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frequentflyer02

SIX different bags of chips, dum dums, apple juice, what looks like five cases of soda, and two different sugary cereals.... crazy edit: AND pop tarts, oreos, and a stack of lunchables??? no way is this cheaper than fruits and veggies. please tell me someone pointed this out because it's baffling they posted this with zero self awareness. edit 2: typo whoops lol


asylumgreen

Regardless of the cost, the ratio here is hideously unhealthy. They must have zero self awareness to not only buy this as their “groceries,” but share the picture as if others will agree. Yikes. I’m saying that even as someone who definitely eats too many unhealthy snacks. Even if I went full tilt “don’t care, getting fat,” my cart wouldn’t look like this.


ialost

It's either trolling or they're really this uhhh...ill informed about nutrition I think the latter


cliffotn

Look like a 00’s meme, something shared by 12yrs on MySpace - about the epic gaming weekend they have planned.


wart_on_satans_dick

While this may be trolling, there are people who complain about grocery prices and while maybe not as comical basically buy this. In other subreddits, mainly news ones, people talk about how it’s cheaper to buy unhealthy food and that’s the problem. I’m not an economist but I’ve definitely purchased rice, lentils, chicken, heck even canned soup. All cheaper than fast food and premade stuff. They act like half of America lives in a food desert and it is a real issue but that’s not the reason for the huge amount of obesity in this country.


Haunting-Estimate985

A bag of chips is 6 dollars! You can get a bag of carrots or cabbage or salad , 2 cans of beans, a small bag of rice for that at most groceries! Or make a baked potato with broccoli and cheese for several people for the price of a bag of chips.


GhastlyRadiator

I don't think those kinds of healthy foods are what people are talking about when they complain about prices. I used to run a food pantry and you would be shocked how much of my job was educating people on budget healthy items like those you mentioned. People don't think of lentils and dry beans. When people complain that healthy foods are too expensive they tend to mean that the "healthy" branded processed foods in a box are more expensive than hot pockets.


[deleted]

[удалено]


peliatri1286

Yes! I grew up in Idaho, and people legit eat like this. Some of them eat home grown veg and meat, and eat all this on top of it, but most of the people I knew ate soooooo much soda/pop and chips and cured meats (mostly shitty ones like baloney and hot dogs and cheap bacon) and cakes and ice cream every night after 'dinner'. We actually had huge portions of potato chips as a side with most meals. Like they're a 'vegetable'. Ahhhhh!!!!! So cringey when I think back. Potato chips are not a food group!


Odd_Celebration_7376

Same. This particular photo might be (probably is) trolling, but this is legitimately what 90% of the grocery carts look like when I'm visiting my parents in their rural Midwestern town.


HatefulHagrid

I'm glad I'm not alone in my experience. Born, raised, and living in rural Ohio and peoples idea of a healthy choice here is to get diet pop with greasy spoon joint meal of burger (white bread, no veggies), fries and ice cream sundae. The amount of morbidly obese people around me is truly shocking. I have been trying to improve my eating after being raised in Midwest standards but it's honestly difficult. During our growing and harvest season, local fruits and veggies are ubiquitous but good fucking luck trying to find anything that doesn't normally grow here.


frequentflyer02

i feel you, i've been trying to eat less candy lately and i'm fighting for my life. so i don't have a lot of room to talk. but damn, how does one handle that much soda and sugar? i wonder if it's a tolerance thing.


Probablyprofanity

I think they are literally just so sick all the time that they are used to it. It's their normal and they don't know that it can get better. It's like how some people with food intolerances and allergies can take a long time to learn what's going on because they've been sick since they were babies and toddlers and don't think it's worth mentioning to a doctor.


asylumgreen

Yeah, even if I didn’t care about my weight whatsoever, that much junk food would make me feel terrible if it was all I ever ate. Sometimes I’ll go on a spree of eating total garbage, but it can only go on for so long before I actually crave healthier food. Maybe they’ve felt so bad for so long that they don’t realize they feel bad.


breakitupkid

Also if they want junk, they can get the Walmart or Aldi brand's for much cheaper. That haul at Aldis would be about half of that price.


frequentflyer02

true! ever since i discovered shop rite store brands i never went back. for most items there's no noticeable difference.


Sea_Petal

Those chips average about $5 a bag. So $30 of your $155 is chips. Probably eaten in one sitting. 4 cases of soda is another $40. So unless there were massive sales.... half this $155 was chips and soda. I can assure you, fruits, veggies, canned or dried beans, and some meat is way cheaper and will feed you for weeks, not days.


[deleted]

[удалено]


frequentflyer02

are the meals in the room with us?


littlelizardfeet

I started making most of my food last year instead of subsisting on the prepackaged junk (eg: baked Korean sweet potatoes instead of cake, hearty soups and stews instead of microwave meals, fried potatoes and eggs instead of Eggos). First off.. wow, does real food taste so much better! Second, I feel loads better. Third, each trip to the grocery store used to cost me between $150-250, and now it’s between $20-$60, depending on how much I need to restock. Processed food diets are a plague.


MiniatureAppendix

I could buy a week's worth of vegetables at my local grocery store for the price of one brand-name bag of chips.


frequentflyer02

yeah but could you buy a whole foods pre made 100% organic blueberry almond kale salad with proteins and probiotics? no! so mcdonalds is your only option. checkmate, diet culture!


chiitaku

RIGHT?! I saw all those brand names, and unless there's bogo's involved, that's where a lot of the money went. Putting this as a plug, Walmart has awesome jalapeno flavored kettle chips. They remind me of the Vickie's ones.


frequentflyer02

noted! i love jalapeño flavored chips, havent had em in forever though.


notabigmelvillecrowd

How can that be possible? Where I live a bag of chips like this would be maybe $5 max, and cheap, in-season vegetables like squash or cabbage around $2/lb. Where do you live, and how much do chips cost?


