Paleo on a very tight budget?

[BlueTaelon]

It was already hard feeding us on $500 mo, food prices are outrageous here, $3 for a head of lettuce! Were gluten/dairy/soy/peanut/beef/artificial stuff free due to celiac and food allergies/severe intolerance. My health has gone down hill in a big way from severe pain to intense brain fog the past few months. I have massive inflammation going on according to my Dr, its a nice little complication from celiac disease, my body is mistaking legumes and grains which are the bulk of my diet as gluten:( The Dr is right, just by cutting of the legumes my pain is down 99% over the past 2 weeks, the fog starts lifting if I stay away from grains, the problem is I can't afford this diet so I have been going hungry a lot:( My dd13 appears to need paleo as well based on her issues and we know it stabilizes my dd7's blood sugars/moods. Were already on a food stamp diet and they just cut our FS by $100 so we have a budget of $397 for 4 people. We have been eating well due to having a well stocked pantry full of grains and legumes supplemented by a freezer full of meat. Well, half full now. The past 6 months have been very very difficult financially even though I work my butt off, we live so far out of town that half my paycheck goes to gas. Thats not an issue right now though because my car died and I don't have $300-$500 to fix it and even if I did I don't have gas money to get to work because I haven't worked the past 2 weeks because the car died. Nasty little cycle there. Basic bills will still get paid due to SSI but there is ZERO money for anything else.

 

I have the basic supplies to get a hydroponic garden going, just need to get more seeds but I'm looking at least 30 days before I can even start harvesting some leafy greens and we can have chef salads which we love, I'm more concerned about the amount of light since thats my major production limiter. Its cold outside, like ice and snow cold so I need to grow inside and I don't know the limits of the electrical system and I don't have a whole lot of outlets, this house was built before elec was around.

 

Were moving in March/April I'm guessing, landlord is finally coming today, will discuss when they plan to tear down the house so I need to make sure what ever I do is portable.

 

Thats longer term stuff, I just got the notice yesterday that our food budget is cut by $100  and I do the months grocery shopping soon. I need paleo friendly ideas to feed us this month while I get the garden growing and hopefully we can start harvesting in mid Feb. (anyone have any Asian veggie/baby lettuce/spinach seeds they dont need?:))

 

Making multiple meals for me and the kids is killing me time and energy wise. What can we all eat thats paleo friendly and wont break the bank?

[Quiver0f10]

We are trying to eat paleo too and one thing that helps with the budget is stir fry. I buy large bags of frozen stir fry veggies, and stretch the meat. We are satisfied and it's not too expensive. Salad is expensive for us in the winter so we don't do a lot of those, but soups and broths are pretty cheap if you make them from scratch. And soup is very filling. Eggs are cheap so we eat a lot of those too.

[Plateau Mama]

Best thing is to eat what's on sale. If chicken is on sale eat chicken that week. If broccoli and bananas are on sale eat that.

[Annie]

I hope you like eggs. :)

 

How about something like this for breakfast, but instead of expensive veggies, go with economy bags of frozen vegetables and add some onion and garlic?

 

http://www.beyondthepeel.net/2012/01/eggs-en-cocotte-a-high-protein-breakfast.html

 

Save bacon grease to use for frying eggs and sautéing vegetables. Lots of flavor for not much money. Lots of soup made out of homemade bone broth.

[mommymilkies]

It is soooo hard being Paleo on a budget.  It absolutely killed my finances, so I stopped.  I need to go back on it, and I'm scared of the price tag!    :lurk5:

[jillian]

We try to eat paleo too but honestly there are times when we have to have the grains due to budget constraints. We do lots of salads, stir fry mixes, etc. One thing that helped was having the garden this summer.

[RoundAbout]

We eat high fat low carb, and it is tough on the budget. Every morning my DH makes a large breakfast scramble that includes only 5 oz of sausage, 2-3 eggs, and whatever veggies we have. It's not as cheap as oatmeal but its easy to incorporate whatever cheap veggies are on sale or marked down.

 

Cabbage is great as it keeps forever, is cheap and healthy. I read somewhere that it was often the only vegetable eaten in some parts of America until the 20th century.

 

If you can incorporate healthy fats into your diet it can help with feeling full longer. We buy big things of coconut oil on Amazon for way less than the store.

[happypamama]

Lots and lots of frozen vegetables.  I buy them when they're on sale for $1 a pound, and we go through a lot of them.  Not uncommon for me to cook 3 or 4 bags for a dinner (for a family of 6) -- I might stir-fry a bag of green beans in some olive oil (and toss in a few nuts if we have them, because of the good fats), and then I might also boil and then drain well (this is crucial) a couple of bags of cauliflower, then mash them and stir in a bit of butter/salt/pepper.  I used to cook one bag of cauliflower, but I can add a pound more of that for a lot less than a pound of meat.

