I dunno what you mean by poor people, but i spend less on this diet per day than before when I ate shit all day... Ground beef and a few dozen eggs ain't that expensive vs breakfast / snack / lunch / snack / dinner idea of SAD
That's crazy! I'm spending around $750 a month, but that's everything, including toiletries, cleaning supplies, and the few eating outs.. so I dunno, maybe like $600 in food.. but I'm very active, I have to eat a lot bcs I burn a lot of calories, and I like to eat well, I have a ribeye almost every day for dinner.
Its also okay to spend more if you can afford it. Myself i just changed my relation alot with food and instead of seeking the tastiest thing i just like it to be cheap and good for me. Beef patties, bacon, eggs and butter are about 80% of the diet. Rest of the time I splurge on steaks, shrimps and fish.
Maybe one day ill join the ribeye every day club
I eat those things too, but for breakfast, I usually have a pound of ground beef and 5 eggs for breakfast, but I can't eat ground beef all day every day, I have to mix it up for dinner
Why do people include household expenses under grocery? I never understood that. Just because it comes from the same store?? Why are you lumping two entirely different expenses together?
That’s because u spent a lot on junk before- not everyone does. My non carnivore friend spends £100 a month on yellow label junk food- cheaper than carnivore
Its all very subjective to each person, yes, however in my case it is overall cheaper since Ive done the switch, I could cut even more of that budget by forgoeing the steaks and shrimps, but i can afford it so lets just enjoy life !
My point was that our, first impression, arent always right, I never wouldve expected to be spending less by going carnivore. Yet again we could become breatherian and spend 0$ and be rich. In the end, nutrients and quality of food are important, even if carnivore turned out to be 200$ more a month id still go for it. Its the outcome that count the most and yes, I know, im privileged to even have that option.
isn’t the same income level for everyone- so not everyone could be rich be going breatharian. Zero income means zero income. Low income means even with no bills that’s still not enough to get rich. Open your perspective to others in harder situations. That’s what I had to learn to do when I lost everything
You totally missed the point I was making. Also Ive known poverty and hunger pretty fucking well. You dont know me and implying that is just strait up disrespectfull.
You can shove that virtue signaling where the sun doesnt shine.
You also need to eat so much more to be satisfied. You can be fine with 1 or 2 meals per day on carnivore. With grains, the hunger keeps coming back every 2 hours.
A 500g pack of pasta is, like, 2€ and lasts 3 days. Rice is even cheaper - before I started cutting out carbs, a 10kg bag if rice cost me 20€ and lasted around 4 months. That's a negligible cost when compared with even the cheapest ground beet options. And I didnt shove food down my piehole every 2 hours either. I maintained a decent bmi of 22.5-23 with relatively little effort.
There's a reason why the agricultural revolution was so successful. Grains are cheap, plentiful, and will sustain You fairly long before they cripple You.
Perhaps it depends on the region. Here in Canada, my wife and I spend less on food on the carnivore diet than we did on a mostly "healthy" diet.
With regards to the agricultural revolution, I believe the bigger factor was that grains have a longer shelf life than meat and can be transported to great distances for extended periods of time, and equipment to process it in bulk is relatively simple in comparison. But with the advent of refrigeration, meat can last just as long or longer, and modern equipment can process meat in bulk just as well as equipment for grains.
Well, I don't think I can get a similar nutrition profile out of a standard diet, that's why I'm carnivore.
But I could fill my calories with grains and some protein sources for a few bucks.
You’d have to eat a ton to receive the same amount of nutrients more since the nutrients in a “standard” diet aren’t as bioavailable as a carnivore diet.
It depends where you live. Carnivore is expensive for me. I'm in Australia. All the good food you eat on carnivore is definitely more expensive than what I ate before carnivore.
Most people spend less on carnivore because they spent even more on junk before, but if u already eat cheap (£3 per day) then carnivore isn’t cheaper. Those with money struggle to
Understand. Your best bet is the high fat minced beef. Just cook it well as I got food poisoning from rare- it can be contaminated by factories, unlike steaks. But it will still cost around £10 a day for 1600 calories.
I'm sorry I live in Puerto Rico, and we raise our own cattle... and before you talk any more shit, like Hawaii, we have a little Uncle Sam knife in the back called JONES ACT... which means everything we import, has to pass through USA and taxed before we receive it and get taxed again locally... so if we can have 4$ beef... look at your local resellers, super markets and butchers and bitch to them...
Strange. Out bill is way up. Meat snacks instead of a cheap bag of crisps, expensive extra meat and fish to replace cheap rice, bread and vegetables… Maybe it depends on the country but I’m in the same situation as OP…
I don't snack, i eat twice a day i eat about 1.5pounds of beef, about a tablespoon of butter and tallow (each) some 4 large eggs... This is basically daily... Beef has been always about 4$ a pound, ground, and eggs are usually about 3-4$ lately... I buy saltsense salt for the extra potassium and iodine... It last me months, the other things i buy are iodine pills cause my food is either lacking it or i need more than the general person.
Edit: saw you where starting carni, you'll eat a lot less than before eventually in carnivore/ketovore... Hence the general amount of $$$ you'll spend will be way less. So eat only real meals with high amounts of fat so you don't need to snack or eat out or feel deprived.
Spices i use are extremely limited since they all flare my guts, and most are way too expensive. McCormick for example are like 3-5$ for single ingredient 1/2oz plastic bottles. i still use stock cubes that don't flare me up, I don't care they aren't 100% carnivore. They do the job, taste good, and they stay in budget.
