One of the biggest challenges to adopting a healthier diet and lifestyle can be the expense—especially for those on a tight budget.
I’m a huge advocate of eating fresh, organic, nutrient-dense food, and using green, non-toxic cleaning and personal care products. But let’s face it—these products can really get expensive when compared to the conventional varieties. Healthy snacks—like kale chips or beef jerky—can be three times the cost of a candy bar or bag of corn chips. Chemical-free cosmetics, environmentally friendly cleaning products, and organic, fair-trade coffee should be accessible to all; but for many, the high prices of these items puts them out of reach.
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to make healthy living more affordable.
#1: Get down to Basics
Buy ingredients that are versatile and can be used for a wide variety of dishes. Instead of buying expensive spices that you might use once, get the basics, like all-season salt, fresh garlic, onion powder, Italian/Mexican/ Indian (fill in the ethnic food of your choice!) seasoning, curry paste, and anything else that can be used for a multitude of dishes. Choose a couple of go-to fats like olive oil, coconut oil, and butter and use them for all your dishes.
For those who tolerate starches, white potatoes and sweet potatoes are cheap and filling and can be used at any meal. Avoid buying specialty items like gluten-free flours or other ingredients that sit in your pantry uneaten for months because you don’t know what to use them for.
A side benefit of simplifying your diet if you’re trying to lose weight is that eating simply tends to spontaneously reduce calorie consumption. In other words, you eat less and lose weight without trying.
#2: Buy in Bulk
To save money on grass-fed meat, try a buying a quarter, half, or whole animal directly from a rancher instead of single cuts from the grocery store. For example, we buy a quarter of beef, a half hog, and a whole lamb a couple times a year from local ranchers. We pay between $4.00–$5.50 a pound, and this includes cuts like filet mignon and rack of lamb that sell for >$20–$25/lb. in the store. You’ll need to invest in a good chest freezer in order to store the meat, but that expense will soon pay for itself with your savings on meat throughout the year. Plus, it’s so much more convenient to have a freezer full of meat that you can just pull something out of than having to shop for meat each week.
If buying a quarter, half, or whole animal is more than you can eat or afford, or you don’t have space for a chest freezer, considering going in with other people. The more people involved, the lower the cost and the less need for extra freezer space. Also, some cities have “meat CSAs”. These are groups of people that have organized together to buy meat in bulk directly from local ranchers. The SF Bay Area Meat CSA is an example. See if you have something similar in your area, and if you don’t, consider starting one!
#3: Don’t Pay Full Price
Health-food stores like Whole Foods are a convenient place to buy everything from organic foods to non-toxic cleaning products. However, they’re not great places to shop for those on a budget (they don’t call it Whole Paycheck for nothing!). And while you can save a lot of money at places like Costco, they don’t tend to carry a lot of the healthy and organic products that health food stores have.
This is where new businesses like THRIVE market come in. It’s the first online marketplace offering the world’s best-selling natural and organic products at wholesale prices. Think Whole Foods products at Costco prices, with the convenience of Amazon.
For less than $5 a month ($59.95 annually), members can shop 4,000 of the highest quality food, supplements, home, personal care, and beauty products from more than 400 of the best brands on the market, all delivered straight to their doors at 25–50% below retail prices.
As a special offer to my readers, the folks at THRIVE are offering a free two-month membership plus $10 off your first order. This will give you a chance to check out the store (which is adding new products daily) and see how much you can save, without paying anything up front. Click here to learn more.
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#4: Cook in Bulk
That’s why cooking large meals and saving the leftovers can be especially helpful for those cooking for just themselves or perhaps one other person. Try making multiple servings of an all-in-one meal like a soup or stew and freezing them for later in the week. Not only will you save cooking time but you’ll also be able to use ingredients bought in bulk and not have to worry about spoilage if you can’t eat all the meat or vegetables you’ve purchased.
The easiest way to do this is to use a slow-cooker. We couldn’t live without ours! It’s easy to do some basic prep in the morning, throw the ingredients in the slow cooker, and come home to a nice, hot dinner waiting for you. There are a lot of options when it comes to slow cookers, but my favorite is the Instant Pot. It’s not only a slow cooker, it’s also a pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, and warmer. If you’re new to slow cooking, there are tons of great cookbooks out there that will help you get started, including some Paleo slow cooking books.
