6 Simple Ways to Save Money on a Ketogenic Diet
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These are 6 simple and basic changes you can implement to save money on your food on a keto diet, or any diet. Finding a wise grocery shopping strategy takes time to perfect. Here are some tips on honing in your food purchasing strategy.
Each family must learn their optimal way to make wise grocery purchasing. These methods aim to be inclusive for whatever dietary choice you make (although there is an obvious tendency toward a ketogenic diet which is our preferred way of eating).
Table of Contents (click to view)
The 6 Simple Ways to Save Money On Food
There are many ways to enjoy different diets on a budget, so don’t worry about breaking the bank.
Make it from scratch.
Did you just cringe? I promise from-scratch-cooking isn’t as hard as it sounds.
A well formulated diet eliminates many of the filler foods found in a prepackaged diet. Most store-bought crackers, chips, cookies and breads are already out.
Learn a few different ways to prepare meats and fish. Have you ever visited the website How to Cook Meat? It is a great resource.
Once you have your main protein source down, a simple side of steamed veggies served with a homemade butter or cream sauce. Garnish with fresh herbs, and you’re good to go. Daily eating should be simplified, efficient and effective.
You can always spice it up when you are inspired to make a more complex platter, but keeping it simple with nutrient dense foods as the building blocks of your meals is very helpful.
I know you are busy, I really do! But making foods at home will save you money.
This is a common tip given out to people looking to save money on their grocery bill regardless of dietary choices. When you make food from scratch, you get the added bonus of knowing exactly what is going in the recipe. There will never be extra stabilizers, food coloring, or artificial sweetener – unless you put it in yourself. Build your confidence in the kitchen, you are capable of providing yourself and your family with good, wholesome, nutritious foods to fuel your day and sustain your health. Soups, salad dressing, keto trail mixes, low-carb snack bars…these can all be prepared in bulk from ingredients purchased in bulk. Making food from scratch will save money and when you prepare food from your own kitchen it is easy to double the recipe and save these extra servings to pack into a lunch the next day.
Buy fresh whole foods.
A well-formulated ketogenic diet should be built around whole food sources of protein, fat and micronutrient rich fibrous vegetables.
Many of the clients we work with have families and service a variety of diets. Sticking to the outer isles in a grocery store is a golden piece of advice. Visit the fresh produce area, shop through the deli, get meats, cheeses and dairy products as needed. Make your run and you are back at the front again ready to check out and have entirely eliminated the rows of sugary cereal, shelf stable fruit juices, and chemically enhanced condiments.
Eat seasonally, buy local.
Out of season food does not come from your local area. It has been picked, packed and shipped long distances contributing to further economic and environmental issues as well as increasing the price. Local food promises a simpler, more direct process from farm to your plate. supply chain, usually of small or medium sized farms. With local foods you can eliminate many middle men in the process and save money. Local foods are cheaper than imported out of season products. Find a farmer’s market in your area!
Buy in bulk.
The best way to buy for a bulk discount is to contact the farm or supplier directly. Following a direct relationship, you can join a buying club, work with a local co-op, and shop online for bulk discount deals. We always source our food in bulk whenever possible. The diet consists of primarily local meat, eggs and seafood, local animal fats and coconut oil, and fresh low-carb vegetables, mushrooms, seeds, and herbs. I stock up on canned fish (domestically made), freeze enough meat to last a month, buy crates of eggs and grab a week’s worth of vegetables from the farmer’s market. Wherever you live, buying bulk (and direct as possible) is a good way to shave the food budget down.
Make it in bulk.
Soups, stews, burger patties, meatballs, dips, salad dressings, snack bars and even vegetables can be made ahead of time in bulk. Use the leftovers the following day or pack them into a lunch. During the initial adaptation period of a ketogenic diet, having low-carb pre-prepped foods on hand will help you transition past the nasty sugar cravings some people struggle with. Being prepared with a go-to meal is a good way to guard against binge behavior triggered by carb cravings.
Freeze extra bone broth, dehydrate surplus meats, and make extra-large batches of home ferments like sauerkraut. Make now, eat later. Work now, reap later. You spend less time in the kitchen overall and will have the ingredients you need for quick and easy ketogenic meals.
5 or less.
Simple foods = simple shopping = simple budgeting. During the beginning of our budgeting journey, without specifically intending to, I found myself making increasingly simple meals. More often than not, our meals are five ingredients or less. We have the main protein, a fat source, vegetables of some type and a few herbal seasonings. I rotate through a few main staples and add supplementary herbs and spices for flavor. It is really that simple. The best part?Our food is simple and satisfying. Not every dish will go on the cover of a magazine (or in this case a blog post) but the meals are nourishing and sustainable.
In conclusion
With these 6 ways to save money on food, my cooking and shopping has become straightforward, practical and efficient.
You can make these simple steps to take TODAY!
Post up any other tips you employ in the comments below. How do you save with wise grocery and shopping strategies?
Buying meat in bulk direct from our local farmers has saved us considerable amounts of money. However, local produce is MUCH more expensive than even buying organic, shipped in produce at Whole Foods. It is weird because we live in the Midwest of the US, which is largely farm land. But, buying local and organic is seen as a specialty, hip thing to do so I think that’s why it is so expensive. For example, I’ve seen in-season, local tomatoes for sale at $6 per tomato, where at the grocery store it is 50 cents a pound. Craziness.
We get around this by gardening. I’ve learned tricks to maximize our small growing space, grow all four seasons, and I also grow greens and herbs inside year round. Gardening is a great way to save money and really know what you’re eating. You can maximize the health of your own soil and know you’re getting nutrient dense, organic foods and at a lower cost than anywhere. If you can raise chickens or ducks, then you can have a steady supply of eggs too!
can that bulk food! Did you find a great deal on some grass fed beef, a local fisherman has extra fish, a local farmer has more vegetables than they know what to do with? You could freeze it, but what if you do not have room for all of it? or don’t want to chance a power failure wiping out your frozen food? canning meat and vegetables will give you a food supply for years with no worry about power failures. We can talk about pressure canning for meat and vegetables, hot water canning for vegetables and fruit, or pickling (which preserves food) and also ups the prebiotics and probiotics!