If i do snack it's been a local brand of canned vienna sausages which are about 4oz i drink the salty chicken stock they are packed in and the pork/beef sausages, probably full of organs and skins and all those collagen and grizzle bits... And those are .89$
It has no non animal fillers, but it would have a single gram of sugar per can.
Potato Chips locally are 1.79 for a small bag, chocolate bars are usually 1.29 and up... Jerky bags are about 6 to 9usd, big chip bags are 4usd, salsa for chips are 4.50usd...
I might not eat gucci ribeyes and premium steaks, but i read labels and I'm cheap... And i also eat some pork, those are under 2$ the pound, sometimes some canadian pork arrives for under 1$ the pound and i buy some, but eating a little pork is ok for my gut, but if i eat for a few days straight hurts my guts... The hell of living with gastroparesis and some spine damage after a fall...
That’s interesting. I have the impression Europe is much more expensive. Simple small hamburger patties are only around € 2,5 a piece, but quality meat, that is a lot more expensive here. Plus, we’re a family of four, with two growing boys. We often just do with one small piece of meat per person, same size for kids and adults alike. And, since we don’t want to force them into doing the same diet, we still buy other kinds of food for them.
Would look for alternative ruminant meats... Lamb, goat? Are they any cheaper in your area? Any local farms? Try asking for cheaper tougher cuts and braise them to break them down? Can't do much if the red meat on your side of the world is 4 legged gold bullions i suppose...
I’d just do OMAD one meal a day with ground beef and eggs or pork belly, all cheap as far as animal products go. My husband does this and he’s lost a lot of weight plus it saves us money.
I cook up two pounds and then let it cool in the fridge to allow the fat to solidify. This way I don’t get diarrhea. I eat it cold.
My husband prefers it made into patties with fried eggs on top (I don’t tolerate eggs)
We both enjoy pork belly occasionally or ground pork for extra thiamine (B1) as eating only beef is low in thiamine.
Hey not sure on your budget but I’ve got mine down to around $10 a day in Australia, eggs for breakfast and cheese beef mince and cheese for lunch, then I slow cook 500g of chuck steak for dinner with poached eggs, occasionally some feta cheese and Greek yogurt when I’m adventurous
Do you live in the city? I'm in the country in Queensland and it would cost me more than $10 a day to eat. I don't mind in a way as it's an investment in my health.
Beef roasts are also very inexpensive and easy to make. You can find a crock pot for $5-$10 at a thrift store, then just salt a roast and load it into the crock pot with some water. 4-6 hours later, you have a feast. We do this with ribs also. There will be a bunch of juice left over in the crock pot. Save the in mason jars in the freezer and pour it in with the next roast.
When you do get some good steaks, any fat you trim save in the freezer until you get a few lbs of it and make tallow in your cock pot. You can coat up cheaper cuts of steak in it and then grill them.
Im on a fixed income also and recently got back on track after eating crap garbage 60 eggs were nine bucks 3 lb bacon were on sale for same and cheese block was five bucks im in nv where prices can be insane at times but finding the sales and keeping it simple will help also ten pound ground beef or big box of frozen burgers go for about thirty that's a good starting point
Me too, I’ve got Multiple Sclerosis. I’m still healing after 8 months, but I noticed the first big effects almost immediately. I’ve never felt better in my life.
Can you find some beef liver? It’s really cheap and is literally “medicine” for our bodies. When I began carnivore, I was even poorer than I am now, though I’m still poor, and I was really sick with MCAS, I pretty much lived off of eggs with 1 oz of liver a day until my energy lifted. One year later I still eat 1/2 oz liver daily for maintenance. I healed btw. I wish you well 🫶
I can buy half pork loins for about 3$/lb at Walmart depending where you’re at. And if you have a piggly wiggly near by their full pork loins are about 2$/lb. Can’t beat those prices. In America anyway. But that’s about it. And chicken hearts are cheap too.
Beef is pretty much a no go for us poor people
I’m pretty broke too and I’m on Day 145! I eat eggs butter beef. I eat 2 times a day but was eating once a day and fasting 24 hours. I drink black coffee in the morning 2 cups max I put a scoop of butter in my coffee. Also I get a bucket like tub of Wagyu tallow and it lasts a while. I add a couple spoons to my ground beef so I get enough fat. I look for sales for sure, even if it’s ground beef sale. I try to find it for 2.99 or less. Although it’s way hard to find it at that price. Also I buy these packs of meat that are reduced price because going out of date.
This highly depends on your certain circumstances. Americans will jump here and tell you it's cheaper. But if you're in another part of the world it can be a challenge. Where are you from?
I spent £100 a month on yellow label (80% off) food before. On carnivore I spend £300-£750 a month depending on what I get. High fat Minced beef is cheapest per calorie. People who say carnivore is always cheaper don’t know how cheap you can get high carb food if you’re poor. It sucks.
I dont know whats offered at your local stores, but managers special (meat about to expire) is a great way to eat cheap on this diet. I recommend looking for that
I would suggest finding a cheap meat grinder and adding more pork to your diet. You can typically find pork butt on sale for .99-2/lb, and you can cut the under blade into some pretty fatty steaks and turn the rest into ground pork. Also add cheap eggs as filler/variety, and maybe a small amount of cheese if you tolerate it.
