Can You Do Keto on a Budget? (Spoiler Alert: Yes!)

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So many people I talk to about the keto diet think you have to have a lot of money to make it work.

They think the keto diet is crazy expensive and that in order to be healthy they need to spend a ton on groceries!

I know I certainly use to think that…

But now, having done the keto diet for literal years, I’ve realized that it’s more than possible to do this whole low carb lifestyle if you’re on a budget. In fact, I would go as far as saying it’s an easy diet to do if you’re on a budget if you know how of course!

Luckily that’s where I come in!

I’m going to impart all my ‘keto on the cheap’ knowledge to you so you no longer have to hide from your grocery bill!

Let’s kick it off with an easy one that you should be doing regardless of what you’re eating…

Make a List

Repeat after me: I will never go grocery shopping again without my list!

If you stick to that mantra even just half of the time you will be amazed at how much money you save.

Now whilst I’m a list queen and actually enjoy the process, I understand that a lot of you want to create that list as quickly as possible so here is my grocery list shortcut!

1. Figure out how many dinners you’re cooking that week and write down on your list ‘7 mains’ or ‘5 mains’. This is the base of what your dish will be, so because I like to make sure I’m hitting my protein macros I tend to base my main meals around meat or fish, so ‘5 mains’ to me means 5 different proteins.
2. If you make breakfast and lunch then repeat the same process.
3. Write down any fresh stuff you need, like veggies, milk, butter, cheese etc.
4. Check your cupboard to see if you’re running out of any staples like coconut oil or peanut butter.
5. If you seem to have a lot of something write down what you DON’T need. This means that even if you see a great offer in store you won’t be tempted to buy some and end up with 17 eggplants to eat in the next week…

 

KISS – Keep It Simple Silly

We all need to just stop with the recipes that need 30 different ingredients.

Not only are these ways too complicated to make and you have to spend ages searching out the ingredients, but 30 different things means more money spent!

Personally, when I’m not coming up with my own recipes for the blog I like to use these ebooks because every recipe only has 5 ingredients or less!!! Check out the books here.

Do It Yourself

A little bit of DIY never hurt anyone and while the temptation to buy things like pre-spiralized veg can be very tempting, step away.

It will take all of five minutes for you to spiralize them yourself but will save you so much money in the long term.

Put Down The Fancy Ingredients

I know it’s hard when everyone is saying how tasty erythritol is, how coconut flour has transformed their baking and how amazing X supplement has made them feel, but you just don’t need them!

Keto actually works best when you focus on the basics: good quality protein, plenty of fats like butter or coconut oil and some nutrient dense veg like kale. The rest is just the cherry on the cake, but we all know the cake is great without it!

Bulk Buy

Especially when there’s an offer on!

This is kind of a two-in-one tip because bulk buying alone can save you oodles of cash, but combining a bulk buy with a BOGO (buy one get one free) offer, or something similar, will take your money saving to a whole new level!

Do you have any hacks to cut costs on the keto diet? If so let me know as I’m always looking for more ways to save money on my groceries!

LIKED THIS RECIPE? YOU’LL LOVE THESE KETO RECIPE EBOOKS!
Hey! Thinking about trying the Keto diet? I’d love to help! I’ve lost over 65 pounds doing Keto and have kept it off! Take a look at my Ultimate Keto Diet Beginner’s Guide & Food List, take a spin through my Pinterest page or click on an e-book below! Each ebook has 30 recipes with 5 ingredients & are 5 grams of net carbs or fewer! Right now they are on SALE for $9.99 each! Talk about a no-brainer.

So you can choose 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner & 1 dessert from their Keto in Five cookbooks and know you’re under your daily carb limit for the day!