This is next area that I am trying to really pin down. I've done a little better financially the last year and food is something I splurge on a little. I am trying to keep better records here.
My main spending is for my CSA box. It's $65 for 2 boxes a month. One has 3lbs of grassfed ground beef in it
Both boxes have either a cake of tofu or carton of eggs, and 7 to 10 veggies and 1 fruit
I am trying to get back towards paleo ish again. My boyfriend is used to living frugally but eating things that are instant or out of cans. He eats a lot of carbs, no bueno. Beans are a compromise I'm willing to make. He doesn't like meat but I feel it's important to eat.
Been doing intermittent fasting again the last 2 weeks and it's a big help. What would people suggest to supplement this for two people, or where you are spending to get a good deal. Suburban area, can get to all sorts of stores.
I hear you on the splurging, especially now during Covid-19! This week my adult sons wanted to come with me to Aldi, and they were tossing in potatoes chips, Frito-type corn chips, candy, ice cream, Aldi brand cola, etc. I figured out I spent about $30 extra just on the treats they wanted, plus I bought lunch meat and seltzer water because DH wanted them. I don't feel too badly because we're spending much less overall due to Covid, but at the same time they can't get used to this.
I've done CSA boxes several times, sometimes for a couple of years at a time, and without doubt I end up thinking I'd rather get the produce I want, when I want it, and not full of bugs. Even shopping at the farmers market ends up costing less. But even more than this, choosing to eat the less expensive produce will cut major money from the grocery bill. I feed my family with the inexpensive basics of cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, bananas, and apples (but not in summer when they cost more and aren't as fresh), and then fill in with whatever is on sale that week, at loss leader type prices. This week we're having zucchini and bell peppers, because they were on sale. I also buy lettuce and tomatoes regularly, and cucumbers if they're on sale. Right now we have cantaloupe because they were 99¢ each (I won't buy if they're priced higher), and a pineapple because it was also 99¢.
I don't know where you live, but I buy grass-fed beef for $6.99/# from a small rancher in my state, with free shipping (free shipping is available for CA, WA, and AZ). Stores such as Sprouts and Aldi often sell it for less than that. I know some people will suggest not buying grass-fed beef, but 12 years ago we went from not eating meat at all to eating grass-fed, and we really prefer it.
I don't follow a paleo diet, but because of food allergies I also don't eat legumes, so often my meals skew paleo/primal. For example, tonight I'll be eating pork, potatoes, and zucchini. I also eat some dairy, and I don't eschew wheat because it would be too limiting with my multiple food allergies (all legumes, all nuts, most fruits, many vegetables, some grains like barley and rye, and many other foods) and also eating to control kidney stones. I make my own sourdough sandwich/toasting bread.
The good thing for you is that white potatoes are allowed on most paleo diets now, and even Mark's Daily Apple considers white rice a safe starch for most people. Those are two really inexpensive sources for carbs. 50# of white calrose rice is usually under $25. Rinse it well to remove any enrichment if you prefer. Sam's Club sells 50# of long grain rice for $17. I haven't seen sales on potatoes in months, but they're still inexpensive. I think I pay $3 for 10#.
Chicken pieces have been hard to find lately, but whole chickens are less expensive most of the time, and you get the bones to make stock with. Sometimes Aldi puts chicken quarters (leg and thigh) on sale for 49¢/#, in a 10# bag. I'll do that to make stock, although I prefer Foster Farms chicken and only buy FF for whole chickens and split breasts. I'm not super picky about b/s chicken breast, as long as I can get it for under $1.50/#. If I can, I buy as much as possible and freeze it (after salting) in individual portions. If I can't, we don't eat b/s chicken breast. For us, it's a cheap convenience food.
Eggs are inexpensive and work for paleo. Fish does too, but it isn't inexpensive unless you buy canned tuna.
Two years ago we decided we wanted to be FI more than we wanted to buy organic produce or pastured eggs. This month we paid off our mortgage, the last step in making sure we're FI. I'm RE, my husband doesn't want to retire yet, but we also want him to be able to walk away at any time.
Despite achieving this, we're not going to change the kinds of food we buy, or up the grocery budget, because it won't be sustainable once we FIRE, and because at the same time I last cut our grocery budget (I've done it many times), I realized I would rather send extra grocery money to hunger relief than spend it on ourselves.
ETA: I meant to mention bulk cooking of meat to save money while eating paleo. Today I've been slow cooking pork shoulder (butt) from Costco. 14# of meat was $28. This makes at least 9 generous meals for our family of four adults, two of whom are highly active young adult males. If it were just DH and I, I estimate we'd get 20+ meals. Plus I save the cooking liquid as broth, and skim off the fat for cooking. You can cook it with a rub of paleo approved spices, along with chicken broth, or even leftover pork broth from the previous batch (frozen and defrosted). I'm using one slow cooker and one Instant Pot on slow cooker mode (not my favorite, but this week I didn't feel like cooking it on two separate days). I don't cook it with BBQ sauce because I want it to be versatile for several different meals, including tacos tomorrow night. But DH and our oldest will mix BBQ sauce into theirs tonight.
I do the same with beef, using brisket or chuck roast. Basically, I try to find the least expensive cuts of meat, buy them in bulk, slow cook them, and then portion out and freeze. Then it's basically convenience food, since it only takes about 45 minutes to defrost a bag of cooked pork or beef in a bowl of water.
And finally, check out The Cheapskate Cook on IG and Facebook. She cooks budget friendly meals with basic ingredients. I disagree with labeling food "real" or "clean", but if you can get past that she has great ideas and recipes. We really like her homemade salad dressings, and I make her seasoned ground beef almost weekly.