whole30 on a budget

[MellieG]

We're doing the Whole30 on a tight budget!  How can we be successful without spending tons of money?

[kirkor]

Chicken quarters are usually pretty cheap ... eggs aren't as cheap right now as they used to be due to the bird flu kill-offs, but still a good idea ... ground beef is always good and versatile ... frozen broccoli is cheap & nutritious ...

It's only 30 days, you don't need to get coconut aminos or make ghee from Kerrygold or do a lot of the things you read about.

[GFChris]

It's been done: even success stories of people completing a Whole30 on social security.

You may find this article helpful:http://whole9life.com/2011/01/paleo-poor-your-guide-to-the-grocery-store/

[Munkers]

My spouse and I are planning a Whole30 budget challenge for this month, but I don't have anything written up about it yet. Here are a few thoughts though:

 

-When money is super tight, you may have to sacrifice variety. When you're buying a million varities each of fruit, veggies, spices, and meat, your bill goes up QUICK. I'm not saying you have to eat the same thing for every meal, but you may have to sacrifice specialty items like fish sauce, coconut aminos, curry paste, etc. OR you may need to plan out picking up 1-2 items each week and building your supply over time.

 

-Watch the ads. If you can afford to hit more than one store to take advantage of sales, all the better. Try to allocate some money each week to "feed the freezer." Personally, I would focus on good meat. Case in point, my local grocer has grassfed beef on sale this week at the lowest price they ever offer and I'm going to try to grab extra so I can have it in the coming weeks.

 

-Herbs and spices are tasty, but they're extras. Cumin isn't going to fill your belly. If you have an option for bulk spices, give that a try. A lot of dollar stores also carry spices so consider that as well. If you're making a recipe, remember that you can always alter the seasoning to suit your tastes and what's on hand. You don't have to add saffron or virgin unicorn blood just because the recipe calls for it.

 

-Invest in multi-purpose ingredients. (See above about how too much variety can be costly.) If you buy olive oil, you've got a good ingredient for salad dressing and already cooked foods, but a poor choice for adding to your saute pan. If you have ghee, you've got a good heat-stable fat, but not so good for adding to a salad. But if you grab avocado oil, you've got something that can cover most kitchen jobs. (Even mayo if you're okay with a vaguely green tint.)

 

-Make a shopping list and stick to it.

 

-Make your own stock/broth. The bones you're about to throw away are the precursors for essentially free bone broth and you can make TONS of it from just one chicken. Google "perpetual broth" and be amazed.