Thank you for including numbers. I'm so sick of articles that claim that eating healthy has to be expensive. I can buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes for $4. A 5 pound bag of carrots for $3. A package of chicken parts at $2 a pound. 5 heads of romaine lettuce for $4. Butter/oil/spices that last more than a month - another $10. That right there is a whole week's worth of food for ~$25, which someone could easily spend on a few fast food "meals." Other options like rice + curry or rice/beans/tortillas+ veggies are even cheaper. And I live in Los Angeles, not a place especially known for its low cost of living. I simply refuse to not eat real food. I buy food from the outer aisles of a grocery store, that's my huge secret.
Other people will say it's TIME. What else do I have to do with my time that is more important that I'm so busy I can't stick a pan of meat & vegetables in the oven and rinse a head of lettuce and chop it up? I spend ~30 minutes cooking dinner, and that's at a leisurely pace. It would take me at least that long to drive to a fast food place, wait in line, and come back home. If the average person is watching 4 hours of TV a day, surely they can spare half an hour to make themselves real food.
I suppose I was lucky that I was raised by poor Depression-Era parents who knew how to stretch a dollar - but this is not rocket science. I'm no chef. My meals are not exciting or hyperpalatable - just simple healthy food.
I agree so wholeheartedly with you, Kim. We do the same as you do - but before I wrote this, I never thought to price out supposedly "cheap" alternatives like Kraft Mac & Cheese. Other prepared foods cost far, far more per pound, and fast food is more expensive every day. Not only is it more affordable, our health is much better. It's planting the seed in people's minds and then allowing them to make their own choices. I think the COVID crisis caused a lot of harm to fast food joints, and it's also caused disruption in the junk food factories and supply chains. So behind every problem - a potential solution for everyone.
Thank you for including numbers. I'm so sick of articles that claim that eating healthy has to be expensive. I can buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes for $4. A 5 pound bag of carrots for $3. A package of chicken parts at $2 a pound. 5 heads of romaine lettuce for $4. Butter/oil/spices that last more than a month - another $10. That right there is a whole week's worth of food for ~$25, which someone could easily spend on a few fast food "meals." Other options like rice + curry or rice/beans/tortillas+ veggies are even cheaper. And I live in Los Angeles, not a place especially known for its low cost of living. I simply refuse to not eat real food. I buy food from the outer aisles of a grocery store, that's my huge secret.
Other people will say it's TIME. What else do I have to do with my time that is more important that I'm so busy I can't stick a pan of meat & vegetables in the oven and rinse a head of lettuce and chop it up? I spend ~30 minutes cooking dinner, and that's at a leisurely pace. It would take me at least that long to drive to a fast food place, wait in line, and come back home. If the average person is watching 4 hours of TV a day, surely they can spare half an hour to make themselves real food.
I suppose I was lucky that I was raised by poor Depression-Era parents who knew how to stretch a dollar - but this is not rocket science. I'm no chef. My meals are not exciting or hyperpalatable - just simple healthy food.
Live Well and Prosper.
I agree so wholeheartedly with you, Kim. We do the same as you do - but before I wrote this, I never thought to price out supposedly "cheap" alternatives like Kraft Mac & Cheese. Other prepared foods cost far, far more per pound, and fast food is more expensive every day. Not only is it more affordable, our health is much better. It's planting the seed in people's minds and then allowing them to make their own choices. I think the COVID crisis caused a lot of harm to fast food joints, and it's also caused disruption in the junk food factories and supply chains. So behind every problem - a potential solution for everyone.