99¢ Only Stores Offer Actual Healthy Food, Big Savings, Weight Loss

Image courtesy of (Rupert Ganzer)

If I’ve learned anything in the last week, it’s that we really need to import California’s 99¢ Only Stores to the East Coast. They hadn’t even crossed my mental radar screen until this week, when I saw two articles that presented it as not just a money-saving option, but a valid place to get edible, whole foods, which helped two different people save money and lose weight.

No, not Whole Foods, whole foods. Unlike the dollar stores where I live, where the most nutritious offerings are cashews and Larry the Cable Guy-branded boxed mixes, 99¢ Only offers actual meat and vegetables. This meant that Stacey Garratt over at The Billfold could use it as a valid comparison point when putting together the same meals from Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and 99¢ Only. How did the comparison work out? Well, Whole Foods always produced the tastiest meals, but at a price. A high price. She wrote:

I think about all the times I made [ground beef farfalle] without going to the dollar store and I feel like an asshole. I think my reasoning was always that I want fresh vegetables, fresh vegetables are at Trader Joe’s, ergo, I shop for this meal at Trader Joe’s. Or Whole Foods if I’m feeling fancy. Making a second trip costs an extra 15 minutes in time but could save up to half of my food bill.

Meanwhile, CBS Los Angeles shares the story of a musician who lost 250 pounds by buying all of his food at the dollar store and walking around his neighborhood. Tired of being compared to 400-pound rapper Biggie Smalls, he decided to take control of his diet and Again, this is only possible at a dollar store that sells fresh produce and other actual food products.

Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and 99¢ Only: Comparison Shopping, Who Will Win? [The Billfold]
LA-Based Musician Loses 250 Pounds On So-Called ‘99 Cents Only Store Diet’ [CBS Los Angeles]

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