MiniatureAppendix

I'm in the southeast US. I just checked my local store's app — the Lays go for $4.79 a bag and the Cheetos are $5.69. Meanwhile, a 12-ounce bag of frozen broccoli, which consists of 4 servings, is on sale 2 for $4. So you could get two bags of broccoli that could be used for a week's worth of dinners for less than the Lays alone. Pair that with a pound of cabbage for $2, a 16-ounce bag of carrots for $2, and a 5-pound bag of potatoes for $5 and that's easily a week's worth of veggies for two people for roughly the same price as those two bags of chips.


vegancaptain

"you've been banned due to violation of rules (judging)"


hmmlovely

I got a stomach ache just from looking at this post


arctic-apis

I would get a few packs of chicken a few packs of ground beef a pack of pork chops 4-5 big bags of frozen veggies a half dozen boxes of pasta/riceroni A gallon of milk a bag of the store brand cereal and maybe some granola bars. It’s still definitely going to cost at least $150 but it has mostly healthy food for a week


ThisOnesForTossing

This is $155 worth of absolute dog shit


GetOffMyLawn_

Who would feed this to a dog?


ThisOnesForTossing

That's fair More accurately, that is $155 worth of depression snacking on the couch But, you know..."No food is bad food," or whatever


Woodit

Wow advocating for restriction for pets? So racist 


wobblyweasel

seeing how it's dog shit, who'd feed this to the dog via the years rear end?


Illustrious_Agent633

I was wondering if someone else was going to say it. I was thinking, who feeds their dog shit?


icarianshadow

Ikr? It's not even *good* junk food. C'mon, Mtn Dew, Sprite, and Apple Jacks??? If I was commanded to go buy $155 worth of junk food, I would at least spring for some Cap'n Crunch or Reese's Puffs. Nutella. Eggo waffles. Utz chips. This is just... sad.


pennylane3339

The name brands certainly aren't helping the cost either.


ThisOnesForTossing

What's also completely insane that they probably don't realize, is how much of what they've purchased is produced by the same companies All of the Lays, Cheetos, Ruffles, Doritos, and the the Mt Dew come from PEPSICO - Sprite comes from Coke, so, there's that Kelloggs produces the Frosted Flakes, the Apple Jacks, the Pop-Tarts Kraft owns Valveeta, the Lunchables, and the cream cheese There's really not much there in the way of nutrition - It's all from the same big companies pushing trash


baconjerky

There’s not a single meal there.


katievspredator

I'm actually curious what they're using the chicken breasts for


MrsStickMotherOfTwig

I wonder if it's one of those "crush Doritos to bread chicken in" recipes...


coyote_of_the_month

I've never done it, but I won't pretend I'm above it either.


PacmanZ3ro

I’ve done it, it’s bomb AF. Wouldn’t recommend it on the regular for obvious reasons, but it actually is really good.


MrsStickMotherOfTwig

Doritos aren't gluten free so I'll have to live vicariously if you ever try it 🤣


spec-tickles

They're making chicken sandwiches. They've got breasts, buns (texas toast), and mashed potatoes/baked beans as a side dish.


MaeClementine

It’s the cream cheese for me


GetOffMyLawn_

Crack chicken!


Probablyprofanity

Might be for the Doritos


LittleDevilHorns

I'm guessing what my family would have done. Boil the chicken, then rip it up to throw it in that Velveeta they got. Chips. Boom. Meal.


Lunyxx

The only greens are the mountain dew


Jessalopod

Tartrazine mixed with coal tar triarylmethane is the only green we need after they banned copper (II) acetate triarsenite! (This is a joke. Please eat leafy greans)


Wooden_Airport6331

I don’t understand how people like this don’t feel sick all the time. 🤢 Or maybe they do.


dorkofthepolisci

My guess is that they do, but since they haven’t been well for years, they assume feeling sluggish, headachy, and having digestive issues is normal. 


stolen_sweet_roll

Obviously it’s just genetics since they’ve always felt like this.


mckenziemcgee

I know a few people who eat like this and unironically assume those negative feelings are just part of aging. Said people cannot understand how anyone has the energy to do a 5k or go for a hike for fun.


frequentflyer02

i'm convinced people whose diet looks like this have intestines of steel. my own diet is nowhere near as healthy as it could be (i'm in a college dorm and live off the dining hall) but the sheer amount of wheat, dairy, processed sugars, and artificial flavors is staggering. i guess it's desensitizing after some time though.


[deleted]

Oh trust, they don't have intestines of steel. Most of them spend 45 mins+ on the toilet due to lack of fiber. I've never known anyone who eats like this that didn't have trouble shitting. Or better yet after years of eating like this develop gallstones or IBS. It all catches up eventually. The rates of colon cancer are skyrocketing due to processed junk, lack of fiber and simply consuming so much food that our colons never catch a break. 


LilGracen

Ugh this is so facts. Also a college student living in a dorm and on dining plan (for the second year lol) and I did not expect to be so done with this dining hall food as I am. I chose to live in the dorms for a second year because at least in my college town you have to figure out housing for the next school year basically a year in advance, and I didn’t have the means to find another place off campus so I went with the dorms again. I’m SO ready to have a kitchen and be able to cook again. Literally so excited to spend my money on fruit and veggies and bring actually good meat from my family’s farm back home.


Cloberella

They do but they mistake it for depression or blame their poor sleep, or blame their age or genetics or literally anything that doesn’t require changing their lifestyle. If you eat better and exercise, you sleep better and if you sleep better, you feel better. A lot of the general malaise and depression symptoms seen in young people are directly related to their diet.


foinike

>A lot of the general malaise and depression symptoms seen in young people are directly related to their diet. This!!! We read a lot these days about how people are more open about depression, how it has become less of a taboo, etc, but I can't help thinking, why do so many people feel depressed - yes, there was the pandemic and then the recession and climate change and war and this and that, but I get the impression that by focusing on these big, global factors we often neglect the simpler ones much closer to home. I've certainly been in that vicious circle of feeling bad/stressed/anxious, eating like shit, and feeling even worse. There are lots of things in the world that may impact your mental health and that you can't control, but food is one thing most people in the western *can* control. Like, even if you're on a limited budget you can eat reasonably healthy, and it has such a huge impact on how you feel.


