Many people think eating keto is expensive, but that just isn’t the case. You can definitely eat keto on a budget!I’m like you, I have a mortgage, student loans, and I want to save for retirement, but that doesn’t stop me from eating keto. It’s better if you’re eating higher-quality fats and meats, but if you can’t, conventional fats and meats are still a better option than the Standard American diet (SAD).
Here are the best tips to help you save money while eating keto!
In This Article
Buy Fats in Bulk
Coconut oil has a shelf life of around two years, so buying in bulk will help you save a lot of money compared to buying smaller containers whenever you run out.
Try to buy oils in glass containers. If you can’t find any in glass containers, transfer your oil into glass containers like mason jars when you get home. This way you make sure that your fats won’t absorb any plastic even if the plastic is already BPA-free.
Also, store your fats in a cool dark place to extend their shelf life, and make them less likely to go rancid.
Here Are a Few Types of Healthy Fats That Are Good For Keto:
- Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Grass-Fed Butter
- Ghee
Get a Membership to a Wholesale Club
I buy most of my nuts at Sam’s, BJ’s, and Costco to save money. I don’t have memberships to all three of these places. Instead, I split a Sam’s Club membership with my parents, my best friend has a membership to BJ’s, and my aunt has one to Costco.
By having friends and family with all different memberships, I’m able to find the best deals for the best quality products, which really helps me stay within my budget when eating keto.
BJ’s by far has the most organic fruits and vegetables, as well as higher quality meat. On the other hand, Sam’s and Costco have the biggest variety of foods. I normally take one day per month to stock up on all of the foods I can buy in bulk and make it into a girls day.
Shop at Farmer’s Markets
I get most of my non-starchy vegetables at local farmer’s markets. I do this because I live in a rural area so there are a lot of farms. Many of the farms aren’t certified USDA organic, but they’re grown organically.
This way, I’m able to get organically grown vegetables for just a little bit higher price than conventionally grown veggies. And sometimes they’re a little cheaper than conventional vegetables at a grocery store, and much cheaper than organic vegetables at a grocery store.
Buy Frozen Fruit and Vegetables
Another option is to get organic fruits and vegetables that are frozen or conventional fruits and vegetables that are frozen. Frozen produce is a great way to help you stick to your budget and still enjoy nutritious keto foods.
Make sure that the ones you are buying don’t contain any added preservatives, sweeteners, or color enhancers. The ingredients list should just read one item, and that should be whatever fruit or vegetable you are buying.
A Few of Our Favorite Keto Frozen Fruit and Vegetables Include:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Spinach
- Chopped bell pepper
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Coconut
- Avocado
Split a Cow, Pig, or Lamb with Friends and Family
Another option to get good quality meat is to go in with friends or family and buy half of a cow, pig, or lamb. I do this every year!
Again, I live in a rural area, so I’m getting grass-fed organic beef or pasture-raised pig for the price of conventional meats if you were to buy at the grocery store.
For grass-fed cow, the last time I bought one it came out to about $6.40 per pound. So that means I get grass-fed ribeye, porter house, T-bones steaks, as well as ground beef for $6.40/lb.
You will definitely save money on steaks and higher quality cuts of meat by going this route!
Eat and Shop Local
Do you live by the water? I live by the ocean, and I’m very fortunate that we have local markets where we can buy fresh-caught seafood (that day). By shopping at local seafood markets, I’m able to get a better quality product at a cheaper price than by shopping at local grocery stores like Publix, Winn Dixie, or Whole Foods.
Eggs are a must when you’re trying to eat keto on a budget! You can normally buy fresh eggs at your local farmer’s market. However, that’s my last resort because I normally get farm fresh chicken and duck eggs from my hairdresser for $4 a dozen. She lives out in farm land area and has a little bit of everything. You can’t beat farm fresh eggs! They taste way better than any store-bought cagefree organic eggs, and cost a lot less!
Eat Seasonally
Have you noticed when fruit and vegetables grown in your local area go out of season, they tend to double or triple in price?
Living in Florida, berries, avocados, and oranges are our main fruit crops and the prices fluctuate drastically depending on the season.
When they’re in season, I can find strawberries as low as $0.75 per pint and out of season their price goes up to $3.99. The same goes with other fruits and vegetables too.
A way to save money is to stock up on fruit and vegetables when they are in season. Then you can either freeze or can them so you can enjoy them in later months without paying higher prices.
Shop the Sales
If you live close to a bunch of different grocery stores, it never hurts to look at their sales fliers. When Publix Greenwise chicken goes BOGOF I stock up on it and put it in my deep freezer. The same with their Greenwise beef ribs.
Also, Aldis can be either a hit or miss. Sometimes I can find a pack of four organic avocados for $3.75, organic lettuce for super cheap, as well as peppers, cucumbers, and onions. They also have a grass-fed organic ground beef that I’ve gotten before whenever we’ve run out.
Make a Grocery List Before Shopping
If you make a grocery list, you’re more likely to avoid impulse buys and just stick to the items on your list. This is a great way to save money!
Here Are a Few Resources to Help You Make a Keto Grocery List:
- Comprehensive Keto Food Guide
- Easy Guide to Meal Planning and Meal Prep
- Keto Shopping List
- Printable Keto Grocery Shopping List
Saving Money is Naturally Built Into Keto
Since a ketogenic diet is high fat (around 70 to 80 percent), and because fat has more than two times the calories than protein and carbohydrates, you’ll actually be saving money by eating keto! This is because you won’t be eating as much protein or carbohydrates.
You’ll definitely be cutting out most of the processed foods in your diet. Frequently processed foods are more expensive because they are convenient to have on hand and require little prep or cooking skills. Depending on your cooking skills, eating a ketogenic diet may seem a little daunting at first, but that’s nothing a little practice can’t overcome!
What are your best tips for eating keto on a budget? Share with us in the comments below!
Tips for Keto Success
Save Money and Jumpstart Keto
If you found this post and you’re ready to start a keto diet, check out our 5 Day Budget Keto Meal Plan to get into ketosis fast! You’ll get 5 days worth of recipes and eat for under $5 per day!
4 Week Keto Meal Plan
For something a little longer term, you might be interested in our 4 week keto meal prep course. It comes with 4 weeks of keto meal plans (1200, 1500, and 1800 calorie levels), weekly keto grocery lists, 40 keto recipe ebook, how to meal prep ebook, videos, and more!
Keto Recipe Inspiration
Or if you’ve been doing keto for a while and just need a little help with inspiration, we’ve got you covered! Check out our low carb and keto recipe collection.
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