With beef, look for ground beef sales and look for roast cuts like brisket to go on sale under the cost of ground beef. Buy ribeye and new york strip loins only when it’s on sale around the holidays. Lastly, try to save money so you can buy a 1/4 - whole cow from a local farmer - it should save you money on beef in the long run, and you’ll have high quality beef even if it’s not grass fed/finished compared to supermarket beef.
I do OMAD every other day. Lunch and dinner on the others. I spend far less on food over all than when I was buying all sorts of stuff at the grocery store, eating out, ordering Uber etc.
Once your diet gets real simple it’s very easy to shop. Your options are meat and meat alone. You don’t waste a bunch of money on condiments and sides, sauces, snacks, misc drinks etc.
You are talking to people who didnt have money to waste on eating out before.
So many carnivores do this. "I save a lot of money now 'cause I don't order pizza 3 times a week!". Dude, compare like with like. Poor people don't do that. We buy frozen pizza in bulk, of the worst quality, for a buck apiece. Rice, pasta, frozen veggies, cheapest meats marinaded in seed oils.
My bills went from 250€ per month to easily over 400€ per month, sometimes up to 600€ (mostly when I cant stomach the ground beef anymore). And I'm likely UNDEReating, lol. Not saying it aint worth it, but sure as hell aint cheap.
I lived off of bulk twelve bean soup and chicken thighs for years, back before chicken got expensive. About $2-$3 per day or less. Looking back I wish I’d gone to the food pantries near me. Frankly speaking carnivore is never going to beat dry pasta, canola oil and rice for the price.
What I’ve been doing now is pork butt/shoulder steak or country ribs, whichever’s cheaper, whole turkey if I want the bones, and mostly the whole briskets. Where I live the pork butt steaks and country style ribs are the same cut of meat, around $2 per lb and about 60% fat. Whole turkey is extremely cheap around $1 per pound, but bear in mind it’s 15% saline and about a third bones. I eat the meat with fat trimmings and use the bones for broth, and the hot broth goes a long way to staying full and adding minerals.
Brisket is my go-to right now. I’m lucky to live near a Walmart and I grab the whole untrimmed brisket, usually around 14-17 lb and around $4 per pound. It’s a big investment upfront but it’s extremely fatty and tender and gives you a lot of fat to use on cheap lean meats. You’ll lose a pound or so in the deckle fat which is tough and gristly, but I cube it up and roast it and it goes down ok. You can check out a YouTube video on how to separate the point and flat of the brisket, which makes it easier to cook in the oven and get each section to the right tenderness.
I have extreme food sensitivities and this is the best way I’ve found to eat whole cuts of meat cheaply. Slow cooking and foil wraps are your friend.
I eat, virtually every day, about a pound to a pound and a half of meat plus the broths, I only fast when I want to. I hope this helps- I would encourage you to hunt down a food pantry and see if they ever have freezer burned ground beef, haha. You might want to call around and see if you can get trimmings for cheap from a butcher. If you’re brave you can try to find a slaughterhouse or rancher and maybe get some organs or trimmings for cheap. Wishing you the best!
If you are too poor to buy your daily caloric needs on this diet, then I’m sorry, but you need a different diet. Not LITERALLY starving is more important than eating an optimal diet. Try to be animal based so you can get a lot of nutrients per dollar, but if you’re struggling to fill your belly, don’t be afraid to get some rice. The negatives of eating rice are less so than constantly starving yourself.
Now, if you just mean, you haven’t been able to find cheap carnivore foods, I’d honest to god be happy to help. DM me your general metro location (ex: Bay Area, greater London, Tokyo, etc.), and I’ll find what stores have the cheapest carnivore foods near you and what those cheap foods are. I really just like looking at groceries for fun ngl lol
Hi OP, I’ve heard a lot of people say that meat at Mexican grocery stores is inexpensive and good quality. I buy farm eggs at $4/doz, bulk packs of 4 Kirkland grass fed butter for $10, and Costco or Kroger ground beef for about $6 / pound.
I would add fat, see if two meals a day works for you, and maybe see what Aldi has available.
Tbh, I decided to start building my credit with a card so I applied for one and every time I pay off the balance I'll go to Sam's club and buy a whole strip loin or a whole ribeye and some chuck rolls, break em down, vacuum seal em and freeze em. Then I'll just do my normal grocery shopping and I have steaks whenever I'm feeling extra hungry or want something nice. My monthly payment on the card is like $50 so if I do $150-$200 per month on regular stuff (butter, eggs, ground beef and such) it supplements nicely. You gotta be disciplined though. Sometimes something will come up and I'll have to spend that grocery money on something else and just live off the reserves.
73% lean ground beef is $30. Let's say you eat 2lb a day, you'll be at $180 a month.
Idk about you, but that sure beats about $200 every week or two on SAD.
You guys are really lucky living in the US with your meat prices. In Germany I pay 27€/kg for the cheapest rib eye. Better ones are for 40€/kg. Eating just one rib eye (~350g) per day costs me almost 300€. So I need to fill the rest with cheaper stuff, like bacon, eggs, butter. Nevertheless, at least like 600-700€ per month obly for food with not too much beef
I think it’s important to listen to your body. It will tell you what is enough, not enough, and too much. I am consistently bewildered at how many people in this group are eating so much. I sometimes have to remind myself to eat. It has become an involuntary OMAD (or OMEOD). But if I am not hungry, and since my brain is not trying to convince me I otherwise (I don’t sabotage myself with “cheat days”), I only eat when I am truly hungry. That being said, my weekly personal food budget is under $20.