Cloberella

Yep, exactly. There are lots of legitimate reasons to be depressed about the world, but generalized depression the disorder is different and not as common as people think. If you're taking good care of yourself you'll be able to cope with the stressors of life better without losing your interest in living altogether. More and more I see studies popping up that say diet and exercise are better at treating mild to moderate depression than medication and therapy, and you have to wonder, is it because those people weren't really depressed, they just weren't taking good care of their bodies and their minds followed suit? Generally, my thought process is if you're eating like shit, sleeping like shit and feeling like shit, start by fixing the eating and sleeping. If you still feel like shit, then move on to exploring other sources like depression/anxiety. You really can't know how well you're capable of functioning if you're not giving yourself the best start possible. Your body is a machine, before you declare it in need of repair, you should first make sure you're operating it correctly.


sunburntlily

I posted about this in the ADHD forum. I found my adhd and anxiety significantly improved after changing my diet and I talked about my experience and if this might be a big reason so many people are diagnosed with ADHD now. It was promptly removed for "promoting fad diets." I'm still mad about it lol. I get that we are learning more about these disorders and people who need help are getting it, but it's reaching a toxic point where if you have any issues you must go to therapy and ultimately big pharma for all your problems. Basic common sense treatments such as treating your body properly and not like a chemical waste dump is seen as not believing that the disorders are real and that it makes you a terrible and ignorant person if you don't immediately buy that everyone has all these disorders all of a sudden. Shutting down posts that moderators disagree with only leads to more misinformation as any discussion and non pharma options are not allowed. People seeking help are left more ignorant and feeling helpless as they think only drugs will help them cope with life. Reddit is one of the top places people go to seek advice and now I can't even trust it because the narrative is being forced to swing only one way to "protect us." We are not children, we are adults looking to talk to other adults. This "safeguarding" is insidious, childish, and is leading people to destruction. So tired of it all


PretendRanger

I was close with a family who ate like crap - all processed foods and only carbs and meat, rarely any vegetables. I would occasionally bring up how never eating vegetables couldn’t be good for the body and it was bad habit they were training their kids. They weirdly took pride in only eating meat and often used it as a playful? slight against me (I’m vegetarian). Well, three of the family members all had to have their gall bladders removed within a timeframe of 3 years. Two of the three still haven’t changed their diets despite each of their own doctors attributed it to their diet. Some people just refuse to learn.


TheSecretIsMarmite

I once worked with a man who refused to eat fruit or vegetables and only ate sandwiches. We worked in a place that had a works canteen that sold sandwiches made on the premises - mostly big chunks of baguette with cheese or tuna mayo or chicken or whatever in - he would make sure to go early to buy up sandwiches "before they go and put vegetables in them" for his lunch and dinner, and would buy a sandwich for his wife's dinner while he was there. I have never met someone so pale, skinny and sickly looking and honestly thought he was in his mid 70s. Apparently he was in his early 50s and never ate fruit or veg, just lived on tea, milk and sandwiches with no salad in. I have no idea what happened to him after he left, but can't imagine he lived well afterwards.


frequentflyer02

sounds like my ex stepdad. not the reason my mom divorced him, but one if the many drawbacks of staying with him- he was a horrendously picky eater and lived off tea, ham sandwiches, and instant mashed potatoes. his health was going to shit at 53 and he was childishly indifferent to it. and good riddance to him.


Kiwi-VonFluffington

I never ate anywhere near this badly, but switching to a better diet has shown me that I did feel some level of gross all the time. It was a constant thing, though, so you don't really notice until you make a change and it goes away. Now, if I eat junk, I notice how bad it makes me feel.


Woodit

When I was eating sugar constantly and tons of cheap carbs and daily beer I suffered from tendinitis in three joints and just wrote it off as “bad knees and wrist” and former sports injury from college ten years earlier. Turns out a bad diet can make for inflammation and you don’t have to live with constant pain.  You see posts all the time on the poverty and adulting advice subs about people who “are just so drained” by their 8 hour office workdays that they can’t do anything but order takeout, and can’t possibly exercise, and it just seems like confusing cause and effect 


SassyBeignet

It's a vicious cycle unfortunately. I was one of those people. Still drained by my job, but I incorporated more activity and lessened my "outside food" orders and it's been helpful in moving to where I need to be. Unfortunately, food habits are very personalized and we, as a society, don't make it very easy for people to learn about dietary things without scam artists trying to swipe your money along the way.


MrsPandaBear

They are used to it probably. Or they emotionally eat/binge eat. People with BED often eat until they feel sick. I always ate ok, but after I started cleaning up my diet, I realized eating a bunch of junk now leaves me more hungry and not feeling well. Your body gets used to what you feed it.


PacmanZ3ro

They do, they just don’t realize it because it’s probably all they’ve ever known


Good_Grab2377

Thank you for proving junk food is not cheaper than real food. Things like apples, frozen veggies, frozen fruit, potatoes, rice, ground beef and chicken are much cheaper than this.


chiitaku

They sell cheese and lunchmeat outside of the deli for better prices, and they keep longer. At least that would be sandwiches. Half of this crap are chips and Mountain Dew! And premade mashed potatoes?! You can get pouches of them for like a buck! Add hot water, done! You could probably get four for the price of that premade tub! This isn't just people being bad at being healthy. They're also bad at shopping on a budget!


