We all know that the cost of living is continually on the rise. Food has not been excluded from this trend. This can be very costly for those of us that require a specific diet. If you’re new to the gluten free game, somehow when you take gluten out of the picture the price goes up exponentially. For example, my grocery bills for a family of 4 went from around $150-$200/week to approximately $450- $500/week when I started buying gluten free. Crazy, right!? Before you totally freak out, I have a few tips for living gluten free on a budget.
Buy foods that are naturally gluten free
Fruits, veggies, lean meats, beans, fresh herbs, etc.
Branch out and shop different stores
A few different stores in Texas have a large selection of GF offerings, so I peek at their weekly ads to see if I need to make a run to another store for items. Natural Grocers, Sprouts, and HEB all have a variety of GF choices and periodically have sales on them. Walmart has a nice section and has by far the lowest prices when you buy the store brand of product. They also carry GF chili, taco, and gravy mixes by McCormick which are hard to find in my area.
Look for Sales
Where I live in Texas the grocery store periodically runs sales on gluten free brands. Admittedly, this is rare, so I stock up when it happens.
Shop online
Amazon is a great “go to,” especially if you live in a part of the country that does not have much of a GF selection in the grocery store. However, pay attention to how much you are getting for your money. The descriptions can be misleading sometimes. I recommend figuring up how much you are spending per ounce and comparing it across their site and other sites/grocery stores as well.
Don’t limit yourself to the “Gluten Free” section of the store.
There are a ton of products that are gluten free but are not marketed that way. Many name brand condiments and lunch meats are gluten free. So instead of buying the more expensive item from the GF section, look at the ingredients and labeling on products throughout the store. I think you’ll be surprised at how many GF items you can find that you didn’t realize were actually gluten free.
Buy in bulk.
Costco has a rotating stock of GF products that I always keep an eye out for. They have the best GF pizza, especially for the price. I can buy 3 cheese pizza for $15.99(+ tax)! Therefore, instead of ordering pizza delivery, we add our own toppings at home and save a bundle! My favorite GF pasta and pre-made flour blend are sold here as well.
Learn to Make Your Own Baked Goods
You can save a bunch of money by learning to bake gluten free. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but it’s not that difficult once you understand it’s not like “regular” baking. Costco has a pre-made GF flour blend that I use to bake bread and I have individual types of GF flour for other goodies. I keep White Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum and few others on hand. Most of these I order in bulk from Amazon and store in my freezer.
Those are some of my tips for living gluten free on a budget. I would love to hear some of yours! Please click the button below and leave me your tips and tricks. You don’t have to be gluten free to share your thoughts! If you have some tips on clean eating, Paleo, Whole 30, or simply living a healthy lifestyle, then please share those as well. Once I have enough responses, I’ll share them in a post. Most importantly, be sure to leave your name so I can give you a proper shout out!
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