Is it expensive to eat well? I am and have been living well below the poverty level for a couple years now.  I am stronger and healthier now than ever.  How is this so? Family has always been a staple in my well-being but extreme financial restriction and inexpensive eating are a part of the equation. How much is a decent steak?  Decent is subjective but lets say $8-12, that may sound low according to where you reside however, here in Indiana that is a fair assessment. We’ll even take the lowest estimate of $8 for this example.

My daily intake consists of average prices I pay here in Kokomo, IN and the resulting serving costs per day are in parenthesis.

Coconut Milk – $2 ($.25)
Kale – $.99 ($.20)
Berries – $2 ($.40)
Peanut butter – $2 ($.75)

Bulk Oatmeal – $3 ($.30)
Berries – $2 per pack ($.40)
Coconut Milk – $2 ($.75)
Peanut Butter – $2 ($.75)

Refried Beans – $1
Kidney beans – $.60
Jasmine Rice – $3 (.20)
Quinoa – $4 ($.65)

Sweet potato – $.88
White potato $3.50 ($.30)

Oatmeal again
Bulk Oatmeal – $3 ($.30)
Berries – $2 per pack ($.40)
Vanilla Coconut Milk – $2 ($.75)
Peanut Butter – $2 ($.75)

My total cost – $9.63

My intake may vary, sometime there are no potatoes and other days there are more fruits and vegetables but the differences in regards to cost are negligible.  Here we have $1.63 difference between one steak and an entire days worth of plant-strong sustenance.  Let us revisit this idea that eating well is too costly, it can be if you go organic with every single purchase especially when you consider dairy products and/or meat.  If financial means are lacking then choose organic only when absolutely necessary.  Inexpensive items that have a longer shelf life are appealing due to convenience and ease of preparation, many times it is opening a bag of chips or the like.  Ditch the chips and other processed goods because all the money you (think you) save purchasing processed foods will quickly catch up and most likely surpass the expense of eating well with one medical bill.  Consider doing some of your own cost analysis and see how it compares to a plant-strong diet.

-Wheeler