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I own my car free and clear. I have the cheapest cable. I live in a very cheap, probably too small apartment. I dont spend money frivolously. Me and DH havent bought any unnecessary clothing in a few years. My son gets most of his clothes from Goodwill or gifts. I strive for frugality.
I spend 400 or more a month on food. You know why? Because food is important. Dietary considerations are important. I dont eat dairy. But I pay 3.50 for a half gallon of almond milk because my son needs the calcium and vitamin D and its an excellent source, and he likes it. I am buying a 1/6 share of an organic grassfed cow for $300 this fall, because 4.99 a lb for 60 lbs of organic grassfed beef is an excellent price and is better for my family. I spend 100 or more a month for produce from my local produce market because its better for my family. We eat no grains, rice, legumes, because they arent good for me.
Before we changed our diet we spend less money on food and weighed more. We ate fatty cuts of meat, to much pasta and rice. Im frugal so I have more money to spend in other areas of my life.
Agreed, I have similar priorities.. there are better places to cut back than food (which should only be cut back if dire.)
I find that bulk foods such as grains (oat, wheat, spelt, amaranth, quinoa, millet, etc), rice, beans, lentils, split peas, pasta, etc, bought in large 5-gal buckets saves tons of money. A big part of my diet consists of these sorts of foods and luckily they tend to be the cheapest. Bulk foods in general (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, etc) saves lots of cash. Plus if you've never tasted home-baked bread made from home-ground wheat... you're missing out. Yum.
These sorts of foods, consumed in reasonable quantities are not going to lead to obesity.
It depends on who you are.
If I eat ANY starchy carbs I gain weight, continually. Each body is different and mine does well on protein, veggies and some dairy and fruit. The more protein the better for my body (even thoguh I could take it or leave it). It's definitely more expensive to eat this way but the alternative for me is obesity.
PS all of the foods you mention above are high glycemic (even the beans have a high glycemic load). You are lucky you can eat like that and stay slim, I'd LOVE to be able to do that.
If I eat ANY starchy carbs I gain weight, continually. Each body is different and mine does well on protein, veggies and some dairy and fruit. The more protein the better for my body (even thoguh I could take it or leave it). It's definitely more expensive to eat this way but the alternative for me is obesity.
PS all of the foods you mention above are high glycemic (even the beans have a high glycemic load). You are lucky you can eat like that and stay slim, I'd LOVE to be able to do that.
Barring some medical condition (such as gluten intolerance or allergy), I'm not so sure I agree with you completely on this. I do agree that different foods affect each body differently. But, let's say you eat one bowl of rice per day. Nothing else. You're telling me that you are still going to gain weight? I'd love to do this; I'd save all kinds of money. I'd do a half a bowl of rice per day and call it good. But that is not how it works.
It's a function of calories. If your calorie intake is exceeding your body's caloric needs, you are going to gain weight, no matter what kind of food you are eating. That aspect is not strictly a function of what sorts of foods you eat (yes, I realize that the types of foods you eat have other health implications). It would be very unhealthy, but if you had one bowl of ice cream and a slice of cake each day--and that was all the food you ate--you would lose weight.
I've actually done something similar (and foolish) to this. When I was in my early twenties, I was a little pudgy. I was up to around 160 lbs. What I did to lose weight is certainly not healthy, but I was young and dumb. I ate one hamburger per day (I was in Japan at the time--maybe their hamburgers are special ) and that was it, other than drinking water. After some weeks, I weighed 135 lbs.
I'm of the opinion that people tend to make things way too complicated. If I start gaining weight, I simply eat less of the foods I eat. I don't change what I eat. I'll admit that I do run 7 miles or more per day. That allows me to eat pretty much whatever I want, as long as I don't eat too much of it. But if I didn't exercise, I'd simply lower my intake of the same foods I eat right now. I actually do this each winter, as the snow prevents daily jogging around here.
I think, in the end, we all simply try to justify eating the types of foods we prefer. I'm going to eat what I prefer to eat. I'm basically a grains person--oats, rice, freshly ground wheat (for baked breads, flatbreads, and tortillas), spelt, millet, quinoa, amaranth, barley, tef, sorghum, rye, etc. I also like corn, beans, and dairy products. Don't care for most fruits all that much and I like only certain types of vegetables, such as potatoes. Other people hate what I like. They are into greens, fruits, etc. I would sooner slit my throat than live on that kind of stuff. Then we have folks who are big on meat. I can take or leave meat. And all of us like to go out of our way to "sell" our diets to other people. I'm guilty as well. In the end, rather than torturing ourselves by eating things we hate because somebody else told us we should eat more of this or that, we should learn to properly portion the types of foods we do like. Because, sooner or later, you are going to go back to the types of foods your body craves. It's happened to me enough times that I finally decided it was futile. My thought on the matter is to just learn how to eat what you are drawn to wisely.
