Bariatric Eating on a Budget

Is it possible to stay on a bariatric eating plan when you’re on a small budget? When you have to prioritize protein, but the prices of meat keep climbing? I believe it’s possible, but not without effort. Let’s talk.

One of my favorite people in my life was my Gramz. A Kentucky school teacher who lived through the Depression, with a sense of humor that kept my family in tears until her final day on this earth. She was an incredible penny pincher and we joked that she “saved everything for good.” As a child, I’d walk with her to the grocery store, her short list in hand and a twenty-dollar bill. She could count in her head what our total would be, including tax. She knew how to spend only what we had and get only what we needed.

Gramz didn’t have to grocery shop in 2024 and experience her twenty-dollar bill disappearing after three items were in her basket. I can only imagine what she’d say these days! Now more than ever we have to be cautious with our meal planning, recipes, ingredients, and dining out frequency to make sure we can cover our food costs.

Eating protein first meals on the bariatric diet can feel daunting when you’re on a small budget. In this post, you’ll learn how to plan meals in a way that stretches your dollar further while staying on track with your health goals. Because in the end, investing in your health IS going to save you money.

While you’re here, grab my full list of Bariatric Budget Boosters! I’ll give you my full list of tips for making healthy bariatric meals without breaking the bank.

Eat at Home

I know you’re thanking me for being captain obvious, but we have to start here. Inflation in 2023 alone showed eating out increased by 5.1% and at home it was an increase of 1.2%. Certainly, prior years have not been any more kind to our wallets.

Food is more expensive now, but the gap between home and eating out has only gotten bigger. Eating at home is better for health and food dollars. We can control what goes in the pan, and we can stretch the ingredients further.

Meal plan with sales and your current inventory

Taking a few minutes to look at the lean meats on sale can shave money off your weekly menu bill. This makes a big difference with staying on a bariatric plan while on a budget.

Download the Flipp app for access to all the weekly ads in your area. Before you start meal planning or looking for recipes, look at the proteins and produce on sale at the stores you enjoy shopping at. THEN plan your menu with those ingredients in mind. That one extra step can stack up savings on your overall food spending each month.

Maximize food, minimize waste

The average American household throws away $1200 of groceries a year. Nationally, we waste 30-40% of our food. OUCH.

Strategies that keep us eating what we already paid for save money and reduce waste.

Use the USDA website (or app) FoodKepper to help determine the best ways to store foods for lasting shelf life.

One tip you could try: use blue painter’s tape to mark things in your fridge that need to be used soon. This visual can help you save food before it’s too late.

Or add need-to-be-used-soon items to your grocery list with the word USE in front of the time to remind you to plan something with those ingredients.

Keep backup meals on hand

The most likely scenario for most of us to pick up a meal last minute is because we’re tired and don’t feel like cooking.

Embrace that those nights will happen and keep super easy protein items at home. Whether it’s the leftovers shelf, frozen meals you’ve prepared earlier, or frozen chicken nuggets and baby carrots, it’ll be quicker and cheaper than buying takeout last minute. (I love the nuggets from Costco. They’re on my Costco shopping guide inside Premier Access!)

Have a leftovers strategy

In the name of limiting food waste, having a plan for using what you’ve cooked stretches your money and your efforts further. Label leftovers with the name and date cooked. I even put the day of the week with the date because inevitably we think “what day was the 3rd??”

Have a designated shelf for leftovers. When it gets too full, serve a leftover buffet meal or use a vacuum sealer and freeze while it’s still fresh.

Track your spending

Use a budget app to track your spending and know what your monthly average is. I’ve used Every Dollar for nearly a decade now!

That way you can see if your efforts pay off! When you meal plan with sales in mind and utilize leftovers, how can you know if it helped? If I’ve categorized my transactions I can SEE that I’ve saved hundreds of dollars from all my extra effort.

Gramz could keep it all in her head, but the rest of us may need the calculator on our phones as we shop. Online ordering allows you to track your spending when you add to your virtual cart.

And the best tip I have tried and tested: use a crowd control clicker to tally up dollars as you add to the cart, especially when shopping with kids! Affiliate link

Buy meats after Holidays

Watch the ads for big sales on meat and if you have the freezer space and can make the extra grocery stop. This is especially true right after a holiday like overstocked turkeys after Thanksgiving or after the Super Bowl. Grocery stores will have a lot of meats for holidays and then discount what doesn’t sell the day after.

Understand the Dates

It’s hard to eat something past the date on the package, but the date doesn’t always mean it has gone bad. Often the dates mean that is when the item is at peak freshness, but not that it’s unsafe after that date.

Using some, or all of these tips will help you hit your bariatric eating goals AND stick to your budget! Which tip is your favorite?

Grab my Bariatric on a Budget Cookbook!