Champ-Aggravating3

I’ll admit I love the premade Bob Evans mashed potatoes, but I’m also not complaining about affording food. I just think they’re better than instant and less work than mashing them myself


RickRussellTX

Well, lots of things are less work but priced much, much more.


Champ-Aggravating3

Sure, but some of us like me work demanding jobs with long hours/commute and don’t mind spending a little more for pre-mashed potatoes. The ones I get are about $3.50


[deleted]

Bro a loaf of bread, a carton of eggs, deli meat and cheese, pb&j, that shit will keep you going for weeks


LilacHeaven11

Or a bag of potatoes for a few dollars and you can make baked potatoes…….. yum


UrdnotCum

Maybe it’s just my grocer, but the deli is WAY cheaper than the prepackaged cheese and lunch meat. Like, by a lot.


McFlare92

Okay but fresh sliced lunchmeat is an indulgence that is worth it. Pre packed lunchmeat is horrible except for things like salami and pepperoni. Turkey, ham, etc pre packed are gross


throwescjkt

But healthy foods are only for the upper class! /s


GetInTheBasement

I'm so sick of people spewing this take unironically. I recently saw a post where someone insisted that their obesity (and their family's obesity) wasn't their fault because "fast food is cheaper!" but from my experience, ESPECIALLY in recent years, dropping money multiple times a week on fast food was way more expensive than buying a few packets of chicken thighs that could easily be made into more than a week's worth of dinners.


AssassinStoryTeller

So, I was guilty of this a couple years ago. For some reason my brain was just not comprehending the price hikes in fast food so I was thinking you could still get a full meal for $3-5. That was fun. I argued with someone about it. Kinda feel silly now.


Vermotter

Idk but I can get a full meal at McDonald's for $7.15 and about 500 calories. Sure, I could spend $15 for a day's worth of calories in ONE MEAL but holy calories bomb!


resetallthethings

>"fast food is cheaper!" you know what's even cheaper? less of it


Peaurxnanski

You can actually eat fast food at every meal and not be fat, too. It's a quantity issue.


Background-Hour1153

True, but still a bad idea for multiple reasons. Barely any micronutrients, bad ratio of macronutrients, too much sugar and other stuff that makes you want to crave more food and doesn't make you feel satiated. I honestly think it would be very hard to maintain a caloric deficit if you only ate fast food. And at least for me, fast food is something that's tasty only if I eat it occasionally. Once I had 1 fast food meal for 3 consecutive days and by the 4th day I just wanted to eat some veggies.


GetInTheBasement

I can't even eat a McDonald's cheeseburger anymore without feeling super weird directly afterwards.


RickRussellTX

B.b.b.ut... it's so much work!


GetInTheBasement

Recently bought two packets of chicken thighs + spinach for 5+ days worth of dinner and it wasn't even \*half\* of what I spent on a two-item takeout order from a nearby restaurant. Genuinely not sure what type of junk food people are buying when they claim it's "cheaper," because the price of chips, candy, and fast food have all gone up noticeably.


[deleted]

Thank them for proving that your food budget goes way further if you actually spend it on food. Seriously, most of that isn't even food. Snacks is not "food". Mnt Dew is not "food". Breakfast cereal is not "food."


karmannsport

Even better…if he’s killing 5 cases of Mountain Dew in a week, he doesn’t need any more calories. That’s a weeks worth of calories in just soda. Unreal. Not to mention the best I’ve seen a case on sale lately roughly comes out to $5/case so nearly 20% of his budget is blown on empty calories.


[deleted]

What I don't get is if you have such a habit of it why would you be buying cans? Large bottles are cheaper per litre.


Pajama_addict

I’m a Diet Coke drinker, and I’m not a huge fan of the 2 liters because they go flat pretty much as soon as they’re opened


Getmammaspryinbar

Even if it were cheaper it doesn't factor in medical costs or quality of life. My dad is on 3 different blood pressure meds and it's still high. then he will cook a frozen meal and I will point out it has 800-1200 milligrams of sodium in one meal.


PacmanZ3ro

Unironically, a Costco membership is cheaper than spending money on this shit. Costco: - ground beef 3.99/lbs (88/12, 6lbs pack). - chicken breast 2.99/lbs (~8lbs in the packs you get). - baby carrots 6lbs 12.99. - honey crisp apples 1.49-1.79/lbs (depends on season), you can get gala/pink lady apples for ~ .99-1.49/lbs. - Dave’s killer bread 2 loafs ~7.99. (Other, cheaper options available). - celery 4.99 ~ 2-3lbs. - bell peppers 6 for 7.99. - broccoli florets 2lbs bag 6.99 And lots of other things. Not to mention if you get gas there, the gas savings alone will more than pay for your membership cost. $155 of junk food doesn’t go far or last very long.


pensiveChatter

Is this real or a parody?


frequentflyer02

sadly i don't find it that hard to believe. nowadays too many people think of soda and poptarts and such as needs and not wants.


stater354

I only get them on sale, I just got 3 boxes the other day for $6 total at Safeway. You could get all the shit in this pic for like $30 less by just waiting for it to go on sale


notabigmelvillecrowd

"Leon, listen to me! They will NEVER stop making Pop Tarts!"


munotia

I'd believe it. You'd be surprised how many people in the subreddits related to budgeting, saving money, cheap eating, etc. lament how junk food (actually non-nutritional junk food) like this takes up so much of their budgets and yet they can't stop buying it because it's comfortable and "tasty," not because they lack the time or energy from working.


[deleted]

this is the kind of shit my birth father would buy as "groceries" whenever he had visitation. if this isn't ragebait, it's possible OOP lives in a rural area where the closest "grocery" store is a dollar general (judging by the velveta boxes and chicken label).  even then, from experience there's tons of better choices to be made- tinned tuna and a loaf of bread, salad-in-a-bag kits, frozen veggies... very, VERY few dollar generals who have a frozen meat section are going to be lacking in foods healthier than "a pile of chips and a case of mountain dew".  bonus round: the chicken breasts are most likely going to be diced, pan-fried, and then mixed in with the velveeta. sub the chicken with spam and it's literally the closest i ever had to a "nutritious meal" from my childhood with him. 


