We have already discussed the amazing benefits of a paleo diet on the blog and I truly hope this helped you to understand the ways your body can thrive when eating paleo. But of course, I understand that at first, this change to your diet may seem like it’s driving up your grocery bill more than your previous eating habits. So today, I’d like to share with you my top ten ways to eat paleo on a budget.

1. Buy Cheaper Cuts of Grass-Fed Meat

Although it would be amazing to enjoy premium cuts of meat like fillet mignon and flat-iron steaks every other night, these cuts can see your food bill creeping up unnecessarily. Instead, you could look out for grass-fed meats such as ground meats, chuck steak, stew meat, sirloins, and whole pasture-raised chickens. These meats still have excellent nutritional value, they taste delicious, and they will be easier on your grocery budget.

2. Buy a Quarter Cow at a Time

If you have lots of freezer storage space, buying a quarter, half, or whole cow at a time can work out a lot cheaper than purchasing cuts as you need them. You could even explore this option with a group of friends to share the meat and the cost. If you’re not sure where to start this process, ask around at your local Farmers Market to find out which farmers may offer this type of service. What is great about this method is you get a variety of cuts letting you explore new flavors and recipes.

3. Order Meats & Fish from Online Sources

If you have a hard time finding quality meat sources in your local area or have nowhere to buy quality meats in bulk, you can order meat and fish from online sources such as Butcher Box, US Wellness Meats, Thrive, Wild Fork, and Vital Choice. These companies are all trusted sources of high-quality meats that provide excellent value and conveniently deliver to your door. Check them out through the links above to receive an exclusive Trail to Health discount with your order.

4. Find a Local Butcher or Farm to Buy From

If you would prefer to try and source your groceries locally and in person, you could also seek out local butchers and farmers to buy from directly. Of course, you would need to investigate their farming methods, but if your values align, you could be supporting a local business, in return for incredibly fresh and quality produce. The best part is you would know exactly where your produce has come from.

5. Dirty Dozen - Clean 15

The Dirty Dozen is a phrase that refers to the 12 “dirty” crops that farmers use the most pesticides on. In 2020, this list includes fruits and veggies such as strawberries, spinach, kale, apples, and grapes to name a few. Clean 15 is the phrase used to refer to fifteen crops that use the least amount of pesticides and includes products such as avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, onions, and asparagus. So with these lists in mind, another great way that you can cut costs on your grocery bill is to at least purchase the ‘Dirty Dozen’ produce organically to avoid the nasty pesticides, while buying the rest of your fruit and veggies from a conventional supermarket.

6. CSA Box

If you want to eat only organic foods and like the convenience of having them delivered straight to your doorstep, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box would be perfect for you. Not only are they filled with delicious and organic whole foods such as fruits, grains, vegetables, and dairy, but they also come straight from the farm which helps to keep the costs down. Farm Fresh To You has a range of different boxes to suit any diet and offers flexible customization options to ensure your box is always filled with all your favorite organic products.

7. Shop at Local Farmers Markets

Shopping at your local farmer’s markets may not necessarily be cheaper than shopping at the local grocery store, but what you will get is way more bang for your buck! Produce found at farmer’s markets is always incredibly fresh, ripe, and so, so tasty. Furthermore, your produce will last longer because it hasn’t been sitting in storage for a long time by the time you buy it.

8. Order Pantry Items from Online Sources like Thrive

Thrive Market is one of my favorite online food shopping sources for pantry items. They make shopping incredibly easy with foods broken down by dietary requirements (Paleo, Gluten Free, etc) and who you might be shopping for (yourself, family, even pets!). They stand by their guaranteed savings policy and promise that if you find a product cheaper somewhere else (which is unlikely), they will beat it!

9. Use Discount Codes and Get Free Shipping Offers

The best part about doing your shopping online is that there is almost always a discount code or free shipping offer floating around either on the brand's website directly or through affiliates such as myself. Here is the list of all the brands that I trust (most of which are mentioned in this post) with the applicable discounts available to Trail to Health readers.

10. Make Your Own Bone Broth

Bone broth can be time-consuming and cumbersome to make, but making your own bone broth at home will definitely ease some pressure off the grocery bill. Especially seeing as you can use the leftover bones from your whole pasture-raised chicken or quarter cow that you may have purchased and used for your other recipes. Just keep them stored in your freezer until you’re ready to make your bone broth. If you want to skip making your own, make sure to order from a trusted source like OSSO Good Bone Broth. (use code TRAILTOHEALTH for $10 off).

To Sum It Up…

Even though eating paleo may increase your grocery bill until you get a hang of all the tips and tricks I’ve shared today, at the end of the day, it really is a lot cheaper to eat healthy than to be sick. If you need some recipe ideas for all your delicious organic produce, my cookbook, The Wandering Palate, is a 28-day meal plan filled with over 120 paleo recipes designed to take the guesswork out of your new Paleo diet for you.