10 Ways to Reduce Your Primal Grocery Bill

Photo by Cristiano Betta

It can be difficult eating primal when your on a tight budget. Most conventional money saving advice tells you to stretch your food with grains and beans. However I've been able to figure out a few ways to lower our cost while staying primal and I'm happy to share them with you.




          1.  Make a meal plan and stick to it.    

By planning ahead and buying all the groceries you need for the week in one trip you save numerous trips to the store and cutback on impulse buys. In addition you're more likely to use everything you buy before it goes bad since you already have a plan.


2.  Set a budget and stick to it.  

Without a budget you're a lot more likely to keep adding "just one more thing" to the cart. A budget gives you a clear boundary and gives you the opportunity to live creatively within those boundaries.


3.  Clean out your refrigerator. Often.

I  find that if I don't clean out my refrigerator I end up with a bunch of unknown containers that just sit there until they go bad. If there is a nice clean space I'm a lot more likely to see what needs eaten.

Photo by woodleywonderworks

 4.  Use lots of eggs.  

Eggs are the cheapest form of protein. They offer a nutritional power punch for very little money. Plus there are so many ways to eat them...

5.  Use one protein at each meal and stretch it with vegetables. 

Instead of making bacon and eggs for breakfast try eggs and avocado. Then the next day you can have bacon and fruit. Since fruits and vegetables are generally cheaper than protein you will be able to make more meals for less money.




6.  Buy meat with the bone in and then make broth. 

A nice slow simmered bone broth has many nutritional benefits and will add flavor to recipes for a much lower price than boxed or canned broth. How to Make Chicken Broth.




7.  Shop discount stores. 

In my area we have a Grocery Outlet. I've been able to find many organic pantry items as well as some frozen vegetables very inexpensively. Check what you have available in your area.

8.  Grow a garden.

Photo by Southern Foodways Alliance

This takes a lot more work than driving down to the store but there's nothing better than going out to your back yard and picking a nice ripe tomato or fresh herbs.

9.   Use frozen vegetables. 

Most of the time a bag a frozen vegetables is cheaper than buying it fresh and since they are usually flash frozen soon after harvest they are still very nutritious.

10.  Skip organic and grass fed.

Now I'm not saying organic isn't worth it. I am 100% for fresh, local, organic, grass fed, and from the farmer's market. But if you are really struggling with your budget it is better to buy conventional whole food than it is to give up on the primal lifestyle altogether. Do the best you can with the resources you have.

You may also like:

Primal Dinner for Under $4 Bucks!- Meaty Chipotle Chili

Snacks for Primal/Paleo Kids

This post has been entered in the following blog carnivals:

Pennywise Platter

Fresh Bites Friday

Fight Back Friday

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