I spend 400 or more a month on food. You know why? Because food is important.
Yes, food is important, but purchasing luxury food items is not important and many meats are by any measure a luxury food item.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave5150
I am buying a 1/6 share of an organic grassfed cow for $300 this fall, because 4.99 a lb for 60 lbs of organic grassfed beef is an excellent price and is better for my family.
And yet $5.00/lb is dramatically more than a plant-based protein source like legumes which is actually healthier due to its lower fat and fiber content.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave5150
Im frugal so I have more money to spend in other areas of my life.
How is this being frugal? You are just cutting costs in some areas and spending more in others. Isn't that what every does? That is, everyone spends money on what they value and cuts on what they don't. Is the guy that spends his money on BWMs, fancy cloths instead of grass feed beef, etc less frugal?
Yes, food is important, but purchasing luxury food items is not important and many meats are by any measure a luxury food item.
And yet $5.00/lb is dramatically more than a plant-based protein source like legumes which is actually healthier due to its lower fat and fiber content.
How is this being frugal? You are just cutting costs in some areas and spending more in others. Isn't that what every does? That is, everyone spends money on what they value and cuts on what they don't. Is the guy that spends his money on BWMs, fancy cloths instead of grass feed beef, etc less frugal?
What's the car payment on the BMW? Is it more than $400/mo (the amount Dave spends on food a month)? Frugality means cutting one's net costs while tending to one's priorities. If you can lower budget and still buy BMWs, fancy clothes, and/or grass fed beef, more power to you. There's more than 1 way to skin a cat.
First, I don't think meat an dairy are THAT expensive. Yes, it's more expensive than junk food on per calorie basis, but it's not a budget breaker.
You can buy boneless chicken breast for $2/lb, that's not a bad price.
Meat and dairy are typically the most expensive items in a persons shopping cart. Yes, chicken is one of the cheapest, but its still a lot higher than plant-based protein sources and its not typically what people are buying. But one can still save a lot by switching to chicken instead of beef, pork and fish.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JazzJackRabbit
then an overweight person wishing to save money on food would have two choices: 1) cut on more expensive stuff like meat and dairy, or 2) eat less food in general since they're clearly eating too much because they are overweight. Between these two choices,
These aren't mutual exclusive and my point here is that someone should do both if they are interested in being "frugal". Namely, 1.) people should remove expensive foods from their diet, in particular most meat/dairy, 2.) people should reduce their caloric intake and maintain a low BMI regardless of their particular food choices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JazzJackRabbit
Food should not only be about price, it should also be about one's health, and I don't think cutting meat and dairy is healthy.
Not only is cutting out meat and dairy perfectly healthy, most studies show that it is healthier than the alternative.
But to say it again, I'm not trying to advocate veganism here, rather pointing out that a lot of supposedly frugal people are spending a lot of money on luxury foods that are by no means necessary for their overall health. Indeed, in some cases (e.g., beef) its negatively effecting their health.
What exactly does that mean? So if I spend $150,000/year and cut my costs to $130,000/year am I now frugal? What is the cost cutting relative to?
Everyone tends to their priorities, I'm not sure why that would be an essential aspect of frugality.
Exactly as what you said. Frugality is relative. Cutting from $150K to $130K a year is frugality. Same with going from $15000 to $13000/yr. Doesn't matter how you get there although most people will prefer to cut more on the things that don't matter to them much.
And all of us like to go out of our way to "sell" our diets to other people. I'm guilty as well. In the end, rather than torturing ourselves by eating things we hate because somebody else told us we should eat more of this or that, we should learn to properly portion the types of foods we do like. Because, sooner or later, you are going to go back to the types of foods your body craves. It's happened to me enough times that I finally decided it was futile. My thought on the matter is to just learn how to eat what you are drawn to wisely.
Diet isn't relative, everyone's body works pretty much the same. The fact that people have different food preferences is largely related to the sorts of foods they have acculturated themselves to, hence changing your diet is just a matter of changing dietary habits. Of course, it can take awhile to break old habits so most people end up sticking with what they're use to. Hence, this is more or less a psychological/cultural issue rather than a biological one.
70% of the country is overweight....I think its time people stop trying to sell what they wish to eat and start thinking about what they should eat.
Exactly as what you said. Frugality is relative. Cutting from $150K to $130K a year is frugality.
Okay, but relative to what exactly? Your previous years spending? Last months? Last decades? What exactly? So suppose after cutting down to $130,000, the next year I spend $135,000. Am I no longer frugal? Is the baseline the $150,000 or the $130,000?
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) and that was it, other than drinking water. After some weeks, I weighed 135 lbs. 
