Topic: Starting tomorrow–worried about cost!!

This topic contains 20 replies, has 12 voices, and was last updated by Mark H 10 months, 1 week ago.

07/11/2012 at 8:53 PM #15519

Participant

Just got my juicer (after a bit of research, the Breville seems to be the most highly thought of), just went to the store to get veggies, etc., for tomorrow and the next day–$111 (USD)!!! Seriously? Is it really $56/day? Or was this first trip a bit more expensive because I did buy some staples (which would lower the price to maybe $90 USD)? I didn’t go to the organic grocer, e.g., Whole Foods, and I didn’t buy all organic, but really??

What’s anyone else’s experience? Am I doing something wrong? Is it really that expensive (if so, I would’ve saved money joining my wife on MediFast).

Author	Posts
Author	Posts

07/11/2012 at 9:18 PM #15527

Jennifer Lohrke
Participant

Wow! I have not spent that much yet….my question would be how much did you buy and what did you buy? You might have bought a bit more than you thought you needed to. I also do not go completely by the recipes because some of the foods are more expensive. For a week it costs me about 45-50 dollars. I have spent as little as 18.00 for 3 days too.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/11/2012 at 9:28 PM #15533

Armand Spoto
Participant

Try and by fruits and vegetables at wholesalers or farmers markets. I’ve found these to be cheaper than supermarkets.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/11/2012 at 9:45 PM #15549

turquoisefish
Participant

Hi, Phornbein, you’ll have to reevaluate your end-goal perhaps. Are you just trying to lose weight? If that’s all that juicing would mean to you, you may not be happy with the results. I don’t see a lot help on here yet towards that goal, meaning, teaching people how to plan our their meals in better detail, which is difficult virtually since people all have different needs. However, keep in mind this is your first visit with a new plan so you started from scratch in supplies.

What I mean to say is that if one’s goal is to get healthier, then the cost is relative to, say, medical expenses. I don’t have insurance, so I can say for certain that the cost of having a camera up my hindside and doctor visits costs more than juicing. I’m not a juice-fast person, either. I haven’t done that yet. I’m still in the learning-to-plan phase of my nutritional education. I can also say that after all of the doctor visits and suppliments, I didn’t have any more answers as to the causes of my ailments. Therefore, there were no solutions. I suspect my doctor didn’t recommend other avenues knowing that I pay for them all myself. Long before Joe’s film, I came to the same conclusion: somehow what I had been consuming was making me sick, & it just took so long before my body said “that’s it, I’m not taking it anymore” for me to realize, I’m really, really sick.

Similar to you, I was relatively shocked at the cost, and after my very expensive juicer spit out about $50 worth of juice for no apparent reason (may be stretching it, but I know you can feel my pain), I decided smoothies would be just as effective. My like-new juicer was donated to charity. Henceforth, I continued on my quest via green smoothies and elimination dieting (to see what was making me sickest).

I didn’t start juicing again until Joe’s movie. While green smoothies helped, it took many years and wasn’t fully effective. I couldn’t digest the pulp enough, but I was getting better some. Juicing took a couple of months before I really could tell a difference, and again, I’m not fasting. I’d say I did those couple of months fairly religiously of juices as often as I could manage (3X a day & a meal or similar). I do a lot less juicing now due to laziness, but then again, I can eat salads now where previously, I couldn’t really digest those well either.

With a base of some vegetables and fruit, I’d say I spend about $40 every couple of days if I juice a lot. Juicing hasn’t caused me to lose a significant amount of weight, however. I don’t know that I can credit any of the weight loss on juicing even. I’ve had some, but I would have to credit that loss to eliminating anything pre-prepared/processed from my diet. To give that perspective, I have about 40 pounds that need to go (& I am tall). I could get away with only losing 20 and a doctor would be happy. I also train (gym, weights, trainer) right now without significant loss. That is not unusual for me, however. The weight loss will come in due time.

I hope this information is helpful to you. Please keep in mind that muscles burns fat even while you are resting, so be careful not to do a plan that is not balanced or you will lose weight in the form of muscle instead of losing fat weight. That would be counter-productive and unhealthy.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/11/2012 at 9:46 PM #15550

phornbein
Participant

I will do that–there’s an organic farm stand a mile up the road!

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/11/2012 at 9:46 PM #15551

phornbein
Participant

I will do that–there\’s an organic farm stand a mile up the road!

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/11/2012 at 9:49 PM #15553

phornbein
Participant

Tricky blog…sorry about repeats. @ Jennifer Lohrke: I do think you’re right, I mean, I bought about 2x more cherries than I actually needed–however, they’re not going to waste!!

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/11/2012 at 9:57 PM #15558

phornbein
Participant

Turquoise: I have re-evaluated, which is why I chose this. I’m looking to reset my eating (and to lose weight). I’m vegetarian (and have been for quite a number of years) but I also am an avid cyclist (25 miles/day) and also lift (not at all like my son, but just enough to maintain upper body musculature–endurance activities like running and cycling leave one with a “cadaverous” upper body). This program seemed to fit perfectly in that I am hoping it will provide a dummy-proof cleanse and reset to cleanse me of the desire for simple carbs. It also seems, especially the not-straight-juicing plans, that it helps train one for after the reboot.

