“I contacted Whole Foods and suggested a bet. If I could feed my family of three for 30 days exclusively from items purchased at Whole Foods for $491.10 they would reimburse me for my food. If I didn’t make it, they’d owe me nothing. The budget worked out to $16.31 cents per day total for all three of us. In case you’re wondering, here’s what we bought for the month.”
About a month or two ago, I decided to sign up for Door to Door Organics again. I always loved the service, but when I was in the process of moving to a new city, I couldn’t use the fresh produce fast enough and ended up wasting a lot of food.
As a reminder, Door to Door Organics is a produce delivery service that partners with organic farmers to deliver fresh, seasonal, and local produce (and now other groceries) to your door.
I’ve already sung Door to Door’s praises (here and here), but let me just say that Door to Door has really stepped up their game! Now, they offer other kinds of groceries on the site (from local, organic meat to organic canned goods) along with a recipe planner and shop-by-recipe tool to really help you get your meal plan together.
Here’s what I got in my last box:
2 ea. Yams
3 ea. Yellow Onion
1 ea. Avocado
1 ea. Acorn Squash
1 ea. Green Chard bunch
3 ea. Jalapeno Peppers 4oz
3 ea. Pink Lady Apples
1 ea. Carrot bunch with tops
4 ea. Russet Potatoes
Extras I added (everything except the fish is from a local Michigan farm. All the beef is grass-fed):
0.47 lb Graham’s Organics - Beef New York Strip Steak
2.77 lb Graham’s Organics - Beef Chuck Roast
1 lb. Graham’s Organics - Ground Pork
1 ea. Graham’s Organics - Pork Bratwurst
1 lb. Graham’s Organics - Smoked Bacon
2 8 oz Alaskan Coho Salmon Fillet, 8 oz
My total was around $85, which is a lot, but more than reasonable for this amount of organic food! The produce alone would have been $23.
If you live in Kansas City, Colorado, Chicago, or Michigan, you should try Door to Door. You can sign up for one box — the smallest box, the Bitty, is $23 — and if you hate it, cancel your account. But you won’t hate it. Here’s why:
I really have no complaints about Door to Door. They’re a fabulous company that only keeps improving their service. And because I know some of you are wondering, I’ve never received any free product or compensation from them (besides the discount I’ve received from referring other people — but anyone can get that!).
Though I think local farmers’ markets are the ideal when it comes to local, organic produce, sometimes you just can’t get to one for whatever reason. If that’s the case, definitely give Door to Door a chance.
For today’s post, meet YN contributor Blair T.! She’s a 21-year-old student and writer who loves to cook (and write about) healthy food. She spent last summer as an intern on an organic farm, learning and teaching kids all about growing healthy, delicious, and sustainable produce.
I know it’s probably getting hard to keep track of all the new contributors, so my AMAZINGSUPERGENIUS designer/developer Jona is working on a new section for the blog that will showcase everyone!
In her first post, Blair talks farmers’ markets — a place everyone should get familiar with if they’re lucky enough to have access to one. Read on to hear Blair’s tips and favorite things to buy at her local market.
I wanted to share this article from Mark’s Daily Apple because I think it’s crucial for anyone who’s ever believed they couldn’t eat healthy because it’s “too expensive.” In reality, Americans a smaller percentage of their income on groceries than ANY OTHER COUNTRY. Why isn’t buying quality food a bigger financial priority for us?
From the article:
As many experts and commentators have noted over the years, Americans as a whole actually spend less on food than any other country when it comes to percentage of income. In the U.S., our average food expenses constitute about 9-12% of our income. In 1949, it was 22%.
By contrast, much of Western Europe today devotes 14-17%+ of their total household budget to food. In Pakistan, families spend an average of 46% of their income on food.
On top of this, there’s the breakdown of food spent for “at-home” consumption (i.e. groceries) versus “away” (i.e. restaurants, fast food). Of the roughly 10% of income Americans spend on food, more than 40% is spent eating out (PDF). (In Belgium, for example, that number is 25%.) That means a mere 6% of our income is spent on the weekly supermarket/farmers’ market haul. When you look at it this way, we see that average at-home food costs are roughly equal to average health care costs, utilities, entertainment costs, and vehicle purchases costs. That’s not combined, folks.
A few more facts? (PDF) The groups that spend the most on food per person are the most affluent households, one-person households, and older households (55-64). (Probably no surprises there.) Among the groups that spend the least are households headed by single mothers. Larger households and those with kids spend less per person, and smaller households spend more eating out. Northeasterns and Westerners spend more on food (both total food expenditure and eating out costs) than Midwesterners and considerably more (especially in terms of at-home food) than Southerners. Affluent homes devote a lower percentage of their (more substantial) income on at-home food but a higher percentage on eating out than lower income and middle income homes.
More income, however, doesn’t necessarily translate into better food purchased. Although the amount spent on items like eggs, pork, and vegetables rose in higher income homes in Belgium, for example, in the U.S. the items prioritized with increased income were fish, cheese, and sweets. In another international comparison, higher incomes in the U.S. were associated with a higher percentage of the budget spent eating out, whereas “away” food expenses stayed fairly level as income rose in Belgian households. (PDF)
How big a priority is food/groceries in your budget?
Real food, fitness, and health advice for real people who love food and don't want to spend hours in the gym.
Email questions, comments, or suggestions to leah@yourhealthista.com.
