Food Experiment: Can I Save Money on ‘Healthy’ Foods?

Posted on | July 29, 2010 | 4 Comments

I am embarking on an exciting, new experiment based off of reader comments I received on my article “Cutting Down Your Grocery Bill By Playing the Grocery Game”. Each week several new coupon circulars come out in the Sunday papers, and I match these up to sales at different stores to get the most bang for my buck. And this approach has worked quite well for Paul and I; we now only shop for groceries once every other week, and our bill has been sliced in half from $300 per month to $160 per month. However, what my readers want to know is: can you buy healthy, fresh food and save money at the same time? Or are these two concepts mutually exclusive of one another?

When I sat down to think about the terms of this experiment, one of the interesting and challenging part was to define healthy food. Due to marketing, varying perspectives, and even government definitions (organic vs. natural vs. fresh, etc.), there are many options that can be considered healthy:

  • fresh
  • natural
  • organic
  • free-range/ cage-free
  • farmer’s markets
  • sustainable practices
  • following the food pyramid
  • enriched with vitamins and minerals (which some people suggest is possible by eating variously colored foods)
  • non-GMO (genetically modified organism)
  • HFCS-free (high fructose corn syrup)
  • non-imported/imported/local
  • minimally processed
  • preservative-free
  • IP (Identity Preserved)

Some of these terms are a bit loosely defined; the government clearly defines organic, companies who market “natural” on their products have very little regulations under the US Government. Even though this labeling convinces the consumer that the product they are buying is healthier than other products, if you read the ingredient label of a food product that has “natural” on it, you may find very unnatural ingredients, such as HFCS.  Also, most of the US food stream has been taken over by GMO due to crops from a GMO farmer naturally pollinating crops from neighboring Non-GMO farmers.

With all of this information, I think it is important for me to focus on just a few in order to determine whether or not healthy food can be bought at a discount. As I mentioned in the comments section of the grocery article, I have a very sensitive stomach, and so I all ready stay away from most processed foods (especially foods containing HFCS). So I will be looking for fresh foods, lots of fruits and veggies from the farmer’s market that Paul and I shop at all ready (Froberg’s in Alvin, TX), and foods without HFCS. In addition to these standards I normally hold our food products to, I am going to particularly look for organic foods, as well as making sure I cover all of the necessary food groups. To me, these are the most important definitions of healthy food.

Now the question is: where should I shop? Whole Foods seems like the most logical, and I will be making my first shopping trip there. But Kroger’s, Randall’s, Safeway, Giant, and even Wal-Mart carry lines of organic foods now, and I am predicting that the organic foods sold at these stores will be much more affordable than at Whole Foods. As such, I will be shopping at Wal-Mart for the second half of our month’s groceries with the same food characteristics in mind (fresh, healthy, organic, no HFCS). Paul and I will continue to purchase our fruits and veggies from Froberg’s for the entire month of grocery shopping.

How will I determine success? Well, one direct measure is if I can still buy fresh, organic foods without HFCS that cover all of the food pyramid categories at under $300 per month. Three hundred dollars is the amount Paul and I were spending before I started with the world of couponing and sale shopping last year, so I figure I will have an impact on our budget as long as we stay under this number. Success can also be measured in other ways; will I feel healthier, have more energy, feel better about the choices I am making with the food I am putting into my body, and how that food is being farmed? If so, and I am still under the $300 mark, then I may very well change my habits. Will I be able to coupon and sale shop while still reaching this goal? That is another way to measure the amount of success I have.

Small Signature

Comments

4 Responses to “Food Experiment: Can I Save Money on ‘Healthy’ Foods?”

  1. Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
    July 30th, 2010 @ 3:18 pm

    God luck! I’m looking forward to seeing your results…

    [Reply]

  2. Amanda
    August 6th, 2010 @ 11:58 am

    HEB has great prices on organic foods. Buffalo Speedway has a great selection. Just don’t go when it’s crowded or you might not find a parking spot!

    [Reply]

  3. Amanda L. Grossman
    August 6th, 2010 @ 4:30 pm

    Hey Amanda!

    Thanks for the tip:). I hope you guys are well.
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..Banning the words “I Can’t Afford It”

    [Reply]

  4. connley landers
    May 19th, 2011 @ 9:57 am

    I like experiments that make you more aware of what you eat, too. As a nutritionist, I tried an experiment where I lived on two dollars a day for food for sixty days. It was mostly whole grains ( from the LDS, Mormon, cannery store) beans (from the Mexican grocery store) and fresh fruits and vegetables that I could find that averaged under fifty cents per pound. It was $ 1.87 a day for a 3500 calorie/day plan. I called it my Walden Food Plan since Thoreau’s “Simplify, simplify” was my inspiration.

    [Reply]

Leave a Reply





CommentLuv badge

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.


Previous article: «
Next article: »