How can you keep W30 up with the cost??

[Jennylynn143]

On day 26 of our first Whole30. I've been saving all of our grocery receipts to add up how much doing Whole30 has cost.

 

I was shocked!!!

 

We try to budget well and usually tend to keep our weekly budget around $125-150. The average that we spent in weeks 1-3 was $227.35!!!

 

For a family of 3, one of us being a toddler, that is a ridiculous amount.

 

We'd love to keep eating this way, at least 90% of the time once we're past day 30. How do you make it work? How do you keep costs down?

 

Sidenote: We aren't really buying anything packaged. The amount doesn't even include our herd share of grassfed raw milk we have each month that we are trading for pastured eggs! We generally are buying lots of meat, produce, pumpkin seeds, spices, olive oil, and occasionally canned goods or beverages like La Croix.

[LisaLulu]

I am having the same issue, which is why I haven't switched the kids over. We're a family of 4 living on one modest income and we buy grass fed local beef and local veggies but we've had to resort back to regular costco chicken as opposed to the free range local stuff we were buying. The extra meat and produce costs are pretty high. It helps that we can have potatoes this time around, but nothing beats rice and beans for cheap. Also two of us have egg intolerance so bad we can't even keep them in the house so that's the cheapest protein source out the window. I guess it's going to be a lot of ground beef and whole chickens for the next while.

[MrsStick]

Cheaper cuts of meat will help, and being intentionally more seasonal in your fruits/veggies will too. Buying dried fruits for some recipes (i.e. grapes vs. raisins for chicken salad) can help some.

 

Your best bang for your buck might be to stop doing recipes, and to just do the hot plate idea from Melissa Joulwan. So brown a bunch of ground beef, and steam sautee a bunch of veggies. Make a couple of different sauces to have ready to go. Then each time you eat, you know you'll have beef and veggies, so you start warming that, and then decide what type of flavor you want - Greek? Italian? Argentinian? Down home American? Asian? Add sauces (i.e. Sunshine sauce for Asian, Ranch Mayo for American, Chimichurri for Argentinian, Tomato sauce plus Italian Spices, etc.) and/or spices as necessary, and eat.

 

I also find that I can get frozen veggies sometimes for way cheaper than fresh (I usually get a generic bag of California mix - broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower) and that can help fill the gap too. Onions are almost always cheap, and provide lots of flavor.

[Jennylynn143]

LisaLulu, I totally get that! It's nice to be able to still feed our little guy yogurt since I make it with our herd share milk. We generally try to follow real food guidelines from Nourishing Traditions, which gives us more flexibility.

[Jennylynn143]

MrsStick,

Thank you for the tips. However, we are already doing most of those things.  The meat we buy is usually ground beef/chicken/pork and skin on/bone in chicken parts, usually a fryer since it's cheapest. We buy produce from the farmer's market so it's only what's in season. Most recipes used are for seasoning chicken or meat for grilling/roasting.

[Tuni]

I found that my grocery bills were a LOT higher at first while I stocked my pantry with additional spices, coconut aminos, coconut oil, red boat, etc. Once the investment was made though, things leveled out and were back pretty close to normal. Like the OP, I already bought good meat, belonged to a CSA, etc. so I didn't notice a huge change in my budget, mostly just the additional meat. I rounded that out by doing things like buying a large (cheap) pork roast and using it for breakfast/lunch for several days. This kept me from having to buy more expensive meats (bacon, compliant lunch meat, etc.).

 

I also figured that like the old saying goes, I can spend it now and be healthy, or I can spend it later on doctors.

[Tuni]

Your best bang for your buck might be to stop doing recipes, and to just do the hot plate idea from Melissa Joulwan. 

 

I also find that I can get frozen veggies sometimes for way cheaper than fresh (I usually get a generic bag of California mix - broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower) and that can help fill the gap too. Onions are almost always cheap, and provide lots of flavor.

 

A big yes to this. Recipes cost me a fortune in unique one-time-use ingredients, and seasonings. Making plain old good healthy meat and veggies, not so much.

[LisaLulu]

I know how frustrating it is when you're concerned with costs and people tell you that it won't cost more because you won't be eating out/buying processed foods, ect but you've already spent years cooking from scratch, buying in bulk, eating in season, shopping the sales, cooking simple foods, eating the cheapest cuts, ect and there isn't any wiggle room left because you were already doing all you could before hand. There is a reason that people in 3rd world countries eat a lot of rice/corn/grain/beans, they fill you up with considerably less cost. For a struggling family sometimes it's a given. I've been borrowing from my retirement fund to pay our bills and buy groceries lately, so it's not a matter of 'cutting corners' in a blase way. I think the paleo movement includes a lot of people with disposable income who might not be in tune with the realities of some families. Yes we feel better eating this way, but we also sleep better at night knowing the money to pay our mortgage is in the account.