#5: Choose Your Battles
Not everything you buy has to be organic, grass-fed, free-range, and local. There are many food items that are fine to buy from a conventional grocery store on a regular basis. While you always want to buy organic celery and strawberries, it might not be so important to look for organic onions or mangoes.
See the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen Plus and Clean Fifteen lists for what to focus on. The same goes for animal products. While you would likely want to avoid conventionally raised chicken, pork, and animal-organ meats, you may be all right buying lamb, eggs, and some natural cheeses that aren’t from 100 percent grass-fed and organic sources. Canned fish like salmon, skipjack tuna, sardines, and herring are far less expensive than fresh, wild fish and are extremely nutrient-dense choices. Of course, you should always get the highest-quality animal foods you can afford, but not everyone has access to ideal sources of meat.
#6: Cut out the Extras
Write a list of those luxury items you buy — four-dollar coffees, bottled water, fancy ingredients you use once for an extravagant recipe, protein powders, and so forth — and cut them out.
Yes, high-quality pastured chicken eggs do cost two to three dollars more per dozen than conventional eggs, but simply forgoing your Starbucks Venti Mocha each day will easily make up the difference.
Go through your food spending and see if you can identify what splurges are putting you in the red. Get rid of the nonessentials altogether or find a way to make them at home. Buy a good quality reusable mug or water bottle and fill it up before you leave the house in the morning. Eat real food rather than expensive protein powders and supplements. Don’t waste money on items that you can easily do without.
#7: Buy Ingredients, Not Products
It’s cheaper to buy raw ingredients and cook food yourself than to buy prepackaged meals, snacks, and other food items. A lot of people who are new to a Paleo/nutrient-dense diet tend to be overwhelmed at the grocery store and look for products like Larabars, nut milks, kale chips, beef jerky, and other items that can be made at home but are tempting to buy when you’re just starting out.
There’s nothing wrong with buying these foods—if you can afford them. But the more food you cook from scratch, the more money you’ll save. (Another major advantage to preparing your own food is that you know what all of the ingredients are, and you avoid mystery additives, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners.)
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I don’t quite understand all the negativity surrounding Thrive. My local stores don’t carry the majority of the items that are sold on the site and the one to two dollars I save per can of organic coconut milk/Rao’s more than makes up for the five dollars a month for the membership. Of course I’d love to shop locally, but Bountiful Baskets is as close to it as I can get. I’d rather give my money to a company that helps others instead of Sam’s Club. I highly recommend reading up on the information Diane Sanfilippo puts out there. She has a number of “good, better, best” options that have been really helpful to me when I’ve had to decide natural vs organic vs grass fed etc.
I’m going to have to disagree. Chris is comparing cost minimizing behavior against someone not trying to keep costs down. If you are watching your pennies on a SAD diet and then try and watch your pennies on a paleo diet you will pay more. How can you not when the SAD diet has such a large subsidized grain component.
You don’t have to be doing paleo to buy in bulk. In the language of economists: “all else being equal” switching to paleo is likely to be more expensive.
If one is going to follow the Paleo diet, additional health care cost also needs to be added to be fair when compared to proven diets like advocated by people like Ornish and Fuhrman to name only two that have proven they can reverse diseases…
I agree with the items needed that are found at Costco. 🙂 Been a member for many years. And we make good use of our Crock-Pot, and freeze several meals for future use.
We are lucky in Australia, most of our meat is grass fed. Just have to check with the butcher.
Ansje. That is so great to hear that there is someplace in the world where they don’t have toxic meat.
What works for me:
1) Grow a big vegetable garden. Almost anyone can do it, and the veggies you harvest will be more nutritious than anything you can buy, and the total cost will be lower also;
2) Buy farm-raised meat from local farmers. We get part of a lamb, a side of beef, and half a pig from local farmers near us. We know how the animals are raised, and although the cost may be a little higher than the grocery store, the health benefits are well worth it to us.