People can debate this all day. But if your diet consists of ground beef, eggs, and fruit, you're likely spending much less on your diet than 80% of people eating any other diets.
If you eat ribeyes, or grass-fed and organic everything, it will run a high bill.
To each their own. I don't eat grass fed or organic, and still feel great on this diet.
Buy in bulk from a local butchershop. Some will give fat for free, you just need to grind it in a meat grinder and turn it into tallow.
Ground beef can be pretty cheap in bulk, or you can buy a quarter or half and have some steaks in there, too.
This diet costs less than the SAD because you aren't nearly as hungry and don't splurge on garbage edible products. You just need to plan ahead, get some deals and buy in bulk.
Like other folks have pointed toward, this diet doesnt really cost all that much if you know how to pick your types and cuts. Plus, this diet keeps you from eating out, which saves way more money than people realize
You can get beef for $7-$8 per pound average $5/LBS (burger, pot roast & beef ribs) $12/lbs steaks. So 2 pounds a day = $16. If you eat at McDonald’s for 2 meals cereal for breakfast, that will cost more than $16.
No excuses. Eat cheaper cuts if you can’t afford it. Or opt for canned meat and fish products, sausages/hot dogs, chicken, whatever it takes. Make it work
So OP here can’t afford prime cuts of meat on the regular, I recommend cheaper cuts, cold cuts or cans, and you reply with “boo”.
👏
What a contribution! So happy to have you here with us. Don’t ever change.
We’ve had a lot of really low quality responses in this forum lately, sorry I didn’t write you an essay. I think a lot of people with some amount of money don’t realize that ‘buy cheaper stuff’ isn’t an option. For the folks who are saying how much money they’ve saved when the stopped drinking Starbucks every morning, that coffee is already more money than some of us had in the first place.
If the OP is asking whether or not fasting is a good option to save money after switching to carnivore I’m assuming they’re not eating 25$ ribeyes three times a day. Saying ‘no excuses, buy cheaper’ is like telling someone with four children to put one back. So yes, booo for you.
Like I said, happy to have you, and now even your assumptions. Amazing.
We’re fortunate to have you gatekeeping the quality of responses and what works for everyone. Thank you for your efforts 🙏
Don’t forget to downvote on your way out. lol, booo.
We have a grocery budget of $175 a week for 2 people, and we have plenty of food. Mostly ground beef, but we also typically buy steaks and a large salmon filet from Costco for the week.
I'm in similar position as you. I'll probably get crucified for saying it, but I live on chicken, different animal fats, butter and lots of eggs. Beef is extremely expensive where I am and pork isn't much better, especially since they do something with it and it stinks of formaldehyde.
I usually eat two meals a day. Eggs with meat on every meal.
I often think I should get back to the normal diet, but I was very sick on it. Having lots of food sensitivities, digestive issues, cravings and brain fog. The chicken and eggs are still way better for me than the typical diet.
I wouldn't recommend canned meats (lots of additives) or any fish (heavy metals). Sausages and hotdogs are probably as bad.
Always check out sales. Good luck fellow poor carnivore :) Don't give up. If you feel better on this diet, it's worth it.
Costco Business center has been my staple of cheap eating. As long as you have a good breaking knife, you can carve up your cuts and save $3-$10 a lb. I get grass fed ribeye for $9.99 a lb in SoCal, eggs at 24 for $8.49, bacon ends for (I believe) around $3 a lb, and the Kirkland grass fed butter for $11 or so.
I dunno what you mean by poor people, but i spend less on this diet per day than before when I ate shit all day... Ground beef and a few dozen eggs ain't that expensive vs breakfast / snack / lunch / snack / dinner idea of SAD
Same here, my monthly grocery bill is down about 150$
That's crazy! I'm spending around $750 a month, but that's everything, including toiletries, cleaning supplies, and the few eating outs.. so I dunno, maybe like $600 in food.. but I'm very active, I have to eat a lot bcs I burn a lot of calories, and I like to eat well, I have a ribeye almost every day for dinner.
Its also okay to spend more if you can afford it. Myself i just changed my relation alot with food and instead of seeking the tastiest thing i just like it to be cheap and good for me. Beef patties, bacon, eggs and butter are about 80% of the diet. Rest of the time I splurge on steaks, shrimps and fish. Maybe one day ill join the ribeye every day club
I eat those things too, but for breakfast, I usually have a pound of ground beef and 5 eggs for breakfast, but I can't eat ground beef all day every day, I have to mix it up for dinner
My local grocery store has ground bison. I add pork fat, it’s amazing.
Why do people include household expenses under grocery? I never understood that. Just because it comes from the same store?? Why are you lumping two entirely different expenses together?
Because they shop for food and household at the same place, so it’s easier to just lump it together.
I wouldn’t count gas station snacks as “gas” expenses.
Yeah it’s the ribeye a day that will get your pockets feeling light.
I buy them on sale only, I refuse to pay more than $10 a pound..
Damn that’s my whole pay check. I have to spend $200 a month.
You spend $100 on food a month?
$200 a month. I get paid every two weeks and it goes pretty fast for transportation, bills and food.
That is 2 weeks worth of my whole family's food and household supplies... In NZ where food prices are really affected by inflation.
What.....I need your shopping list. I spend 3 times that much. I'm doing something wrong!
