Saturday, October 9, 2010

A Week of Paleo Eating...How Much Would You Spend?


I have talked to a few friends, family members, and fellow CrossFitters who have expressed an interest in eating Paleo, but have also expressed the following concerns:
  1. It's too expensive.
  2. It's too time consuming.
  3. I have no idea what to eat. 
So, here's what I'm going to do- I'm going to create four weeks of Paleo-friendly menus that are:
  1. Easy to create (i.e. can be prepped in advance and assembled when ready to eat or take minimal prep time)
  2. Tasty (Paleo eating includes an abundance of fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruits and free-range meats that are delicious when simply-prepared, but it's also nice to spice things up a bit, so...we'll do that too). 
  3. Budget-friendy.
So, my question to you...

What is your weekly or monthly food budget? 

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Jen, I wonder if you can find a way to feed a family of 4 for $150-$200/week. I've been trying to get paleo-esque menus and recipes for some families that are at the poverty line, and they only have $125-$150/week to spend and it's a challenge. Soaked & sprouted grains and beans have had to come back in, just to provide satiety.

Interested to hear what your readers spend on food, how many meals per month (is it 90?), and for how many people.

Can they do it shopping at only one place, with/without a farmers' market? No extra freezer for the side of beef? Love what you're trying to do!

Sara said...

Hi Jen--

I'm interested to see what you come up with. I am currently eating paleo with my husband for about $70 a week. Unfortunately we can't seem to do this and eat pastured meat/eggs, etc. We are instead eating the leanest meat we can afford and supplementing with sardines, and clarified grass fed butter...and lots of veggies. Like Cheryl, I am contemplating adding back in soaked beans, as it does stretch the budget. We also occasionally add in a white potato just for variety. We also IF pretty regularly to make our meals stretch. On average we have one meal and one snack per day. Not ideal, I am still working on the details and trying to get a handle on everything. After this month I am going to try to switch to grass fed beef at least and see what I can do. We don't have a freezer--just the small fridge-sized one, and live in an apartment, so no hope of getting a side of pastured beef, or pork or lamb...All the farmer's markets are shutting down about now, so I need to find organic veggies where I can. I use the EWG list of vegetables and fruits so that I can avoid buying high-pesticide crops. As for the rest I buy what's on sale...

Cynicgirl said...

Hi Jen,

I'm from the UK so its even more expensive. Myself and my partner spend about 100 pounds a week. This does include grass-fed meat from the butcher and local grocer though. Ditto for eggs. To compare, our food bill has gone up by approximately 20-25 pounds a week. I'm looking forward to any easy lunches to take to the office as this is an area we sometimes struggle in. You can only have so many salads and with winter approaching, something warmer would be good!

Trixie said...

Jen this will be soo helpful! Currently my husband and I spend anywhere from 70-100 a week on groceries for the 2 of us. He pretty much eats lunch out everyday, but always dinner at home.

Margaret said...

Awesome, I've been meaning to do the same thing. I love it and look forward to seeing the results!

jessicaatsea said...

I know there are all kinds of reasons people do this diet, so there are all different ways you can go with this, but personally I'd prefer to know just how cheaply you can do a paleo diet WITH grassfed meat and eggs and organic produce, then discuss the different ways to cut corners if you don't have x number of dollars that week/month, including the things listed above. (Oh, and our family spends about $150/week for 2 adults and a 9 month old.)

CJ said...

Hi. Found your blog recently and am really enjoying it. You are an inspiration with your eating and workouts! You look fantastic too! I was curious as I've been scrolling through and looking at recipes. What do you use to slice your onions? They are so thin and look great and I want to do mine that way!

Kaysie said...

Hi Jenn,

I have a family of 3 and I am looking at about $350 for the first 2 weeks of the month (this is when I buy the most meat), then between $100-$150 for the last 2 weeks of the month. I am also extremely lucky to have local, pastured eggs that I buy weekly which are $5.50 for 1 & 1/2 dz.

Love, Love LOVE your blog!!! =)

Abby said...

Hey Jen! Love the blog :). My boyf and I spend about 150/week on food. That includes homemade dinners every night, lunches (usually leftovers), and breakfast (eggs). I mostly shop at Trader Joe's.

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