3) If you can, gather wild foods through hunting, fishing, and foraging. We harvest a few deer every year, catch fish from local lakes, grow mushrooms on our mushroom logs (and also forage for wild mushrooms), gather wild fruits (blackberries, blueberries, etc), and other wild foods. It’s not difficult, and the foods you gather will be highly nutritious and delicious.
Rob. Even if you dont have a big garden, you can grow salads and greens in a few pots on your front porch or in front of a south facing window. Great idea.
Hey – what about us Canadian’s? – do you think we will be able to join your Thrive Market in the future?
Yes, what about us the “northern” neighbor – Canadians! Can we buy from Thrive too? But then there is the border/customs where everything bogs down. Yet, lots of our really good products sell to the U.S. everyday in the name of ‘free trade’! Canadian companies need to step up their game…big time.
I am surprised that everyone was completely focused on the “price of eggs” and how to stretch the budget. I didn’t see one comment on the cost benefits of simply staying healthy. Most of the food additives and other things that we need to avoid have an accumulating effect. You don’t always see instant results from eating healthy, but I always consider the costs of medical care in the future. I know plenty of people who ignore eating healthy because it costs too much and don’t have any money left after buying all the prescribed medicine from their doctor. Even with medical insurance some friends of mine pay more than a $1,000 /month on pills. These are not isolated cases either. Eat right and skip the pepto, ibuprofen, exlax, nyquil, zantac and other “extras” to stretch your budget. Ask if your future health and quality of life are worth a few extra dollars or a little extra time. It’s a personal decision and I want to be healthy now and healthy in old age.
Great reminder to keep us motivated.
Good point!
I’ve been eating primal for about a year now . Because of the extremely high price of free Range and or grass Fed meats, I’and a food budget of only $190 /month I ve been unable to eat them. Every “Paleo” blogger makes suggestions like buy half a cow. Or stop drinking Coffee or some other suggestion based opeople with more money and space than I have. ut I live in NYC and half a cow ain”t happening here. What I do is buy conventionally raised meats and supplement with fish oil to balance the fat profile.
I am on a similar budget and I usually buy conventional meat. But whenever I’m near an EarthFare I go in and see if they have frozen mixed grinds, which are made up of any beef they haven’t sold the day it expires. This includes conventional and grass fed beef. Price is $2.99/lb, which is cheaper than most other ground beef, including conventional. They also have regular sales on things like whole chicken (1.49/lb last week) which is a great price. So if you have one nearby, check it out.
Yeah, when you don’t have the space, it is tough! Just remember that animals accumulate toxins in their fat, so buy leaner cuts when you buy conventional. A great tip I have for you is that the conventional grocery stores will often have a “clearance” price on the grass-fed/organic meats when they are expiring! So even though you don’t plan to buy them, always pass by that section and look for the red stickers! My last suggestion is to not just buy conventional or the cheapest, look for labels that say “no hormones or antibiotics” because this is just as important as the fatty profile – maybe more. And these are often a great price! Best wishes.
I can hardly believe that we are encouraged to have our food delivered to the doorsteps as a cheaper, healthier alternative. I suppose we should live healthier while our grandchildren go extinct. I actually found the advice from the comments more useful than the original post.
Does not having food delivered to our door steps reduce stress of shopping for many that do not have the time?
Stress reduction is key to better health. Take it from a guy that works a very stressful daily job and in turn does not have the time to properly shop or get any decent deals.
100+ hours a week does not promote good gut health. Dealing with people and lines and parking at my local stores promotes stress..
I can do without both and have the nice UPS, Fedex, etc people help me do my shopping. My local Safeway delivers to me – that is the best 9 bucks delivery charge I have ever invested in for my stress health.
Having it delivered to your door. Going all over town to buy it after it’s been delivered to the store. What’s the difference?
Good Point Katherine , I was just thinking the same thing. For me to buy healthy organic for me it’s an hour away from the bigger stores, it would save me $ 5.00 in gas . Half of the time the products are so high you can’t get a lot. Most times I have to get things at Health food stores , those prices are even worse !!
