The Co$t Of Shopping Right

[Aizlynn]

I did warn ya I would be asking lots of questions

I was wondering how you veterans have adapted to affording the cost of shopping gluten/dairy etc free, especially when a family is involved. I remember how easy it is to get a box of something 10 for $10, a loaf of bread for a buck. My eyes bulge out when I purchase a box of bread mix for $5-$7 and realize I have to do the baking!!! What I don't understand, if we are having something with LESS in it, why does it cost MORE? Being a single parent and having to shop for me and a kid isn't quite conducive to a single income, I find myself spending hundreds of dollars in just being healthy. I have to remind myself of the money I am saving my future self in medical bills and prescriptions.

So how do you cut down the cost or get more bang for your buck?

[Guhlia]

The easiest way is to not substitute the gluten based foods with high cost imitations. It's much more cost effective to reinvent how you look at eating. Fresh meats, veggies, and fruits are the cheapest things to buy and conveniently they're naturally gluten free. Other things like nuts and eggs are also naturally gluten free. Try to focus your diet around those foods rather than gluten free replacements. For example: breakfast could be bacon, eggs and a fruit salad, lunch could be a salad piled high with fresh vegetables, hard boiled egg, and leftover chicken from dinner last night topped with sunflower seeds for crunch and oil and vinegar for dressing, dinner could be grilled fish with lemon pepper seasoning, a baked potato with salt and pepper, and a heaping serving of your favorite vegetables, snacks can include nuts, seeds, fruits, popcorn, etc... It's a lot easier than you think it may be to save money gluten free.

If you really miss the replacement products, try doing Mission corn tortillas for sandwich wraps. They're relatively inexpensive and they last FOREVER!!! Also, learning how to bake from scratch can save you a ton of money. I make all of my own waffles, breads, donuts, hamburger buns, etc... I don't spend much money on groceries either. I spend way less than I did pre-diagnosis.

Also, keep in mind that there are many gluten free "junk" foods that can ease your cravings. Potato chips are often gluten/casein free. Of course, call the manufacturer before indulging. Corn and tortilla chips and salsa are often gluten/dairy free as well. Honey roasted peanuts (Planters) are a nice quick fix. Celery or apples with peanut butter sometimes helps when I have a gluten craving. There are many things that you'll find to be quick and easy that don't involve expensive replacements.

Good luck! And welcome to the forum!

[blueeyedmanda]

I use the corn wraps for sandwiches and I also buy lots of naturally gluten free foods, fruits veggies. I make my own soups using Gluten Free broth.

I stock up on Tinkyada pasta when it goes on sale at Wegmans. I also buy pasta sauce and the broths at Wegmans so when they go on sale I buy more.

Believe me, we are on a budget, so I try to get as much for my money as I can.

[kbtoyssni]

I use a lot of rice, corn tortillas (you can get the more mexican-style ones for around $1.50 for 40), potatoes. I don't eat sandwiches for lunch much anymore, I eat a baked potato or rice with salsa and cheese. Instead of doing crackers with cheese or peanut butter, I use celery or rice cakes. You should identify a few of the most expensive gluten-free products you are using and try to come up with a cheaper substitute.

[tarnalberry]

What I don't understand, if we are having something with LESS in it, why does it cost MORE?

So how do you cut down the cost or get more bang for your buck?

Why does it cost more? Market economics. There is a smaller supply of specialty gluten free ingredients (so you don't get the benefit of discounts of volume), there is a small supply of manufacturers of gluten free products (so you don't get the benefit of competition in the market), and there is difficulty in distribution and advertising (further impeding competition) and a fairly fixed market (yet further impeding competition) that - if anything - is increasing (increasing demand). Low supply, low competition, fixed or higher demand all means high prices. Such is the life in a niche market.

How do we cut down the cost? We live our lives outside that niche market as much as possible. Buy whole, unprocessed, naturally gluten free items as much as possible and cook. Stick with things that have high nutritional density for their price (such as beans) to base the meal on, and supplement it with meats and vegetables, again, looking for high nutritional density for price. (Heh... I'd say think of it as a math optimization problem, but not everyone likes math. )

[bluejeangirl]

Guhlia-thats how I eat. I can say you'll be healthier for it but yes my grocery bill is high. We don't go out to eat anymore so I guess its a wash for my family. We'd easily spend $80 a weekend eating out before gluten free days.