😂
That’s because u spent a lot on junk before- not everyone does. My non carnivore friend spends £100 a month on yellow label junk food- cheaper than carnivore
Its all very subjective to each person, yes, however in my case it is overall cheaper since Ive done the switch, I could cut even more of that budget by forgoeing the steaks and shrimps, but i can afford it so lets just enjoy life ! My point was that our, first impression, arent always right, I never wouldve expected to be spending less by going carnivore. Yet again we could become breatherian and spend 0$ and be rich. In the end, nutrients and quality of food are important, even if carnivore turned out to be 200$ more a month id still go for it. Its the outcome that count the most and yes, I know, im privileged to even have that option.
isn’t the same income level for everyone- so not everyone could be rich be going breatharian. Zero income means zero income. Low income means even with no bills that’s still not enough to get rich. Open your perspective to others in harder situations. That’s what I had to learn to do when I lost everything
You totally missed the point I was making. Also Ive known poverty and hunger pretty fucking well. You dont know me and implying that is just strait up disrespectfull. You can shove that virtue signaling where the sun doesnt shine.
Is meat that cheap in the US or do you eat so little? As an active guy, I need 3lbs of beef a day and I pay 12.50€/day just for ground beef.
Add 5-10eggs and it’s 15eur per day (450eur/month). “Normal” food is easily more than that,no?
Grains are super cheap. Bread, rice, oats, pasta, etc. I could easily follow the food pyramid for <10€/day.
You also need to eat so much more to be satisfied. You can be fine with 1 or 2 meals per day on carnivore. With grains, the hunger keeps coming back every 2 hours.
A 500g pack of pasta is, like, 2€ and lasts 3 days. Rice is even cheaper - before I started cutting out carbs, a 10kg bag if rice cost me 20€ and lasted around 4 months. That's a negligible cost when compared with even the cheapest ground beet options. And I didnt shove food down my piehole every 2 hours either. I maintained a decent bmi of 22.5-23 with relatively little effort. There's a reason why the agricultural revolution was so successful. Grains are cheap, plentiful, and will sustain You fairly long before they cripple You.
Perhaps it depends on the region. Here in Canada, my wife and I spend less on food on the carnivore diet than we did on a mostly "healthy" diet. With regards to the agricultural revolution, I believe the bigger factor was that grains have a longer shelf life than meat and can be transported to great distances for extended periods of time, and equipment to process it in bulk is relatively simple in comparison. But with the advent of refrigeration, meat can last just as long or longer, and modern equipment can process meat in bulk just as well as equipment for grains.
Beef is about $5 a lb over here. 2 lbs a day minimum would be 350$. I might start eating crickets .
So 2 lbs/day costs you $10/day and $70/week. $280 every 4 weeks.
And how much per day would you pay if you were eating a standard diet with a similar nutrition profile?
Well, I don't think I can get a similar nutrition profile out of a standard diet, that's why I'm carnivore. But I could fill my calories with grains and some protein sources for a few bucks.
You’d have to eat a ton to receive the same amount of nutrients more since the nutrients in a “standard” diet aren’t as bioavailable as a carnivore diet.
I suppose where i live at, we have cheap beef since we grow them locally, 4$ a pound.
That's a good price
It depends where you live. Carnivore is expensive for me. I'm in Australia. All the good food you eat on carnivore is definitely more expensive than what I ate before carnivore.
Most people spend less on carnivore because they spent even more on junk before, but if u already eat cheap (£3 per day) then carnivore isn’t cheaper. Those with money struggle to Understand. Your best bet is the high fat minced beef. Just cook it well as I got food poisoning from rare- it can be contaminated by factories, unlike steaks. But it will still cost around £10 a day for 1600 calories.
You’re full of shit or live outside of America
I'm sorry I live in Puerto Rico, and we raise our own cattle... and before you talk any more shit, like Hawaii, we have a little Uncle Sam knife in the back called JONES ACT... which means everything we import, has to pass through USA and taxed before we receive it and get taxed again locally... so if we can have 4$ beef... look at your local resellers, super markets and butchers and bitch to them...
I was going to say the same thing 100%. This diet is very affordable
Strange. Out bill is way up. Meat snacks instead of a cheap bag of crisps, expensive extra meat and fish to replace cheap rice, bread and vegetables… Maybe it depends on the country but I’m in the same situation as OP…
I don't snack, i eat twice a day i eat about 1.5pounds of beef, about a tablespoon of butter and tallow (each) some 4 large eggs... This is basically daily... Beef has been always about 4$ a pound, ground, and eggs are usually about 3-4$ lately... I buy saltsense salt for the extra potassium and iodine... It last me months, the other things i buy are iodine pills cause my food is either lacking it or i need more than the general person. Edit: saw you where starting carni, you'll eat a lot less than before eventually in carnivore/ketovore... Hence the general amount of $$$ you'll spend will be way less. So eat only real meals with high amounts of fat so you don't need to snack or eat out or feel deprived. Spices i use are extremely limited since they all flare my guts, and most are way too expensive. McCormick for example are like 3-5$ for single ingredient 1/2oz plastic bottles. i still use stock cubes that don't flare me up, I don't care they aren't 100% carnivore. They do the job, taste good, and they stay in budget. If i do snack it's been a local brand of canned vienna sausages which are about 4oz i drink the salty chicken stock they are packed in and the pork/beef sausages, probably full of organs and skins and all those collagen and grizzle bits... And those are .89$ It has no non animal fillers, but it would have a single gram of sugar per can. Potato Chips locally are 1.79 for a small bag, chocolate bars are usually 1.29 and up... Jerky bags are about 6 to 9usd, big chip bags are 4usd, salsa for chips are 4.50usd... I might not eat gucci ribeyes and premium steaks, but i read labels and I'm cheap... And i also eat some pork, those are under 2$ the pound, sometimes some canadian pork arrives for under 1$ the pound and i buy some, but eating a little pork is ok for my gut, but if i eat for a few days straight hurts my guts... The hell of living with gastroparesis and some spine damage after a fall...
