Why are the best things for us so expensive (salads, education, etc.)?

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   Sarah Andersonposted 9 years ago

   Why are the best things for us so expensive (salads, education, etc.)?

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   dashingscorpioposted 9 years ago

   I've often wondered about that myself especially when it comes to food.
   One could pay $4.99 for a salad with nothing to drink or pay $5 for two cheese burgers, a medium fry, and a drink (including refills).
   When did lettuce and tomatoes start costing more than beef?
   Little Caesars Pizza which is far from being the best pizza in the world sells a (large) sausage or peperoni pizza for $5. You can't blame someone with only $5 in their pocket to choose a (filling) hot meal over a more expensive cold salad that leaves them hungry.
   Eating right is usually more expensive unless you prepare it at home.
   In fact so called "junk food" prices continue to drop in order to keep customers coming back while "good food" prices rise!
   KFC in a lot of areas is offering their $5 "fill up" which includes 2 pieces of chicken, mash potatoes/gravy, biscuit, cookie, and a medium drink (with free refills on the drink). That's tough to beat!
   Who wants to pay $1.99 for a tomato? According to CNSNews.com the average price for a pound of ground beef is $3.88 While a whole, generic store-brand chicken typically costs about $1.50 per pound.
   And yet most fast food restaurants charge equal or more for chicken!
   Having said that I believe the long-term cost of eating healthy is less expensive than having to deal with a host of medical issues that have been attributed to having a poor diet.
   You can pay more now or pay more later!

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      Robert the Bruceposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Dashing, your comment about eating at home vs. eating out is important. People will find that cooking at home will save them tons of money and (depending on what they buy) usually be more nutritious. The simpler the meal, the lower the cost usually.

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   Robert the Bruceposted 9 years ago

   Usually the more valuable something is, the less of it there will be and it will cost more to get it. Part of it can be explained by the law of Supply and Demand. This is a universal concept when dealing with physical goods and services.
   
   On the other hand, some of the best things for us that are immaterial are often free, like love, respect, and compassion.
   
   The whole idea of "what is best for us" is highly subjective. For example, you mentioned education. While one person may highly value a college degree, another person may value the freedom of not being in debt. The first person may need the degree to get their dream job, while the second person wants to do work that doesn't require a college degree.
   
   Since you mentioned food (salads), I must say that foods that are best for us (that is, they have the most nutritional value) are often less expensive than foods that are bad for us. For example, a diet of vegetables, some lower-cost cuts of meat, and legumes ( ex. beans) can often be far less expensive than a common American diet of manufactured meals (boxed meals), potato chips, soft drinks, fast food, cheese, pastries, and really anything that only requires you to "heat and eat."
   
   I might add that if people are determined to stay away from consumer debt and refuse to fill their lives (and houses) with unneeded "stuff," they will usually find a surplus of money to use for the things that are really "the best for us."

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      dashingscorpioposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      The whole idea of "what is best for us" is highly subjective.
      - Very true!
      Life is a personal journey. Only the individual knows what is important to him/herself. You're also right about people using lots of disposable cash for toys/TVs/gadgets.

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      Sarah Andersonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes I was talking about things that can be costly yet everyone should have access to, like health and education.

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