How To Do Keto On a Budget

The keto diet has been growing in popularity for a while now. In fact it was the #1 Googled diet in 2018! But one common complaint about this diet is that it can be difficult to stick to keto on a budget.

 And this isn’t just something I’ve heard from friends and family. No, no…it’s actually something I’ve experienced myself.

 Yep, I know first hand just how much damage those keto-friendly pizzas and chocolaty fat bombs can do to your budget.

But finding a way to reduce my expenses by a few hundred dollars a month made it a lot easier to buy the keto foods I love. (check out how I did it and how you can save too!)

 The truth is, whether your budget is tight or not, buying all the right ingredients to create those delicious keto-friendly meals and fat bombs can cost a pretty penny.

But does it have to be that way? Can you be frugal while being on keto or does frugality mean that beans and rice is your go-to meal?

Well, yes! You can keep your budget intact while on the keto diet. Below you’ll find a few different ways to make it happen!

Related Post: How to Create a Budget to Succeed Financially.

Plan Your Meals

Keto on a budget can be done (really!) if you plan things out in advance.

Because, let’s face it, waiting until your stomach starts growling to figure out what’s for lunch is the quickest way to overspend on food and break your diet!

I have first hand experience with this as well…

Since I never prepared my lunch in advance, I would always drive to the closest store for lunch.

And because carbs are in EVERYTHING, I ended up wandering the aisles like a zombie for literally 15-20 minutes before finding something I could actually eat.

And most keto-friendly products were astronomically priced.

That’s no way to do lunch.

To prevent this tragedy from happening to you, you’ll need to spend a little time planning and prepping your meals beforehand.

Not only will this save you time during your actual lunch hour, but you won’t have to mentally keep track of your macros (since you’ve planned them out in advance).

And, of course, you’ll save beaucoup bucks!

FYI: I’m not saying that I completely stopped buying keto snacks from the store. I still absolutely love my Atkins Bars (Macadamea and White Chocolate..hummm). I just buy them purposefully and plan when I’m going to eat them.

Cook Your Meals

As I mentioned before, when I first started keto I didn’t plan my meals. And I certainly didn’t cook my own meals either.

I simply went to a restaurant or store and bought something ready-made when I was hungry.

But that presented one big problem.

My bank balance couldn’t keep up with the cost of my food.

Many people run into this problem when they’re on the keto diet. Maybe you did as well.

Luckily the solution is pretty straight-forward. Start cooking your own foods.

I know how it sounds. We’re all busy with a lot of things to do but if we’re serious about doing keto on a budget, this one is necessary.

The easiest thing I’ve found is to buy everything I need for the next week or two all at once. And to prepare a week’s worth of food on the weekend.

With this approach, you can not only save money, but you can save time as well.

Buy Cheaper Cuts of Meats

Doing keto on a budget can be a breeze if you’re willing to buy cheaper cuts of meat.

Instead of buying the skinless, boneless, most tender pieces of meat (*sigh*), you should consider buying meat that’ll take a bit more skill to prepare properly.

Cheap cuts of meat that will save you money:

1) Whole chickens

2) Chicken thighs with the skin and bones

3) Ground beef

4) Pork chops

5) Ribs

These cheaper meats will save you big and can be just as good as more expensive meats if you use a slow cooker or pressure cooker to prepare them.

Prepare Your Onw Ingredients

When starting keto, the first thing we usually do is look for recipes, right?

I know I did!

In fact, when I first learned about keto I saw fit guys and gals eating keto pizza, keto chocolate peanut butter cups…even keto brownies (it’s true, I swear!)

So I had absolutely no problem converting to keto. (I mean, if I could eat those things and have the body of a Greek god…that’s what I call a win-win!)

And if you’re like me, there are quite a few keto-friendly foods out there that you absolutely love!

But there’s a slight problem if you’re trying to do keto on a budget. And it’s that the ingredients for these divine recipes can be quite expensive.

So what to do? You could either quit the snacks alltogether, bust your budget…

…ooooor, you could prep your own ingredients.

Almond flour, replacement sugars (like Swerve and Xylitol), and riced cauliflower are HUGE in the keto world.

