Is it just me or? (Day 5)

[paleo_xfit_momma]

When I started my W30, i didnt need to shop at all so today, I did my first trip, in search of only the "best" for my meat sources. Ummm, Hello?!?! I knew organic, hormone-free, grain-fed meat was gonna be more expensive, but HOLY COW! It wiped out my entire grocery budget in less than one weeks worth of meat (@3 meals/day.) It has made me feel really discouraged for some reason... not like I'm gonna "cheat" or quit, I'm just not all "happy-whole-30" like I was before I went out for groceries.

So, obviously, this has really upset me! And, I'm trying to figure out if I'm really peeved by the high prices of good food choices OR if I am over-reacting because (may be TMI, but) my hormones are all whacky from the way I used to eat?

Is anyone else on day 5 and noticing their hormones are funkdified?

Any suggestions for maintaining my W30+ on a budget? I really wanna eat the best stuff for me, but cant afford it HELP!

[Tom Denham]

If you can't afford organic, grass-fed, etc., you can have a wonderful, life-changing Whole30 eating ordinary, conventional meat and veggies.

By the way, this topic fits best in Sourcing Good Food, so I am moving it there.

[paleo_xfit_momma]

Thanks for the link Tom.

[kitchenwizz]

Yes, I was on Day 5 yesterday and felt shocking! Tired and cranky and wanting to give up! Today I feel much better, so hang in there, you might 'turn the corner' tomorrow too.

[Kim Christensen]

Often finding affordable good quality meats and veggies can take time that people don't always have doing a Whole30. We buy our grass fed meat by the half a cow but we so that every year. It's the only way we can afford to eat good meat with our large family and tiny budget. Do the best that you can afford and do so WITHOUT GUILT. I can't afford all organic produce right now but I stil can afford to eat loads of conventional veggies everyday. Do the best you can.

[Della Nova]

I feel your pain! On the conventional SAD diet (Standard American Diet), my husband and I would only spend about 80-100 a week on groceries (and that's with occasional splurges). BUT, we would also eat out/drink snacks during the week.

For my Whole30, I have already planned all meals so that should drastically reduce the amount of eating out/buying snacks that we used to do. We are now spending more like $180-$200 (so double) on food each week because we buy from Whole Foods and the Farmer's Market. Not to mention the extra travel to even get there. I used to get pretty upset about how much it cost.

But, now I'm trying to look at it this way: if we are going to spend lots of money on something, it's good to spend it on good healthy foods that will improve our bodies and our lives. We are given only one body in life, so we might as well spend the money to take care of it. Plus, I hope this will also save us on medical expenses down the line.

Just try to focus on the positive benefits of the food you're buying and be confident that it's worth the expense!

[Della Nova]

Here on some tips for lowering-costs too:

• Buy meat on sale in bulk (freeze extra), if you have the freezer space
  
• Also buy frozen veggies on sale in bulk, so you can always have a nice supply of veggies (in case your fresh ones go bad, veggies you need aren't in season, can't make it to the grocery, etc.)
  
• Freeze anything you can buy extra or things that may go bad (example: buy a bunch of avocado on sale, then freeze them when ripe using any method of freezing avocado)
  
• Offal may be cheaper due to low demand (i.e. liver, hearts, etc.)
  
• Save bones, necks, etc for use to make chicken/beef broth
  
• Ground meat is usually cheaper and good for a variety of meals
  
• Eggs are another good, inexpensive protein source (although organic/farm-raised eggs are more expensive than conventional). Eggs can be used in many many MANY ways and for any meal. If you like eggs and get creative, you can save a lot of money (think: Frittatas, homemade mayo, egg drop soup, etc.)
  
• Planning meals ahead and having detailed grocery lists beforehand will help keep you from buying impulse purchases (every time I go over budget is because we buy stuff outside of our planned grocery list)
  
• Cook bulk meals like stews and soups in the crockpot to last you for various meals (or freeze for quick use)
  
• Make your own "convenience foods" if you have the time (example: you may find it cheaper to buy the ingredients for homemade Paleo Lara Bars that will yield 10 bars than buy 10 Lara bars).
  
• Check out other avenues for foods (Farmers Markets may be cheaper for produce than general stores, perhaps the upfront cost of a CSA would save you money, perhaps there's a CO-OP in your area, etc.)
  

[GLC1968]

It is more expensive. There is no doubt about that, but honestly, it is worth it (though it probably doesn't feel that way on day 5!).

We make ourselves feel better about the money we are spending by thinking of other ways to cut back.

1) less money spent on dinning out

2) less money spent on alcohol

3) eventually (hopefully), less money spent on doctors/medical

4) less money spent on clothing my ever-expanding butt

5) less money spent on gas as I added 'biking to work' as part of one of my Whole30 goals

This time around, it's a little tougher for us financially as we are currently (temporarily) paying two mortgages (and we no longer have our own chickens for eggs!). To be able to afford it all, we've put off furnishing some of our new house (we have no dinning room table among other things), we've put off throwing any get-togethers at our place (again, no table!), we skipped x-mas gifts for each other this year and we are holding off on doing many 'fun' things like theater trips or renewing our bowling league membership until our financial situation is better. I'd rather spend the money on yummy food! In fact, Saturday night my husband suggested we go to the movies. I threw out the idea that we cook some stuff together instead (for the week) and we actually had a great time AND saved money. Of course, I'm lucky in that my husband is doing this with me.

[hollyfk]

You can try to find a local farmer and cut out the middleman. We buy a 1/4 cow and 1/2 hog from a local farmer and the price is drastically less than similar quality from the grocery store (and also not large-scale farming operations!).

Check here

http://www.localharvest.org/

and

http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html

Good luck!

[CSB1960]

Days 4 & 5 were the worst for me....I don't ever want to feel like I felt those 2 days again ever!

On groceries, like another poster said, make the best choices you can with YOUR budget and don't feel guilty about it. Good luck, the first week can be overwhelming, especially when you get your grocery bill!

[erinnalea]

I agree with many of the suggestions already made, and would just add that sometimes you can find really good quality foods where you least expect it. I was at Costco the other day just to buy their 24 pack of organic eggs (half the price of Whole Foods!) and came across an ENORMOUS tub of organic coconut oil (Carrington Farms pure, unrefined, cold pressed, 100% organic extra virgin coconut oil) - it's 54 oz. for $7.99. Needless to say I snatched it up. Costco also sells organic chicken and grass fed beef. In December we actually invested in a 1/4 cow from a local, grassfed farm here in GA. It was expensive, but we have so much good quality beef in our freezer right now.

Sometimes if I'm having a week with a little extra cash on hand I'll stock up on something that I wouldn't otherwise buy. A few weeks ago I bought a bag of frozen, wild-caught shrimp at Whole Foods for 10.99. It's expensive and wouldn't' have otherwise been on my list, but now it's in my freezer and I'll rely on it if we're having a tight week (hubby is a stay-at-home dad so we're on one income).

Lastly, and I know this doesn't help when there's only so much to go around, but I had 4+ years of truly terrifying health issues after my 5 year-old son was born. I have literally spent thousands of dollars in medical care over the past 4 years and have suffered from everything from miscarriages (sorry, TMI) to suspected lymphoma to debilitating sinus infections. No medicine cured me. The only thing that has worked was eliminating all gluten, dairy and soy, which helped tremendously. The kicker though was going paleo and removing all grains. True health is worth its weight in gold. I know that doesn't make the grocery bill palatable, sorry! But every bite that's NOT the SAD is a step towards longevity. That mantra has worked for me when I'm going "GULP" at the check-out line!

Hang in there - you're doing great so far!!