Money Tip #1: Groceries v. Health Insurance

As I promised earlier, I said I would reveal how I live on such little money.  One way is to prioritize how I spend my money.

Tip number one: grocery shopping as example (and remember, all estimates here are based on a household of two).

This week I spent $75.00 at the grocery store (and technically I went to two).  Most of the produce was organic and everything I bought was vegetarian (except some lunch meat for M.).  I average about $75/week for our groceries, which includes stuff to make lunches for the week and some dinners.  We don't eat something new every night for dinner, and for the most part we eat simply and we eat to live.  There isn't a lot of gourmet food hanging around our place (unless my Mom gives us something fun), but there are a lot of whole foods.

I spent $50 at Trader Joe's and $25 at Whole Foods:

The Fruit

 ::apples, bananas, pears, strawberries, froz. strawberries, and froz. mango::

The Veggies

::kale, 3 peppers, 1 onion, shredded carrots, baby carrots, 2 packages cremini mushrooms, 5 gloves garlic, Brussel sprouts, 2 packs spinach, mixed greens::

The "Staples"

::3 TJ almond milk, dozen eggs, meatless sausage, dark chocolate, peanut butter, 2 packs pretzels, pita pockets, lunchmeat, smart dogs, agave nectar, 4 cans beans::

How do I justify spending a significant amount of money on organic or natural food? -- I see it as health insurance.  I don't have health insurance.  I haven't for nearly a year.  Even when I had health insurance, I never used it.  I'm a fan of Hippocrates's quotation "Let food be thy medicine."  I try to eat really clean food (emphasis on the "try," because sometimes it just doesn't happen), and I've tried to regulate my vices.  This whole idea of eating cheap, unhealthy food and then going to the doctor to get medicine to "cure" you actually costs you more in the long run.

How this saves money: you pay a little bit more for good food, but not nearly as much as if you were sickly and eating bad food.  For my case, I'm putting out about $175/month for my share of healthy groceries and I almost never get sick.  If I were paying for health insurance on top of this, the total bills would easily top $500/month for health insurance and groceries, multiply that by two people and we're up to $1k for both of us.  I choose groceries as health insurance; I choose to take responsibility for this part of my health.

So this little solution is easy: eat healthy, mostly vegan, and suddenly health insurance isn't that important.  Besides, there are many very effective home remedies for nearly everything you can think of.  If you want to take it to the next level, go all natural with your bath and beauty products as well (the fewer toxins you interact with, the better).

[NB: I'm no saint.  I have my vices.  I'm just suggesting ways to minimize total and long-lasting damage.]