[sassenach]

Whole chickens go on sale at our local grocery store for 30 cent a pound every 6-8 weeks, which brings them down to $4-5 a piece. I buy several and then once a week I roast one, pull the breast meat off for lunches, slow cook the carcass in water to make broth, and turn that into soup. It makes 2 dinners and several days worth of lunches.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Potatoes ..... White and sweet potatoes are your best non-grain calorie booster for your buck. Try to eat more sweet potatoes than white (more nutrients) but white potatoes are cheaper. White potatoes are not inflammatory and some paleo "experts" say that are ok and others don't, but they are a cheap, non-grain filler so go for it! Eggs,eggs,eggs. Buy whole chickens and cheaper cuts of meat on sale. A warehouse store like SAMs or Costco might be a good investment. I can get a bag of romaine hearts for the price of one head of romaine from the grocer. We fill up on salad. Stock on frozen veggies when on sale. Lots of bananas and when you can get a clearances bag, smoothies are on the menu! Aldi sometimes has a great price on produce too. Trader joes is good for some things. You can buy a pound of roasted, salted sunflower seeds for $1.99 (far cheaper and less inflammatory than nuts!). Makes a great take-a-long snack.

[ktgrok]

eggs

potatoes

and if you can handle it, rice. Rice is much less inflammatory than any other grain, and cheap.

[jillian]

Lots of cauliflower!!!

[Berta]

Can't the other family members eat grains? That right there will cut your food budget by a lot. I am the only one that eats paleo in our house. When you move will you have the option of having chickens? We get a ton of eggs which is something I eat every day, in several different ways. If you can get a good size garden going once you move you can learn how to can and dehydrate veggies. I do this and it keeps us in veggies all year long. I think you can buy seeds and plants with food stamps. Canning cost $ to start up, but maybe someone you know has a canner you can borrow. I got my dehydrators at Goodwill for $7-10 each.

[BlueTaelon]

Best thing is to eat what's on sale. If chicken is on sale eat chicken that week. If broccoli and bananas are on sale eat that.

 

Nearest grocery store is half hour away and were also carless until I get my tax return, I'll be lucky to get a ride into the city once a month so weekly shopping is out.

 

Whole chickens go on sale at our local grocery store for 30 cent a pound every 6-8 weeks, which brings them down to $4-5 a piece. I buy several and then once a week I roast one, pull the breast meat off for lunches, slow cook the carcass in water to make broth, and turn that into soup. It makes 2 dinners and several days worth of lunches.

 

Where in the world do you live that you can find chicken of any kind of 30 cents lb? Lowest I have seen in past couple years is 99 cents lb and thats a killer deal here. I picked up 10 chickens last time.

 

Potatoes ..... White and sweet potatoes are your best non-grain calorie booster for your buck. Try to eat more sweet potatoes than white (more nutrients) but white potatoes are cheaper. White potatoes are not inflammatory and some paleo "experts" say that are ok and others don't, but they are a cheap, non-grain filler so go for it! Eggs,eggs,eggs. Buy whole chickens and cheaper cuts of meat on sale. A warehouse store like SAMs or Costco might be a good investment. I can get a bag of romaine hearts for the price of one head of romaine from the grocer. We fill up on salad. Stock on frozen veggies when on sale. Lots of bananas and when you can get a clearances bag, smoothies are on the menu! Aldi sometimes has a great price on produce too. Trader joes is good for some things. You can buy a pound of roasted, salted sunflower seeds for $1.99 (far cheaper and less inflammatory than nuts!). Makes a great take-a-long snack.

 

I thought white potatoes are a huge no no, those go on sale for $1-2 for a 10lb bag every month or 2. Don't have an Aldi

's in this state and TJs is 1.5hrs away:( I miss TJ's...

 

 

 

eggs

potatoes

and if you can handle it, rice. Rice is much less inflammatory than any other grain, and cheap.

 

I can't digest rice at all, even with heavy duty prescription digestive enzymes I still can only eat a small amount, I also though they were not paleo:(

 

 

Can't the other family members eat grains? That right there will cut your food budget by a lot. I am the only one that eats paleo in our house. When you move will you have the option of having chickens? We get a ton of eggs which is something I eat every day, in several different ways. If you can get a good size garden going once you move you can learn how to can and dehydrate veggies. I do this and it keeps us in veggies all year long. I think you can buy seeds and plants with food stamps. Canning cost $ to start up, but maybe someone you know has a canner you can borrow. I got my dehydrators at Goodwill for $7-10 each.