It always seems to me that any diet, excluding, perhaps, Weight Watchers, leaves you with, “Now what?” And the old eating habits return, as does the weight. But you bring up some excellent points that everyone on this blog needs to keep in mind!

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/11/2012 at 10:22 PM #15578
turquoisefish
Participant
Oh, you have a good plan, I think. I’m a carb person myself. I’m definitely off the “craving” for them, especially since I mostly can’t digest them. Quinoa is my new BFF; although, I don’t yet have enough fabulous recipes. There’s a delicious quinoa salad about that has mint in it that I need to learn how to make.
- This reply was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by turquoisefish.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/11/2012 at 11:57 PM #15613

StrangeMagic
Participant

Don’t go to the grocery store as they will rob you blind. As someone said, go to a produce farm (they have them here in Northern California) or a farmers market… You will save a lot.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 12:04 AM #15617

Jennifer Lohrke
Participant

It depends on where you are at. I am in Michigan and I get cucumbers a ton cheaper than a grocery store, but everything else is so much cheaper for me at the store. That is going to be a given because of the abilities to grow various foods here in Michigan.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 6:39 AM #15700

Rose
Participant

I agree, it depends on where you live. I’m in NC and some things at our farmer’s market are a lot more expensive than the grocery store. If the weather was not good, farmers will charge more to make up for lost crops. This week one local grocery store had cucumbers 2/$1. I would never find that price at a farmer’s market around this area.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 12:11 PM #15841

Backtomyself12
Participant

I’m in NC as well. On average, I usually spend about $20-30 per week. The amount increases when I add things like tomatoes (the prices of those can add up quickly big time, so be careful). I pretty much shop at Food Lion and WalMart for my produce. The great thing for me right now is that Food Lion is actively lowering their prices to compete with WalMart (thanks to those shopping comparison commercials), so I can usually get my Mean Green ingredients for the week and not spend alot at all. Shop around for your best prices, and good luck to you!

On the way to healthy!

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 12:25 PM #15850

19Preston86
Participant

I buy everything from costco and comes out to around 20$ a day.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 12:26 PM #15851
19Preston86
Participant
20-30 a week thats nice Backtomyself, is that for a full juicing reboot? For 64 ounces a day? Thats hard to believe!
- This reply was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by 19Preston86.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 1:12 PM #15873

prishaynes
Participant

Considering I’m not buying packaged processed foods I feel like I’m spending less than usual buying just fruits & vegetables. Plus, we’re actually consuming the fruits and vegetables now instead of letting them rot while we eat another cheeseburger, fries, pizza, etc. So, in reality, we’re saving money by not wasting the fresh fruits/vegetables like we used to do – which we can use to buy more fresh fruits/vegetables! Juice On!

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 2:13 PM #15908

Backtomyself12
Participant

@19Preston86 – I’m just beginning (finishing up my first week), and I think that has alot to do with it. I haven’t ventured out to include alot of the fruits and veggies that others are using thus far, and I’m sure that this would contribute to the cost. Right now, I’m doing Mean Green (with just kale, no spinach) and a carrot/celery/apple mix in the mornings. It’s working out good for now, but I know I have to add more choices soon and I’m sure the price per week will increase accordingly. I’m a teacher on summer vacation (and hence a very limited income, lol), so I’ve kept my choices to things that don’t cost a ton in my area. Looking forward to adding beets into the mix this week, as well as some cantalope and things. I added tomatoes a few days ago, and saw the price of my shopping increase a full $10 just from buying a small bunch of those… gotta be careful with that one!

On the way to healthy!

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 3:00 PM #15929

Bessy Ochoa
Participant

woahh! I’ve never spent $90/day… what grocery store do you go to? Publix? “19Preston86″ is right- I also buy everything from Costco, it’s much convenient!

Bessy Ochoa www.bellydancebybessy.com Professional Belly Dancer in Florida

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 4:10 PM #15963

bigbipper
Participant

If you can find a Farmer’s Market…do so!

Get busy living or get busy dying.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/12/2012 at 4:46 PM #15973

Rose
Participant

That’s why I still can’t do a full juicing reboot (and the fact that I can’t stop eating ) I can’t afford to spend more than $40 a week on groceries or I’ll run out of money half way thru the month. I’ve been doing juice for breakfast and snacks and then trying to eat salads the rest of the time, although I’ve been bad this week due to poor planning.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
07/13/2012 at 6:42 AM #16250

Mark H
Participant

You probably overbought. I did it too my first week. I’m now averaging about $12/day from Wal-Mart using the Classic 15-day reboot recipes. No, I can’t afford organic, and I do have to substitute some fruits/veggies due to availability or personal preference. Also, I planted a small garden, about 230 sq/ft, that is already starting to produce. It’s not too late to get started, you can do a lot with window pots or raised beds.

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.