Is Clean Eating More Expensive?

I have been pondering this question for some time now.  I went grocery shopping last Monday and the total did exceed my two week budget.  I did buy several items from the bulk foods section that will last me for the rest of the month, such as nuts and oats.  I also bought the "unclean" items that my family still won't give up and I don't want to starve them.  I also bought twice as many fruits and vegetables as I would have.  But is it more expensive?  I estimate that I was spending $40-50 a week eating out.  I usually ate lunch with my coworkers two to three times a week at about $15, then I ate lunch with my sister = $10, and I would usually buy two pizzas for the weekend =$25.  Also I was buying a "fountain beverage" at about $1.25 per day, 6 days a week. That was costing me $7.50 per week. I have been a lot more conscientious lately about planning and doing prep work for my family's meal, so when we get home at night it has been easier to throw a meal together, so I haven't been tempted to get pizza or fast food.  Also, I have started freezing leftovers and making large batches of soup on my prep day, which I can just pull out of the freezer and use.  I also have been experimenting with freezing foods, like I did with my chicken and tonight I am trying the same thing with bananas.  I cut 4 bananas in half, that were just about to turn too ripe and I spread them out in a pan lined with wax paper.  When they are frozen I will put them in a container and then I can pull out a banana for my smoothies.  I also used some spinach that I needed to use before it went bad in our soup tonight (I made the soup last Monday and froze).  Instead of making cookies or cake tonight like I would have done in the past, I baked 2 pears that looked a little sad with some maple syrup and chopped walnuts.  I put Greek Yogurt on mine and the kids had ice cream.

So, back to the original question: Is clean eating more expensive?  I really think that in the long run, eating clean will be cheaper.  The $50+ alone that I am saving in not eating out or buying pop is making up for the increase in the price of groceries.  However, after I have figured out what I like and what I don't (I'm still experimenting with clean foods) I think that my grocery bill will actually decrease.  Also, since I am not wasting as much food as I was in the past, that will also save me time and money.  I haven't even started to consider the effect that it will have on health of my family.  On Sunday I was packing my cooler and my daughter's lunch for Monday.  My daughter, Abby, saw that I was making myself a salad with diced leftover turkey.  She asked if she could have a salad for her lunch too.  Then she wanted chopped tomatoes as a side and sugar free jello (I didn't even look at the ingredients, so I'm not sure if it's even clean) with berries as her snack. Then tonight, as I was getting our food ready again, she asked if she could have a salad again.  This was a priceless moment.  I was thinking today how much I wish that I would have known about clean eating when I was younger.  I can't go back and start this 20 years ago, but I can teach my children how to make better choices.  I can show them that clean eating can be delicious.  I'm not going to force them to always eat healthy.  I'm not going to throw out all the candy (the Halloween candy, by the way, is stashed downstairs in a drawer in our entertainment center.  Out of sight, out of mind).  I will sneak pumpkin puree, spinach and any other veggies into soups, sauces, and anything else I can think of.  I will make clean meals and they can choose to eat it or have a bowl of cereal.  I will also try to make cleaner substitutions for things that they won't notice, such as peanut butter and more organic foods, when I am shopping.

Although I don't think that eating clean is more expensive, it is really time consuming!  Sometimes, I feel like all I do is research food, buy food, prepare food, plan my coolers, pack my cooler, and then I do it all over again the next day.  BUT, it is paying off.  My complexion is better (I need to consider the cost of that, i.e. Dermatologist and ProActive), my energy is up, I have been averaging a weight loss of 1 pound a week since I started it, and I'm not using as much Ibuprofen and Tylenol as I used to.  I know that clean eating is not just a way for me to lose weight, it is also something that has and will improve my life. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle!