# Low carb food on limited budget?



## Rosiecarmel (Nov 13, 2020)

Hi all, I haven't been on this website for a very long time but I've decided to come back  

I figure you guys will be able to give me some advice. I have £10 for food til the 20th. All cheap food options seems to be rice and potatoes etc. Do you have any suggestions as what to buy to last me?


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## Inka (Nov 13, 2020)

How low carb are you wanting? When I’m short of cash, I go for tinned and frozen stuff eg basic tinned veg, tinned tomatoes, add a few spices and protein if wanted. You can also get cheap frozen veg eg broccoli for around 70p.

Beans and pulses are cheap in a tin and even cheaper in dried form. They’re good for bulking out food and don’t add too many carbs. Red lentils are particularly cheap and are quick to cook.

Things like tinned mackerel are cheaper than tuna, for example.


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## silentsquirrel (Nov 13, 2020)

Welcome back!

Eggs are quite a cheap source of protein.  If you are on a really low budget you may need to overcome animal welfare considerations and go for the cheapest.  Many supermarkets do what they call cooking bacon, which is really cheap compared with neat rashers, but a bit of a lottery whether you get very thin misshapen rashers or thick chunky pieces!   Chop up and use in an omelette or with cheap veg in a casserole.


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 13, 2020)

Would soup, at 4.8 per 100g, be any good. That's Asda chicken soup. Aldi chunky soup (with meat and veg in it) is 7.3g per 100g (55p?).
Soup isn't always substanciale enough for me.
You can get a *big* block of cheese from Aldi for around £3, if I've remembered correctly.


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## Robin (Nov 13, 2020)

If I remember rightly, you may have been inclining towards a vegan diet, if so, and you have insulin to help you out, pulses and cheap winter veg (carrots,onion, cabbage) are probably your best friends. You may need to add a bit of bread or pasta or something in, to balance the pulses and make up a complete protein, though.


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## Rosiecarmel (Nov 13, 2020)

Robin said:


> If I remember rightly, you may have been inclining towards a vegan diet, if so, and you have insulin to help you out, pulses and cheap winter veg (carrots,onion, cabbage) are probably your best friends. You may need to add a bit of bread or pasta or something in, to balance the pulses and make up a complete protein, though.


Hi yes, I do try my best to be vegan but right now, I don't think I have that option. Ill just eat whatever I can get hah


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## silentsquirrel (Nov 13, 2020)

Sorry, Rosie, I had forgotten the vegan thing, eggs and bacon bits not the most helpful suggestions!

You might find some helpful suggestions from Jack Moroe.  She does cheap, and some of her recipes are vegan.  Not specifically low carb, but presumably you are on insulin, so that's not your major concern?








						COOKING ON A BOOTSTRAP
					

by Jack Monroe, bestselling author of 'A Girl Called Jack'




					cookingonabootstrap.com


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## everydayupsanddowns (Nov 13, 2020)

Lovely to see you posting again @Rosiecarmel 

Sorry to hear you are in a tight spot with your food budget


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## Kaylz (Nov 14, 2020)

@Ditto I wouldn't say living a low carb lifestyle is cheaper than being able to eat whatever you like, things like rice, pulses, pasta, bread etc all the carb heavy things are by far cheaper than your carb free meats for instance, also many vegetables aren't that low carb, one pack of heck sausages is around £3 so not exactly cheap but sausages filled with crap are by far cheaper, if you think its cheaper to live low carb then I'd love to see proof of that, also a lot of what you mention isn't vegan friendly and although Rosie seems to feel she may need to loosen the vegan part just now I doubt anyone would make the leap to what you've set out xx


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## SB2015 (Nov 14, 2020)

Hi Rosie

Veg soup is great, especially at this time of year, with loads of veg available.  Do you have a freezer.  Bulk making and freezing portions saves time and money. Also making a veg curry.  We often end up having that without the rice and that comes in at about 20g carb for a good size portion.


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## Inka (Nov 14, 2020)

Rosiecarmel said:


> Hi yes, I do try my best to be vegan but right now, I don't think I have that option. Ill just eat whatever I can get hah



Vegan (and vegetarian food) is usually cheaper   Make a quick list of what you’ve got in your cupboard eg pasta, rice, quinoa, kidney beans, etc etc then look for recipes based on those eg Jack Monroe has a vegan Bolognese sauce that serves 4 and uses tins. Freeze the extra portions.

You can also make a stew with added lentils or beans, or a salad with finely shredded red cabbage (usually huge and very cheap). Spices and sauces are your friend here as they can make basic food more interesting.


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## Perfect10 (Nov 14, 2020)

I have been told of an app called ‘Too good to go’ where you can get a bag of food near the sell by date for about £3? It’s to stop food waste. Don’t know much more about it but may be worth a look? 
if you run low you will have a food bank near you, they should be able to make up a lower carb bag of food if you explain reasons. I used to give out parcels at a local children’s centre I worked at and did have dietary requests, we were always happy to put these together as understandable that it can be more expensive when this is your normal diet.


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## zuludog (Nov 14, 2020)

So let's see.......you want to -

Not spend much money
Cut down on carbs as much as possible
Be vegan or vegetarian

As others have mentioned, one answer is a vegetable soup or stew. Here's my method -

Fry onions in veg oil
Add veg; root veg are cheap, but anything available really. You can use leftover salads, including lettuce & cucumber that are getting a bit old; dice them fine and they blend in
Add beans/lentils/peas/pulses
Add canned chopped tomatoes; you can save a few pence by chopping up whole canned toms on a chopping board
Add flavourings - salt, pepper, stock cube or from a jar; maybe a squirt of brown sauce, Worcester sauce, or tomato ketchup; mixed herbs, garlic
Add water to suit
Cook it in a saucepan or  a casserole in the oven for a couple of hours, or in a slow cooker for most of the day

Obviously shop around for the best prices; a proper greengrocer or a market stall is usually cheaper than a supermarket, and if you do buy from a supermarket, loose is cheaper than prepacked; not only is the actual price lower, you can buy just what you need
However, some supermarkets sell stew packs which are reasonable value
And wherever you go, obviously look out for bargains and offers
And don't forget the discount/bargain stores, have a good browse on the shelves

Dried beans/lentils/peas/pulses are the cheapest, but I've never had much success cooking from dry, so if you find you can't eat them you've wasted your money
One exception has been the small red lentils and split peas; I pour boiling water over them and let them soak overnight
I also do this with soup mix, which is barley & red lentils & split peas. Yes, there is some carb from the barley, but it's only a small part of the stew. Similarly there is a small amount of carb from the veg
The barley breaks down to give a background to the stew, or thicken it slightly, otherwise it tends to just look like veg in water

But canned beans are cheap, and easier to use. There is quite a good choice - chick peas, borlotti beans, butter beans, kidney beans, haricot beans, and probably more
Baked beans are just haricot beans in tomato sauce, and budget baked beans are possibly the cheapest; they mix into a stew very well
If you have cauliflower or broccoli dice the stalks very fine and add them to the stew
Have a look in Asian and Eastern European stores, they usually have a decent choice of beans in cans or jars
Look on supermarket shelves and you'll find beans in cartons, like smaller versions of the cartons of orange juice
You can also get beans & lentils in pouches but they tend to be more expensive unless you find them on offer
Most frozen food sections tend to sell prepared meals and lots of chips (!) but have a good search around and you can find plain beans, including soya or broad beans
Supermarket, own label and budget brands are cheaper than the market leaders, and by the time you've used them in a stew you won't notice much difference

As mentioned, you can get bacon ends or bacon trimmings. These are the ends of sides of bacon that have been sliced and the smaller ends are sold cheaply. Trim them carefully and you can usually get a couple of decent slices to eat as they are, then trim & dice the rest to add to the stew - though obviously this will not be vegetarian

Ages ago I bought some crispbread and they were absolutely hard & solid, it was like trying to eat a roofing tile
So I broke them up, stored them in a plastic bag, and added a small amount when I made a veg stew; they just dispersed and blended in. Yes there was some carb, but I didn't add great shovelfuls, and missed out the barley mix

You can put beetroot in the stew, raw, not ready cooked or pickled. Chop it up and it adds colour

Eggs - boiled as a snack or in a salad; omlette perhaps with cheese or mushrooms; fried or poached on top of some veg

Canned fish like sardines & mackerel are cheap but obviously not vegan
I don't know the cost of tuna offhand as I don't like it
You can buy frozen fish pie mix, which is cheap,but I use it for stir - frys

You could make a salad from tofu and whatever cheap veg, possibly very lightly boiled, you can find

Your friends in the kitchen are a couple of very sharp knives and a decent chopping board; and a hand held blender, aka a stick blender, to make veg soups

You will probably find that a veg stew grows & grows!
I live on my own, and dispense some into single portions in freezer bags, then freeze it


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## Drummer (Nov 14, 2020)

Do you not have a credit card?
As long as you pay it off every month they are a cheap and easy way to spread out debt.


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 14, 2020)

Drummer said:


> Do you not have a credit card?


I don't know how common. I certainly don't have one. Never have.


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## zuludog (Nov 14, 2020)

Oh yes - Search Google and YouTube for 'budget diabetic foods' - there are loads of references, though you'll have to pick through to find the most veggie friendly; but budget meals tend to be veggie anyway

As Perfect 10 mentioned, consider outside help
You don't have to go to a foodbank (I think you need to be referred or approved anyway), but there are various assistance schemes, especially now with Lockdown, such as having a selection of food, including veg, brought to you
Ask around and see what's available in your area


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 14, 2020)

zuludog said:


> You don't have to go to a foodbank (I think you need to be referred or approved anyway),


Some you do, some you don't. It depends. One in my area has got stricter in the 2 years before lock down.


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## Kaylz (Nov 14, 2020)

The credit card comment is put out as you may be odd if you aren't in possession of one, like @Ralph-YK I've never had one, nor my mum, grandad, Bruce and the only folk I know of that have had have always ended up in debt through thinking its only this much and won't do too much harm rather than facing the fact they don't have the money to afford it so will have to leave it until a time they can


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## trophywench (Nov 14, 2020)

You'd be ill advised if you are veggie or vegan using Worcertershire sauce - it's flavoured with anchoves!


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## Rosiecarmel (Nov 14, 2020)

Perfect10 said:


> I have been told of an app called ‘Too good to go’ where you can get a bag of food near the sell by date for about £3? It’s to stop food waste. Don’t know much more about it but may be worth a look?
> if you run low you will have a food bank near you, they should be able to make up a lower carb bag of food if you explain reasons. I used to give out parcels at a local children’s centre I worked at and did have dietary requests, we were always happy to put these together as understandable that it can be more expensive when this is your normal diet.



This is very interesting. I shall check it out thanks!


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## Rosiecarmel (Nov 14, 2020)

Kaylz said:


> The credit card comment is put out as you may be odd if you aren't in possession of one, like @Ralph-YK I've never had one, nor my mum, grandad, Bruce and the only folk I know of that have had have always ended up in debt through thinking its only this much and won't do too much harm rather than facing the fact they don't have the money to afford it so will have to leave it until a time they can



I got myself into debt when I was 18 with credit cards. Now 10 years on I still have a poor credit rating!


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## silentsquirrel (Nov 14, 2020)

trophywench said:


> You'd be ill advised if you are veggie or vegan using Worcertershire sauce - it's flavoured with anchoves!


Vegan versions are available!


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## trophywench (Nov 14, 2020)

silentsquirrel said:


> Vegan versions are available!



There you go - obviously not being vegan and only ever having needed to buy a bottle occasionally - I've never looked.


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## silentsquirrel (Nov 14, 2020)

trophywench said:


> There you go - obviously not being vegan and only ever having needed to buy a bottle occasionally - I've never looked.


Daughter is vegan, so I am aware, though have never used it.  We don't get together that often even pre-CV19 (distance) so not worth stocking up on such things.


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## Drummer (Nov 14, 2020)

Rosiecarmel said:


> I got myself into debt when I was 18 with credit cards. Now 10 years on I still have a poor credit rating!


Ah - that always makes things difficult.
Having a credit card has always meant I can grab a bargain when I see it, and that makes a big difference as the years go by. It is half a century since I got my first credit card. 
Do you have a bank account? That would be where to start to restore your credit rating. If you are always struggling after a 5 week month, for instance then bank account, bank card and credit card might help you out. It takes a lot of stress out of life when having more month than salary happens.


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## zuludog (Nov 15, 2020)

I know you want to be vegetarian, but out of curiosity I've just Searched Google for 'bacon ends and pieces'
There are loads of references and recipes

Hard white cabbages are cheap at the moment; this is how I cook mine
Even my kids would eat cabbage when it's done this way

Cut the cabbage into wedges, a bit like pie slices
Remove the stalk, lay them on their side and cut into fine slices, almost like straw
Put butter and a drop of oil into a pan, the oil stops the butter from burning
Add the cabbage and a small amount of water; you don't want to submerge the cabbage, just an inch or so
Simmer with the lid on till the cabbage is soft, then remove the lid, turn the heat up slightly, and continue till all the water has evaporated and the cabbage fries in the butter
Stir the cabbage occasionally

Although I've never done it, you could probably turn this into a meal by including carrots, onion, bacon pieces or chick peas
But I might try it in a couple of days time

Or Search Google for 'hard white cabbage recipes'.


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## trophywench (Nov 15, 2020)

One of the first Balti houses on Ladypool Road (central to the Balti Belt, Birmingham LOL) did a wonderful vegetarian balti, 99% diced white cabbage and onion of course.  Love white cabbage (Diced or sliced without stalk)  which I just steam or boil, drain extra well, chuck back in the saucepan with a knob of butter, add pepper to taste and as they say, toss!  Or made into coleslaw with whatever you happen to have that you can grate.

Red cabbage to Delia Smith's recipe ... make sure you have all the spices and wine vinegar handy before you start assembling it in the pressure cooker though - it is not pressure cooked, but it's the largest, thickest saucepan I own so it get's used for this every year, cos you have to cook it for a long time very very gently indeed.  I make a whole cabbage worth (about 10 good portions) and freeze portions of it.


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## Rosiecarmel (Nov 15, 2020)

zuludog said:


> I know you want to be vegetarian, but out of curiosity I've just Searched Google for 'bacon ends and pieces'
> There are loads of references and recipes
> 
> Hard white cabbages are cheap at the moment; this is how I cook mine
> ...


Thank you this sounds nice! 

I have also found Asdas own soya milk for half the price of branded soya milk!


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## Rosiecarmel (Nov 15, 2020)

Rosiecarmel said:


> Thank you this sounds nice!
> 
> I have also found Asdas own soya milk for half the price of branded soya milk!



It was sneaky and hidden in the baking aisle instead of where all the milks are!


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## zuludog (Nov 16, 2020)

If you're going to cook these sort of stews a slow cooker is useful. You don't need to get one straight away, but it's something to think about for the future

You don't need anything fancy, you can get a basic 3 litre model for about £20 or less
That's what I use, and it does the job well enough.
And of course, Search t'Net & YouTube and there are loads of recipes

You'll notice that as well as being low carb, veg stews are also low in fat and salt
Use reduced salt stock cubes
If you use bacon pieces, trim & dice them; soak overnight and pour away the water in the morning; fry off the fat before adding it to the stew


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## helli (Nov 16, 2020)

@Rosiecarmel how are you doing with your £10.
I realise I am late to this discussion but notice you have LADA rather than type 2. Therefore, whilst low carb may reduce your insulin demands. the need to go low carb is much less - you should be able to inject insulin for the cheaper more carby foods such as bread and rice and pulses. Some supermarkets do packs of cheaper "stewing vegetables". You can cook these without meat for a hearty stew or soup. 
You can cook these without the nee to spend twice as much money as you have on a slow cooker or by getting into debt with a credit card whilst remaining vegetarian (no need for bacon, for example).