They would benefit from the diet as well and making 2 different meals 3 times a day is killing me. I don't have a lot of energy or brain function most days so I need to keep it simple. No chickens but my moms got chickens, they started laying about 4-6 weeks ago and she's been a bit overwhelmed getting 3 doz eggs a day lol, she's called me twice in the past week begging me to take eggs because her fridge is full, I've still got 10 doz from last week! lol I have asked my parents if I can buy chicks with them for the next round of meat chickens as well as 2 pigs and some turkeys and maybe a lamb if they do decide to do them this year. Their home grown stuff tastes way better:) Its also cheaper even though I have to pay cash for feed and stuff. Thinking of using my tax return to pay for the entire cost to fill 2 freezers. They haven't made up their minds yet if they will take me up on it. At least with pigs I only have to pay for the 1st year, eat one/breed one and sell the weaner's to cover the cost of feed for the year for 2 pigs:)

 

You can buy seeds and plants with food stamps, the problem is your stuck with what you can find at the grocery store or walmart, neither of which are local to me or carry seeds at this time of year. I wish plant nurserys took FS.

 

The land lord came by today and they should have a better idea of whats going on by March, they still hope to sell the house but if not they doubt it will get torn down this year due to lack of funds and figure I have another year here if I want (trust me, the conversation with the actual owner vs his father who I have been dealing with was very different today). No idea what we will do.

 

So, bottom line, we have a ton of eggs, what do we do with them? Were sick of eggs!

[sassenach]

I live in one of the highest COL places in the country (San Francisco suburb). When we moved here from Orlando, my grocery bill went up 40%. I think it's just one of those things that Safeway does occasionally to pull in customers. It works!

[Berta]

Nearest grocery store is half hour away and were also carless until I get my tax return, I'll be lucky to get a ride into the city once a month so weekly shopping is out.

 

 

Where in the world do you live that you can find chicken of any kind of 30 cents lb? Lowest I have seen in past couple years is 99 cents lb and thats a killer deal here. I picked up 10 chickens last time.

 

 

I thought white potatoes are a huge no no, those go on sale for $1-2 for a 10lb bag every month or 2. Don't have an Aldi

's in this state and TJs is 1.5hrs away:( I miss TJ's...

 

 

 

 

I can't digest rice at all, even with heavy duty prescription digestive enzymes I still can only eat a small amount, I also though they were not paleo:(

 

 

They would benefit from the diet as well and making 2 different meals 3 times a day is killing me. I don't have a lot of energy or brain function most days so I need to keep it simple. No chickens but my moms got chickens, they started laying about 4-6 weeks ago and she's been a bit overwhelmed getting 3 doz eggs a day lol, she's called me twice in the past week begging me to take eggs because her fridge is full, I've still got 10 doz from last week! lol I have asked my parents if I can buy chicks with them for the next round of meat chickens as well as 2 pigs and some turkeys and maybe a lamb if they do decide to do them this year. Their home grown stuff tastes way better:) Its also cheaper even though I have to pay cash for feed and stuff. Thinking of using my tax return to pay for the entire cost to fill 2 freezers. They haven't made up their minds yet if they will take me up on it. At least with pigs I only have to pay for the 1st year, eat one/breed one and sell the weaner's to cover the cost of feed for the year for 2 pigs:)

 

You can buy seeds and plants with food stamps, the problem is your stuck with what you can find at the grocery store or walmart, neither of which are local to me or carry seeds at this time of year. I wish plant nurserys took FS.

 

The land lord came by today and they should have a better idea of whats going on by March, they still hope to sell the house but if not they doubt it will get torn down this year due to lack of funds and figure I have another year here if I want (trust me, the conversation with the actual owner vs his father who I have been dealing with was very different today). No idea what we will do.

 

So, bottom line, we have a ton of eggs, what do we do with them? Were sick of eggs!

 

I don't prepare two different meals. I usually make a meat, veggie, salad and a starch. I just don't eat the starch. On meatless days (spaghetti or soups) I just throw a piece of meat on my Forman Grill (LIFESAVER!) and have that.

 

I have 60 chickens so I can sympathize with the tons of eggs per day. I make deviled eggs, scrambled eggs, quiche, and hard boiled eggs. I'm pretty picky so I don't eat a big variety of things. You can visit www.lowcarbfriends.com and find a ton of recipes using eggs.

[Scrub Jay]

What if you sprouted your grains/beans first?  Maybe that would help you digest them....

[Berta]

This thread has what you could buy for one person low carb per week with $20

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/past-amazing-posts/771756-you-only-have-20-week-what-do-you-buy.html

[CupOCoffee]

This thread has what you could buy for one person low carb per week with $20

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/past-amazing-posts/771756-you-only-have-20-week-what-do-you-buy.html

 

Some great ideas on that thread, but just be aware that it's from 2009; those prices are no where near what prices are (at least for me) now.  Still, it does have some great ideas, and I bet those kinds of things are still the cheapest, just not $20.