[GoJo09]

I know how frustrating it is when you're concerned with costs and people tell you that it won't cost more because you won't be eating out/buying processed foods, ect but you've already spent years cooking from scratch, buying in bulk, eating in season, shopping the sales, cooking simple foods, eating the cheapest cuts, ect and there isn't any wiggle room left because you were already doing all you could before hand. There is a reason that people in 3rd world countries eat a lot of rice/corn/grain/beans, they fill you up with considerably less cost. For a struggling family sometimes it's a given. I've been borrowing from my retirement fund to pay our bills and buy groceries lately, so it's not a matter of 'cutting corners' in a blase way. I think the paleo movement includes a lot of people with disposable income who might not be in tune with the realities of some families. Yes we feel better eating this way, but we also sleep better at night knowing the money to pay our mortgage is in the account.

 

Valid point. And that's where it's up to you to choose what to compromise on post-Whole 30 - after a careful reintroduction, do you decide that you can eat the rice, beans, lentils, corn with no ill effects.

[Tanya K]

I found it expensive too in too in the beginning, finding my feet sort of thing with recipes etc. At the beginning when I had switched to paleo I was buying for myself and separate meals for the others. I stopped that!! Now we all eat the same. I do not have a lot of money to be spending on groceries every week. I think it is balanced itself out really. But I will say that I consider myself lucky here to be in ireland. Our beef and pork etc is grass fed as the norm. So the costs of our meat would be I would say much cheaper than that of other countries particularly the US. I also stopped with the recipes and use spice blends for nearly every single meal!! Adding fruit to the meal too also livens up a dish. Buying large good value roasts and keeping and having them for dinner and then lunches the next day is an excellent way to save a bit of money. I was using a lot of ground pork and beef, but got totally fed up with them after a few weeks. I use Lidl and Aldi for veg& fruit and the butchers for the meat. Lidl and Aldi not locally sourced, most from the Netherlands, but until I can find a decent veg shop nearby I will continue to use them. Going to start a veg plot outside too to grow pumpkins, spinach, turnip, berries etc, this will eventually work out! Excess then I will try to sell at the farmers market which in turn will give me more money for meat :-).

[LisaLulu]

It's the extra portion of meat each day for each person (breakfast) that gets us. There really is no way around that. I think what I'm going to need to do is put the kids in daycare and go back to work if I want to continue eating this way.

[frantastic]

I am having similar grocery bills...and I'm just feeding myself! I spent $140 at the farmer's market on Saturday (before, my usual bill there was $45-$50) and when I was standing there with my sticker shock, the checkout lady told me "you bought a lot of organic and grass-fed items...those add up". So - while it's important to me to eat as cleanly as possible, I am going to have to flex a little bit more in my choices.

 

I'm only on day 16 (yay for day 16!!) and fully intend to make this a whole 60 or whole 90, so I need to make it be financially sustainable!

[leahcarn]

I'll fess up... white rice is going to be my first reintroduction. It's usually well-tolerated, cheap as anything, and you can do so much with it in terms of different meals and flavourings. I hope to go back to paleo as money permits for the nutrient density (and I have been so for a year and a half), but this is what I need to do to stretch my budget right now. Hearing a few of the big names in paleo who have included rice in their diet, I think I'm making the right choice.

[LisaLulu]

I've already done a whole 30 and I know I tolerate both rice and kidney beans, although I wouldn't eat them together as a meal (too starchy), I sometimes add one or the other to a soup to stretch it out. 

[pjena]

Once I got over the need to make recipes and try every new paleo / w30 food out there and just started eating simple meals, I feel like the cost has gone down.  I already bought local happy meat and CSA or farmer's market veggies, so that cost is the same.  Both of those could be less, of course.  I eat eggs and kale every morning.  I eat a salad of whatever is in my CSA box with a can of tuna and half an avocado every day.  I make my own of whatever I can - dressing, coconut butter, nut butter, kombucha, etc.  I skip the recipes that call for coconut or almond flour or for gelatin or other fancy ingredients (I have bought those things, I am just doing it less or not at all now a year in).  If not for the kids, I'd buy a lot less fruit.  We rarely eat out, so that defrays some of the cost.  Give it time and the cost will balance out. 

[Tanya K]

My problem is now I know for sure that eating a cereal in the mornings and then say rice for lunch and a 'proper paleo' dinner just won't cut it for me anymore. I know that rice isn't nutrient dense as is cereal etc. I am well again only due to the fact that I have now changed my body from a sugar / carb burning body to a fat burning body. If I begin start eating starchy foods again I will put everything out of kilter again.

