Now, when you first start eating healthy and clean, you may notice an increase in your grocery bill, but NEVER FEAR!!!!!, the grocery budget eventually evens out. You'll notice that the bulk of your grocery list is almost always comprised of the same items: beef, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, almonds, almond flour, other nuts, coconut milk, in-season fruits and vegetables, herbs, spices, and occasionally a few condiments like honey and coconut aminos. So, once you've got those, it becomes very streamline.
Here's my 12 simple tips for saving BIG while eating CLEAN!
8. Grow your own.
Plant a Garden, or if that is to time consuming for you do something like an indoor herb garden or even a patio sweet potato or tomato/pepper container garden.
For those of you with a greener thumb than mine, you already know the benefits of growing your own fruits and veggies. It does cost you time, but if you have more of that than cash, a garden will certainly reduce your grocery budget.
Trees are also a simple way to grow your own food. Most think about fruit trees, but have you ever considered planing a couple almond trees? I’ve never planted one myself, but I’d love to give it a try!
1. Find and shop sales
The good news about a streamlined grocery list, is that you can track how much of each item you consume in a given time period, track sales cycles, and determine best prices for each. By creating a master grocery list with the items you use most often, you should be able to update the list with the date, place purchased, amount consumed, and dollar amount spent per pound. After a few months, you’ll be able to determine when and where to get the best price for each item. For example, I eat A TON of almonds! I eat them raw, make almond flower, almond milk, almond butter... etc etc with them! Whenever I see a sale on Almonds, I buy tons because it's one of my staple foods and I know they will eventually get eaten. The same go's for frozen chicken, spaghetti squash and frozen mixed berries! :)
2. Turn the whole into parts.
One of my favorite methods for saving money is to use every last bit of what I buy.
For example, did you know there is more to chicken than the frozen little tenders? It seems like we’ve been conditioned to think eating a chicken breast is the only way to go. I personally like to buy a whole chicken, cook it in the slow-cooker, remove all the meat and boil the caracas to make chicken stock, to cook future meals in.
When it comes to all of the almond and coconut products, you can make almost all of them at a fraction of the cost just by using the original product. Almond flour (grind up almonds in your food processor), almond butter (make almond flour and add a little water to it), and almond milk (grind up your almonds, let them soak in water overnight and strain the water through a cheese cloth the next day) can all be made from raw almonds. The same is true for coconut. Coconut flour, coconut butter, and coconut milk can all be made from whole coconuts or even unsweetened coconut flakes. Oatmeal can be ground up to make oat flower... etc etc
I know that’s a lot of info so let’s recap with a nice, easy list.
Whole Chicken:
shredded chicken
chicken stock
cooking fat
Whole raw almonds:
almonds
almond flour
almond butter
almond milk
Coconut flakes:
coconut
coconut flour
coconut butter
coconut milk
2. Turn the whole into parts.
One of my favorite methods for saving money is to use every last bit of what I buy.
For example, did you know there is more to chicken than the frozen little tenders? It seems like we’ve been conditioned to think eating a chicken breast is the only way to go. I personally like to buy a whole chicken, cook it in the slow-cooker, remove all the meat and boil the caracas to make chicken stock, to cook future meals in.
When it comes to all of the almond and coconut products, you can make almost all of them at a fraction of the cost just by using the original product. Almond flour (grind up almonds in your food processor), almond butter (make almond flour and add a little water to it), and almond milk (grind up your almonds, let them soak in water overnight and strain the water through a cheese cloth the next day) can all be made from raw almonds. The same is true for coconut. Coconut flour, coconut butter, and coconut milk can all be made from whole coconuts or even unsweetened coconut flakes. Oatmeal can be ground up to make oat flower... etc etc
I know that’s a lot of info so let’s recap with a nice, easy list.
Whole Chicken:
shredded chicken
chicken stock
cooking fat
Whole raw almonds:
almonds
almond flour
almond butter
almond milk
Coconut flakes:
coconut
coconut flour
coconut butter
coconut milk
Oatmeal
oat flower
I’ll be giving you step-by-step instructions on how to achieve the above results in future posts.
