How to save money while eating primally page 2

[spincycle]

I wanted to recommend a fantastic cook book- Falling Off the Bone by Jean Anderson. The recipes are mostly for stews and soups using cheaper cuts of meat, and they are divine. I've tried 7 of them so far, and can't pick a favorite. Be prepared for some prep work, lots of chopping and cubing, but once you get that done most of them simmer on the stove top or in the oven for a couple of hours until the meat is savory and fork tender. My husband and I eat the stews for lunch every day, one pot lasts 3-4 days, then I make another recipe and we eat that for lunch. I highly recommend this book!

[belinda]

Not to say that you can't eat nice cuts (seeing as you seem to have the budget) but even it out by occasionally buying leaner cheaper roasts and other cuts that you can put in a slow cooker. Tomorrow, I'll be doing up half an eye of round roast (cost $5) that will feed DH and I for at least 6 meals.

We just finished eating a Cook's ham that I did in the toaster oven. 6 lb ham for $6 that lasted us for at least 4 days. I'm sick of ham now

I go to a local asian market for my coconut milk, but they have an amazing selection of produce. Last week, I got a watermelon for $1.99 when everyone else was charging $4 and they do 4 packs of very slightly blemished yellow peppers for $1.29 when everyone else would be charging $4.99.

Other tips: make sure to shop your flyers, don't buy more fresh produce than you can use in a week (throwing it out doesn't save you money), and use up all your leftovers including bones and veggies just beyond prime.

[tobias]

meal plan, meal plan, meal plan! ever since i started caring about where my food was coming from and spending more $$ per week on groceries, I've become very careful about only buying what i can eat so literally nothing goes to waste. I'm not saying I force leftovers down my throat if its not what I'm in the mood to eat, but i am very careful about only buying what i need and making sure that i eat whats in the fridge before i go out and buy more food!

[honeybuns]

Loss leaders. Every store has something that is a loss leader to get people in the doors.

[Ouis]

this blog:

BrokeAss Gourmet – Almond Flour Bagels

[honeypig]

My husband and I average $600 a month for the 2 of us (including dish soap, toilet paper, all that other stuff you get at the grocery store) and I felt like that was a LOT--I see here that it's not that off the scale, so I feel a LITTLE better...thanks to all those who posted ideas for saving $$. I will definitely be implementing some. I did just a little freezing so far this year (berries and cherries in season), hope to stock up on winter squash and store them in the basement and hopefully do a little pickling this year too. Not ready for full-scale canning but hopefully next fall, and hope to freeze some veggies yet this year also.

Again, thank you all!

[Catherine]

I wanted to recommend a fantastic cook book- Falling Off the Bone by Jean Anderson. The recipes are mostly for stews and soups using cheaper cuts of meat, and they are divine. I've tried 7 of them so far, and can't pick a favorite. Be prepared for some prep work, lots of chopping and cubing, but once you get that done most of them simmer on the stove top or in the oven for a couple of hours until the meat is savory and fork tender. My husband and I eat the stews for lunch every day, one pot lasts 3-4 days, then I make another recipe and we eat that for lunch. I highly recommend this book!

thanks for the book tip, it looks good!

[cranehigh]

Before I started eating Primal, I was pretty freaked out by the potential cost increase in food. Bear in mind that I usually spent about 150 a MONTH to feed myself, and that included some of my cleaning supplies and toiletries. This first month that's going up to about $200, but that has as much to do with a learning curve and buying new things that will last a while as anything else.

I'm learning to buy what's on sale, and buy extra of it to freeze. I only have the little freezer over the fridge, but when I take out all of the frozen box crap that fits a Lot of chicken, hamburg, and fish, plus a few self-made frozen meals.

I'm learning to rotate my fruits and veggies. It may be what's in season. It may be what's just not popular at the store right now, but something is always on sale, or relatively cheap. I don't care if I eat the same fruit and same veggies for a week. Next week it'll be something different.

This does mean I don't have much by way of "quick and easy" around. I cook enough of something to last for a few meals, and keep the snacky food to a minimum. I have some kind of nuts, and some kind of fruit around to munch on but that's about it.

[IvyBlue]

I hate to say it but I think these farmers see us city slickers coming a mile away. I asked the grassfed beef guy about a bulk purchase and he basically blew me off. He's retailing ground beef for $9/lb so why would he want to sell in bulk. Whole Foods is cheap compared to the market that sets up in my neighborhood.

Since you don't break out food from that number it's hard to say that you're out of line. Per person $500/mo is high, $300/mo is not bad for SF. The main thing is to stock up when things are on sale and I try to keep produce costs down and will only buy organic if it looks good and the price is right.

[Chaohinon]

$1 - $2.50/lb where I live:
romaine, kale, collards, bok choy, carrots, onions, turnips, sweet potatoes, chicken breasts, ground pork, fatty ground beef, butter, huevos

$3-$5:
tilapia, chorizo, mussels, squid, shrimp, salmon

And things like coconut oil, coconut milk, tahini, etc. appear expensive, but stretch pretty far.

Honestly, I'd suggest just dropping the grassfed & organic thing if you really want to cut back; its health benefits are pretty overstated compared to the overall metabolic effect of getting plenty of good fats, protein, veggies, and the right starches. You could also compromise by buying cheap lean proteins, and supplementing with organic butter and coconut oil.

Scaling way back on fruit, nuts, and dairy will really help in terms of nutrition per dollar. I also like to set aside a few hours a week to do lots of food prep; dice/julienne onions, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, boil sweet potato chunks, fry chicken breasts and chop some into cubes, make pesto, curry paste, mayonnaise, spice mixes and salad dressings, mince big batches of fresh garlic, juice & zest lemons and limes, etc. Making everything from scratch will really take heat off of your wallet, as well as make meals in between your food prep really easy and quick.

And if you happen to be an espresso drinker, consider switching to yerba mate as it's absolutely dirt cheap.