You’re probably wondering how your grocery bill will be affected if you’re undertaking a new way of eating, such as a low-carb diet. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to change your diet.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to buy specific low-carb foods, drinks, and other staples. Below are some tips and ideas for eating low-carb while sticking to a budget.
Budget Basics
The cost of groceries is something that many shoppers are aware of, even if they are not following a specific diet. It is common for shoppers to try to stick to a budget. If you stick to a low-carb diet, you’ll need to be mindful of the nutritional value in the foods you purchase, and make sure you’re eating a varied and balanced diet.
These factors will also play a role in what you choose to eat. When you’re food shopping, the things that are most convenient for you to buy and prepare will probably be the things you end up eating the most.
Your own ethical considerations when it comes to food is something else to think about; for example, you might choose to buy food that comes from organic, local, sustainable, or humane sources when possible. A low-carb diet usually consists of unprocessed foods, which are usually more expensive than processed foods.
To save money on groceries when following a low-carb diet, it is helpful to know which foods are true staples and which are non-essential.
Low-carb diets generally consist of proteins, vegetables, and fats.
Make a grocery list of the low-carb foods that you will be eating most often, and be picky about what extras you buy.
There are specific strategies you can use to get the most value and nutrition for your money when shopping for each category.
Protein
Protein-rich foods like meat and fish can be expensive to buy regularly. Protein is essential for your diet, but you don’t need to eat a lot to get the benefits.
The first step to saving money on a low-carb diet is to calculate how much protein you need to eat. Start by calculating your protein needs in grams. After finding the total amount of food needed, divide it into the appropriate number of meals.
You can decide how much protein to have at each meal once you have figured out how much you need in a day. You will be able to identify what to look for on nutrition labels when you are shopping if you do it that way.
If you want to include meat and fish in your diet, it is important to know how much protein you need so you can budget appropriately. You should buy cheaper cuts of low-fat meat and store them in the freezer for later.
Vegetables
Non-starchy vegetables are an essential part of low-carb diets, but if you don’t plan ahead, buying fresh veggies can be a waste of money. The feeling of disappointment when you have to throw out wilted veggies because you never used them is all too familiar. If you keep track of the amount of produce you have, you can prevent it from going bad.
If you end up buying more produce than you need or your meal plan for the week doesn’t include the fresh Brussels sprouts you got on sale, don’t worry! You can always freeze them.
Blanching
To wilt greens, cook them in a hot pan or the microwave. The process of blanching cleans the produce but also serves another purpose. Blanching essentially puts the enzymes in the veggies into a state of hibernation ahead of being frozen, ensuring that when you thaw them out in the future, they’ll retain most of their flavor, texture, and nutrition.
You can cook vegetables in water or with steam, on the stovetop, or in the microwave. However you choose to blanch your produce, keep in mind that it might take some time to perfect the technique. If you over-blanch the produce, the taste and texture will be negatively impacted.
Let your blanched vegetables cool before packing and freezing them.
Grow Your Own
Another tip is to buy seasonally. Visit your local co-op, farm stand, or farmer’s market. You might even consider growing veggies yourself. If having a full vegetable garden is too much for you, or you don’t have enough space, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on the idea of using your green thumb. Many vegetables can be grown from scraps .
Fats
Healthy fats from olive oil and high-oleic sunflower or safflower oils are important in any diet. If you are trying to consume low-carbohydrate foods on a budget, the price of these oils may be a hindrance to your meal planning.
Cheap oils like corn oil and safflower oil don’t have the same nutritional benefits.
Other dietary sources of healthy fats, such as avocados, coconut oil, coconut milk, and nuts, will have varying costs depending on the season and where you live.
Beverages
Beverages such as soft drinks, bottled water, coffee, and ice tea can consume your grocery and carb budget, as well as contribute to your trash bin or recycling.
Water is the best thing to drink if you’re looking for a low-cost, no-carb option. If you’re not interested in plain water, you can add some sliced fruit or fresh mint to make it more appealing.
You can save money by buying your favorite coffee or tea in bulk. Purchasing coffee beans in bulk and grinding them as needed results in a higher quality and fresher cup of coffee than buying coffee that is already ground.
Pre-Packaged Snacks, Bars, and Mixes
Keep low-carb snacks with you to stay on track when you can’t have a full meal. This is especially important when you’re traveling or busy with work and errands.
Unit Price
When you’re buying packaged goods, be sure to look at the unit price too, especially for snacks that come in multi-packs. Each item in the store will have the displayed price, as well as the price for each unit.
