steve-in-kville 

I'm more focused on the vegitarian/vegan/fruitarian eaters here. what do you think you spend in a week for food compared to people who eat a SAD? Which is more expensive?

I'm asking for a friend....

aharrod

Vegan and Vegetarian are cheaper IMO unless you buy a bunch of fake meats, etc. Which tend to be expensive. Beans, Potatoes and rice are pretty cheap. Meat not so much..

I am not a fruitarian, so this is just my guess, but I would think it would be cheaper, but it all depends on what kind of fruit you eat. Fruit isn't super cheap.

Good luck!

JagR

I eat extremely healthy but am no where near a vegan or vegetarian and I think that is by far the most expensive.

Agree w/aharrod...in theory ALL natural foods should be cheaper unless you are into "science experiment" meats and stuff.

noglider 

Natural or whole foods have to be fresh. That makes them expensive. I buy as much local produce as possible. It's expensive. Processed food is made in high quantity and keeps a long time, both factors making them cheap.

redlude97

that isn't true at all

noglider 

It has been my experience. There, you can't contradict that.

You should note that we're talking in generalities, so there are exceptions. There are many ways to interpret the word "processed."

redlude97

what does your experience have to do with the definition of natural and whole?

noglider 

My god, it's hard to communicate sometimes.

In my experience, when I look at something I call whole or natural, it's more expensive than something I look at I consider to be processed. You will have different experiences because neither of us is looking at all foods available. You might look at Hormel chili in a can, while I might be looking at Lunchables™. Or whatever. You might look at Kroger's own brand of eggs while I'm looking at Yogurt from a local farm I've heard of.

Is that clear yet?

redlude97

that doesn't explain why by definition something natural or whole has to be fresh. That is what you said. That is a false statement, for example, 365 Everyday Value® Organic Frozen Fruits | Whole Foods Market

noglider 

I meant I want them to be fresh, not that natural or whole foods are fresh by definition. Salt cod isn't necessarily fresh. I'll try again, and if I fail to make it clear to you, I'll give up.

The kind of food I want to eat costs more than food I consider to be crappy.

You are free to misinterpret me if you really want to. You can also find fault if that makes you happy.

79pmooney

I pay more for fresh foods than I would on a SAD diet. I go to the farmer's market for nearly all of my fresh vegetables and fruit and buy what looks good. I eat a large bowl of chopped fruit with granola and yogurt for breakfast and much of that volume in veggies at night. Costs me but I feel better all the time than I used to. I get clean bills of health, esp every time my GI is looked at. And I feel better on the bike. To me, money isn't so precious that I am willing to sacrifice all of the above for a little more.

Ben

79pmooney

When it comes to veggies and fruit, for me, yes, it's got to be fresh. I do pre-cut veggies and refrigerate in yogurt containers. But I never pre-cut fruit. I never liked pre-cut, then stored, fruit, either when eating it or how I felt after. (And for me, peanut butter and some other staples. When I open a new large jar of natural peanut butter, I immediately dump it in a mixing bowl, stir it thoroughly, then fill several small jars. These go in the fridge until used and always back in the fridge after opening.)

An aside, something I read years ago. Bleached flour, the great agriculture/industry breakthrough. The "food" that the bugs wouldn't eat. Finally a solution to the bane of farmers with silos. So people are willing to eat what the bugs won't. What a concept.

Ben

JagR

Agree - I think a combination of both is...which is what I said above.

DXchulo

I'm vegan and I budget $200/month for food. I'm almost always under. I'd consider my level of frugality about average. I don't go to the extreme to keep my costs low, but I'm not the type to just buy whatever I want whenever I want, either.


I think it's more about how frugal you are than anything else. There are ways to blow your money. For example, I love berries. I could easily spend $30 a day on berries if I felt like I could afford it. Same goes for meat. You can buy the whole chicken on sale or you can buy some exotic cut that costs a fortune.


I eat a lot of oats, rice, and beans. IMO those are the best bang for the buck foods out there. That gives me room to eat some of the more expensive stuff from time to time.

JagR

I need to take a page out of your book. $200/month would be music to my ears!...I end up spending that every time I go to the store! Pointers are welcome...

As an FYI - Soaking organic fruits in a combination of vinegar and water (as soon as you get home) helps preserve them longer and NO you will not notice a difference in taste

PanoramicPixel

I eat on around $120 a month. I buy mostly white rice, brown rice, potatoes, dried lentils, dried black beans, oats, bananas, mandarins, carrots, celery, onions, frozen broccoli, frozen soy beans, raisins, avocados, cucumbers, ground flax, dry roasted peanuts, almond milk, sauces, etc. I typically get some mixture of these or maybe some other goods if they are on sale. I like to buy in bulk. Largest container of everything. When in desperate times I literally survive on rice, broccoli, carrots, and lentils lol.

When I splurge it's on spinach, strawberries, cherries, bok choy, pineapple, etc.

Carbonfiberboy 

It's difficult to figure exactly how much one spends on food and how much on non-food grocery items. We don't go through our receipts and tot up the food total. However for the 2 of us, we spend about $350/month for everything. We eat a natural foods diet, eschewing mammal and dinosaur meat. We buy most of our food from our local co-op grocery, much of it in bulk. A bottle of whiskey lasts us over a year, so that helps.

vsudhir18

aim to keep it under $50 lol

FXjohn

Wow, panoramic pixel and carbonfiberboy, you guys eat like monks. Props, does it help with your speed?

Rollfast

We're all going to die, and probably broke. There. I've said it again - B. Vinton

Rollfast

if you mow lawns you make money and can dine on the clippings?

PanoramicPixel

I find eating healthier makes me feel better. Feeling better makes me perform best on the bike. I honestly don't know If I follow the best nutrition for a cyclist, but it's cheap and generally healthy. I'm working more on my endurance right now. Not speed so much . Don't be fooled though I have my days of vegan pizza and cookies. I baked cupcakes for my coworkers the other day

southpier

I just quoted the parts of this to save some typing. folks think nothing of spending 12$ for a hamburger at lunch, but look at me like i'm crazy for eating 3$ worth of blueberries & yogurt. muffins; gotta have at least 2 per week. I've been cast glances buying 6 oranges for $1.99 @ pound by the same people who're getting 2 liter soda and hydrox cookies.

whattayagonnado?

Rowan

Sorry, you've lost me on this one. What do you mean? Alligator?

JagR

+1 lost me too