Jerry Seinfeld, the King of observational comedy, has a bit where he talks about food pricing in airports.
His joke is something like, “14.95 for a tuna sandwich? Yep. That’s reasonable. That’s what we charge in our country!”
As nauseating as it is to pay those prices, it’s for one simple reason: The closer a business is to the point of need, the more it can charge.
A tuna sandwich at the airport costs 5x more than it does on the way to the airport.
Scalped tickets cost more than tickets bought in advance.
Emergency towing will cost more too.
Why am I talking about pricing?
Well, because I’ve realized this with myself, sorta.
Confession time: I love ice cream. I love all bad foods. In NYC, it is scarily easy to indulge. Less than 100 feet from my apartment is a deli with every possible junk food you could ever wish for. It’s so close that I’m able to go there in shorts and a tee shirt in the dead of winter.
But for some reason, when I’m craving junk and I let my short term self get the best of me, I’ll pay top dollar without thinking twice.
Yet, I feel bad spending the same amount of money on healthy foods. Why?
When I’m convinced I want ice cream; I’m acting irrationally (for the most part). So I act with my irrational mind.
When I want fruit or healthier foods, I’m thinking rationally. So I think twice.
We tend to question the price of things we need more so than of the things we want.
Many people complain about how healthier food is more expensive. I don’t hear those same people complaining how expensive junk food is?! Whoever said fast food is cheap is lying. It’s not cheap at all. It’s just fast.
Check this: Last night instead of buying my favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry’s (Half Baked) I opted for grapes. $6 for a pint of ice cream. Or $6 for a bunch of grapes. (Thankfully, the deli also sells fruit and veggies.)
I was thrilled with my decision. I’m voting with my dollars what is important to me. I’m signaling to myself what is important to me. I felt great!
And here’s the best part: We all buy because of the way the product makes us feel. We’re slaves to our feelings. I felt so much better investing in healthier food than junk food.
(I think that’s a crucial switch that has to happen: Expense Vs. Investment.
Want ice cream? But you also like grapes? The ice cream costs $6. The grapes are an investment of $6. See the difference?)
I felt way better buying it. I felt way better eating it and I felt 100X better after eating it.
So don’t feel bad about spending a few extra bucks on yourself food wise. It’s well worth it.
You’re well worth it, no?!
The feeling it gives us is exactly how someone justifies driving a fancy car.
Why not live in a fancy body?
I read this post the other day but didn’t stop to comment. Since then, I’d say I’ve thought about it more than anything else I’ve read the past week. I think you raise some great points regarding making poor decisions when you are already being irrational.
I also agree (and it has been my personal soap-box for some time) that the only thing we truly buy is happiness. Not the product we think we are paying for, but the emotion. So smart to combine our rational/irrational minds and what makes us happy at each moment.
Great post!
I think the key here is that Adam’s comparison involves expensive, brand-name ice cream to grapes (in general). He is not comparing standard grapes to organic grapes or even brand-name ice cream to store-brand ice cream. He also brings in the argument of eating healthy versus eating out at a restaurant (his local deli). Based on this, it would seem as though he is making the argument that we should steer clear of fast food or restaurants that are unhealthy and expensive, and consider instead going to a grocery store to buy something that is more healthy. Whether we are purchasing organic goods or not, the food we intake from the produce section of a grocery store is bound to be more healthy that a fast food alternative.
I like Jennifer’s point that unhealthy cravings spawn from our “lizard” brains. I think this supports Adam’s point that wild spending on junk food is sometimes illogical and yet it’s hard to reason away.
But on the whole I disagree that “we tend to question the price of things we need more so than of the things we want.” I think that’s a bridge too far…
For starters, “needs” vs “wants” is subjective, situational, and no where close to universal. One person’s needs (e.g. healthy, quality food) may be someone else’s wants. This holds true for buying a new car, new clothes, travel, etc.