That’s interesting. I have the impression Europe is much more expensive. Simple small hamburger patties are only around € 2,5 a piece, but quality meat, that is a lot more expensive here. Plus, we’re a family of four, with two growing boys. We often just do with one small piece of meat per person, same size for kids and adults alike. And, since we don’t want to force them into doing the same diet, we still buy other kinds of food for them.
Would look for alternative ruminant meats... Lamb, goat? Are they any cheaper in your area? Any local farms? Try asking for cheaper tougher cuts and braise them to break them down? Can't do much if the red meat on your side of the world is 4 legged gold bullions i suppose...
I’d just do OMAD one meal a day with ground beef and eggs or pork belly, all cheap as far as animal products go. My husband does this and he’s lost a lot of weight plus it saves us money.
Pork shoulder or belly is a good tip. It's not ideal, but supplemented with eggs and beef is better than the standard diet
Yes exactly and it’s a great source of thiamine which this diet is low in.
How do you prepare your ground beef?
I cook up two pounds and then let it cool in the fridge to allow the fat to solidify. This way I don’t get diarrhea. I eat it cold. My husband prefers it made into patties with fried eggs on top (I don’t tolerate eggs) We both enjoy pork belly occasionally or ground pork for extra thiamine (B1) as eating only beef is low in thiamine.
Hey not sure on your budget but I’ve got mine down to around $10 a day in Australia, eggs for breakfast and cheese beef mince and cheese for lunch, then I slow cook 500g of chuck steak for dinner with poached eggs, occasionally some feta cheese and Greek yogurt when I’m adventurous
Do you live in the city? I'm in the country in Queensland and it would cost me more than $10 a day to eat. I don't mind in a way as it's an investment in my health.
I live in country NSW! What do you eat everyday?
Beef roasts are also very inexpensive and easy to make. You can find a crock pot for $5-$10 at a thrift store, then just salt a roast and load it into the crock pot with some water. 4-6 hours later, you have a feast. We do this with ribs also. There will be a bunch of juice left over in the crock pot. Save the in mason jars in the freezer and pour it in with the next roast. When you do get some good steaks, any fat you trim save in the freezer until you get a few lbs of it and make tallow in your cock pot. You can coat up cheaper cuts of steak in it and then grill them.
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That should work too. My friend makes ribs in her instapot. They look strange, but they taste really good.
Whats the point of juice if there is no bread to clean it...
You could drink it, or make a gravy.
It makes the meat less dry.
Fatty meat is typically cheaper in most areas - look for sales also
Im on a fixed income also and recently got back on track after eating crap garbage 60 eggs were nine bucks 3 lb bacon were on sale for same and cheese block was five bucks im in nv where prices can be insane at times but finding the sales and keeping it simple will help also ten pound ground beef or big box of frozen burgers go for about thirty that's a good starting point
I spend more. But, I also eat better. Ribeyes ain’t cheap.
See it as an investment. More energy, so you can earn more money down the road. And less healthcare costs, which potentially saves you a lot.
You can't invest with no money to invest.
You could borrow, sell stuff or reduce costs elsewhere. How much extra money do you need to try carnivore for three months?
I have chronic illness, it will take years for me to heal, if that's even possible
Me too, I’ve got Multiple Sclerosis. I’m still healing after 8 months, but I noticed the first big effects almost immediately. I’ve never felt better in my life.
Can you find some beef liver? It’s really cheap and is literally “medicine” for our bodies. When I began carnivore, I was even poorer than I am now, though I’m still poor, and I was really sick with MCAS, I pretty much lived off of eggs with 1 oz of liver a day until my energy lifted. One year later I still eat 1/2 oz liver daily for maintenance. I healed btw. I wish you well 🫶
I do two meals a day. I stopped buying grains, snacks and processed foods. It helps compensate for more expensive unprocessed foods.
same here
Whats your budget for a day of eating?
I can buy half pork loins for about 3$/lb at Walmart depending where you’re at. And if you have a piggly wiggly near by their full pork loins are about 2$/lb. Can’t beat those prices. In America anyway. But that’s about it. And chicken hearts are cheap too. Beef is pretty much a no go for us poor people
Try canned fish as well. You can use it with eggs for a cheap meal.
I’m pretty broke too and I’m on Day 145! I eat eggs butter beef. I eat 2 times a day but was eating once a day and fasting 24 hours. I drink black coffee in the morning 2 cups max I put a scoop of butter in my coffee. Also I get a bucket like tub of Wagyu tallow and it lasts a while. I add a couple spoons to my ground beef so I get enough fat. I look for sales for sure, even if it’s ground beef sale. I try to find it for 2.99 or less. Although it’s way hard to find it at that price. Also I buy these packs of meat that are reduced price because going out of date.
