Want to try going Keto but need to stick to a budget? Here are 5 tips to help you save big and win.
If you have tried to lose weight or just scrolled through your Facebook feed in the last 3 years, you have probably heard of the Ketogenic Diet.
It seems like everyone is doing it right now. In fact, it inspire one of the more common questions I receive.
How can I save money while doing the Ketogenic Diet?
Is there such thing as Keto on a Budget?
The short answer is yes! You can save money (a lot of it) while one the Ketogenic diet.
If you are considering going Keto but you are on a budget, keep reading.
Do This First
Before you start any diet or food program, do two things:
1. Research Like Your Life Depends on it
Because it does. What you put in your body is important. Be careful doing any diet just because one of your Facebook friends had good results. There are a lot of opinions out there, and I’m sure none of us is 100% correct.
2. Remember Real Food
Diets are tricky. They promise results and quite often, they deliver. But in the process, we can end up doing very unhealthy things. If a diet is telling you to do something that doesn’t sit right with what you believe, take a second look.
I say this specifically because some people may treat the Ketogenic diet as an excuse to eat tacos with tortillas made of cheese. Granted, that sounds amazing, and I will be first in line when you bring it to a potluck. But if you are constantly reaching for cheese, eggs,
Helpful Reading About the Ketogenic Diet:
- 10 Ways To Lose Weight & Still Nourish Your Body
- How to Evaluate New Nutritional Philosophies Through a Critical Thinking, Traditional Foods
Lense - 6 Mistakes Every Keto Beginner Makes (and How to Avoid Them)
- Dangers of Low-Carb Diets Long term {Keto, GAPS, Atkins, Low-Carb} — & ways around those risks
How to Save Money While Going Keto
You may find you need to adjust your grocery budget. If you have a very generous budget already, perhaps you won’t. These tips will help you stick to that budget while you transition.
If you are on a tight budget, give yourself a few weeks to adjust and find what works for you.
When our family did the Cheapskate Whole30 Challenge, we had to increase our grocery budget significantly. However, we still saved a lot of money and kept our budget under national guidelines.
There is no getting around the fact that rice, oatmeal, and wheat products are cheaper than quality meats and vegetables. However, using these tips will help every one of your dollars pack a powerful punch.
2. Save on Animal Products
Ideally, on the Ketogenic diet, you will not increase your intake of meat.
Instead, you decrease your starchy carbohydrates (bread, grains, fruit, high-carb vegetables, etc.) and increase your intake of non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats.
I think
If you eat a normal Standard American Diet (highly-processed carbs, sugary drinks, very few vegetables
However, if you already source sustainable, quality meat, eggs, and dairy products, going conventional may feel like you are taking a step back.
This does not mean buying expensive cuts of meat or fancy cheeses. Instead, you can save a lot of money by sticking to the cheap cuts – bone-in, ground, skin-on, whole chickens, organ meats, etc. – and simply choosing organic or local.
I shared how to afford grass-fed, pastured meat on a shoestring here.
When our family did Whole30, one of our goals was to eat only quality, organic or local meat. The most we paid per pound of meat was $5 for local, grass-fed ground beef. Do some research, find local farms, ask for deals or bulk discounts and then keep shopping there. If your farmer knows they can rely on you as a regular customer, they are more likely to find good deals for you.
3. Vegetables
If you are on a tight budget, some sources recommend that you choose organic, quality meat over organic produce. Ideally, we want both, but sometimes we have to choose one.
While eating Keto, you have to be careful about which plants you eat. Some are high in carbs. The best ways to save money here are these:
1. Price Shop
Find which store around you has the best prices on the fruits and vegetables you can eat. Buy them there.
For example, in my area, Costco has some of the best prices on:
- organic lettuce
- fresh organic greens
- organic celery
- frozen organic broccoli
- frozen organic berries
But Aldi has better prices on:
- avocados (when they’re on sale)
- frozen broccoli
- frozen spinach
- celery
- olives
- frozen organic berries (very similar price to Coscto!)
I can get even better prices at Kroger if I find markdowns and clearance items in their produce section.
Please Note:
I do not advocate shopping at a million stores a week in order to save a few dollars. However, if you can work a simple rhythm into your schedule so you can hit multiple stores, you may consistently save money.
Example: We hit Aldi once a week on our way to the library. We stop at Costco over the weekend after church. Kroger is less than a mile from our house, so we might stop there once a week to look for markdowns.
Every region is different, so take a little time to price shop and decide what you should buy where and how it might work in you schedule.
2. Buy Frozen
Not only will buying frozen vegetables and berries save meal prep time, but it will also save you money.
We love frozen vegetables. Even though fresh tastes better, not every meal needs to be a
4. More Animal Products
Go here for my favorite ways to save money on quality dairy products.
5. Find a Food Rhythm
You could also call this a meal plan, but it’s not quite. More often, there are only one, maybe two people in a household following the Ketogenic diet.
Meal plan for the rest of the house, but follow a food rhythm for yourself.
Make a list of your go-to breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Choose some that fall into these categories:
- Quick and easy (examples: sardines and veggies; cheese cubes and veggies; scrambled eggs with cheese and steamed broccoli)
- Simple to make ahead (hardboiled eggs, salad fixings, homemade dressing, chopped vegetables for sauteeing, chicken, ground beef, soup, stew, cheesy casseroles)
- Special occasion (those melted cheese-tortilla tacos)
Decide how you can work these into your week. Be willing to try something again or try something new if it doesn’t work the first time.
6. Simple Food Prep
We have all heard of meal
It looks a lot like prepping several simple meal elements. This saves time later and stops you from needing to reach for expensive Keto convenience foods. It also helps keep you from getting bored. Try preparing several items every week, you will have plenty of variety for many meals.
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One of my favorite cookbooks, Well Fed: Paleo Recipe for People Who Love to Eat, first taught me this simple but powerful process. It was a gamechanger (note: there are lots of keto-friendly or adaptable recipes in the book too!).
Keto-Friendly Foods to Make Ahead:
- The Only Beef You Have to Make
- The Only Chicken You Have to Make
- 5-Ingredient Sausage
- Hard-boiled eggs (try them on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the instant pot)
- Slice or shred cheese (buying cheese in blocks saves money!)
- Chop veggies for salads and sauteeing
- Soup
- Casserole (like this Pizza Bake!)
- 5-Minute Egg & Cheese Muffins
- Bone Broth (try it in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
In order to save money and eat
Got a Money-Saving Keto Tip?
How do you save money on quality Ketogenic foods? Share your tips in the comments!
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