To be really honest I would personally cut back on something else in the household other than my food now. This I would never have considered before. But I haven't felt as energetic for years, there is a sense of calm and contentment that is also enveloping me quite nicely! I wish that feeling stays as a norm. Like it's not a manic happy feeling, just level I think?. No money or doctors treatments or shopping therapy could ever give me this feeling, so I'm willing if required to let other non essential things fall away if needs must.

[Jennylynn143]

Tuni, Very true. Like the Joe Salatin quote "Pay the farmer now, or pay the doctor later". 

[Jennylynn143]

I think there definitely has to be balance between budget and busyness with kids. For me, if the choice is between having a 100% Whole30 diet 24/7 for the whole family vs. staying home with my kids. I think I'd be ok with some sprouted oatmeal or sourdough once in a while.

 

The costs have been trending down since week 1. I'm thankful for that! Also, thankful for some awesome sales at Whole Foods on chicken. I just hope I can get the budget closer to what we spent before.  

 

A big cost addition is eating the protein and veggies without any grains, which for us, usually means no leftovers. For instance, today I bought approx. 16 pounds of meat! And I know we'll eat it all this week. (10 lbs. of that is 2 fryer chickens)

 

The most economical thing I've made during Whole30 that stretches for 2-3 meals has been hearty soups! I make bone broth with leftover chicken bones. We've made roasted butternut squash soup (pureed in the broth with salt, pepper, nutmeg, & cinnamon), root vegetable soup pureed, chicken potato and veggie, as well as a Mexican chicken and veggie soup.

 

I've found that the cheapest ways to do Whole30 are eggs, "grill all the things", and soups/stews.

 

I haven't been great about planning meals before I shop, I bet that would help too.

[GFChris]

If you haven't see the Whole9 Paleo Poor:Guide to the Grocery Store yet, that might give you some additional budgeting tips. 

[LisaLulu]

Thanks. I think my biggest problem is my husband. While I'm more likely to eat my proper portion of meat and a whole lot of veggies, he will go 'meat! meat! more meat!' and devour his portion, the leftovers and mine if I were to turn my back. The fact that meat is now served for breakfast, lunch and dinner makes it even worse. It's hard when I buy fryer chickens to save money because he takes it as an invitation to eat an entire bird in less than 24 hours. He will pick at or flat out refuse most vegetables (ie, eat 2 green beans and then say 'oh I ate a LOT of vegetables. Now more MEAT!' Then, having eaten the leftovers, he will complain that there is nothing to eat for breakfast and lunch and run out and buy.. more meat!

 

I know he's gluten intolerant and is feeling and looking so much better since he went paleo, but sometimes I miss the days when he would just eat 10 peanut butter sandwiches a day instead because it was one hell of a lot cheaper. 

[leahcarn]

Oh LisaLulu I feel you, my hubby doesn't eat paleo, but boy does he love my meat!

If he's not doing a whole30, try sweet potato/turnips/swede/pumpkin cut into fries shapes and baked/ or roasted veges. More like 'fries' and less like 'veges' may just trick him into eating more

[Kristina Wright]

I hear you. I am the only one in my house who eats any kind of paleo, and we do ALL conventional. Nothing organic, nothing grass-fed. 100% factory-farmed and conventional, and it's still way more expensive than it should be, although there are still lots of processed foods on the grocery list because I'm the only one who eschews them. We have two men in the house (I live with my mother and my fiance and a friend of ours are housemates) I have tried EVERYTHING to get the guys to eat less meat at mealtimes, but they just pile the meat on first and add the starches on top of their regular portion. Forget making soup with the leftover roast chicken... I've seen one of the guys eat two entire chicken legs for lunch, or an entire 6-cup bowl of meat-heavy chili that was meant to be another dinner for 4 people. Just because it's in one bowl doesn't mean it's one serving, fellas. Besides that, when they DO eat leftovers, they'll leave the starch behind and plate up pure meat.

 

I can't really argue, because everyone eats Whole30 at dinner when I cook, and when our housemate cooks, he always makes the entire meal or at least a portion of it Whole30 compliant for me, without complaint.

 

Based on my experiences and the experiences of my future MIL (FIL is a "picker" who will demolish two servings at dinner and another 2 servings between dinner and midnight), my suggestions are:

 

1. Talk to the hubs about your grocery budget and how you really need to start making your meats pull double-duty. That might put a damper on his exuberance with the leftovers, and that's probably a BIG contributor to your costs. Men can eat a staggering amount of food and if the meat is easy to reach, it's gone.

