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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 10:23
Calianna's Avatar
Calianna Calianna is offline
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Default Low Carb on a budget

After some discussion in an IF thread on the War Zone about how IF naturally leads to saving money on the food budget, there was some discussion about how to do LC on a budget.



Here's some of the posts concerning ways to save money on LC foods:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ms Arielle
Jumping in-- along the way we have lost our old ways of celebrating and that often included fasting before a feast. Some culture do still follow this and I do wonder if their health is better than those that don't fast; meaning a good study would be valuable. Anyway my point is, that most cultures around the world had a period of fasting but as religion has gone the way of the dodo, and starvation, at least in the US, is a rare thing, perhaps bringing back "fasting" has a place again if not for religious reasons , then for real health benefits.



As I understand the cultural fasting it was a social event, fasting followed by a celebration with feasting.

Personally, I have started to understand the benefits of buying high quality food with a meager food budget, and use fasting as the health benefit that it is to stretch the food dollars. ( Such a different concept than the 3 squares a day I was brought up with.)



Quote:
Originally Posted by bkloots
Somewhere on this Forum there must be a thread about doing LC on a very tight budget. If not, an experienced forum member might start one.

Suggestions like buying frozen fresh veggies on sale, soup recipes that stretch every ingredient, and finding deals on cheese (for example) could be really helpful.



Quote:
On a different (now defunct) LC forum, there was a thread about doing LC on a very tight budget - seems the poster only had $20 to spend on groceries for herself that week. It was a thread started several years ago (probably around 8-10 years ago), so the prices were considerably lower than they are now, but it was doable, and not even involving IF, just buying very judiciously.



The best way to stretch such a tight budget of course meant buying conventionally produced LC foods (no organics, unless they were less expensive than the conventionally grown that week) which are traditionally very economical, such as whole, bone-in chicken thighs (less expensive than breasts, more meat than chicken legs, bones that could be simmered for bone broth, lots of fat would cook off to save for for scrambling eggs or seasoning veggies, and the skin could be crisped in the microwave for a crunchy snack), block cheese (less expensive than pre-shredded or sliced), eggs, maybe a bargain package of ground beef, or frozen tilapia on sale, and sticking to whatever LC fresh, frozen, or canned veggies were on the best sale that week. You could stretch that $20 a little further if you bought all store brands. You could do even better if you were able to spend a little more one week to get a lower price/lb, with enough of that item for more than 1 week, in order to save that much on the next week's budget.



Many people posted their "If I only had $20" food budget for the week. Prices were different from one part of the country to another, as well as depending on if you had a serious cut-rate grocer in your area, such as Aldi, or Sav-a-lot, so some could buy more food for the same amount of money than others. It certainly didn't provide a wide variety of food choices, and it certainly didn't allow any luxuries, but it was definitely do-able for someone on a very limited budget.



By the time that LC site was closed about a year ago, the amount it took to buy the same amount of food had risen to about $25-$35, but that's still not a bad amount to stick to LC for a week.



So I can see how it would work very well combined with IF.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Ms Arielle
Yes, I learned over years how to find food at the best prices ; learned from a friend that is dependent of food pantries and "soup kitchens" . However, the food is not good quality ie mac and cheese with a side of canned green beans. Along the way I decided my health was worth something more, and have made the best use of those introductions, focusing on getting frozen meats and frozen vegies. Many food pantries do not have refrigerators or freezers. Takes a lot of time to be in the right place at the right time, rather than just walk into a grocery to pick out the best options and plunk down a huge chunk of change.

What I have observed over the years is that the " dinner guests" are either very overweight ( the majority) or very very thin. Neither getting the right input of foods.

Im only getting into this in hopes of helping others see the unseen plight of the needy; their food resources are NOT quality food, or enough food..... and contributes to a great number of illnesses.

Sadly, these people are on the bottom of the pecking order, but use a tremendous amount medical aid. One friend is regularly in the hospital due to complication of a 400 pound body. ALL care is free.

Given his circumstances IF would be beneficial at several levels. He has lost 40 in a year. He thinks that is great. I continue to pick moments to talk food with him..... he doesnt have diabetes, so he is fine is his motto. He and his wife are very round, and his children continue to gain extra pounds.....

IF would be a practical answer.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ms Arielle
Calianna-- thanks for sharing about that thread. Food prices do vary place to place, sometimes tremendously. Here there are a number of groceries. THe most local has the highest prices but at the other end of the strip mall is a discount store that carries most or all the Bob's Red mill line up, walnuts and almonds that go on sale, and best prices around for CO, EVOO, and other oils. Nothing refrigerated. In another town the prices are so good the difference in gas money is worth the drive. I have a standing order for beef fat every Monday and take the opportunity to look for discounted meats and specials.

Was the $20/ week for an individual or a family?

