How to Save $500 on Groceries this Month [AIP, Paleo, & Whole Food]

I’ve often been asked how I save money on groceries.

From deciding to eat real food, to having to cut certain foods out due to intolerances, to completely new dietary restrictions because of my Hashimoto’ disease (Autoimmune Protocol {AIP}), groceries seem to get more and more expensive for us.

Yet we somehow manage to fit them within our budget.

One thing that has helped is to accept that healthy food is just going to cost more. We have to prioritize it over other things in our life. Those who eat a standard American diet won’t understand how we could spend so much on food. 

Here’s the deal:

When our family was just beginning our real food, traditional eating journey, we were a family of 2 and spent about $600 a month on food.

Now that I’m on AIP and our two children and Matt are mostly Paleo, we can easily spend $1500 on groceries each month.

But when I’m diligent about using the tips in this post, we can cut that back to less than $1000, saving $500 a month.

That may still seem like a lot to those of you. And it is. But the point here is that if I can make it work with the most expensive diet imaginable, you can too.

Save Money on Groceries: Prioritize Healthy Food

Whenever I feel like our budget is ballooning I remember that before industrialized food, food was a priority in the average family’s budget.

They didn’t spend money on entertainment without first buying groceries (though the concept of groceries wasn’t even a thing until the 20th century).

Today, many people, consciously or not, prioritize entertainment and convenience over healthy food. We’ve gotten used to artificially low grocery prices. We get cranky when we have to spend more than 15% of our income on food.

I don’t recommend following a percentage anyway. A percentage is not the best way to plan a food budget.

Real food costs more so if you’re not bringing in a lot of money your food budget will be a higher percentage of your income than if you are making much more.

That being said, we all have budgets we have to adhere to. So, these tips are what keep me in line when my budget is blowing up and we just don’t have any extra cash.

Save Money on Groceries: Buy Whole Foods

Have you ever heard the expression “it’s better to pay the grocer than the pharmacist”?

I try to remember this adage whenever my Cheapy McCheapster tendencies try to convince me to buy something just because it’s less expensive.

I try to buy organic and pastured whole foods whenever I can. The added expense now is worth the savings in healthcare later (and obviously it’s worth it to stay healthy too). 

You might be thinking “But this isn’t saving me money on my grocery bill now”. True. But buying real food can save you money right now. Have you ever eaten an entire box of mac and cheese by yourself? (No? Is that just me?)

It makes you feel sick and still hungry! Eating a well-rounded whole foods meal will fill you up and keep you satisfied so you end up eating less. (Good for the waistline too!).

Additionally, adding more vegetables to your diet can only help your health (of course) and your budget since vegetables are relatively cheap.

You can cut back on meat and fruit a bit too without feeling deprived or hungry. Most of us eat too much of those anyway (guilty!).

Now that I’m on the AIP diet, buying this kind of convenience food is really not an option. We reap the benefits of only eating whole foods like increased energy, less hunger, etc. 

Of course, it’s not always possible to buy the highest quality foods. I try not to worry or beat myself up when I have to buy non-organic food.

Prioritize the Most Nutrient Dense Foods

For those of you who are unfamiliar, the AIP diet means I can basically only eat meat, fat, vegetables and a small amount of fruit, natural sweeteners, coconut, etc. No beans, rice, nuts, seeds, grains, etc.

Pastured meat and organic veggies are expensive compared to beans and grains so it definitely poses a struggle when it comes to the budget.

However, the most nutritious foods, like green vegetables and offal, are less expensive than less nutrient-dense foods like muscle meat or watery fruits and veggies (think cucumber and zucchini).

I’m not going to lie, I struggle to eat liver. I buy it and take forever to prepare and eat it. But trading muscle meat for higher nutrition organ meat is a great way to save money on a healthy diet.

There are a lot of ways to hide liver in your meal. Just search google for ‘hidden liver meatballs’ or similar.

No, it’s not the most fun to skip over yummy fruits in lieu of leafy greens and liver, but it is an excellent way to save on an expensive diet like paleo or AIP. I don’t forgo treats all the time though.

We still have fun with our meals/ We are trying to live our lives right now, after all. Bbut I do try to be mindful of how often we are splurging on treats.

Save Money on Groceries: Meal Plan

I used to sit down every other Sunday and come up with dinners for the following two weeks. This used to take me a couple of hours. 

About a year ago I decided to try Real Plans to create my weekly meal plan.

I’m so glad I did because it has revolutionized my meal planning.

Instead of needing to sit down and write a bunch of lists out for a couple of hours I just click and drag and my plan and shopping list are done. Totally worth the 6 bucks.

It also pre-populates a meal plan based on my preferences, so even on busy weeks, I have a plan!

If you have food sensitivities or preferences like me this may be a great option for you too. You can choose the style of eating (traditional, paleo, AIP, Whole 30, etc.) and let the app plan your meals!

You can also add your own recipes and edit recipes. I like this feature because some recipes are great except for one ingredient.

I can quickly change the recipe to the way I like it and the grocery list reflects the change.

