Eating in the US on $ 100 per week: myth or reality
'07.03.2018'
Nutrition in the US is a topic that requires a separate category on my blog, because there are quite a few differences in the approach to cooking, buying products, and in the general differences between the Slavic and American mentalities.
When I first got to the supermarket in San Francisco - this scene had to be seen. I tried to look with my eyes at least something that looked like Ukrainian products and the only thing I saw was flakes. Cheerios with honey.
Now I am already following the checked list and I know what to buy and where to look, so as not to buy a chicken stuffed with antibiotics. The first purchases were a nightmare for me, especially when the brain translated prices into hryvnias and refused to perceive reality.
For the whole time I was here, I understood one simple truth. You should always look at the composition, as they shove genetically modified corn starch everywhere; they do not write where GMOs are and where they are not. I act according to the principle - the smaller the words, the better the product.
The sausage here is stupid and looks like toilet paper, so we excluded it altogether from our food, I sometimes make something like a shank from a turkey. Sausages are the same story.
Tomatoes. They are none. Well, no taste - that's all. There are 3 varieties that I buy - these are heirloom tomatoesthat cost crazy money vine tomatoes on a sprig and tomatoes cherry. Everything else is simply impossible to eat.
The first cucumbers that I bought we never finished, they are just watery. Honestly, I started eating local cucumbers only recently - I found boxes imported from Persia in the store and I was delighted - like ours.
The milk I grabbed for the flakes turned out fat-free (skim) - in fact it is white water without taste. I was looking for cottage cheese for a long time. In ordinary American stores such cottage cheese, which we used to eat, is not to be found. They have cheese instead of cottage cheese of cottage cheese - this is our grainy salted curd. But they have condensed milk (condensed milk), and sour cream is called sour cream. If you need kefir in baking, but there are no Russian / Ukrainian shops nearby - you can take butter milk (buttermilk), a piece very similar to kefir.
In America, there is always a choice: to eat cheaply, but not knowing what they have flavored your products with, or to pay much more for quality products. Therefore, do not be surprised that everything that marked "ORGANIC" will cost 2-3 times as much as ordinary products.
Let us turn to what we spend a week on food and what we eat. It is worth telling a little about us. Our family consists of two people and two arrogant faces in the form of cats. We try to buy only organic products, so our check is not one of the cheapest. We also live according to the rule - have not eaten meat, consider it to be hungry, therefore with each meal we have either chicken or turkey, and sometimes even a juicy steak. In stocks is always buckwheat, a couple of packs of various cereals and pasta.
This is what our weekly purchase looks like, with a check spent $ 76.07. During the week we still buy a pack of water from 24 0,5 bottles (~ $ 6) and can also pack meat and fresh fruits / vegetables for smoothies. On average, food per week takes up to $ 100.
Go through the list and prices
- 2.99 mozzarella
- My dope - chocolate Ritter sport 1.99
- Decorative clown with cinnamon 0.99
- Brown rice tortilla 2.99
- Grated cheese (340 g) 3.99
- 2.99 smetanka
- Chicken Legs (6pcs) 2.18
- Mint 1.79
- Mushrooms (170g) 2.49
- Mix of cereals (quinoa, lentils) 2.69
- 2.49 mini cabbages
- Mix salad (spinach, arugula) 1.99
- Asparagus 3.29
- 2.99 green beans
- Mango (2) 1.99
- Kiwi (3) 1.47
- Apple 0.79
- Almond Milk (Our New Dairy Elimination Experiment) 2.99
- Avocado (4 pcs.) 2.99
- Potatoes (2 pcs) - an infrequent guest, but my husband asked for pies 0.98
- Bananas (5) 0.95
- Cherry tomatoes (280 g) 2.49
- Cucumbers (450 g) 1.99
- Red onion 0.89
- 2.29 black pepper
- Lemon 0.39
- Marinated chicken breasts (700 g) 8.34
- Chicken breasts (3 pcs.) 11.09
This list is basic for a week, but this does not mean that we buy the same thing every week or do not buy additional products, there are more trips to Ukraine / Russian shops, or Zhenya finds some new recipe and rushes headlong into the market. Even on Sundays, sometimes we go to the fair, as there you can buy the freshest eggs and delicious fruits / vegetables from farmers.
Prices are very dependent on the store. The same list in different supermarkets will vary from our amount to $ 150 (for example, in Whole Foods). Well, do not forget that all price tags show the price without state tax.