As for IF and my teens, if they are not hungry like in the morning before school, I do not press them to eat. IF in its most natural evolution. Both my teens can skip meals and I dont freak out-- that liver holds a lot of stored energy. ( Skipping one meal is not IF; rather when IF is understood, skipping meals becomes ok.)



Quote:
Originally Posted by WereBear
Myself, as well. I am eating better cuts of meat which I pay for by not buying all kinds of other things.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Calianna
No one ever really defined whether or not it was intended as the amount for a family or individual, although I think the person who originally started the thread was single.



Unless you had a very low BMR, it would definitely be difficult to put together a workable LC diet which wasn't inherently too low in cals and/or protein, if you had to limit it to $20 these days, even for just one person, although $25 or $30 should be enough to squeak by, depending on where you lived and what shopping choices you had.


You're welcome! I think so many people starting out LC think that they NEED to eat steak and bacon - I remember someone years ago telling me that they'd tried LC and it was working, but they just couldn't afford to eat steak all the time.



Going off to see if Arielle started a thread yet...
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  #2   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 10:26
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Meme#1 Meme#1 is offline
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Here is a good one....
The price per pound for potato chips is equal to the price per pound for Filet Mignon!!
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  #3   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 10:29
Calianna's Avatar
Calianna Calianna is offline
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Default

I don't think this needs to be a "$20 for LC groceries the week" thread, because prices have definitely gone up in the approximate decade since the thread was started on the now defunct forum, and I don't think $20 is still realistic in most areas of the US. But you can certainly still do things to control costs, and often spend far less than you did on LF diets or SAD.

So share your best hints - I'll be back later on to post some low cost LC grocery lists, based on current local grocery ads.
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  #4   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 11:21
Calianna's Avatar
Calianna Calianna is offline
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Plan: Atkins-ish (hypoglycemia)
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What you buy will depend on your carb level, but here's some current prices in my area:

At a regular grocery chain with thousands of weekly price changes, these are some of their loss leaders:

Green cabbage - 17 cents/pound with coupon and $25 order (limit 4 lbs) - or 69 cents/lb without coupon
Point Cut Corned Beef Brisket - $1.67/lb [Flat cut $2.47/lb]
80/20 ground beef value pack (approx 4-6 lb package) $1.77/lb with coupon and $25 order (limit one package) - or $2.99/lb without coupon
Green, Red, Yellow, or Orange bell peppers -$1 each
Chicken legs or thighs (value pack: 4-6 lbs - NOT boneless/skinless) 99 cents/lb

At a cut rate grocery chain:

8 oz basic chunk cheese (cheddars, mozarella, monterey jack, swiss, etc): $1.99
large eggs: $1.35/dozen
Deli sliced cheese (provolone, swiss, mozarella, etc) $1.99/8 oz package
Heavy cream - 1 pint $1.59
Cream cheese - 8 oz 79 cents
seedless european type cucumber - $1.25
broccoli crowns 1 lb - $1.85
Fresh flat leaf spinach 10 oz - $1.19
Zucchini 24 oz package - $1.69
garlic 3 head package - 95 cents
green peppers 3 pack - $2.69
Romaine hearts 3 pack jumbo - $1.99
yellow onions: $1.19/3 lb bag
Tomatoes on the vine 1 lb package - $1.99
Store brand mayo 32 oz - $1.89
Jarred salsa - $1.19
Canned mushrooms 4 oz - 55 cents
canned tomato sauce (no sugar on ingredients list) 4 oz - 25 cents
Pork rinds 3.25 oz - 79 cents
green olives - 99 cents
frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or mixed berries) 12 oz bag - $1.95

There are some organics available at that store too - prices are a bit higher for those, but still less expensive than at a regular grocery chain.
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  #5   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 12:07
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khrussva khrussva is offline
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Plan: My own - < 30 net carbs
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Location: Central Virginia - USA
Default

The "Manager's Special" discount to move items before the sell by date varies widely from one grocery store to the next. One nearby grocery store likes to season up and repackage meat to extend the date. Yuck. I won't make that mistake again. Another local store will discount meat about 10% on the "sell by" date. Not much of a savings nor is it very convenient. But one local grocery store earns most of my business by discounting fresh meats and deli meats & cheeses by 40% up to 3 days before the sell by date. If the meat was on sale, the 40% is taken from the sale price. There is rarely a time that I go there where there is nothing discounted that I buy. Often there is quite a selection. Brisket to chicken livers, ground beef or pork chops... when I can get good LC meats cheap I will load up the freezer. I've even found grass feed beef clearance priced.
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  #6   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 15:09
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doreen T doreen T is offline
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Plan: LC paleo/ancestral
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Default

Awesome new thread

There are dozens of old "LC on a Budget" threads here at Active Low-Carber. That being said .. I believe it's good to have a new thread which reflects up-to-date LC food trends, food availability, etc ... I mean, 10 years ago bullet proof coffee wasn't even a thing, and coconut oil was hard to find except online. Oh how things have changed

If I could offer a suggestion .. please indicate your general location when making shopping recommendations. Stores .. and brands .. in the US are generally not available in Canada, UK, EU or Australia. And vice versa.