When choosing between buying an item as a single or in a pack, checking the cost per unit can help you determine which is the better deal.
Make Your Own
One of the best ways to save money and have more control over the nutritional content of your food is to learn how to make some of your favorite snacks at home.
Boxes of high-quality protein bars can be expensive. If you have the right ingredients and are creative, you can either find or make recipes to make the dish at home.
Go Generic
If you’re looking to buy low-carb snacks that are already packaged, check the ingredients on some of the cheaper versions. Manufacturers of generic products often use the same, or very similar, ingredients as name-brand products. In some cases, generic products may even have been made in the same factory.
Trying the store brand version of a product you buy frequently is worth a shot. You might find that you like the taste of generic brands just as much as the more expensive brand.
More Tips on How to Save Money on any Diet
Preparation
Preparation is Everything and will help you stay on budget
Most people who have gone shopping in a supermarket will tell you that it’s best to go with a list, or else you’ll end up spending more money than you had originally planned. This will help you save time and money. One way to save money and time when shopping is to make a shopping list.
Create a meal plan for the week, focusing on family dinners. If you want to be successful, you should try to plan out your week as best as you can. There is some room for flexibility, but it’s still important to have a general plan.
This will prevent you from buying things you don’t need and then finding them freezer burned in your freezer months later.
Yup, been there done that! This provides an opportunity to use coupons and take advantage of sales for items that are required.
Not only will you save money by meal prepping, but you’ll also see better diet results according to studies! This printable can help you plan and track your meals for a week to see how it impacts your eating habits.
Make Use of What You Already Own
Use those appliances to create deliciously Cheap Meals
Use em if you’ve got em! If you want to make some inexpensive meals, get your slow cookers and instant pots out of the cupboard and put them to use!
Not only do they save you time, slow cookers are also a budget-friendly option that will pay for itself in the long run. You can make great meals with low-cost cuts of meat.
Forget Processed Foods
Whole Foods are cheaper and will help you get better results!
Prepared shakes, bars, and meals are relied on by many people in online keto and low carb groups.
If you want to be successful on the keto diet, it is important that you learn how to cook and prepare all of your own meals. This will not only save you money, but it will also give you the best results.
This includes purchasing items such as veggie noodles and cauliflower rice in bulk! You can save money by making them yourself. This is a complete guide on how to make cauliflower rice.
If you eat a lot of highly processed keto foods, you may stall your weight loss.
Plus they are super expensive! $5 for a processed keto bar? No thanks!
Shop in Season
Shopping in Season gets you the Best Produce at the Best Price
The most effective way to save money on produce is to grow your own. Not all of us can do that. So shop the sales and use coupons. The best way to save money on produce is to buy it when it is in season in your area. Seasonal produce is always lower priced.
You should check out your local farm markets if you haven’t already. You can get organic food for much less money, and I find the idea of dealing directly with the people who grow my food to be pleasing. And if you have kids, please take them along! They are so used to seeing it in stores. It is beneficial for children to see where food comes from, rather than only seeing it in stores.
You can make an inexpensive pizza using eggplants during the summer. You can add whatever you like onto your keto pizza that is made with sliced eggplant.
Simply coat your eggplant with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning (like garlic powder, salt, and pepper), and lay flat on a baking sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, flip and cook for another 10 minutes.
Then you can add your toppings and let it cook for a few more minutes. Vary the cooking temperature to suit your oven. One of my favorite things to eat is this quick and easy meal.
You can get three romaine hearts at your local grocery store for under $3. That is a lot of salads!
Many people enjoy spreading cream cheese on cucumber slices as a tasty snack. If you purchase cream cheese when it is on sale, or with a coupon, it can be a reasonably priced item. Cucumbers are cheap all year long in most regions.
Make Your Own Spice Mixes
Make Homemade Spices and other Staples
One thing I noticed while shopping is that spices in bags are cheaper than spice mixes in jars.
Making your own spice mixes is a great way to save money. For example, you can make your own Italian seasoning mix, Taco mix, Steak and Rib dry rub, etc.
Not only can you save money by making your own seasoning blends, but you can also put them in attractive jars and give them as gifts! People love to buy small batches of seasonings because they are willing to pay more money for them at specialty markets.
Boom! Your gift giving budget just improved as well!
Price Matching
If you are unaware of what price matching is, then today is your lucky day!
Price matching is when you tell the cashier that the price is lower somewhere else, and they match the price minus one penny.
Some grocery stores allow you to take screenshots of their digital flyers so you can use them as coupons on your phone. Most cases do not require physical flyers.
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