One tip is to make soups. I'll buy a package of chicken legs and make my own chicken broth. A package of maybe six will end up making 8 cups of broth. Thats 8 cans of chicken broth! So you save there, chicken legs are pretty inexpensive and so you just throw an onion and 2 celery stalks and 2 carrots cut up, some spices like thyme or poultry seasoning and salt and simmer for 2 hrs. I'll drain it in a 8 cup pyrex pour cup and give the chicken meat to my 3 dogs for supper but you can eat it.

Then this week (yesterday) I made lentil soup. I used lentils, carrots, onions, green pepper, and about 1/2 lb. pork sausage. I used the other half for a pizza on sunday. But that little but of sausage really made the soup taste great and there was leftover for lunch and still have some left.

Gluten free flour is just expensive and not only that but I order mine and have to pay for shipping. I have to buy some this week and I'll just buy the biggest amount and just bit the bullet on that one. Amazon has gluten free grocery that I buy but it comes in bulk, usually a six pack. I'm saving alittle there but there's shipping, however they've been offering free shipping if you don't mind the wait being 7 days.

Have you ever tried polenta? As much as I love tinkyada pasta I'll serve polenta every once in awhile. Top it with a great spaghetti sauce. Its just corn so its cheap. Corn bread is also cheaper then gluten free flour blends. Although you'll need alittle flour blend for a decent corn bread.

My market had puffins on sale awhile ago and I went crazy. So they do go on sale I suppose to move they've been sitting for awhile on the selves, it doesn't happen often.

I hope this helps alittle, I know its more kitchen time but its not intensive work you can do other things with alot of this.

Gail

[dionnek]

I eat a lot of other grains like quinoa and rice and risotto (homemade) and also eat a lot of beans and lentils. The corn tortillas and rice cakes are cheap and good for "sandwhiches". I really don't care much for the gluten-free breads, so I've learned to make "sandwhiches" without bread (just wrap a slice of turkey around a stick of cheese, or a pickle spear). Doesn't fill you up as much, but I eat a lot more fruit now!

Also, if you can buy your flours at an asian market, they are WAY cheaper. I use the rice flour/potatoe starch/tapioca starch mix that I make from scratch for most of my baking, instead of buying premixed flour blends which cost more. Do some searching under the baking section here for good recipes - there are lots of good hints!

[kbabe1968]

I have to feed a family of 5 on the same budget as pre gluten free. I'm the only one who HAS to be gluten free but since I am the main purchaser and chef in the house - they all need to sort of follow suit (2 exceptions are crackers and bread - I will by them a loaf of gluten bread and 1 box of glutened crackers).

Well, really the only food choices that have changed are the processed type foods.

I buy mostly fresh fruits & veggies (still use Aldi for that), frozen fruits & veggies (again, Aldi b/c they are cheaper AND they are gluten free as long as you read the label VERY carefully). I don't buy anything from them that has a sauce or additive. I also buy my frozen OJ and my milk from them. They also carry soy milk and they list the allergens right on the label. Of course, it's NEVER a guarantee, but so far I've been okay.

I still use the same deli/meat store because I checked the ingredients of the meats they carry (Dietz & Watson) and thier meats and chicken are minimally processed so they don't have broths and stuff added to them, and they are cheaper.

I've been going to Whole Foods for things like breads for me, waffles for me, and pastas for all of us. We actually had been eating brown rice pasta for a while b/c my kids enjoyed the taste of it better (go figure). I also buy all of our cereals there.

I have a Trader Joes about a half hour from me. I plan on going there soon to see how they'd be for stuff.

Rice is not expensive, neither are potatoes. So we're eating a lot of that lately (brown rice, red potatoes).

We are a family of 5 and our food budget is $600. We were busting at the seams before, now we REALLY are. Some things are just being forgone for now until I get into a groove.

I hope that helps you.