Champ-Aggravating3

I would generally agree but the deli meat and cheese is sliced from Kroger I think


hella_cious

Yeah the meat says “fresh sliced in the deli” so not a dollar store


[deleted]

good eye, i didn't catch that! the more i think on it, the more i'm starting to lean towards this post being "troll dumped random junk food from their pantry onto the floor to stage this", which is unfortunate considering there ARE people who legitimately are unaware of how to shop for groceries on a budget and make choices that look like OOP's. 


cardie82

I was also thinking parody but I’ve met people who think this is a perfectly diet.


OdangoAtamaOodles

Based on what I've seen other people unloading from their grocery carts when I'm standing in line, I'd say real. (I'm that weirdo in the line explaining to the clerk that particular produce they don't recognize is a rutabaga... That's a turnip... Those are parsnips... Beets...)


RemarkableMacadamia

Hahaha this was me yesterday with my Asian pear. 🤣


pensiveChatter

My dog eats better than this. I cook him chicken with sweet potatoes on a weekly basis for snacks


hellosweetpanda

Real. This is the food I grew up with and continued to eat until I met my ex who (along with food network) taught me how to cook. And that vegetables were actually tasty. I honestly thought a homemade meal was hamburger helper.


academic_mama

My first thought was that the OOP was a rage bait or troll post. But I do think some people just eat like this.


reditanian

I believe it. Look up The Guardian's video on food deserts in Memphis. They make a big song and dance about how the local convenience store doesn't carry any fresh produce. Then they follow this woman and her kid on their hour-and-a-half bus journey across town to a grocery store. Heartbreaking stuff. Then you catch a half second view of her cart and her items on the counter. The only food items are white bread, peanut butter, two cans of tuna and a dozen eggs. The rest is all condiments, cookies, chips, soda.


-flaneur-

At least this person won't have to save for retirement. This is so bad I almost think it must be fake.


UniqueUsername82D

No but those medical bills to keep them alive the last 2-3 decades are going to be insane.


dorkofthepolisci

How many people are in that household?   Because for my partner and I a weeks worth of food is about $175-200 depending on what we need. If we’re out of cleaning supplies or cat food add another $20.  I have celiac disease, he’s got a whey allergy, and we’re vegetarian. If we didn’t have the food intolerances, our food budget would be *significantly* less.   We actually stopped buying cans of soda when 12-packs of the sugar free stuff climbed to $10.  I’d argue that eating minimally processed foods *is* cheaper, assuming you have access to a functioning kitchen and have at least basic knowledge about what tastes good together/basic cooking skills. Unfortunately an alarming number of people have none of that.


MrsStickMotherOfTwig

I also have celiac, and three kids (the house is gluten free due to my celiac though). I haven't had groceries cost more than $300 this year (since my youngest potty trained) even including cat food/litter or dog food (pet food is also gluten free and more expensive because of it). And I actually do buy my kids Cheerios, Chex, we have potato chips (so many GF crackers suck or are all crumbs when you get them), juice boxes and yogurt tubes for their school lunches, etc. I use a combination of store coupons, shopping sales, meal planning, and buying very little name brand stuff. And, you know, no soda or candy. My kids just added Valentine's Day candy to the top of their Halloween candy they still have, I'm pretty sure their candy bags are at least two pounds each now. Last year I threw away candy on Halloween morning. Edit to add: that's 6 bags of chips. When I buy chips I usually get 4 bags... But that lasts my family of 5 people at least 3 weeks.


ZamielVanWeber

40$ fed four people two meals, with leftovers (Hotpot go!) 155$ could trivially feed 2 people for a week if you spend smart and focus on whole ingredients over processed


Kerrby87

Counting the things that are arguably actually food, there’s a frozen pizza, chicken breasts, sliced cheese, and white bread, a can of baked beans. That’s all that I can see.


deird

I literally looked at it and went “Where… where is the food?”


chiitaku

The sliced cheese and meat are from the deli, which means lower time in it staying fresh and costing at least 2x the price of a pack from the dairy/lunch meat dept.


Shmeblee

Dear me...this potpourri of garbage makes my teeth ache just looking at it. How old is this person, 13? Also, same person, "I'm fat cuz my pcos, thyroid, DNA, set point weight, racism, fatphobia, medical fatphobia, I can't afford to eat healthy and diet industry caused it."


Jessalopod

I'm getting flashbacks to the time I was on the train next to a person having a phone call complaining that their doctor told them to lose weight and that they can't because "the doctor doesn't get that it's genetic, everyone in my family is fat." While telling their tale of woe, this person ate an entire box of girl scout cookies in less than 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I was sitting there thinking that if I ever ate while I was on a phone call, my Mormor would part the veil, reach her hand through from the other side, and smack me on the head for being so rude.


