I think some people feel keto/low carb can't be part of a frugal mindset. So, I've been keeping detailed track of grocery purchases. (The only caveat to this is this does not include the cost of leafy salad greens, which I've been getting for free from a grower. These total about 2/3 lb per week.) Sure, whole keto foods will never be as cheap as rice and ramen, but I thought some people who are interested in trying keto/low carb might be interested.
IF MY SPREADSHEET IS CORRECT!
Purchase per week avg. for 20 weeks:
Meat: 1.9 lbs - $3.10
Cheese: 1.25 lbs - $4.76
Veggies (not including free greens): 1 lb - $1.17
Deli meat: 0.5 lbs - $1.27
Eggs: 5 ea - $0.46
Peanut butter: 0.5 lbs - $1.00
Nuts: 0.33 lbs - $2.24
Avocado: 0.33 lbs - $1.06
Olives: 0.33 lbs - $2.39
Dark chocolate: 0.33 lbs - $3.10
Berries: 0.125 lbs - $0.66
These total an average of 21.22/week and 1379 calories/day. Not included in that are essentially 0 calories things (vinegar, spices, diet soda, etc), alcohol, and things I can't quite average yet, because I don't buy them weekly-ish (big bottles of olive oil, for instance). The average for those items over this 20 week period is 6.00/week, for a total of $27.22 per week for one person. This cost could be decreased by skipping the alcohol and 0 calorie things like Diet Soda and some of the daily treats/desert items. (Note: these "not included" items total about 400 calories per day. Oils and alcohol, man, I tell ya. I re-use a lot of the drained fats from one meal to pan fry the veggies for the next.)
On the health note, my LDLs have not increased after 2 years and my triglycerides have dramatically decreased. I used to be pre-diabetic, and that is no longer a problem. I also used to have low iron, Vitamin D and some other deficiencies, none of which I have anymore.
Edit to add: This comes to an average of $118/month. The average U.S. SNAP benefits per person is $120/month. I thought that was an interesting tidbit.
July 20, 2017 at 11:24AM
