Eating whole foods on a budget

[somethings gotta give]

I find that I am actually saving money and eating up the leftovers which would have otherwise gotten thrown away--to each his own I guess

[chinadoll]

Also I use tuna a lot for lunches and eggs for snacks and sometimes even an omelet dinner. Not buying meat one night a week and going for an omelet is a good meat savings. Processed meats generally cost a lot more than meats you cook yourself so I tend to only do cold cuts as a weekend treat and not have them all week long. Today I shopped for three for the week and spent about 150. That included a fair number of household cleaning products too. I try hard to buy only the veggies that are on sale and use coupons when possible.

[Ohbehave007]

When I buy veggies I tend to go to the farmers market and stock up on things that can be frozen. If they can't (like lettuce) I tend to buy enough for a week (2 heads or so) and if more is needed I can always go to the supermarket. I spend about 20 euro a week on veggies for me and my live in boyfriend.

I find the prices of meat unbelievable and from my boyfriend protests I think he does to. I try to buy meat in bulk and freeze it aswell. Like Saturday i bought enough for 10 meat meals. So it should last 2+ weeks. Eggs I also buy in bulk. 36 eggs for 2,50 euros.

In a way I find this way far less expensive then a carb laden diet...with that said, my boyfriend is a carb-aholic so we end up spending more for him. Of course in his eyes it is my diet that is causing the increase, not his. I try to point out that I don't have to share the meat or veggies I buy out of my budget (25 euro a week), with this he mumbles and closes his mouth. He is learning to shut-up and smile .

[JulieB]

Veggies that are in season locally will usually be less expensive. I also watch for sales on frozen veggies & 'stock up'. As mentioned above, I buy meat in bulk & freeze and use canned tuna for lunches a couple times a week. We also buy eggs from a local hobby farmer.

I think just not spending money on ice cream & chocolate & pop's gotta be saving me money - plus no fast food...it's coming out in the wash for me. I suppose how you USED to shop/eat before Atkins will also, by comparison, make it seem more or less of a price hike. We always ate fresh "good quality" food - it just contained sugar & carbs. So not much of a difference there for us.

Can you grow a garden where you are? Canning / Freezing your own vegetables can save a fortune - plus gardening is great exercise!

[Mommy2LittleMissBellaBre]

I Shop at b.j's which i get things in bulk since im eating them more often it pays!! like i get 3 lettace heads for like 4 dollars. Its so worthit!

[greedyvw]

try a farmers market or a wholesale club. both of which will be cheaper than the grocery store. i also try to keep an eye out for the "Farmer John Does" sitting on the tailgate of their pickup trucks on the side of the road or in a parking lot with a bed full of just picked goodies!

[MsUnderstood0000]

LagNomAI,
Do you have an Aldi's near you? I find that I can save alot of money on produce and meat and cheeses by shopping there. I have found also, I spend more BUT because the food is more filling, and I eat less because I am not craving and eating all day long like when I ate carb filled junk, the food lasts longer. I don't waste a thing. I use vac bags and freeze alot for lunches. If I find my fresh veggies are getting to old to eat fresh I will cook them. I also take advantage of store sales, our Giant Eagle has been having by one get one free on roasts, steaks, turkey breasts. I saved 85 dollars one day. Turkey breasts BOGO, I bought two, got two free, stuck it in the freezer. Walmart has some really good steaks in a box, 6 new york strips for 10.88. Hope that helps.

[lbiessen]

I buy meat in bulk and freeze, also right now we have a garden and I'm getting alot of tomatoes, cucumbers and zuchani out of it, Yumm.

[caramella]

One thing to do is not shop at just one store. I break up my shopping based on what and how much we need. Between shopping at Costco, Trader Joe's and a local Asian produce market, our food bill has dramatically decreased. We rarely go to an actual supermarket anymore.

[imagood1]

while foods are less expensive in season buy quantities and freeze them for later use. I just had zucchini and yellow squash out of the freezer for lunch that I froze last summer (before I was on Atkins actually). There are plenty of fresh veggies you can freeze for later use.