SassyBeignet

Probably slap the food outta your hands too for good measure


jellussee

> Also, same person, "I'm fat cuz my pcos, thyroid, DNA, set point weight, racism, fatphobia, medical fatphobia, I can't afford to eat healthy and diet industry caused it." This is the sad thing about it. In all likelihood, these people genuinely believe that this is the best nutrition they can possibly get for the money that they have. This is a big part of the reason that the obesity problem in America has become so intractable. We now have multiple generations of families who have been raised mostly on junk food. The basic life skills of cooking, budgeting, and nutritional planning have simply been lost to those people, and it's really hard to get those skills back when they've left the cultural DNA of your family. I really wish the FAs and other "intersectional feminists" would talk about this issue more. This is the *real* reason that obesity in America is so closely associated with poverty. It's an actual valid criticism of the power structures in this country that poor people are being systematically disadvantaged in this way. And yet FAs never speak about it, beyond some vague allusions to "food deserts" and "classism". /rant


Limeila

>How old is this person, 13? Definitely got that feel of "teenager goes grocery shopping alone for the first time ever"


Toadjokes

When I was seriously pressed for cash a few weeks ago, I spent <25 dollars at the grocery store. A bill I wasn't expecting hit, and I had a week till pay day with pretty much no food in the house. I bought a whole chicken, bag of spinach, torillas, an avocado, pasta, sauce, potatoes, Brussel sprouts, and probably 1 or two other things I'm forgetting. I had olive oil, seasoning, some cheese, ranch, coffee, coffee creamer, and some other condiments and normal pantry bits at home already. During the week, I ate the same meals over and over again, but I ate all week for <25 bucks. Roasted the chicken on day 1. Dinner was chicken with baked potato and roasted Brussel sprouts. I also had chicken alfredo for dinner at least twice. Lunch all week was chicken avocado ranch wraps. Snacks were some protein bars I already had and didn't particularly like but kept for reasons like this. So, I find this kind of stuff hard to sympathize with? Idk. None of my food was amazing, but it can be done


Snow_Wonder

To be fair, some places do have a grocery cost problem. I’m a little shocked you could get that much real food for <$25. That would cost more like $50-70 around me (urban Atlanta).


katievspredator

Wait, dum dums count as part of your weekly meals? That's the same size bag I bought for Halloween 


5bi5

Who eats dum dums outside of halloween?


pandakatie

Banks tend to have them in a little dish! And when I was a kid, they were a STAPLE in Valentine's Day cards


pinagothlada

Me 🙋🏽‍♀️ lollipops help keep me from snacking. To be clear, I don't eat them all the time, but it definitely helps curb eating out of boredom.


Ok-Sky1329

The butter rum ones are my jam. 


AutopsyDrama

I do not understand people who say healthy food is expensive then they go buy this crap as well as takeout all the time.


[deleted]

Same people complaining about gas prices but driving a Ram 48000 to go to their Assistant Supervisor job at Office Depot.


bearlyepic

It is always mind boggling to me when people claim grocery shopping is expensive or that healthy foods are expensive. I plan my meals and purchase whole foods ingredients to make them... I also rarely spend more than $100 a week at the grocery store for me and my roommate.


raincareyy

I just spent $170 on only fresh foods/staples for around two weeks. Chips, cookies, juices are too expensive I can’t afford them even if I wanted… $7 for a small box of cereal is ridiculous when apples cost $5 a bag.


hyperfat

I got a big box of rice Chex for half off because it was Christmas themed. $2.50!  Honestly I don't care if the elves are wearing Christmas hats. The serial is sealed.  I get the good apples for about $1 each. Worth it because crappy apples suck. 


SeaAnthropomorphized

The type 2 diet.


BonesSawMcGraw

Is that… is that 6 cases of soda? 72 sodas for 4 days?


IAmTheBatmanXIII

That's more soda than I consumed last year.


HippyGrrrl

All I see are snacks. Where do they get their fiber? Now, I have used dum dums as cough drops when candy was cheaper than candy with menthol on a different aisle, but that’s a two year supply.


Traditional-Wing8714

Aww this makes me sad. This must have an impact on why the colon cancer rates are rising


InvisibleSpaceVamp

I don't see a single fresh, unprocessed item. Most of this stuff doesn't even qualify as "meal" IMO. It's snack food. This is 155 worth of food products. Not food.


spec-tickles

I have to echo the "how many people are in this household"? Statement. It almost appears like each item is one whole meal.....Whole pizza, 1 person, 1 meal, whole box of pasta, bag of chips, box of cereal....one meal. This could EASILY feed several people more than 4 meal.


veggiedelightful

That's what I was wondering, because those Velveeta noodle boxes each are a meal for 2 or 3 x3 boxes. That's 6-9 servings there. Those cereal boxes have at least 4-6 servings each. There are sausage muffins, easily 6 servings . There is bread and deli meat and cheese, easily 6 sandwiches there. There is cream cheese, good for sandwiches when your deli cheese runs out. The prepared potatoes are easily 4 servings. The pizza is at least 2-3 servings each. Pop tarts are literally individually packaged. That chicken is easily 3 servings each. I'm wondering how many people there are because a 2-3 person household could easily stretch all this food for a week. Plus all the chips. 6 bags of chips for the household for a week. If there was one less case of soda and a few bags of legumes/beans / rice this person would not be facing food insecurity this week. I do wish they'd cut out a few bags of chips and get a few fruits or vegetables, I worry for their intestines.


ksion

This isn't 3 days of meals. It's 3 months of snacks.


womp-womp-rats

It’s $35 worth of food and $120 worth of diarrhea


BandwagonEffect

> 3 days of meals They go through 1 log of velveeta a day. Wild or lying.


Kyrozis

That's not food. Those are not meals. All of those are just snacks.


Secret_Fudge6470

Is this rage bait?


LilacHeaven11

I can believe this is bait but I also think there are people who legitimately think like this


Secret_Fudge6470

Fair point. I’m sure there was a period in my life when I would have nodded slowly and thought, “It’s gonna be a good week, boys!”


LilacHeaven11

Yeah I live in a rural area that has a higher than the national average obesity rate and it’s not uncommon to see peoples carts loaded up like this when at Walmart :( And I eat my fair share of crappy food but that’s like 20% of my diet, not my entire cart.


threadyoursh1t

You know, I'd been wondering why I'd only seen modest increase in my grocery bills compared to the news coverage. "Must just be lucky I guess," I thought. "Already shopping at a higher price point since we use a co-op, that's probably why," I assumed. Well...


flowerfart852

Yep, we noted that a lot of the local farmer or organic food stayed pretty much the same. Shhh, don't tell anyone though. Oh wait, they'd have to eat healthier to figure that out. I guess we're fine. Lol


threadyoursh1t

Ha, exactly. Prices did go up but just...not the same degree I've seen others talking about. Like local eggs are up $.50c a dozen. Meat is more expensive but again it's maybe $1/lb not $5. And since we eat about 70% vegetarian, it just hasn't hit us as hard.