I have yet to buy groceries on line , but it sounds like a plan to me lol
As for grass feed meat, I learned that Pavillions/Von’s (here in Southern Cal), Safeway in Northern California often reduces 30% up to 50%. It’s all about being in the right time/the right place…check them out from time to time. I never paid full price for grass feed since I discovered this awesome discount. Downside: There’s is no routine schedule for this discount, it’s random. One day my instinct to stop by and sure enough 50% on grass feed beef and ground beef was also on sale (grass feed also). Don’t forget the organic milk and egg section often times I find 25% off.
As for Paleo- Gluten Free, we discovered plantain banana for pancakes to cake baking. I Google for plantain recipe and it’s endless…super healthy desert from chocolate cake / brownies/chocolate chip cookies and much more…grain free and gluten free. On the side note…I have not discovered organic plantain – would love a feed back or please share if you know a store carry organic plantain. Have a beautiful day.
This is just as assumption, but tropical foods like plantains are often not labeled as organic because it is too pricey to get the certification. They often grow the fruits, like plantains, without pesticides, how they exist in the wild already. But plantains are becoming so popular that we might see more mass production and organic labels soon!
There are 3 people in my family and I’m on a tight budget. The men want meat with every meal. Unfortunately, we eat more starch than I would like (brown rice and red potatoes). I try to cook organic & free range as much as possible. That means that I have to be a hunter-gatherer in multiple markets. I shop at Winco for bulk staples and some organic veggies, at Fred Meyers for their Simple Truth organic inexpensive jams, pasta sauce and canned beans for those times when I need a quick idea for a meal. I buy Tillamok dairy which is a cooperative of small dairies with grassfed cows (even though it’s not advertised on the packaging) and is affordable.
One free range chicken makes 5 meals for us: I guy gets a drumstick and a wing. The other gets a thigh. I get a slice of breast meat. For lunch, the remaining breast meat with veggies divided between all three.That’s half the chicken. 2-3 days later the other half the same way. Then I cook the carcass for a soup. I pick the bones clean of meat and include that in a risotto for another lunch. That’s 5 meals. At the local New Seasons, I buy frozen ground lamb pet food for $3.99 which consists of muscle meat, lung and heart all ground together and I put it in pasta sauce or make burritos. Tastes great and is healthy. Lambs are always grass fed because they won’t eat corn and buffalo won’t either and can’t be penned up. So I buy ground buffalo at Fred Meyers for $5.99/lb. Winco has 3 lb bags of wild caught salmon fillets for 6.99, that’s 9 portions and is very healthy. Typically, the meat costs $1 per person per meal and I cook enough for dinner to have lunch the next day. On the weekends I make an egg dish (free range from Winco) for brunch.
Breakfast sucks. I haven’t figured that out yet and don’t want to cook so darned much either. I have a morning smoothie with organic yogurt & organic banana from Winco & frozen blueberries from the Dollar Store. I don’t mind that, but my guys eat granola with grass-fed milk and it gets real old. Not so healthy either, every day. Any ideas for improving breakfast?
Agnes, don’t get discouraged. It takes time to make the switch to more healthful eating. If your guys like meat, wouldn’t they like a nice omelette, frittata, or scrambled eggs for breakfast? Eggs and veggies are all I put in mine. Also, try to get them to “think outside the (granola) box” — no rule says you are limited to “breakfast foods” for breakfast. Try a stir-fry of leftover meat with various veggies; or a cup of soup or stew. I love salmon salad for breakfast. And do be careful of your buffalo. I lived in Dodge City, KS for several years — it’s part of a tri-cities triangle that produces over 25% of the beef consumed in the US. “Buffalo” was also popular there. But a large percentage of “buffalo” are actually buffalo-cattle hybrids, as the pure buffalo were almost wiped out by the late 19th century. Buffalo were often feedlot-finished to grow them bigger for more $$$. Buffalo and hybrids do get fed grains and do get penned up. I used to drive quite a distance when I was in KS to get grass-fed buffalo from a rancher because all the local buffalo was feedlot-raised. Lamb, as you’ve discovered, is a delicious, versatile meat. I am not sure why it isn’t more popular. Also look for farmers raising ducks, geese and less common birds. And if you have room, try to grow as much as you can.