 

~coffee~

[shukriyya]

I live in one of the highest COL places in the country (San Francisco suburb). When we moved here from Orlando, my grocery bill went up 40%.

Totally OT but wowzers!!!

[jillian]

The thing to remember is paleo isn't low carb/high fat. It is low grain. So you can do beans and potatoes.

[shukriyya]

The thing to remember is paleo isn't low carb/high fat. It is low grain. So you can do beans and potatoes.

 

I do beans very occasionally and potatoes regularly but a true paleo diet doesn't allow either of those.

[jillian]

You have to do what you have to do to afford it. For example we cannot afford grass fed, and we cannot afford to do it in bulk even though we have room for it. I figure it's easier to cut out the big sources of grains and use my money to get more produce and nuts than to spend the money on grass fed. Ideally I'd like to have my own livestock or chickens at least but I can't here

[Berta]

I do beans very occasionally and potatoes regularly but a true paleo diet doesn't allow either of those.

 

After seeing that list I can say that I am definitely NOT paleo. I guess I'm what is considered low-carb. I don't eat anything white... rice, flour, sugar etc. But I do eat cheese and butter (lots of it!).

[Pegasus]

Around here, the stores are trying to clear out the rest of the turkeys after the holidays.  Ham too is cheap.  Buy as many as you have freezer space for.  Right now, these are way cheaper than even chicken.

[LizzyBee]

Are you trying to buy all organic, grass-fed, etc?  Even the paleo pioneers such as Robb Wolf concede that eating conventionally grown whole foods is acceptable if you can't afford organic and grass fed.  Buy the best you can afford, but don't buy organic and grass fed if it's a hardship for your family. Also, some local farms will sell soup bones and liver pretty cheap ($2/lb here), so if you like those things, it helps save a few bucks.

[BlueTaelon]

The thing to remember is paleo isn't low carb/high fat. It is low grain. So you can do beans and potatoes.

 

I can not do beans anymore which are a staple for us, my body is mistaking legumes as gluten and as a celiac thats a very bad thing. Removing them from my diet is medically necessary, I don't know how potatoes affect me.

 

 

Are you trying to buy all organic, grass-fed, etc?  Even the paleo pioneers such as Robb Wolf concede that eating conventionally grown whole foods is acceptable if you can't afford organic and grass fed.  Buy the best you can afford, but don't buy organic and grass fed if it's a hardship for your family. Also, some local farms will sell soup bones and liver pretty cheap ($2/lb here), so if you like those things, it helps save a few bucks.

 

Heavens no! We can barely afford conventional meats.

[LizzyBee]

 

Heavens no! We can barely afford conventional meats.

 

Okay. I thought I'd mention it because I've had friends who thought they couldn't afford paleo because they couldn't afford organic and grass-fed. 

[coffeefreak]

I'll buy a whole chicken and boil it with veggies to make broth, then take the meat and divide it into several meals for the week.  Sometimes my dd's tummy could only handle chicken broth with rice and veggies, and I knew she was getting some good nutrients out of it..  It has become a comfort food for her.

 

Do you like sweet potatoes?  We're eating them all the time now.  Aren't they supposed to be better for you and easier to digest than white potatoes?  I might be wrong on the digestion thing, but we love them and they're so easy to cook.  Nuke them for 6 min and they're perfect.

 

Also, what about Quinoa?  Can you handle that?  It's a grain that's high in protein so that might help.  Have you seen this blog? http://www.againstallgrain.com/about-me/  

She was a lifesaver for us last year.  She makes cauliflower rice and, while her recipes look expensive at first, she has some gems that are inexpensive and we love them.

 

I like this one too:

http://paleomg.com/category/eggs/

 

Now that we've been semi paleo for over a year, I can look at conventional recipes and convert them.  We're not dairy free though which makes things easier for us.  Sometimes you have to sift through the blogs to find the one recipe that is cheap or easy to make cheap, but it's worth it.  We're trying to feed ourselves for $150 a week this year.  For the last 2 years, I spent an average of $1000-$1300 a month on groceries and household.  It was killing me then, but it's REALLY killing me now.  I am determined to fix it this year!

 

Sorry you're struggling!  hope some of this helps!

[mytwomonkeys]

For dinner, you could serve meat, veggie, and either salad, sweet potato, quinoa, etc (quinoa is a seed-not a grain). I agree with others, buy what's on sale.

 

For lunch, you could do soup and /or leftovers

 

For breakfast, try eggs or buckwheat pancakes.

 

wellnessmama.com is grain free and has really good recipes

 

ETA-- just realized this thread is older