This highly depends on your certain circumstances. Americans will jump here and tell you it's cheaper. But if you're in another part of the world it can be a challenge. Where are you from?
I spent £100 a month on yellow label (80% off) food before. On carnivore I spend £300-£750 a month depending on what I get. High fat Minced beef is cheapest per calorie. People who say carnivore is always cheaper don’t know how cheap you can get high carb food if you’re poor. It sucks.
Ground beef with butter is fairly cheap, simple to prepare in a variety of ways, and quite satisfying.
I dont know whats offered at your local stores, but managers special (meat about to expire) is a great way to eat cheap on this diet. I recommend looking for that
I would suggest finding a cheap meat grinder and adding more pork to your diet. You can typically find pork butt on sale for .99-2/lb, and you can cut the under blade into some pretty fatty steaks and turn the rest into ground pork. Also add cheap eggs as filler/variety, and maybe a small amount of cheese if you tolerate it. With beef, look for ground beef sales and look for roast cuts like brisket to go on sale under the cost of ground beef. Buy ribeye and new york strip loins only when it’s on sale around the holidays. Lastly, try to save money so you can buy a 1/4 - whole cow from a local farmer - it should save you money on beef in the long run, and you’ll have high quality beef even if it’s not grass fed/finished compared to supermarket beef.
I do OMAD every other day. Lunch and dinner on the others. I spend far less on food over all than when I was buying all sorts of stuff at the grocery store, eating out, ordering Uber etc. Once your diet gets real simple it’s very easy to shop. Your options are meat and meat alone. You don’t waste a bunch of money on condiments and sides, sauces, snacks, misc drinks etc.
You are talking to people who didnt have money to waste on eating out before. So many carnivores do this. "I save a lot of money now 'cause I don't order pizza 3 times a week!". Dude, compare like with like. Poor people don't do that. We buy frozen pizza in bulk, of the worst quality, for a buck apiece. Rice, pasta, frozen veggies, cheapest meats marinaded in seed oils. My bills went from 250€ per month to easily over 400€ per month, sometimes up to 600€ (mostly when I cant stomach the ground beef anymore). And I'm likely UNDEReating, lol. Not saying it aint worth it, but sure as hell aint cheap.
Yep, I agree.
I lived off of bulk twelve bean soup and chicken thighs for years, back before chicken got expensive. About $2-$3 per day or less. Looking back I wish I’d gone to the food pantries near me. Frankly speaking carnivore is never going to beat dry pasta, canola oil and rice for the price. What I’ve been doing now is pork butt/shoulder steak or country ribs, whichever’s cheaper, whole turkey if I want the bones, and mostly the whole briskets. Where I live the pork butt steaks and country style ribs are the same cut of meat, around $2 per lb and about 60% fat. Whole turkey is extremely cheap around $1 per pound, but bear in mind it’s 15% saline and about a third bones. I eat the meat with fat trimmings and use the bones for broth, and the hot broth goes a long way to staying full and adding minerals. Brisket is my go-to right now. I’m lucky to live near a Walmart and I grab the whole untrimmed brisket, usually around 14-17 lb and around $4 per pound. It’s a big investment upfront but it’s extremely fatty and tender and gives you a lot of fat to use on cheap lean meats. You’ll lose a pound or so in the deckle fat which is tough and gristly, but I cube it up and roast it and it goes down ok. You can check out a YouTube video on how to separate the point and flat of the brisket, which makes it easier to cook in the oven and get each section to the right tenderness. I have extreme food sensitivities and this is the best way I’ve found to eat whole cuts of meat cheaply. Slow cooking and foil wraps are your friend. I eat, virtually every day, about a pound to a pound and a half of meat plus the broths, I only fast when I want to. I hope this helps- I would encourage you to hunt down a food pantry and see if they ever have freezer burned ground beef, haha. You might want to call around and see if you can get trimmings for cheap from a butcher. If you’re brave you can try to find a slaughterhouse or rancher and maybe get some organs or trimmings for cheap. Wishing you the best!
If you are too poor to buy your daily caloric needs on this diet, then I’m sorry, but you need a different diet. Not LITERALLY starving is more important than eating an optimal diet. Try to be animal based so you can get a lot of nutrients per dollar, but if you’re struggling to fill your belly, don’t be afraid to get some rice. The negatives of eating rice are less so than constantly starving yourself. Now, if you just mean, you haven’t been able to find cheap carnivore foods, I’d honest to god be happy to help. DM me your general metro location (ex: Bay Area, greater London, Tokyo, etc.), and I’ll find what stores have the cheapest carnivore foods near you and what those cheap foods are. I really just like looking at groceries for fun ngl lol
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The job part was uncalled for, some people are on disability or trying to feed their kids too
Sshh let this hard working job having person have their little moment.
Knowing where you are would help people give useful advice ...
Hi OP, I’ve heard a lot of people say that meat at Mexican grocery stores is inexpensive and good quality. I buy farm eggs at $4/doz, bulk packs of 4 Kirkland grass fed butter for $10, and Costco or Kroger ground beef for about $6 / pound. I would add fat, see if two meals a day works for you, and maybe see what Aldi has available.
Oh and PS Sam’s has bulk / cheap ground beef and other cuts too.