Some of my kids make a drink every morning with raw milk, raw eggs and frozen fruit (maybe banana too). Sometimes we add eggnog spices. My REALLY hungry 11yo will sometimes also eat canned salmon or fry some eggs. We heat the salmon with butter in the toaster oven. I eat the salmon and drink kefir with a little fruit (allergic to eggs 🙁 ). Sometimes I make scrambled green eggs for the kids in the blender (we cook those). Sounds like you’re doing really well. I wish I had those stores!
There are easy recipes for making individual egg based ‘quiches’ in muffin tins; they freeze well and you can add an infinite number of things to them! I haven’t frozen them, but have read they do (do some research and check which ingredients freeze best), and with the price that you get for the eggs you mentioned, you can also add either cream or milk and stretch the mix a bit further. Two popped into the oven for each guy-or three!-and they can be eaten for lunch or dinner too. Hope this helps…keep up the amazing work you are doing to keep the household running along…!!! Rock Star womyn!
Breakfast is a tough transition for most people going paleo/primal. Here are some ideas:
-Get your family a quality whey or collagen protein powder (Great Lakes brand is the best price for grass-fed, but conventional without antibiotics or hormones is okay)
-Try smoothie bowls by blending frozen fruit, a handful of greens, splash of milk, and protein powder (other additions we love are half avocado and nut butter). Top with granola and fruit and eat with a spoon.
– try a yogurt bowl just like above, but skip the blending. Just stir protein powder and honey into yogurt, top with granola and fruit
– make a loaf of civilized caveman’s paleo banana bread. And you’ve got breakfast for the week. Tastes awesome straight out of the fridge with butter
– I make frittata every week, it’s our favorite. Anything can go in it, it is great room temp, hot, or cold, and on the run, and freezes great
– have you tried the quick paleo pancakes? 1 ripe banana beat with 2 eggs, I like to add a dash of vanilla and cinnamon. Make in advance and refrigerate. Warm slightly, Top with butter, granola and a dash of maple syrup or jam
– make your veggie sides, like diced sweet plantains, in advance. Then in the morning you can just scramble or fry a couple eggs and breakfast is ready.
– do you and your husband drink coffee? I like to save leftover coffee in the fridge and make breakfast coffee smoothies. Just add coffee, banana (frozen or fresh & ice), protein powder, vanilla, and nut butter (sweetener or cream if needed)
– I hope this helps you out! I know how stressful it can be. You’re doing an amazing job stretching that budget! Cheers
I have a very tight budget and I am in Canada and cannot access Thrive Market. However I have recently started dumpster diving……and since I started a few weeks ago I spend no money on produce at all. This includes perfectly good organic produce….and lots of it. I hope I can do this indefinitely. My local high end grocery store also frequently reduces the meat prices to a fraction of the cost the day before they expire…..so this is something I utilize as well.
CostCo rocks for eating quality primal on a budget! They have absolutely everything we need.
Organic eggs, milk, meat including beef, bison and lamb.
Yams, bananas, fresh & frozen organic fruits and veggies beyond listing!
Raw cheeses galore (for K2); The Kirkland Imported French Brie for $5.50/# is aamazing!
Amazing Kirkland Brand Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
KerryGold butter dirt cheap.
Imported Jasmine rice.
Macademias, almonds, pecans and walnuts.
Wild caught Alaskan salmon for $5/# in season.
Kalamata olives.
Live culture full fat yoghurt.
Coconut oil.
San Pellegrino sparkling water for $10/case on sale!
Triglyceride form fish oil pills.
VVitamin D3.
This isn’t an exhaustive list; I’m tired of writing.
CostCo IS SIMPLY THE BEST WAY TO EAT PRIMAL ON A BUDGET!
Yes, Costco has a lot of good products. Recently started carrying organic strawberries. My local Costco does not have full fat yogurt.
Buy a whole organic free range chicken. Cut up in pieces, separate dark meat, e.g. legs & thighs, and breast white meat.