Second, everyone’s behavior patterns and lifestyle choices are different. Me – I’m a healthy lifestyle geek and world travel enthusiast. So I prioritize those expenditures higher than other materialistic purchases. I’ll happily invest in high quality food over getting a new spring wardrobe. I’ll gladly take an excursion to Europe and forgo lots of wild (and expensive) nights out at the bar.
What I think is most interesting is to not evaluate one’s food choices individually but to scrutinize their healthy lifestyle choices holistically.
Just my two cents…
Matt
What’s crazy to me is that junk food is cheaper than real food in the US! I live in Chile right now and here, it’s cheaper to buy fresh produce and ingredients than it is to buy frozen meals, canned food, etc. That stuff is considered a luxury. I think the best way to change your diet is to learn how to cook from scratch. Then you’re forced to experiment with natural ingredients and learn how to flavor your food with spices, stock, etc.
And I think natural, organic foods are cheaper when you live in a part of the US where it’s popular. I noticed that it was cheaper and there was more variety when I lived in Washington state. In Virginia, there aren’t as many options and it costs more because there’s less demand.
i gotta go with adam on this one. I used to also feel that healthy food was more expensive, but I’m not seeing that that’s not the case.
Sure, if you’re shopping at whole foods, ralphs, or even stater bros. you should already come to expect some higher prices.
Healthy eating to me consists of fresh produce, nuts, legumes and whole grains. Fresh produce from the farmer’s market typically never goes over $2 where I’m from. That’s organic too. Typical prices are $1 for one bunch of kale, spinach or swiss chard. The highest I’ve saw is $1.50 for a bunch and sometimes $1.50 for a lb. if you consider that expensive. Whole grains are cheap as well. I think it matters where you shop
Whilst I enjoyed your article I have to admit that I disagree with you on this topic quite a bit. Good quality food actually often costs more in my experience. Do a grocery shop for good quality, organic, free-range meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables and then compare this with ready meals and other “processed” foods. The good quality food often actually costs far more because the processed foods can include all sorts of chemicals to make inferior quality food taste just as good as “good” food,
Time and again, the people I see buying their food on a tight budget are, knowingly or otherwise, buying far more junk than people on a more relaxed budget.
I think that most Americans pay too little for food, sacrificing quality for price. I agree with Matthew that you pay for this in the end with your health. I know a 15 year old who had to have her gall bladder removed because she trashed it by eating too much junk food.
I agree with you that the craving for junk food is in your “lizard” brain not your rational brain. I have slowly weaned myself off most junk by realizing how bad it makes me feel. I still eat snacks and even sugary things sometimes, I just try to avoid preservatives and other unnecessary chemicals. I’m not giving up chocolate 😉
Having comparison shopped, it is often cheaper to buy lesser-quality foods. Eggs are an easy example: free range, organic eggs are $4 a dozen, compared to less than $1 for the generic store brand.
However, I agree with the concept. My wife and I are willing to make higher-quality foods fit in our budget, because we feel that the long-term advantages (not to mention the better tastes!) are worth it. Pay more for better food now, pay less for health care later.
Loved the post. This is the takeaway point from your whole piece:
“When I’m convinced I want ice cream; I’m acting irrationally. So I act with my irrational mind.
When I want fruit or healthier foods, I’m thinking rationally. So I think twice.”
When they’ve got you in a jam with no alternatives (stadiums, airports, etc.) companies can do what they want. What are you going to do? NOT eat? This is America. We love to eat.
Alternatives:
1.Bring your own food and drink to places where you know they’ll price gouge.
2.Eat ahead of time.
3.Go Hungry
Here’s the system I use and it works well for me. When I have to decide between a craving that’s unhealthy and the healthy choice, I always think of the physical action required for me to either buy or ingest the unhealthy option. If I don’t own the Coke, I need to buy it to drink it. I don’t buy it. I buy an Apple.
I could talk about this subject all day. Find me on Twitter @ZackShapiro if you’d like to talk more.
It’s a good idea.