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| Good thing I know how to cook! |
Groceries have gone up. They keep going up! It is hard to get by these days. There are some ideas I have come up. Living and cooking for one is much easier, I admit that. Very much so. People have told me that the low carb food plan is too expensive. The reality is no, it is not. The reason being that you are not buying all those extras like fruit, grains, high carb vegetables, snacks, processed foods and sweets. With those items removed from your grocery budget, your money spent, as well as time in the grocery store will be much less. I admit not being able to have a garden here for me has been difficult. I have adjusted though and moved on.
The biggest expense is meat and that is one of the foods that has gone up quite a bit. If you learn to shop wisely and know your stores you can accomplish this easily. Stores are still using sales to lure the shoppers to their store. They know you need to spend your dollars somewhere so they want you in their store. Normally I shop at two stores for a large grocery haul for the month. Aldi's and Walmart. Then if I run out of something, I usually go to Tops because it is close by and I can get there on my mobility chair. Now though the weather is changing and getting wet and colder. So I won't be traveling on Jazzy outside until spring.
I spent $98.03 at Walmart this past week. Ten items was meat and fish. Nine items were other things but mostly dairy. Cream cheese and cheese. Spring mix (baby lettuces) and bananas for Rabbit. And pecans and smoked paprika. All of it was food. Nothing frozen except for a package of beef liver. Every item is good for more than one meal for me. I normally eat meat and salad for supper. I am also going to use various dehydrated vegetables to cook with the meat. I still have money left in my budget for later in the month.
If you are trying to eat healthier now is the time to get started. One food I never thought I would be able to give up was potatoes. It is something I love. I used to buy one of those really big bags of them and if I ran out of money before the end of the month, I could make a ton of different dishes with them. I still love them but right after I eat them I always feel uncomfortable and sickish. That has made it easier not to eat them. Funny that french fries, frozen or from a restaurant doesn't bother me. Wonder what that means??
Once I eat something that affects me badly in some way, I try to remember that. I have started writing myself notes so I don't forget and buy it. Why eat food that makes you feel bad? Bread is another one that does that and I hadn't eaten any in a long time. A couple of weeks ago I ate some sandwiches with regular cheap white bread. It was not good. Not worth even the low price I paid for it. I ended up throwing it out. Never again. From now on if I buy any bread it will not be the cheap kind but I do not plan on eating it in the future. If I really want a sandwich, like tomato sandwich or grilled cheese I like the low carb tortillas that I get at Adi's. They are really good and it is 4 carbs.
To keep your grocery list within your budget make a menu even if you do not follow it. I write a list of the foods in the refrigerator on a dry board that is on the outside of the freeze door. That way I always know what foods I have to work with. Always shop with a list and do not stray from it. If you do not follow low carb food plans then include those foods that give you the most for your money. Like the potatoes, rice and pasta. When you use them in a recipe try adding less to make them go farther. It is just much easier not to make huge batches of food when you live alone. Or you can freeze them in individual servings to make them last longer.
My favorite way to cook anymore is to use the Instant Pot. It makes cooking so much easier. I can prepare it hours before I eat and just leave it on the warm function until I want to eat. Sometimes I refrigerate whatever is in the inner pot. Most of the time though, I put it in a covered glass bowl in the refrigerator to store. Just take out a serving to heat up on the stove and put the rest back. My goal is to make enough for at least three meals. You do not have to prepare it the same way you had it the first time. Vary it.
Follow some YouTube channels for recipes and hints from someone who cooks the way you do. Some of the people I follow do not follow a low carb food plan but I make changes to their recipe so it is low carb. Instant Pot video channels are better than any cookbook you could buy. In fact, I have only four cookbooks on my shelf now. More in my Kindle but rarely use them because it is easier to see it online or YouTube. One of my favorites is Papa G's Low Carb Recipes. He has a way of explaining the recipes that is simple and easy to follow.