When choosing meals I try to pick simple recipes that use only a few (seasonal, if possible) ingredients.

It’s also helpful if recipes overlap. For example, we love to make spring rolls with cabbage but only use half of a head for a huge batch of spring rolls.

So, we either try to have spring rolls again before the cabbage goes bad or I find another recipe that uses cabbage.

One last note on meal planning: I’m always prepared to be flexible. If my plan calls for an ingredient that is very expensive (and not on sale) I usually won’t buy it and may substitute something else.

For example, if we were planning on having cauliflower rice but asparagus is on sale, I’ll figure out how to make that work. I may change the meal altogether or just skip the cauliflower rice side dish.

Grocery Shop Once a Week (or Less)

This may be the most important tip I can give for saving money on groceries. I’ve noticed that since living closer to a grocery store (a 5-minute drive that used to be 30) we spend way more on food.

It’s easy to run to the store for lunch instead of cooking a chicken breast that we already have. Once there, we usually buy other things we don’t really need such as cured meat and fruit.

By making it a rule to grocery shop only once a week or less, we are forced to plan our list well so we don’t forget anything. 

To save money on groceries I try to plan meals that have longer lasting ingredients (i.e. frozen veggies) for the second week to reduce produce spoilage.

You can use this technique to stretch your grocery shopping to once a month too. Here are some ideas:

• Week 1 – Eat leafy greens, fresh berries, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, avocados, zucchini, cucumbers, etc.
• Week 2 – Eat apples, beets, cabbage, carrots, celery, garlic, hard squash (like pumpkin and butternut), onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. You may also be able to save blueberries, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, leeks, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, and tomatoes for a second week.
• Week 3 and 4 – Eat more of the foods from week 2 as well as home canned, fermented, or frozen items.

I also try to save $30-$50 of our budget in case we need something before the next grocery shopping trip like toilet paper, almond milk, or fresh produce.

If you’re trying to shop once or twice a month you may want to do this as well so you can have some of the more perishable produce more often.

Of course, the possibility of buying things we don’t need may pop up again, but I find that going specifically for produce rather than a full grocery list makes it easier to stick to the plan.

 Cook from Scratch (in Batches)

To save money on groceries I make as much as possible from scratch. Instead of buying meals at the store I buy ingredients. I make granola bars, muffins, pesto, and sauerkraut.

Matt and I did the math once on the ingredients we buy to make granola bars versus what we would pay to buy them packaged.

It ended up being about half the cost to make them myself! Totally worth the 10 minutes it takes.

It’s also a lot healthier to eat this way which can save money in different ways, like by not needing to go to the doctor as much or not needing to call in sick as often.

There are a few exceptions: I buy larabars for the kids because I’ve discovered that having it prepackaged made it easier to enforce eating only one a day.

When I tried making them myself they would get eaten in one day. The same goes for some other “treats” which just make sense to buy occasionally.

When I’m really being good, I’ll make some extra meatballs or chicken nuggets to throw in the freezer. That way if we’re stuck for a meal we have a protein that can be prepared quickly.

Buy in Bulk

Buying in bulk can save you money as long as you are buying the right things. Start by buying non-food grocery items like paper towels, diapers, soap, etc. 

These products won’t go bad so they are a safe place to start with bulk purchasing. You can then take the savings and roll them into buying more bulk items.

I get an Amazon Prime subscribe and save order each month which helps me save money on groceries. 

I get expensive things like Larabars, Epic bars and supplements for cheaper than anywhere else. Try Amazon Prime free for 30 days to try it out.

You can always cancel your subscribe and save order or skip this month (as I often do when I don’t have the cash available for a big order). You can even get paper towels, dish soap and other things like that.

Find out the other ways I save money on real food by buying in bulk and staying organized.

I Don’t Buy Food and Drinks Out

Matt brings his lunch to work every day. When I go out to run errands I bring a water bottle and a snack with me. We save hundreds of dollars just by bringing food from home. It’s also helpful to carry a snack so in case an errand runs later than I expect I won’t be tempted to buy something that is both unhealthy and a waste of money.

Grow a Garden

Practically free, incredibly fresh, organic produce right in your backyard! Is there anything else that needs to be said about saving money on groceries?

In the summer months my grocery bill is so much less than in the winter when I don’t have fresh produce in my backyard. Once I get to a point of preserving for the winter I’ll have a consistently lower bill! My goal is to increase the food I can grow for my family every year.

Read more about how I choose what to grow in this post.

Save Money on Groceries: Raise Chickens

We started with 6 chickens but have expanded our flock to include 14 now. It’s wonderful having fresh organic eggs without leaving home!

I’m also hoping to sell or barter some of the extra eggs to supplement our groceries. Next year I hope to get meat chickens for the first time which could significantly reduce my grocery bill.

Growing your own eggs or chicken isn’t always cheaper than buying them. If you’re feeding commercial grain it can be expensive.

Growing your own eggs and chicken are also not cheaper than the cheapest eggs and chicken in the store. But they can be cheaper than the organic chicken from your local farm store and the quaility is amazing.

What Do You Do to Save Money on Groceries?