online about eating clean for better energy, so I tried it. Three weeks in, I switched to fresh veggies, lean chicken, and those costly quinoa packets instead of rice. Now my weekly total is pushing $80, and I'm still hungry half the time because portion sizes are smaller. The biggest change was ditching processed stuff for whole foods, but it's wrecking my budget hard. Has anyone else dealt with this jump in costs when trying to eat healthier?

3 comments

3 Comments

gracec1623d ago

Girl, YES. I did the exact same thing last year and my jaw hit the floor. A bag of almonds costs what I used to spend on a whole box of mac and cheese. And don't even get me started on those quinoa packets, I bought one and then noticed the price and just stood there in the aisle feeling ripped off. I tried to replace my frozen pizzas with fresh salmon and broccoli and ended up spending $90 one week and still had to grab a cheap snack to feel full. It's honestly frustrating when eating better somehow means emptying your wallet too.

allen.kai23d ago

Oh man, I feel that one hard. The sticker shock is real when you're trying to swap for healthier stuff, but here's the thing I figured out after a few months: I stopped buying the pre-packaged "health" foods and started buying whole veggies and bulk beans instead. That $90 week you had, I've been there, but now I spend about $60 on a big bag of lentils, frozen spinach, and whatever cheap fruit is in season and I actually stay full longer than I ever did with a frozen pizza.

diana51223d ago

You used to think beans were boring, @gracec16, but this post totally changed my mind.