One of the hardest things about committing to a healthy lifestyle is the cost that comes with it.  Now, obviously we know that sickness comes with it’s own hefty price tag, but sometimes it’s hard to go to the grocery store and choose the $4 lettuce over the $1 lettuce.  Over the past two years, I’ve gotten pretty good at finding deals on what we needed to buy to eat paleo on a budget.  I needed to, considering how expensive (but so worth it) naturopaths are.  But we wanted to make my healing a priority, which meant that I had to get creative with grocery shopping.  So I’m going to share my shopping secrets with you in the hopes that it helps you fit more healthy foods into your diet!

5 Ways to Eat Paleo on a Budget

Buy Meat in Bulk- Meat is the most expensive part of our grocery budget, but we continue buying it because it offers a lot quality nutrients.  This is so important, because if the animal you are eating was fed corn, soy, and antibiotics- then you will be consuming that too.  Not good if you want to be healthy.  We purchase our meat monthly from ButcherBox, because they have premium quality, grass fed, pasture raised meat.  It also ships right to your door, which is amazing.  Give it a try!

Shop in-season vegetables– Buying seasonal veggies can save a lot of money because the supply is high.  However, vegetables that are in-season also offer much higher vitamin contents than vegetables that are picked before they are ripened, and then shipped across oceans to arrive in our grocery stores.  Plus, with seasonal veggies you get to try new recipes and may end up finding new favorites!  The best way to get organic, seasonal produce is to find a local CSA, and support a farmer in the process!

Hit up the discount stores- We save a LOT of money each month just by shopping at Aldi for most of our necessities.  They have a great organic selection, along with tons of gluten free options.  Aldi recently also did away with synthetic colors and MSG from its products, which makes me feel much more comfortable shopping there.  Plus, no other stores can even come close to Aldi’s prices for paleo on a budget.

Order specialty items online- Thankfully, the internet is there to fill in the rest of the items that we use frequently, but can’t find locally (or can’t find for a decent price).  I buy my organic protein powder and various supplements from Amazon, especially because of their Prime shipping that gets it to my door in two days.  Then, I buy my grocery items like paleo mayo and sunflower seed butter from Thrive Market (save 15% off your first order!), where I can get them for at least 40% cheaper than our local grocery store.  They have also committed to only selling non-GMO items!

Eat at home- Now obviously, the rest of these tips won’t help you at all if you’re not cooking at home. It’s so hard to control exactly what’s being put into your food unless you’re the one preparing it from start to finish.  Cooking every night can get old, so here’s a couple of things that I do to make it easier:

• Cook in bulk- I make my meals large so that there is always leftovers.  This allows me to skip cooking every other night and just reheat the previous night’s dinner.  
• Use a crockpot or instant pot– This I’ve said before, and I’ll say again.  I love my crockpot.  And I love my Instant Pot.  They are incredible tools that allow you to cook a healthy meal without having to stand over the stove for half an hour (or longer).  I put my ingredients in the pot, set it, and forget it until dinner is ready.  

*If you’re only wanting to buy one of these, buy the Instant Pot.  It can also be a slow cooker, and has SO MANY uses!  Plus, dinner can be ready in 30 minutes instead of 4 hours.  It’s that amazing.  It really helps for the days that I completely forget about dinner until it’s almost dinnertime, and we can still eat at home.

It may take a little while to find what works for you and your family, but you will get there.  Buying items from different stores really isn’t as complicated as it may seem, and it does save money.  And more money means less stress, which is a surefire way to speed up healing from chronic illness.  Less stress is always good.

How do you eat paleo on a budget, or save money while still prioritizing healthy food for your family?