Hi,

I was hoping someone might be able to give me tips and tricks for lo-carbing on a tight budget. Meat here is quite expensive, as are a lot of the LC tasty foods. I don't want to be stuck eating eggs 24/7

I would really love to hear any ideas anyone has for eating well without breaking the bank.

Thanks

Chicken and ground beef are always on sale some place. Fattier cuts of meat are sometimes a bargain too.

Cheaper cuts of beef can be made very tender by slow cooking them in a crock pot, or in the oven at a lower temp for a longer time period.

Just before and after big holidays like Easter, Christmas etc, turkey and ham go on special. Stock up to cook later.

For veggies, we are nearing gardening time. If you don't have a vegetable garden, plant lettuce, radishes etc in your flower garden . Lettuce makes an interesting short term border plant. If you stagger the seeding a week apart, you can have fresh lettuce all summer without it all coming up at once. Cucumer is a great way to fill up a hard to plant space. The plant vines fill up the space quickly with greenery.

Hello my fellow LCer from nextdoor.

When I started LCing I found it very expensive till I got into the groove of what I liked to eat and then how I could manage it on a tight budget. I am saving very hard now, so cut budget to the bone. I spend on average $30-$40 a week on food (3 meals a day) as I prepare lunches. It goes up if I run out of the sauces etc I cook with.

Things that I do:
Lots of Stir Fry - this doesn't take much meat, and is easy to bulk out. Bok Choy is super cheap and is super yummy and compliments well.
I shop just as the store opens - yesterday's meat is discounted.
I portion all my meat as soon as I get home into little plastic sandwhich bags. That way you don't use more when you are cooking when you are hungry.
BBQ's. I love my BBQ! Harder now that the winter is soon upon us. You can get the cheap steaks and everything taste the same on a BBQ - at least if I am involved.
Bulk out foods with the cheaper vege's.
Ask your greengrocer or your supermarket what days they do the vege restock. Great way to get stuff for soups/stocks.

It does seem to be expensive when you start though, till you take into account the monies you don't spend on takeaway and bought lunches.

Good luck!

Great ideas thanks guys.

I have no idea what bok choy is

I hadn't even thought of stirfrys! Doh! Probably because I am so used to associating stirfry with rice.

I don't know if I'm going to have enough time to grow my own vegies though! I wish! (I'm doing postgraduate studies at university at the moment, so I'm overworked and underpaid ) I brought some herb seedlings for the garden though, they will dress up simple foods nicely I think, and I LOVE fresh herbs.

When I was a kid I grew up on a farm - we had steak coming out our ears, boy did I take it forgranted! I might look in to buying half a beast for the deepfreeze as you can get some great deals I've been told. The initial outlay is quite a lot, but the amount you save on a weekly basis would make up for it.

Hi Kiwigirl

I am from New Zealand as well and bemoaning the fact I didn't start this diet years ago while meat was cheaper.

To start with my grocery bill was a little higher, but now its settled back somewhat and I am fine so long as my teenage daughter doesnt come with me.

In the first couple of weeks we were eating 2 eggs per day each for breakfast but now we have dropped back to just one.
and not every day either.

I dont buy the cheapest bacon because it has too much water in it.

The cheaper mince is fattier but well thats what we are after in any case.

I am no longer buying so much fruit juice, havent bought a potato all year, and no bakery products at all, although I still buy biscuits for my daughters school lunches. I dont buy icecream and the emergency runs to the dairy no longer include a packet of mellowpuffs.

With all the things I dont buy any longer, the bill is not too excessive.

The way the meat specials go - its important to have enough freezer space for variety, otherwise you are eating beef for the whole of one week, followed by lamb the whole of the next.

I guess it would be harder if you are cooking for two styles of eating - or living in a smaller town.

There was a great discussion about LC on a budget a few days ago that included a really good article by Dana Carpender.

Here's the link:

CHEAP - Low Carb Recipe Ideas

Karen

good article, thanks for sharing !!

Karen, that was an awesome link! Thanks so much for posting it. I resolved 2 years ago to cut our grocery budget to 50 dollars a week (for a family of 4) and was managing it quite well until I started low carbing. Meat and fresh veggies do cost more than pancakes and macaroni & cheese. So just when I get my DH used to not having meat at every meal, BAM! I switch to low carb and give him more meat, but take away his potatoes. Poor dear....will he ever get used to my making changes without warning? LOL Now that I'm used to this, I have found that I can feed all 4 of us quite well for about 60-70 dollars a week. I shop the meat sales and stock up when I find a good bargain. Also shop at stores early in the morning when meat and veggies are often marked down. Leftover meat now gets eaten instead of being left in the back of the refrigerator until it reincarnates into a new life form that growls at you when you throw it in the trash. My advice...spend some time purusing the grocery store sale ads every Sunday and shop where the best prices are..even if it means a trip to two or three stores (as long as they're not ridiculously far away). You work HARD for that money...spend it wisely! I also very much agree with the advice that if you have to choose between designer clothes and good healthy food, wear second hand and feed yourself and your family well.

I use coupons or stock up big time when something is on sale, Like Cheese, It stays good for a long time


I grow my own vegetables and fruits here in florida, I have fresh tomatoes almost all year long, I also grow Beans, Peas, cantelope, Watermelon, green peppers, onions and lettuce, 3 kinds so I always have a variety, Most of these are easy to grow

I usually can find decent mears at 99-199 a pound, I have it grouns, and add pork, Turkey or other meats to it for a variety

Eggs are cheap we have 4 laying hens so I get fresh everyday...I live in a city of 50,000 and on less than a half acre, You can try square foot gardening not much space for great results.

I freeze or can extra vegetables and throw them in when I have a roast cooking for flavor

Don't buy more than you can eat on perishable items throwing them out is a waste of money, Hope this helps a little

Thanks for the ideas

Wow! We (NZers) pay three times that much for decent meat - even mince is about $11kg at the moment. I guess that is the biggest problem with NZ - we have lots of great fresh foods, but they all get exported!

Fruit and bread, on the otherhand, is always fresh and plentiful.

Could anyone tell me what soy protein isolate is? I asked about it at the healthfood shop, but the saleswoman had no idea. Can I just substitute it with soy flour?