CelticBombshell's Journal, 16 January 2017

Not sure where you live, but in some areas ethnic food stores or even farmers markets can be a cheaper choice for good quality meat and veggies. Food not precut is usually cheaper. For example whole chicken is usually cheaper than just breasts or legs, and you can cook home made soups from carcass. Just some ideas. 

Do u have an Aldi grocery store near u? U would be amazed at what stuff costs there and their meat and produce has been really good whenever I've shopped there. 

GO TO THE FARMERS MARKET AND FOOD OUTLETS. 

I can find leg quarters on sale a lot for about 5 dollars (normally about 7 or 8), for 10 pounds of quarters. Each quarter is a thigh and a drumstick. Not too bad. Two of my local stores mark down meat around a certain time each day. One of those store I ask the butcher the date he's marking from if it's not done yet and bring it to him to reduce it when I find something I want. Frozen veggies go on sale bogo at lot around here so I buy them then. I also go to local farm stands and buy fresh veggies from them at a great price. 

I also used to buy bacon ends and pieces. I got a lot of bacon from it and I would chunk it up to saute in. Save the fat when cooking and use it in other dishes to saute in also.  

BTW you can still have burger king. Skip the bun for the burgers and grab a side salad. Or grab a salad like the grilled chicken ranch salad and bring your own lower carb dressing. I get the McDonald's salad with chicken and bacon and switch it for my own dressing with less sugar. 

Try googling keto on a budget. There's lots of ideas, $5 a day etc.... 

Try buying in bulk? Like Rckc said, check for 'Keto on a budget', search for that on Youtube as well. There are some YT contributors that do videos like that with awesome meal plan suggestions.  

Nisha Wakefield ~ The only grocery stores we have here are HEB and Walmart 

Sugar and corn flour are cheap - the processed junk is just puffed up with cheap junk so eating properly does cost more. Add that low carb diets tend to push you to the more expensive food types as meat costs much more than potatoes and pasta. A few tips to save cash - minced meat is usually cheaper than cuts. Talk to your fishmonger about which fish are cheap in season. Although spam gets a bad reputation as a low-social-status food, it isn't really deserving. The only real issue is the salt content. In China and Japan people regularly eat spam without any qualms. Finally, beans are usually quite cheap. Have you tried cooking with tofu? 

buy whats in season only splurging on one or two prime items, meanwhile you can use frozen veggies until what you want is in season. Frozen isnt the greatest but its better than nothing. I also buy a few items in bulk like I get a 5 lbs of chicken breast and a huge bag of pre washed kale or spinach then make a few meals ahead.. saves me time and money. Make bunless patty melts in place of a steak bc ground beef is cheaper.  

go on UTube - look at the eating Keto for $5 a day video - it saved me tons!! 

Buy frozen veggies they are flash frozen when picked and way cheaper 

Since you've got an HEB, look in the pork section of the meat market. They should have pork roasts, either bone-in pork shoulders or bone-in hams in vacuum packs, those are regularly between $1.27 and $1.47 a pound and go on sale for as cheap as 77¢/pound. I get the biggest one I can find, usually between ten and twelve pounds and will eat for a week from it.  

Either way there is a cost to eating good or eating bad.  

It is not as expensive as Nutri Systems or Jenny Craig AND it is teaching you to eat for life from what is in season. It will be better in spring. We just found blackberrie half the price of raspberries. 

We shop manager specials, get bulk (on sale) at Gordon's, and try to create as many freezer and slow cooker meals as we can. We buy veggies from the freezer section and try to grow some in pots from our apartment balcony. My fiance and I are not on a keto diet, though, since it really is expensive to eat that way. Look on YouTube for a channel called Back to Chubby. The lady there is also on a budget and recent started Keto. Maybe she will have some great tips for you. 

I shop at Aldi. Wednesdays is generally meat sales. It is just me and my husband. We average about 200 dollars a month. Plenty of fresh veggies and meats. I also like sav-a-lot for some things.