Is a Juicer Worth the Money?
Not too long ago people in the know could be seen walking around with a coffee cup in hand.
Now, I feel like the people in the know can be seen carrying a different type of energy drink. (Side note, I am frequently carrying one or the other of these two drinks as I love them both although I don’t consider myself a “person in the know”)
It’s a no-brainer that making coffee at home will save you a significant amount of money each year, but can buying a juicer actually save you money?
The price of a fresh green juice in NYC ranges anywhere from $5.75 to $12.00. Juice bars are relatively easy to find, but finding one that uses organic produce can prove to be challenging. When on the go it’s easier to pay someone else the higher price for a juice. There’s no clean-up, no scrubbing produce, and an array of juice options.
Before I had a juicer, I had heard someone say that you needed so many veggies and fruits to make a juice that making them at home wasn’t affordable. I also heard that the clean-up was horrible. After buying a used Breville Juicer, I’ve found that those things are not necessarily true.
Here’s a breakdown of the juice I made at home yesterday:
Time to make juice: (including washing veggies, setting up juicer, juicing produce, and cleaning juicer): 15 minutes
Amount of veggies used to make juice 11 ounces of juice:
- 6 organic kale stalks (1/2 a bunch from Fresh Direct)
- 6 small organic carrots (or three large)
- 1 organic apple
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 1/2 inch ginger
Total Cost of Juice: $4.09
Considering that’s half the price I paid for a similar juice at a Free Foods earlier this week, a juicer is certainly worth the investment. It can be a bit time consuming, but if you’re like me and drink juice throughout the week it can help save money on those days you have time to make your own juice at home.
Do you juice at home? If you buy your juice out what’s your favorite juice bar?
Sometimes I like the experience of going to a juice bar but I think having a juicer at home is well worth the investment.
I got a Breville juicer for xmas and have been pleasantly surprised–cleanup isn’t that bad especially if you make two+ juices at once. Plus it’s a great way to use up that produce in the crisper that you’re not sure what to do with….
I am so on the fence about buying a juicer. I think they are probably a good investment but they are just so expensive and take so much precious counter space… that said, I LOVE a good green juice. If the price wasn’t so outrageous at most places, I wouldn’t even consider buying a juicer but I mean come on $11-12 bucks for one just makes me bonkers! I love getting one while I am out and about but the price makes it feel like a crazy splurge and takes away from my feeling good by having it!
If you can find one on craigslist or twitter, it’s def worth giving it a try. I tweeted something about recommendations for juicers last year and someone volunteered to sell me their unused one for $50.
I am IN LOVE with my juicer! I make these awesome green juices for dinner when I’m too tired to cook and they give me the enery boost I need! ALWAYS remember the apple tho, otherwise you’ll swear you’re drinking spicy grass lol!
Ooh and the price at juice bars is high because of overhead, employee wages, and the fact that the govt doesn’t care enough about our health to subsidize the good-for-you foods that prevent health problems (they do one helluva great job subsidizing the bad ones and approving pills like there’s no tomorrow tho…!)
I love my Breville Juicer but honestly never use it in the winter because unfortunately in VT good produce costs more and therefore my juice costs the same or more than buying it at the local juice bar (unfortunately we only have one). In the summer however I use it all the time because greens and other veggies are plentiful and I often find myself using up the ends of our weekly CSA shares.
Really interesting post, I was wondering the same thing recently. I think that a juicer is worth the money depending on how much one uses it and how one uses it. For people who drink juice all the time, it’s probably a worthy investment. For the majority of people, who just get a green juice (or any type of fresh juice, really) now and then, it probably doesn’t make sense. I got my mother a juicer for Christmas and she loves it. But then again, she wouldn’t buy green juice outside because of the price. It all depends on the person and their attitude to juice, but I don’t think there are huge savings to be had (like with coffee).
If you juice consistently throughout the week, the savings can actually be quite big.
I have a juicer, but I’ve used it 3 times, so for me it was not worth the money. I guess I should have thought about the fact that we just don’t drink juice….. I mean, why did I think we needed a juicer?! To be honest, I’d much rather eat my fruit whole, I dunno, I’m just not a fan. But hey, to each his/her own!
I’m feel so out of the loop. I don’t recall ever seeing a juice bar – maybe it’s a Texas thing.
I’m feeling so left out. Your recipe looks like yummy. Does it feel as filling and satisfying to drink your veggies instead of munching on them?
It’s delicious! You can’t get the same flavors with whole fruits and veggies.
I had a juicer for about a year but then ended up selling it on Craigslist. I was completely into juicing for the first few months and would do it every morning but then I just got lazy about it and ended up getting grossed out by my own juice combinations. A nice pressed juice that I didn’t spend 15 minutes making is much more appetizing to me (but def. too expensive to do daily!)
Interesting post! I’ve been wondering the same thing, but have held off on buying one as I travel for work most of the week. I really like Jessica’s idea about using up the random leftovers in the crisper (I always wind up thinking “what am I going to do with this solo leek that’s leftover when no recipe calls for just one leek” type of thing), but worry that I’d wind up making gross combos, like Missy said. Maybe if The Candid RD is looking to sell hers on the cheap in the city, though, i’ll reconsider
I LOVE my juicer, seriously could not live without it. I think you have to leave it out (like we do) and use it everyday and get in a habit. We make all sorts of juices- green, fruit, detox and I swear it makes my skin better and my whole self healthier!