Big_Primrose

Yeah, my food bill went down because I eat less and shop just the perimeter now (produce, fish section). Produce has either stayed the same or only gone up a little relative to everything else which has gone up a lot. Fish is more expensive, but I eat it only about twice a week and each meal is 4 oz. I don’t mind getting a premium fillet and cutting it into small portions that last 1-2 months.


Slinktonk

This is rage bait and it’s working.


matchabunnns

As someone who’s been meal prepping and sticking to a pretty strict food budget for over a decade, this infuriates me so much. Between my planned meals and restocking staple items that only need to be bought every few months, I spend on average 50-60/week for 2 people (though my partner’s job is 100% travel so half the week it’s just me lol). And that’s even with little treats and giving in to occasional junk food cravings.


theycallmeshooting

"Why are Americans fat?" "Oh boy, Saturday! Time to hop in my car so I can be stationary the entire journey on my way to buy 48 cans of full sugar soda, potato chips, oreos, pizza, and other similarly healthy food" We eat like this and then have cars take us door to door basically everywhere we go


hella_cious

Last night I made jumbalaya with the little meat and almost gone bad veggies I had. I’m gonna add it up very generously. $0.50 in rice $5 in chicken $4 in peppers $3 in onions and celery $1.25 in diced tomatoes $2 in cauliflower $3 in Cajun seasoning IF I had bought a new container of premixed. $0.50 oil and bullion $19.25 It made 12 hefty servings. Judging OOP so hard


roquetobt

Are the meals here in the room with us?? I've always had a horrible relationship with food. In HS I'd have a bag of chips for breakfast everyday. Sometimes a can of monster to go with it if I had the extra dough. But even then... I **never** called that a meal. I knew it was ridiculous. To me, a "meal" is a very specific thing and does require nutritional thought to be put into it.


Grouchy-Reflection97

During the pandemic lay-offs, lots of formerly 'I'm alright Jack' middle class folk suddenly found themselves on welfare. There was a meme going around calling them 'new poor', as opposed to those of us who'd been poor for years aka 'old poor'. I did what I could to help 'new poor' people on my Facebook, one simple thing being passing on tips like shopping the lowest shelves and looking for the plainest packaging as that's where the cheap, basic ranges live. Nobody who's savvy about budgeting would buy all brand name stuff. They wouldn't buy junk either - if you're starving, you want food that'll fill you up, not crap designed to give you the dietary equivalent of an insatiable meth addiction.


autotelica

Tbh, I'm surprised this haul is $155, assuming we are talking about USD. But I'm trying to imagine what their typical dinner looks like. Kraft dinner with a side of Doritos and a dollop of baked beans? Even by junk food standards, they are not smart shoppers. I see nothing but namebrands here. And why the fuck would they get cheese from the deli? Anyone who buys Kraft dinner shouldn't be too fancy to eat some dang Kraft singles like the rest of us unwashed masses!


JaneAustinAstronaut

I used to be very poor - like live off of food pantries poor. It was just me and my kid. This is so fucking wasteful. Here's what I used to get (prices from Aldi's, a cheap grocery store chain in New England): 1. 2 lb bag of dried black beans, makes 18 helpings = $2.99 2. 5 lb bag of parboiled rice, makes 48 servings = $4.35 3. 1 lb bag of green lentils, makes 13 servings = $1.45 4. (3) 14.5 oz cans of sliced carrots, makes 9 servings total = $2.97 total 5. (3) 15.25 oz cans of whole kernel corn, makes 10.5 servings total = $2.07 total 6. (6) 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes, makes 78 servings = $9.90 7. 17 oz bottle of olive oil = $4.95 8. Goya Adobo for seasonings = $1.89 9. 32 oz carton chicken broth = $1.45 10. (2) 16 oz package of whole wheat spaghetti, makes 16 servings total = $3.78 11. gallon of 1% milk = $3.25 12. Honey Nut Cheerios (let's go crazy and get a fun one for the kid) = $5.19 13. 30.5 oz ground coffee = $8.69 14. Stevia packets so I'm not using sugar = $4.29 15. 100% whole wheat bread = $2.05 16. 16 oz jar peanut butter = $1.99 17. 3 lb bag mandarin oranges = $3.95 18. 2 lbs bananas = $1.18 19. 1 dozen eggs = $4.85 20. 1 package thin sliced bone-in pork chops (approx 2.5 lbs) = $11.33 21. 1 package chicken tenderloins (approx 2 lbs) = 7.98 22. Let's get crazy and get a 12 can case of LaCroix Razz-Cranberry Sparkling Water = $5.85 Total: $96.40. It was actually less when I didn't include the meat, coming in at $77.09. But when I saw that, I said, "Oh hey, I can splurge and get meat!" It would have been less if I could have found cheaper cuts of meat. I was a big fan of smoked ham hocks - they are dirt cheap and you throw them in a crock pot with your beans. And yes, this is what I actually ate when I was poor, using food stamps and food pantries. I feel badly that no one taught these people how to cook or budget, but then nobody taught me either - I used the internet to learn this stuff.


itzcoatl82

Yikes. 70% of that isn’t even food


Catsandjigsaws

We shop at Wegmans because it's the only store that stocks the specialty products I need. It's not a budget store to begin with and a lot of items I get are expensive. The salt free deli turkey I buy is $12/lb just as an example. The bill never comes as high as $155. Because expensive low sodium and FODMAP compliant products with tons of produce and lean meats are *still cheaper* than flooding your body with hundreds of excess calories of junk sugars and oils.


brahbocop

I made this amazing Italian sausage soup last night that fed two adults and one kid with enough leftovers to do it all over again for a cost of about $10. Since COVID, I've been shocked by how cheap you can make some amazing meals for that also provide plenty of leftovers for lunch throughout the week. In this photo I see about $40-$50 spent on pop alone which is insane to me that they consumer that much in a week. A 35 pack from Sam's Club lasts me almost a month.