I’ll be giving you step-by-step instructions on how to achieve the above results in future posts.
3. Buy in bulk.
We all know that you can often get a cheaper price per pound when you buy in bulk. One way to do this is to stock up when meat is on sale at your local grocery. If the cheaper cuts of meat are on sale, don’t hesitate to grab them all. Just cook those in the slow-cooker, and it will be so tender no one will know the difference!
Keep in mind that you can also call your store to find out when they mark down food. Once you know the day and time, get there early and grab all you need.
There are certainly challenges to buying in bulk like knowing where to purchase large quantities as well as knowing how and where to store such large quantities. However, keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to keep bulk purchases for yourself. Go in with a friend or even a group to split the cost. Having like minded clean eating friends can certainly benefit the wallet!
We all know that you can often get a cheaper price per pound when you buy in bulk. One way to do this is to stock up when meat is on sale at your local grocery. If the cheaper cuts of meat are on sale, don’t hesitate to grab them all. Just cook those in the slow-cooker, and it will be so tender no one will know the difference!
Keep in mind that you can also call your store to find out when they mark down food. Once you know the day and time, get there early and grab all you need.
There are certainly challenges to buying in bulk like knowing where to purchase large quantities as well as knowing how and where to store such large quantities. However, keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to keep bulk purchases for yourself. Go in with a friend or even a group to split the cost. Having like minded clean eating friends can certainly benefit the wallet!
4. Buy direct.
When possible, cut out the middle man. Buying almonds, chicken, beef, eggs, and produce directly from the farmer, instead of a grocery store, will give you a higher quality product and more bang for your buck.
If you’re new to buying direct, it could take some work to find local providers. But don’t hesitate to ask around; you never know what resources you’ll find.
When possible, cut out the middle man. Buying almonds, chicken, beef, eggs, and produce directly from the farmer, instead of a grocery store, will give you a higher quality product and more bang for your buck.
If you’re new to buying direct, it could take some work to find local providers. But don’t hesitate to ask around; you never know what resources you’ll find.
My husband and I buy a cow every year and stock our freezer with every cut of beef imaginable! It saves us tons! I also ask the butcher to throw in the bones and I make my own beef broth by boiling them! :)
5. Buy online.
Buying online is one of my favorite ways to shop, mostly because time is a premium, and having things delivered to my front door saves tons of time. But the added benefit is that I don’t have to take two wiggly kids with me to the store!
Subscribe and Save on Amazon is an easy way to save time and money.
5. Buy online.
Buying online is one of my favorite ways to shop, mostly because time is a premium, and having things delivered to my front door saves tons of time. But the added benefit is that I don’t have to take two wiggly kids with me to the store!
Subscribe and Save on Amazon is an easy way to save time and money.
I LOVE pumpkin and eat lots of it!!! I was surprised to find that I could purchase cans of fresh pumpkin from Amazon and save tons! Full cases get delivered monthly! :) Coconut flakes, almonds, quinoa, all great things to buy online!
6. Buy in season.
In season produce is the most plentiful. So plentiful in fact, that the price is reduced dramatically, so consumers will grab it up fast. If you have freezer space or like to can foods,stock up when fruits and veggies are at their rock bottom price, so you can eat from your surplus year round. Also, plan your meals around what is currently in season!
6. Buy in season.
In season produce is the most plentiful. So plentiful in fact, that the price is reduced dramatically, so consumers will grab it up fast. If you have freezer space or like to can foods,stock up when fruits and veggies are at their rock bottom price, so you can eat from your surplus year round. Also, plan your meals around what is currently in season!