Put in 2 separate bags for freezer. That meat provides 2-3 meals for 2-3 people. The rest of the chicken goes for chicken soup/broth with ingredients such as onions; lemon grass cut up; juniper berries; salt; chopped celery; carrots and simmer for several hours, while laundry is on or other housekeeping chores. Strain the stock and place in containers in freezer ready for soups, sauces, rice etc. One whole chicken will provide 4-5 meals!!
I’ve looked at the thrive website and all the items are outrageously far more expensive than any other store I’ve seen including Whole Foods which used to be the highest price health food store until we found Thrive!
I go to the butchers, and for a nominal sum of money I buy chicken bones that would otherwise be thrown away. I cook them in my slow cooker with a stick of celery, a small parsnip, an onion and seasoned with salt and pepper, then leave it to cook for 12 hrs. I get an amazing amount of chicken from the bones, which I then use in stir fries, curries and sandwich filling. The rest leaves a lovely soup for yet another meal and chicken stock for a base in other meals. All can be frozen for using another day.
I’ve looked at THRIVE a few times — it’s more expensive than my local Whole Foods, so why would I switch?
Hi,
I am curious what percentage of income people are spending on food and what would be appropriate? I live in Ontario Canada and I follow all of the money saving tips Chris listed above and I still spend about $900 CAD on food for myself monthly. I find healthy food extremely expensive and sometimes hard to find. Luckily I make a good income so $900 is about 33% of my income. It still seems like a pretty huge hit once you factor in all other living expenses.
Cool question Madeline, something I’ve been wondering about too. My income is unstable but I would bet I spend up to 50% (of a modest income) on this stuff. I’m also single and have few other expenses. Each time I find myself making more money, more upgrades to the diet!
I spend $60/week and I eat almost 100% organic and I do eat some rice and lentils. Organic meat and produce from trader joes and other items that i can’t find there, I get at whole foods.
I did a quick check of a few things I normally buy on Vitacost.com to compare to Thrive. Vitacost was cheaper with no annual fee. And I agree about Costco – I live in MN and there are LOTS of organic options there from fresh produce to eggs, milk, GF flours and sugar, etc.
I am a professional single woman with a lot of commitments and semi-frequent travel. The hardest part for me in changing over to cooking my own food all the time was making sure that I had enough time to do it. It’s important for me to have easy to grab food to take along for lunch, travel or if I get home later than expected. Otherwise, restaurants or unhealthy food become tempting!
I have GREAT success doing a “cook up” every few months. In one afternoon I have the basics for at least 30-40 lunches or quick meals. I make large batches of 3 or 4 kinds of soups/stews (6-12 servings each) and baking/grilling/slow cooking a few kinds of meat (4-12 servings each.) Smaller mason/ball jars work great for freezing single portions of soup/stew–avoiding plastic. I also freeze the different meats in individual portion sizes. I put each individual portion in a freezer bag and then all of the same kind into a larger freezer bag. (If anyone has a suggestion for avoiding plastic here I would love to hear it!)
For lunch I grab a soup or a piece of meat out of the freezer and usually take a big pile of greens of varying sorts. The frozen soup or protein does not require refrigeration for at least a few hours–great for travel or for a lunch when no refrigerator is available. If no microwave is available, the cooked piece of meat is great cold. (My bag got searched by TSA at the airport once because I had one frozen cooked pork chop in the front pocket–lunch! Apparently individual pork chops are not a usual carry on item!)
As long as you vary the soups and spices used on the meats you can have quite a variety to choose from every day and something great to look forward to. Since this post is about budgeting, it may be also important to note that I tend to waste a lot less organic vegetables when I do a big cook up as I can throw different vegetables into some of the soups to use them up–much harder to do when making one meal at a time.
I hope this is helpful to someone!
Hmm, I bet you could freeze meat in differently-sized canning jars, too. I also use canning jars for most food storage, but hadn’t thought about using them for meat until now…
love your ideas! I take my own lunch whenever I go out for the day—so much less expensive and I’m able to eatwhat I want.
If you freeze the meat individually first, on a sheet pan with each piece of meat wrapped in wax or parchment, and spread out; you can then take the frozen pieces and put them in a gallon bag. That at least will eliminate the need for all those small bags.