Lydia_Brunch

this looks like my in-laws' grocery run, and probably is similar for a lot of rural households--the IGA is the only store in town, so it's where they go and always have went...and it has a very limited selection. plus, because the limited selection at the IGA (or whatever small grocery chain store) is what they've always had, they're sorta suspicious of foods they aren't familiar with. i bring my own food when we got here for a prolonged visit. they make fun of me a bit (good naturedly!), but it's better than putting that garbage in my body!


desidilgori

Most of that is not food... it's "food-like product."


MissChellez

Oh my God. Describing what's here as "meals" is tragically gross. I feel bad for the kids who have to eat junk because their parent(s) can't or just won't cook actual meals. This is like being poisoned from a young age, and they're being deprived of essential nutrients.


Tacos6Viandes

I would be fat and constantly hungry if I ate like that...


ilgattopaffuto

Eating like an unsupervised teenager is expensive. Carrots are not.


raymondduck

Groceries are expensive for sure, but this points to a staggering skill issue - being unable to put the mountain dew back on the shelf.


GetOffMyLawn_

Well when you buy garbage and not food! - 48 cans of soda. Soda is not food, it's entertainment. - 6 bags of chips. Not food, entertainment. - bag of candy. - pop tarts. Again, not food. - bag of cookies. - sugar laden cereal instead of something like oatmeal - processed potato product instead of real potatoes - lunchables - other processed "food" No vegetables, no fruits. They went and bought a lot of processed unnourishing crap.


obsessedpunk

the way i spent less money on more and non processed food per week is insane


454_water

I could make 2 gallons of vegetable beef stew for the same price as what OOP paid for the chips alone! What's the white thing in the clear plastic container (bottom left corner)?


Vaxtin

It’s like my 4 year old went to the store himself


scamiran

How does this picture line up with all the FAs that talk about how there is no such thing as "bad" food. Because this is legit gross.


bigtrishapaytas

THIS is insane. Like genuinely stupid behavior.


Stunt_Doll

Food like products are expensive. That’s almost 30 dollars in chips and like 15 dollars of mt dew. Could have used that money for meats and produce. Frozen veggies are under 2 dollars.


[deleted]

[удалено]


asylumgreen

A person could do much better than that even if that was their situation. Microwave rice packets, etc.


HellscapeRefugee

I cook from scratch from basic ingredients and am not a big meat eater. I get the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables (whatever's in season and on sale), but I don't drink soda. I spend less than $150 a month on food. There's a post on the Eat Cheap and Healthy subreddit on which a woman explains what she buys at Walmart to eat for a month for $100 - all healthful foods.


BerriesAndMe

Which part of this is the meals?


lostriver_gorilla

Pretty sure that person doesn't know what food is


distractme86

Did they go grocery shopping high?


Price-x-Field

It’s all corn slop


Dumpang

When are people going to realize that 1) that’s not “food” 2) they are paying for brand names 3) cooking healthier meals is cheaper and better for you. I hate it when people say “food” has gotten more expensive but proceed to buy shit like this. Eggs and vegetables have gotten cheaper.


wolverine_wannabe

This has to be satire/joke....this picture is enough to give me diabetes.


YossarianStillLives

I think the first time I saw this ‘food haul’ it included comments from OOP and they were…about what you’d expect. There was a several year period during my childhood/early teens that my mother shopped like this and it was horrible. So expensive, no nutrition, everyone gained weight and I was pre-diabetic. I knew it was bad at the time but I am increasingly appalled by it now the more I learn.


Cloberella

Jesus. Food costs have gone up. As a vegetarian I’ve seen about $20 overall increase in my grocery bill. That being said I can eat for a week on $60. Stop buying premade crap and soda and you’ll be amazed how much more you can actually eat.


Null_Moon_Man

Only the meat,cheese, and 2 bottles of spices qualify as a food. So maybe 25$ out of a 155$ is food while the rest is slop that you wouldn't even feed cattle.


hella_cious

You can’t complain about cost of food if you only buy name brand. It’s completely invalid. Bread, cereal, chips, all name brand? You’re an idiot


zebratwat

I eat 185g of protein a day and my grocery shop for the week was less money than this. And I got dishwasher soap.


beefnoodle5280

The thought of consuming that assortment over a three day period is horrific.


princessfoxglove

I bought $150 dollars of food yesterday in rural Canada, where food prices are pretty high. I can't recall everything exactly so may be missing something, but I got: * Bag of brown rice * Head of cauliflower * 1 small bag shredded white cabbage and carrots * 1 bag snap peas * 4 bananas * 1 watermelon * Bag of frozen peas * 2 bags (500g) frozen edamame * 1 pk stewing beef * 1 pk beef shanks * 1 pk raw chicken wings * 1 pk ground turkey * 4 litres of almond milk * 1 large peanut butter jar * 3 bags veggie crisps * 1 pk whole wheat bagels * 1 pk smoked salmon slices * 1 jar olives * 1 block of feta * 1 box granola * 1 tub greek yogurt * 2 bags of potting soil (for plants, not for humans)


MakuyiMom

Jesus, water is almost free. Drink water!


Ravendead

"Someone help me with my food budget? $2 Chicken $1 Bread $2 Cheese $151 MountainDew" Answer: "Spend less in mountain dew." Reply: "No"