7. Choose frozen over fresh.
Farmers and manufactures freeze produce during peak season to make it available year round.That’s why you can often buy frozen fruits and vegetables for less than what you can get in the produce isle. It’s not always the case, but it’s worth the comparison when your at the grocery store. I LOVE the taste of fresh and buy it when I can, but when I'm trying to save a buck, like back when I was a single mom with my son Andon, I lived on a VERY tight budget. My go-to veggies were low sodum canned green beans, (you can get them for .45 cents a can, or less if you look) and frozen chopped broccoli, I'd buy the kind that had the entire broccoli stalks and all chopped up. SUPER CHEAP! IT CAN BE DONE!
Farmers and manufactures freeze produce during peak season to make it available year round.That’s why you can often buy frozen fruits and vegetables for less than what you can get in the produce isle. It’s not always the case, but it’s worth the comparison when your at the grocery store. I LOVE the taste of fresh and buy it when I can, but when I'm trying to save a buck, like back when I was a single mom with my son Andon, I lived on a VERY tight budget. My go-to veggies were low sodum canned green beans, (you can get them for .45 cents a can, or less if you look) and frozen chopped broccoli, I'd buy the kind that had the entire broccoli stalks and all chopped up. SUPER CHEAP! IT CAN BE DONE!
8. Grow your own.
Plant a Garden, or if that is to time consuming for you do something like an indoor herb garden or even a patio sweet potato or tomato/pepper container garden.
For those of you with a greener thumb than mine, you already know the benefits of growing your own fruits and veggies. It does cost you time, but if you have more of that than cash, a garden will certainly reduce your grocery budget.
Trees are also a simple way to grow your own food. Most think about fruit trees, but have you ever considered planing a couple almond trees? I’ve never planted one myself, but I’d love to give it a try!
9. Keep the menu simple.
If you have basic ingredients, you can use spices to drastically change the same basic meal. Cook a huge amount of chicken or beef and change up the spices to give it a Mexican, Asian, Indian, or American flare. Add a different veggie each night of the week, and your family will never know how easy it was to prepare the meal.
If you have basic ingredients, you can use spices to drastically change the same basic meal. Cook a huge amount of chicken or beef and change up the spices to give it a Mexican, Asian, Indian, or American flare. Add a different veggie each night of the week, and your family will never know how easy it was to prepare the meal.
10. Eat less.
Of course eating less will save money. But that’s easier said than done, right?
I don’t know about you, but when I eat clean, I eat less. Of course, there’s the initial withdrawal from junk food, but after a few days, I almost have to force myself to eat. My stomach shrinks, and I’m no longer tempted to snack 24/7. When I’m eating healthy I really do eat to live, not live to eat.
11. Plan ahead Meal planning is key when keeping to your budget and sticking to your goals.
Of course eating less will save money. But that’s easier said than done, right?
I don’t know about you, but when I eat clean, I eat less. Of course, there’s the initial withdrawal from junk food, but after a few days, I almost have to force myself to eat. My stomach shrinks, and I’m no longer tempted to snack 24/7. When I’m eating healthy I really do eat to live, not live to eat.
11. Plan ahead Meal planning is key when keeping to your budget and sticking to your goals.
You won't buy more than you need and that will keep you from buying to much and having food go bad.
12. Join a food Co-op Like Bountiful Baskets.
Co-ops like this distribute produce baskets, organic produce baskets, artisan bread, and many other things every other week. I get a fruit and veggie bountiful basket delivered and save TONS on my produce. Granted, you just get whatever the farmer sends you, but that's part of the fun! I get many old stand-by's like Apples, oranges, carrots, etc etc, but there is always some fruit or veggie in there that I dont' normally eat. Then the fun starts, I get to do a google search, find a fun recipe, and try it out! Just recently I got Persimmons in my basket, I had never eaten one before, but after my family and I tried it, WE LOVED IT!!! And probably never would have had that experience if it hadn't just showed up in our basket. :)
13. Find alternate sources of protein.
Protein doesn't just equal meat. Eggs are a great source or protein and very cheap. Also, lentils, and quinoa you can buy in huge quantities when they are on sale and store them forever, saving tons!
-Hope this helps you continue on your path to great health!
xoxo
e
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