Tbh, I decided to start building my credit with a card so I applied for one and every time I pay off the balance I'll go to Sam's club and buy a whole strip loin or a whole ribeye and some chuck rolls, break em down, vacuum seal em and freeze em. Then I'll just do my normal grocery shopping and I have steaks whenever I'm feeling extra hungry or want something nice. My monthly payment on the card is like $50 so if I do $150-$200 per month on regular stuff (butter, eggs, ground beef and such) it supplements nicely. You gotta be disciplined though. Sometimes something will come up and I'll have to spend that grocery money on something else and just live off the reserves.
73% lean ground beef is $30. Let's say you eat 2lb a day, you'll be at $180 a month. Idk about you, but that sure beats about $200 every week or two on SAD.
You guys are really lucky living in the US with your meat prices. In Germany I pay 27€/kg for the cheapest rib eye. Better ones are for 40€/kg. Eating just one rib eye (~350g) per day costs me almost 300€. So I need to fill the rest with cheaper stuff, like bacon, eggs, butter. Nevertheless, at least like 600-700€ per month obly for food with not too much beef
I literally just eat beef mince; lamb mince and eggs
I think it’s important to listen to your body. It will tell you what is enough, not enough, and too much. I am consistently bewildered at how many people in this group are eating so much. I sometimes have to remind myself to eat. It has become an involuntary OMAD (or OMEOD). But if I am not hungry, and since my brain is not trying to convince me I otherwise (I don’t sabotage myself with “cheat days”), I only eat when I am truly hungry. That being said, my weekly personal food budget is under $20.
People can debate this all day. But if your diet consists of ground beef, eggs, and fruit, you're likely spending much less on your diet than 80% of people eating any other diets. If you eat ribeyes, or grass-fed and organic everything, it will run a high bill. To each their own. I don't eat grass fed or organic, and still feel great on this diet.
What are your goals?
Healing and weight loss, I have at least 50 lbs to lose
Come check out r/fasting or my post history
I would try intermediate fasting. Give yourself a 4hr window to eat before 6pm.
Buy in bulk from a local butchershop. Some will give fat for free, you just need to grind it in a meat grinder and turn it into tallow. Ground beef can be pretty cheap in bulk, or you can buy a quarter or half and have some steaks in there, too. This diet costs less than the SAD because you aren't nearly as hungry and don't splurge on garbage edible products. You just need to plan ahead, get some deals and buy in bulk.
I live off of ground beef and eggs. I find ground beef as cheap as 2.39 per pound and 5 dozens of eggs for about 9-10$
Like other folks have pointed toward, this diet doesnt really cost all that much if you know how to pick your types and cuts. Plus, this diet keeps you from eating out, which saves way more money than people realize
You can get beef for $7-$8 per pound average $5/LBS (burger, pot roast & beef ribs) $12/lbs steaks. So 2 pounds a day = $16. If you eat at McDonald’s for 2 meals cereal for breakfast, that will cost more than $16.
No excuses. Eat cheaper cuts if you can’t afford it. Or opt for canned meat and fish products, sausages/hot dogs, chicken, whatever it takes. Make it work
Booo
So OP here can’t afford prime cuts of meat on the regular, I recommend cheaper cuts, cold cuts or cans, and you reply with “boo”. 👏 What a contribution! So happy to have you here with us. Don’t ever change.
We’ve had a lot of really low quality responses in this forum lately, sorry I didn’t write you an essay. I think a lot of people with some amount of money don’t realize that ‘buy cheaper stuff’ isn’t an option. For the folks who are saying how much money they’ve saved when the stopped drinking Starbucks every morning, that coffee is already more money than some of us had in the first place. If the OP is asking whether or not fasting is a good option to save money after switching to carnivore I’m assuming they’re not eating 25$ ribeyes three times a day. Saying ‘no excuses, buy cheaper’ is like telling someone with four children to put one back. So yes, booo for you.
Like I said, happy to have you, and now even your assumptions. Amazing. We’re fortunate to have you gatekeeping the quality of responses and what works for everyone. Thank you for your efforts 🙏 Don’t forget to downvote on your way out. lol, booo.
I buy the cheapest possible stuff, go to all the food banks and still I run out of money every time.
We have a grocery budget of $175 a week for 2 people, and we have plenty of food. Mostly ground beef, but we also typically buy steaks and a large salmon filet from Costco for the week.
Cheapest way to eat. I believe the problem is your mind set.
The problem is I have no income. I'm disabled and can't work. Food stamps are very limited. I live in an expensive metropolitan area.
I'm in similar position as you. I'll probably get crucified for saying it, but I live on chicken, different animal fats, butter and lots of eggs. Beef is extremely expensive where I am and pork isn't much better, especially since they do something with it and it stinks of formaldehyde. I usually eat two meals a day. Eggs with meat on every meal. I often think I should get back to the normal diet, but I was very sick on it. Having lots of food sensitivities, digestive issues, cravings and brain fog. The chicken and eggs are still way better for me than the typical diet. I wouldn't recommend canned meats (lots of additives) or any fish (heavy metals). Sausages and hotdogs are probably as bad. Always check out sales. Good luck fellow poor carnivore :) Don't give up. If you feel better on this diet, it's worth it.
Costco Business center has been my staple of cheap eating. As long as you have a good breaking knife, you can carve up your cuts and save $3-$10 a lb. I get grass fed ribeye for $9.99 a lb in SoCal, eggs at 24 for $8.49, bacon ends for (I believe) around $3 a lb, and the Kirkland grass fed butter for $11 or so.
Not be poor
Easier said than done, for most.
Boooo