Just sayin'
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  #7   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 19:11
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Calianna Calianna is offline
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Per Doreen's request, I'm in the lower Susquehanna Valley, Pa, USA. Other parts of Pa may have very different prices.

The cut rate store I used in the example list is Aldi - most of their prices are pretty consistent, and they don't put many items on sale from week to week. I was there today though, and...

eggs $1.25
block cheese $1.69
packages of deli sliced cheese $1.79
Heavy cream $1.50.

While I was there, I also bought

whole milk plain greek yogurt - $3.49/quart
2 lb bag of frozen tilapia $5.49 ($2.25/lb)
head of cauliflower (about 8" in diameter) $2.39
Deluxe American Slices (NOT the individually wrapped junk - these are the old fashioned slices that you peel off the stack - it's real cheese, melts nicely) $2.79
green onions (at least 15 in the package) 95 cents
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  #8   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 19:17
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Merpig Merpig is offline
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I know at my local Dollar Tree they pretty regularly have eggs at 99 cents per dozen. If I had a tighter budget I’d certainly stock up on those. Eggs are great for so many things.
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  #9   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 19:24
Calianna's Avatar
Calianna Calianna is offline
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One way to save on pork - wait for sales on whole pork loins. Each one weighs between 7 and 11 lbs. I consider anything under $2/lb to be a fairly good price, so if you can find it for even less, so much the better!

I buy a loin with as much fat on it as I can find, even though they trim them pretty close these days, and the meat is not marbled because they keep the pigs on a reduced carb diet to keep the meat more lean.

I cut the whole pork loin into recipe/meal sized chunks (about 1 or 1-1/2 lbs each), wrap each chunk with plastic wrap, and freeze in zipper bags. Even if you don't have a big freezer, it might be worth it to wait for the pork loins to go on sale, as you can usually fit all of the chunks from a whole loin in 2 gallon sized zipper bags, which doesn't take up that much room in the freezer. (After all, you don't need room in the freezer for sugary ice cream any more, right?)
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  #10   ^
Old Thu, Mar-14-19, 19:34
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Calianna Calianna is offline
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Plan: Atkins-ish (hypoglycemia)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Merpig
I know at my local Dollar Tree they pretty regularly have eggs at 99 cents per dozen. If I had a tighter budget I’d certainly stock up on those. Eggs are great for so many things.



Oh yes, the Dollar Tree ("Where Everything's $1!") is a good place to pick up some LC foods too.



The Dollar Trees in my area (Pa) don't carry any fresh produce, but from what I understand, they do in some other parts of the country. We do have the refrigerated/frozen cases, and you can find some LC friendly foods in those from time to time - usually cheese, eggs, and the occasional frozen veggies or berries.



They usually also have some small packages of nuts and sunflower seeds in the snack aisle. If your stomach can tolerate maltitol, they often have some sugar free candies.
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  #11   ^
Old Fri, Mar-15-19, 06:16
tess9132 tess9132 is offline
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I'm primarily a carnivore and a bulk shopper. I'm in SE PA. If I were just feeding myself, I would go to the grocery store once per month, which (for me) would save a good bit of money as I often fall prey to in-store promotions. As it is, I try to limit myself to once per week to feed my family. Just last week I was at Costco and I ended up buying uncured Canadian bacon - something not on my list but the darned free sample sucked me in. Most of my shopping is done at BJ's warehouse club. I'm heading there this morning and will check prices and report back.

As I've gotten older, I've become a bit of a snob with certain foods - eggs and chicken being my two most obvious indulgences. I don't really like the cheapest eggs or chicken anymore. Check the circulars - there are often coupons for Eggland's Best eggs and Perdue Chicken (I prefer the Harvestland).

Edited to Add: I'm not certain, but I'd bet if I'm eating completely on plan my weekly food budget for myself alone is about $30 to $35.

