Low Carb on a budget

muphin73

Hello cysters!
I'm FINALLY taking the time to take care of myself and get my weight and PCOS/endo under control. One of my ovaries was removed almost two months ago; it had gotten twisted around and was attached to the back of my uterus (the pain was unreal!!). With that surgery something in me finally woke up and realized it's time to do something because I can't seem to just wish it away. I've started walking (usually) twice a day for a total of about 4 miles, I've kicked my soda habit, and now I'm trying to lower my carbs. I noticed after a really high carb meal last week that the next day I felt like crap! That was enough to convince me. The problem though is my food budget. It's EXTREMELY tight and I'm sure we all know that the cheapest foods are the ones that are the worst for us. So I'm bringing my dilemma to you guys. If you have any suggestions on how to stay low carb on a tight budget, I would really appreciate it. And on a side note....I can only eat so many eggs!
Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Dragonwolf

Actually, some of the cheaper foods are actually better, because society has been conditioned to go after things like really lean cuts of meat and only the muscle meat. So don't be afraid to try things like organs and fatty cuts of meat.

Shop at your local farmer's markets and find a local farm and butcher to get meats. The quality will be far better, and the price far cheaper, than in a grocery store, pretty much across the board.

The price may seem high at first, but once you work out how much you actually end up eating (which is generally less by volume, overall), you'll probably find that your bill actually goes down.

pyramid918

I can't stress farmer's markets enough!! Especially in the summer while everything is growing like crazy. Buy in bulk and freeze what you can.

swinnie239

A large way that I've been cutting the budget is by prepping my meals on Sunday and just eating the same thing all week.

I vary things so that I don't repeat very often (compenents are repeated, but teh meal itself is not). I find that that cut everything down a good bit because I don't have to buy as many ingredients and don't end up wasting as much.

Yes, by Thurs/Fri I get a bit sick of it, but I am comforted by the knowledge that I won't see it again for awhile.

peabean26

I'm not sure what stores/markets you have access to. For me, the farmers market is a lifesaver! I buy almost all my veggies there. If you have a Trader Joe's, they usually have bags of avocados that are cheaper than buying avocados at the regular supermarket. They also have the cheapest almond meal and coconut milk around, which is what I use to make my treats (I always need treats!!). Do you have bulk stores by you? If so you can pick up frozen chicken/beef/shrimp for pretty cheap.

swinnie239

Where is everyone finding cheap farmer's markets? The ones around me are highway robbery. The last time, it was $4 for a bunch of spinach and $8 for two pounds of apples.

muphin73

We've got a nice little farmer's market here but it hasn't opened yet!
There's no bulk stores but we've got the "cheap" stores like IGA and Sav-a-lot.
I guess what I'm looking for is low carb staples. Like, we've always eaten a lot of rice and pasta but then I saw the carb content in them!

crepes_

Cheap staples: Frozen broccoli, frozen cauliflower, ground beef, sausages (check the carb content or get from a butcher and find out if there are any fillers), eggs, heavy cream, frozen spinach, chicken drumsticks, chicken thighs.

The fattier cuts of chicken are pretty much always cheaper than the skinless breasts. The ground beef can be used to stuff veggies, make a chili, make hamburgers, meatballs, or just crumbled with some cheese on top. Cauliflower can be used to bulk up pretty much anything. It easily adopts flavors so you can use it to make a fake mac and cheese, a lasagna, or you can rice it and fry it up with veggies and soy sauce for a mock fried rice.

muphin73

Cauliflower can be used to bulk up pretty much anything. It easily adopts flavors so you can use it to make a fake mac and cheese, a lasagna, or you can rice it and fry it up with veggies and soy sauce for a mock fried rice.

Those are great ideas, and I'll be a little better set once my tomatoes and zucchini get growing.
I've wondered about the cauliflower and how it would affect the taste of foods it was mixed in with. To make maybe some "mac and cheese" with it - I'd assume you'd rice it then what? Boil it a bit? I wouldn't mind trying that one.

babydaisy81

I have a few Asian stores locally, and the veggies there are a fraction of the store! Not sure if you have one accessible, but worry a try if you do. Markets are great as well, we have a fancy expensive one and then one that is really cheap. It's great to go at the end of the day, stock up and freeze.

Dragonwolf

Where is everyone finding cheap farmer's markets? The ones around me are highway robbery. The last time, it was $4 for a bunch of spinach and $8 for two pounds of apples.

Find the smaller-town ones. If you're in an urban area, people know they can jack up prices and people will still buy them, because urban people accept the idea that they have to pay so much. If you go out to the farmer's markets that are in the rural areas outside of the city, you'll be more likely to find things cheaper.

Keep an eye out for co-ops, too. We've got a few around here, a couple are delivery-based, and one's a permanent store. You can often get things cheaper that way (or find things that you can't really find anywhere else, like certain herbs/spices and whatnot).

Also, make sure the stuff you're getting is local, which should make it cheaper, as well, because you don't have as much storage and transportation costs.

KnitOrMiss

One thing I had recommended to me that I love is Joseph's Lavash Flatbread. It uses flax, 90 calories each, net 9 carbs, I think. They have it at Walmart but probably other places too. 5 wraps is $2-$3. You can use 1/2 one for a sandwich style, a whole one like a burrito, etc. They make great flatbread pizza, if you cut it first, all 8 pieces get crispy!

muphin73

One thing I had recommended to me that I love is Joseph's Lavash Flatbread. It uses flax, 90 calories each, net 9 carbs, I think. They have it at Walmart but probably other places too. 5 wraps is $2-$3. You can use 1/2 one for a sandwich style, a whole one like a burrito, etc. They make great flatbread pizza, if you cut it first, all 8 pieces get crispy!

I'll have to look for those. That sounds great!

macchiatto

Shopping at Aldi has been great for me. They have really good prices on produce and meats.

tabatham1982

One thing I had recommended to me that I love is Joseph's Lavash Flatbread. It uses flax, 90 calories each, net 9 carbs, I think. They have it at Walmart but probably other places too. 5 wraps is $2-$3. You can use 1/2 one for a sandwich style, a whole one like a burrito, etc. They make great flatbread pizza, if you cut it first, all 8 pieces get crispy!

These are my favorite go to when I crave a sandwich or want a quick pizza! In fact I had a BLT on one the other night and it was amazing!

I also like farmer's markets for my veggies, or if I buy frozen veggies I like to buy in bulk.

the biggest thing that helps me is looking at the store sale ads on like Wednesday (that's when they come out here) seeing what meat is on sale and then building a weeks worth of menus based off that.

mjrose514

I wish I could save this whole thread lol. I too have this problem. Right now our food budget is sometimes only $30! When it's more we get our meat....we have this place called bargain foods which is basically foods that have been damaged in transit or too much was bought at the store.. We get 10 pounds of chicken breast (at least 30 pieces) for $16. Produce is hit or miss on price and mold lol. We have Aldis and we try produce there, but again hit or miss in both. This week unfortunately was a miss on both counts...