And the the costs of these ingredients is equally HUGE!

But you don’t always have to buy prepackaged flour and cauliflower rice. In fact you could save a ton of money if you’re willing to put in some prepwork.

Get yourself a food processor and you’ll find that you can prepare almond flour, cauliflower rice and a bunch of other keto ingredients in your own home.

But, of course, you’ll still need to buy Swerve, Xylitol, or your other favorite sugar replacer.

Use Money- Saving Apps 

To help you stick to keto on a budget, you’ll definitely want to take advantage of as many money-saving apps as you can.

Cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs, bacon…

…these are items that can be consumed relatively quickly on keto. So, why not take advantage of apps like Ibotta to save money where you can?

Protip: Ibotta is a cash-back app that will help you save a few bucks on groceries. Just download the app and search for deals on your favorite items.

Another great money-saving app is Ebates (now called Rakuten). Definitely check out these two if you haven’t already to start saving on your keto meals.

And hey, I know we already talked about making your own almond flour, but if Ibotta or Ebates offers you a great deal on a bag of flour why not take advantage of it?

That’s be one or two less dates you’ll need to have with the food processor.

Related Post: 13 Budget Items you Never Wanto to Forget.

Buy in a Bulk

Another obstacle to doing keto on a budget is constant shopping. How often do you go to the store? If you’re like me (and many other people), you go multiple times a week.

Those constant visits to the store can cause you to spend much more than you really need to. Make sure you plan out your meals in advance and buy what you need in bulk.

Warehouse stores like Costco or Sam’s Club are great for this. Just make sure you plan out your meals before you go to the store!

Shop Online

Sometimes you can find cheaper ingredients shopping online than in the store.

For example, buying Swerve Sweetener or ghee from Amazon as opposed to a brick and mortar store could save you a few bucks if you insist on making those recipes we talked about earlier.

And using Honey while you’re doing your online shopping can save you even more!

Protip: Honey is a free browser extension that will automatically search for promo codes and discounts when you’re about to make online purchases. Just install it, kick your feet up, and let it save you some money! Yeah!

Another option for your online shopping is Thrive Market. You’ll have to pay around $5 per month for a membership but they have high quality organic foods for 25%-50% below retail price!

So you’ll definitely save some money on your keto ingredients at Thrive Market!

Preserve Your Vegetables Longer

Vegetables are, naturally, a huge part of keto! And if you want your vegetables to last longer without going bad, then you’ll be better off buying frozen veggies.

But if you like the flavor of fresh vegetables better, then you should preserve them with something like BluApple vegetable preservers.

Another option is to use something like a vacuum sealer to preserve your fresh vegetables.

Adjust Your Eating Habits

One of the easiest ways to save more money on your keto diet is to eat less.

Hear me out, hear me out…

Most of us grew up eating meals morning, noon, and night,  but intermittent fasting could be great option if you’re trying to do keto on a budget.

Intermittent fasting is where you eat during an eight-hour window and fast for sixteen.

It not only reduces the amount you eat, which saves you money, but it also helps you lose weight (which is why most of us started keto in the first place).

Plan Your Own Garden

It doesn’t have to be huge, but another way to save money on your keto diet is to make a small garden for yourself.

If you have a backyard, or an area for pots and planters , you might consider growing some of your most commonly eaten vegetables.

It’ll save you tons of money, and ensure that you have high quality veggies for your diet.

Related Post: Who Needs a Budget? Everyone!

Shop at Farmer’s Market 

Of course you won’t be able to grow all the vegetables you want in your own garden, but you can visit farmer’s markets.

Vegetables at these markets are usually cheaper than at grocery stockes.

And choosing to buy them in-season produce you find at farmers markets will save you money as well.

How to do Keto on a Budget. The Bottom Line 

You don’t have to blow your budget to stick with the keto diet. But it’ll take some planning and effort.

Plan to cook your meals using less expensive cuts of meat and in-season vegetables. Preserve your ingredients to keep the fresh longer. And use money saving apps to help you do keto on a budget!

If you have any tips or tricks you use to save money while on your diet, let us know in the comments below!

Cheers!