Last edited by tess9132 : Fri, Mar-15-19 at 06:29.
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  #12   ^
Old Fri, Mar-15-19, 08:56
tess9132 tess9132 is offline
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Plan: general lc
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Here's what I found at BJ's (Philadelphia area) that works with low carb eating:

Ground beef 2.89 per pound
4 lbs Shredded whole milk mozzarella 9.99
2 lbs cheddar block 4.99
Perdue whole chicken .99 per pound
Perdue drumsticks and thighs .99 per pound
Perdue split chicken breasts 1.99 per pound
no name brand boneless skinless breasts 1.99 per pound
Perdue oven stuffer 1.29 per pound
Harvestland drumsticks 1.89
pork loin chops 2.09 per pound
beef eye round 3.99 per pound
beef mock tender steaks 4.29 per pound
Wellesley Farms butter 4 lbs 9.99
Eggland's Best eggs 4.29 for 2dozen
Fairlife Milk 3.27
Atkins bars ($4 off) 15.99 for 16
Atkins Shakes ($4 off) 14.99 for 15
Raos marinara 40 ounces 6.99
Deli ham 5.99 pound
Liverwurst 4.99 pound
London Broil deli roast beef 8.99 per pound
Bubba Burgers 19.99 for a dozen

I forgot to check the price of bacon but I think I generally pay ~4/pound. Unless I noted otherwise, all prices are BJ's regular prices. Perdue is actually on sale right now, but these prices are the regular ones. Chicken and eggs seem to be on sale at BJ's as often as not so I'd rarely pay full price

Also, I know there's a ton of food in this list that is overly processed, but I tried to be honest in the types of low carb foods my family and I eat. My husband's two favorite snacks are sticks of mozzarella wrapped in pepperoni and Atkins bars. As a family, our food is much less processed than it used to be.
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  #13   ^
Old Fri, Mar-15-19, 10:21
tess9132 tess9132 is offline
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Plan: general lc
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BF:
Progress: 81%
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So here's what I eat in a typical week:

Ground beef ~11.00
marinara sauce ~2.00
cheese ~2.00
chicken ~5.00
eggs ~~2.00
Beef (other than ground) ~4.00
bacon ~2.00?
butter ~2.00
Tea ~2.00

Based on full prices, these amounts are averages - for instance, many weeks I'd be double the cheese but zero eggs. And when I'm in maintenance mode, there will be Atkins type bars in the mix for me, but beef and chicken costs would go down accordingly. Other than what I've listed, I also eat ranch dressing, a little mayo, a teeny bit of ketchup (1/2 tsp on a burger), and will sometimes use olive oil instead of butter to sautee chicken and fry eggs. Since I use jarred sauce, my only spice is salt, of which I use a fair amount. Looks like I'm right in where I thought I'd be between 30 and 35 dollars per week. Probably normally a little bit less, considering beef, cheese, and tea are the only on plan items for which I regularly pay full price. I actually think I spent more when I was eating whole wheat bread and drinking diet coke.

Full disclosure - we typically eat out two meals on the weekends. Lunch on Saturdays is normally Chick-fil-a (grilled chicken club sans bun) and one dinner on Saturday or Sunday (usually cheeseburger or steak).
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  #14   ^
Old Fri, Mar-15-19, 11:25
CityGirl8 CityGirl8 is offline
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Plan: Protein Power, IF
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I just looked up the food benefits on my state's website. The benefits are calculated for people no matter where they live and there's a significant urban/rural divide, depending on which side of the state you live in, and a related cost of living difference.

I made a household of one with zero income and zero expenses like childcare, etc. Basically, just a single adult with a low/mid-range rent. The allotment for EBT was $194/month. Assuming a 30 day month, that would give you about $45 to spend every 7 days. For three people (they don't differentiate between adults and children), the allotment was $511/month, which works out to $119/week. So that's what the state thinks it costs to eat a basic healthy diet. (This doesn't necessarily extrapolate to what people actually might have to spend on food: The allotment drops off quite rapidly when you have any income at all. I tried again with the amount I got for unemployment last year and put in my actual rent amount. The unemployment $$ barely covered my rent, but the allotment for EBT would have been zero. Luckily I didn't need it.)

That $194 is surprisingly close to what I think is a reasonable amount to spend every month--and I'm a person with a decent income. I typically target about $250/month and that includes wine and booze, expensive things like nuts, salmon, ribeyes, some organic veggies, and whatever treats I want. If I'm working in an office and running around more (straight out after work to evening events, lunches out) I might add $75 to that for those types of meals. But I think with less extravagance (more canned tuna, less salmon, more ground beef, fewer ribeyes, no booze), $45 would be easily do-able.
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  #15   ^
Old Sat, Mar-16-19, 02:58
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s93uv3h s93uv3h is offline
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Plan: Atkins & IF / TRE
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Reading Dr. Lisa Mosconi's 2018 book Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power and came upon a Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 list of produce that are likely, and least likely to be contaminated by pesticides, respectively.

There is an Environmental Working Group (EWG) / Dr. Axe article on it too.

EWG's links:

Dirty Dozen

Clean Fifteen

A good way to save if you don't have to buy organic. Lots of items that are not LC friendly lol, but you don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.




Last edited by s93uv3h : Sat, Mar-16-19 at 03:03.
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