If your incoming continues to be low, have you thought about planning ahead? Do you have the option of bulk buying a few things after the 20th of the month?

Tell us how you are doing ... and good luck?


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## Tereza (Nov 16, 2020)

Kaylz said:


> @Ditto I wouldn't say living a low carb lifestyle is cheaper than being able to eat whatever you like, things like rice, pulses, pasta, bread etc all the carb heavy things are by far cheaper than your carb free meats for instance, also many vegetables aren't that low carb, one pack of heck sausages is around £3 so not exactly cheap but sausages filled with crap are by far cheaper, if you think its cheaper to live low carb then I'd love to see proof of that, also a lot of what you mention isn't vegan friendly and although Rosie seems to feel she may need to loosen the vegan part just now I doubt anyone would make the leap to what you've set
> 
> 
> Kaylz said:
> ...


Kaylz   I agree with you.  And feel realy sorry for Robincarmel, being short of cash and having to eat animal products is very disheartening.
For me such an option does not exist. Its animal free or I dont eat. How come so many people seem to think an egg is a vegetable? Check out your eat out menu when next you are able to do so.

Being a diabetic and living on low carb?  A very BIG problem. How does one make soup tasty with out soup cubes?  A tablespoon HP sauce per plate of soup does make a bit of difference.  But there is noting like throwing in a hand full of grated cheese.... now thats a tasty plate of soup..... but does not help the weight or the acid reflux.  

How about the right type of fruit for a diabetic.  all the berries. but why are the berries soo expensive. An orange has too much sugar, an apple or a pear the same.  And nuts are suppose to be good for you. The cheapest ones are salted peanuts.... no, thats not good for you. But can you afford eight walnuts a day?  Or a few brazil nuts? Nope, they are too expensive.

I guess next life time around I hope if my karma depicts I should become diabetic again that I am a wealthy one so I can eat decently.


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## Lucyr (Nov 17, 2020)

I'd suggest googling your area to see if it has a community fridge. Theres a few near me, food that is close to it's date are put in the fridge and anyone can help themselves to it. There's also an app called Olio which i haven't used but have been reccomeded, which is aimed at reducing food waste by sharing foods that would go to waste otherwise.


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## AndBreathe (Nov 18, 2020)

Tereza said:


> Kaylz   I agree with you.  And feel realy sorry for Robincarmel, being short of cash and having to eat animal products is very disheartening.
> For me such an option does not exist. Its animal free or I dont eat. How come so many people seem to think an egg is a vegetable? Check out your eat out menu when next you are able to do so.
> 
> Being a diabetic and living on low carb?  A very BIG problem. How does one make soup tasty with out soup cubes?  A tablespoon HP sauce per plate of soup does make a bit of difference.  But there is noting like throwing in a hand full of grated cheese.... now thats a tasty plate of soup..... but does not help the weight or the acid reflux.
> ...



Tereza - I'm not veggie, never mind vegan, but I have made this home made veg stock paste several times, as I find it an excellent, simple (read lazy, if you're referring to me!) means of seasoning many things.

The recipe outlines a variety of vegetables, but in reality, it is an ideal bottom of the fridge, yellow label or or veg box remainders recipe.  All that changes is the flavour a bit.  I do use the parmesan, but that is optional.

I have an Instant Pot, so use that to make mine, but in essence, a pressure cooker just speeds the cooking up.  It would work equally well in a large stock pot.  For anyone without a blender, a masher and a bit of exercise - mashing - would work too.

It is exceptionally salty - that helps it keep, and helps us remember is is a concentrate, but honestly a spoonful, or a couple, if batch cooking can be transformative.









						Homemade Vegetable Stock Paste (with Instant Pot and Thermomix instructions) - Feisty Tapas
					

You'll know what goes into your stock with this Homemade Vegetable Stock Paste (with Instant Pot & Thermomix instructions). A thrifty way to use scraps too




					www.feistytapas.com
				




If we want soup, it's very easy to lob a couple of spoonfuls of this, along with whatever veg needs to be used up (and leftover meats in our case) and a tasty bowl is there in no time.


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