My Husband got in a car accident yesterday. He has to go see a Neuro because he thinks that he blacked out right before the accident. Hence the accident. He says he is ok but the want him to go see a Nuero anyway just to be safe.
I know this is a bit off that subject, and i dont mean to be insensative, ..... but he is out of work for 4 weeks, and says we have to eat less expensive for a while. Like Top Ramen, uggg!!!! I dont know what to do! I cant eat that, I will gain back all my weight. We are almost out of Meat. He just doesnt get it. Does anybody have any suggestions of what to buy for food when you are in a pinch? That is so called cheaper. I will admit we do spend more now that i am eating this way, but Its working, and i dont want to stop!!

I just wanted to say I am sorry, and I hope your husband recovers quickly.

Meat can be expensive! Maybe you can get it to last longer making low carb soups and casseroles? Spread it out over several meals. Right now, veggies are comming into season in certain areas and they are reducing in price-perhaps you can add more of those and less than the meat.

Also, I put Meat Coupons in a search engine and it came up with TONS of sites. I seem to recall a news story that had a man spend about $20 on over $100 worth of food using just coupons and special offers. It is a lot of work, but if you search some, I think you can do it.

First of all, I send my sympathies for your husband's accident. Thankfully he is all right, despite his newfound attitude to stuff you full of cheap fatty noodles.

There are a bunch of threads on here about saving money and eating thrifty on low carb. Here are a few of my ideas:

Chicken is pretty cheap, especially if you buy it whole or in bulk. Buy it and freeze it. You can also make chicken soup which will stretch it out a bit.

Generally, there will usually be a type of meat on sale as well. If you're not that picky, it really isn't THAT expensive. Like Paleo suggested, making a big meat casserole with veggies and such would allow for several servings out of ground beef, for instance, instead of just two hamburgers.

EGGS! Eggs are cheap and can be made up so many different ways. Eat them hard boiled, egg salad, over easy, in mock danishes, etc.

I can get 8oz of cream cheese for 99 cents. That can be used on celery and in mock danishes.

Veggies aren't really all that expensive, especially if you eat them without waste. Make sure to prepare and chop them, etc. so you will eat them before they go bad. Large bags of frozen veggies can also be a bargain.

If worse comes to worse, I know it's insanely cheap, but if you're going to eat carbs, please don't eat ramen. That stuff is so packed with fat, hydrogenated oils, MSG, sodium, and ZERO nutrients. If you're going to go cheap, at least try more wholesome foods than that. (pretty much anything else. )

Good luck. Hope your husband wises up that this is a healthy lifestyle choice for you and that your health is just as important as his.

Hi Pokey! I hope you husband gets well soon. Eggs, tuna, sardines and sometimes chicken are a cheap source of protein. ALso, like someone said if you buy the veggies that are in season they will be cheaper.

Good luck!
red

BTW,

Doesn't your husband's company or the insurance company have some kind of plan to help suppliment his paycheck until he can come back to work? I hate to think that there will be no income for a month.

If you're not going to buy fresh whole food, what will you buy, processed food? Processed food is more expensive! Look at what a box of cereal cost these days. Compare it to eggs, meat, fresh vegies etc.

My hubby does think like i do when it comes to that. To him it is just cheaper to buy the quick stuff.

Yes they do where they take something out each check, He opted not to take it. Big mistake!
We will see what happens, thanks for all your ideas!! I will make a lot of quiches. Good reason to keep my addiction to my Chili Relleno quiche going.
I will keep my eye out for deals on meat.
Thanks a bunch!!!

Also check out discount stores near you. We have an Aldi's nearby that has frozen meats very cheap, and their canned veggies aren't bad either. When I first started lowcarbing I was out of work and we were living on my husband's meager salary. I had to be really creative in my shopping and cooking, but it can be done! Good luck to you, hope your hubby is feeling better soon!

Have you considered things like cooking pork or beef neck bones in a slow cooker. With spices, the meat is both tender and quite tasty. Also, buy whole chicken. I get the cheaper cuts of roasts and pork, on sale, if I can. If you're in the US you should have a Walmart around.

If not, look for sales. I do. I search for them and buy when I find things cheaper. Fresh vegetables in this coming season, should also be cheaper. It shouldn't be impossible to say on Atkins. I hope you can do it.

Good Luck!

To repeat some tips above, soups and eggs will stretch any budget.

If it turns out you MUST stretch further, try to use BROWN rice (or Basmati, if you have an inexpensive source) and oatmeal as meat/meal stretchers. They're both MUCH healthier for you and lower carb than most alternatives.

glad your husband is ok...
your auto insurance should have some kind of med pay that may help you out.
believe me i can relate to miney bing tight my work is seasonal and i have been off since the first of january. thank goodness my time of year is coming around. luckily we had a beef butchered just after christmas and i got about 500 lbs of beef in the deep freeze.

Good luck with your husband! I really hope things work out for you.

You might want to try going to buy groceries right before the store closes for the night. The lean ground beef, and some of the other meats that were cut up, but not packaged to be sold at the deli counter are dirt cheap. Yesterday I got my hands on 90% lean ground beef for 48 cents a pound.

Another big thing around here is Sunday morning mark downs. Normally a store will have plently of meat marked down, and if you get there earlier enough on Sunday morning, you can get the best stuff.

Good news that your hubby is ok...but what a bummer situation. Hopefully, time will fly until your house is back to normal...

My Sam's Club discounts their bulk meats at night and the first ones there in the morning get great deals... the big package of ground beef or turkey makes many meals.

Maybe you could do instant mashed potatoes as a large side for him, and you just have the veggies or a salad... he'll have his convenient, inexpensive kinds of foods, and you can just pass on them (because they're so crappy)!

You can do it...where there's a will, there's a way! Good luck...and let us know what you come up with!! Money's tight around here too!