paleo – time saving & budget friendly tips

1. Paleo food is expensive!  I don’t think I can afford a paleo diet.  

2. Paleo cooking seems like it takes a really long time.  I don’t have time to spend 2 to 3 hours cooking every thing from scratch every day.  

So today I’m sharing a few time saving and budget friendly tips to help make the whole paleo thing do-able because the fact is, if I can do it – anyone can!  These tips aren’t just for the paleo diet but can also be applied to any heathy, real food diet.

Before we get to the tips let me start by addressing #1 above.  Yes, paleo food is expensive!  There’s no doubt that free range meat, pastured eggs and organic fruits & vegetables cost more.  For anyone that practically choked the first time they bought a bag of almond flour  – believe me  – I know and understand the price shock!  

But here’s the thing that can be really hard to grasp when you’re first starting out on a paleo diet. While the grocery bill goes up, other expenses end up going down thereby negating the rise.  After 3 months on a paleo diet, my hub stopped having to take any prescription stomach medicine (of which he had been taking for years).  My hub, myself and both of our kids have not needed any antibiotics at all over the past year since starting our paleo adventure last January.  My kids have not had anything more than a cold that maybe lasted a day or two and haven’t required any visits to the pediatrician.  They were seen by a doctor one time last year – for their yearly physicals.  I believe that’s all due to the change in our diet.  We’ve never before been that healthy!   Maybe that’s just a coincidence, but I really don’t think it is.  

In addition, the money we used to spend on going out to dinner or grabbing fast food type treats has decreased quite a bit.  There just aren’t very many paleo options out there.  Do you know how much money you can save when you stop running through Starbucks every day?!  I’ll admit that I do indulge from time to time, but it doesn’t happen too often.  Eating out is something we still enjoy doing, and we do like supporting local businesses that offer gluten free and dairy free options.  However, overall, we spend a lot less on eating out than in our pre-paleo life.

So in short, our grocery bill has gone up a little bit but not by that much, and other expenses have gone down……so it’s kind of a wash where money is concerned.

That being said, I think a huge part of that is because I live by the following tips.

1.  Meal Plan, Meal Plan, Meal Plan 

I know I sound like a broken record; but I really do whole heartedly believe that meal planning is the key to eating healthy, saving time in the kitchen and keeping your grocery budget in check.   I even made a family recipe book to make it simple and easy.

I don’t just make a grocery list of stuff we’re out of; I make a list of stuff we’ll need to eat for that week.  There’s nothing that makes me want to cry more than throwing out veggies and fruits that have gone bad.  It’s like throwing your money in the trash can, and meal planning keeps that from happening.  I’m big on using my time wisely, so I make things ahead on days when I have time to spend in the kitchen.  So on Monday if I have some extra time I might be chopping up veggies that I plan to use for Tuesday’s dinner…….I wouldn’t know to do that if I didn’t already know what we are going to be eating…….so you can see how planning out your meals can not only save you money but also help you to better manage your time.  I will even make meals ahead and freeze them, so all I have to do on busy nights is reheat them.

2.  Turn the Whole into Parts

I’m a big believer in breaking the whole into parts to get as many meals out of one day of cooking as you can.  For example, if I’m making a pot roast for dinner one night, I’ll buy one that is large enough to have some leftovers.  I keep the leftover juice to use in sauces and soups, and I’ll turn the leftover meat into the next night’s dinner by either adding bbq sauce and pairing it with spaghetti squash or by making lettuce wrap tacos.  That not only helps to spread my grocery dollars, but it also helps me reduce my time spent preparing dinner.  This plays right along with meal planning as you can basically make a week’s worth of dinners (and leftovers for lunch) out of a couple meats – one roast and a family pack or a whole chicken is plenty.  Meat is my biggest expense – I only buy free range – so I make my money count – nothing is wasted – not even the bones which I use to make my own stock (which has mega amounts of healing power).

3.  Shop Smart

Some items are best bought online where you can buy them in bulk.  I order my coconut milk, palm shortening, almond flour, etc through Amazon.  I think I have enough palm shortening on hand right now to last me an entire lifetime – ha!  I have a prime account, so I’m able to take advantage of free shipping. Buying cases (canned items) or large quantities of non perishable goods just makes better sense.

Also it’s completely normal for me to go to three different grocery stores to get the best deal for what I need.  Here in Lexington we’re lucky to have a Trader Joe’s (which has great prices), Whole Foods (which carries a great variety) and a Good Foods Coop (that offers lots of good local stuff).  Taking a little extra time to source the best price and make a couple of stops while grocery shopping is worth the savings when you’re feeding a family.

4.  Go All In 

I’ll be the first one to say that the only way to stay true to this lifestyle is to allow yourself to indulge from time to time.  A cupcake isn’t going to kill your diet and that once in a while treat will keep you from feeling deprived.

That being said, don’t try to ride the line going back and forth between paleo and your old way of eating.  If you’re still buying all of the boxed and bagged stuff in the middle of the grocery store in addition to buying lots of veggies and free range meats your bill is definitely going to skyrocket.  You can’t have it both ways.  Get your whole family on board!   If you want to keep the grocery bill in check you need to just stop buying certain things.  We do still buy some prepackaged stuff from time to time.  Larabars are a great packaged paleo treat, but too many indulgences like that will be unfriendly to your wallet.  You’re better off sticking to the outer edge of the supermarket with the occasional stop in the middle of the store.

5.  Do As Much As You Can Yourself

This last tip is such a simple one for anyone looking to follow a healthy, real food eating lifestyle.  Grow your own food.  It’s not as hard as you might think.  I’ve had a small garden for the past two years now, and it’s helped to reduce our summer and fall grocery budget.

I rarely buy herbs.  I love having them fresh, but you can also dry them to use in the winter months.  You don’t need a ton of space and it’s really not as hard as you might think.  Plus if you have children they’ll get to see how things grow and it’s really exciting for them.

In a dream life I would also have my own chickens………. that would greatly reduce our grocery bill!  I’ll probably never be able to get my hub on board with that one.  😉

So that’s how I make the paleo diet fit into our budget and active lifestyle.  Ain’t nobody got time to be spending hours and hours cooking every day. 😉   Like I said before……if I can do it  – anyone can!!

For more about my paleo journey as well as recipes – click on the paleo tab up above.