 

2. If that doesn't go over, start assigning the leftovers to another meal immediately so there's no question about finishing them off later in the evening. "I'm glad you liked it, oh look! There's EXACTLY enough left over to make this really interesting one-pot meal I found on pinterest tomorrow night..."

 

3. If you need to be slightly more subtle about it and you're a crafty person, start making centerpieces for your dining table and then insist on plating meals in the kitchen instead of serving family-style so you can enjoy your handiwork at mealtimes. Plate up your portions and get the leftovers you want into the fridge before those plates hit the table. Salad night would be awesome for this since you can toss it ahead of time and have a man-sized portion of meat on it, instead of two man-sized portions plus a lady portion and a toddler portion, and maybe a little extra.

 

4. If that doesn't work, hide the leftovers in the deep freezer. Or behind a pile of raw vegetables. I find that works well with chicken since I'm already stockpiling the bones for broth. It's not hard to stick the meat in there with it until it's time to make soup, and while the guys here LOVE vegetables with dinner, I don't think they've ever opened the crisper. Anything with an apple or two on top of it is safe indefinitely.

 

Maybe your family can also eat oatmeal, rice, corn, and yogurt, and see what produce you can buy conventional and just wash really well. That would vastly expand your breakfast repertoire, since you're egg-free.

[LisaLulu]

Hahaha! I've done some of those things- hiding leftovers under something in the crisper or in the deep freeze, plating food, packing up leftovers before we eat. The 'talking about our grocery budget' does not work (he tells me to earn more money) and neither does asking if we can save something to make something (The response is "I'll just go out and buy more MEAT!"). I also try making more meat mixed in meals, that sometimes works. And not quite having the meat ready but having the veggies ready when he's starving so he starts filling up on that. Making lots and lots of potatoes helps too. If there is anything he loves as much as meat, it's potatoes.

 

I'm just SO glad I have daughters instead of sons. I can't imagine feeding a bunch of teenage boys (and all their friends). I would have to take a second mortgage on our house. I met a woman in the grocery check out once whose cart was completely piled and overflowing with food. She was obviously not a large woman so I said to her 'You have sons don't you?' and she said she had 4 teenage sons and they are eating her broke.

[Kristina Wright]

Well, I have nothing for an attitude problem. My MIL stays home and she does all the cooking, but FIL does the grocery shopping, buys whatever looks good instead of what's on sale, and then complains about the budget. Then, MIL makes suggestions for lowering the bill, and her housewife status gets thrown in her face. Stupid, really. What's sad is that I could easily feed 6 people (if you count the menfolk as 2 apiece) totally paleo with their grocery budget, and they say they can't afford to eat fresh produce and such because it's too expensive. I call BS.

 

I guess the answer is to make potatoes 100 ways.

 

I will ask this: have you tried roasting your vegetables? Wash, dry, and cut up, toss with fat and season with S&P, and 45 minutes at 375 usually gets it done, but I put them in the oven anywhere between 350 and 450 with anything else I'm cooking and just time accordingly. I've done brussels sprouts (quartered), broccoli (1" pieces), cauliflower, green beans, and asparagus (only 15 minutes!) that way and fights have broken out in my house over who gets the last of them. I've converted more than a few die-hard, vegetable-hating men (why men?) with roasted vegetables.

 

My fiance hated vegetables when I started cooking for him however many years ago (MIL only made canned for his entire childhood) and the first ones I fed him were roasted brussels sprouts. Shortly thereafter I did sauteed spinach with garlic, mushrooms, and lemon, and that sold him on cooked spinach and mushrooms, which were his #1 and #2 most-hated. I got him onto fresh raw veggies several years ago by making vegetable platters, fruit salads, and nut mixes for our just-turned-21 parties (I figured if you're going to drink excessively, you might as well put something healthy in your stomach while you're at it) and no matter how many of our friends insisted at the start of the night that they were going to order pizza or taco bell, the vegetables and fruit always disappeared first. He'll eat everything but salad now. I still can't turn him onto raw spinach or leafy salads, and he dislikes "leaves" in soup (also, "there's not enough MEAT in here," and he doesn't process that there's a difference between soup and stew), but I'm working on it.

[LisaLulu]

It's not that he hates vegetables, he just has IBS and refuses to even touch any vegetable that's considered 'gassy' no matter how it's cooked. No broccoli, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, ect. And he will eat limited amounts of carrots, green beans, asparagus, squash, ect because 'too many vegetables' will upset his stomach. IMO it's the 5 pounds or more of chocolate he eats per week that's probably bothering his stomach.