Can Atkins be affordable?

[hrgillespie]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

I just wanted to pop in here and give you a straight out answer to your question ........... Yes and No!!!!! Sorry had to do it .........

First of all I want you to know I am a mom to 7 and have always raised my family on a limited income so trust me when I say I get it and I know exactly what you are asking ........ now with that said I will tell you that it may take some effort but you can make this affordble and you can eat well even on a limited budget. Let Walmart be your friend ........I'm sure if your cutting cost now it allready is ....... BUT look for ways to make it work for you. Buy in bulk and save that way . Check sale flyers and shop at several stores to take advantage of the best prices. With all your efforts I know you can do it and make ot work for your family. In all honestly it may cost a little more in meats and veggies but you won't be consuming the cookies, pasta bread ect you are now so those things will last way longer and that will be a savings in itself. Go back in your budget for a few months and take an honest look at what you have bought or spent on groceries over that time and then after a month on Atkins do the same adn compare ......... lay it out on paper and see how it stacks up. I think you may be real suprised.

Heidi

[choeve]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

We do the local farmers market too and it is cheaper and it lasts longer. Week before last I shopped at Kroger and the veggies went bad before the week was out. And I am talking about bell peppers and cucumbers that should last thru the week. And we buy lots of fruit (for my husband and daughter) and veggies for us all and the most we have spent was $20. It's a little out of the way but we make it our Saturday moring adventure. Sam's also it good good for buying in bulk. Around here their meat on a regular basis is cheaper that Albertsons, Kroger and Walmart if you have a place to divide it and freeze it.

[sugarsack]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

eggs and bacon (sausage) do cost more than say cap'n crunch, but the whole family can eat together and feel full and get started for the day

pack a chicken breast and broccoli with ranch for lunch

whole roast, salad, sauted squash for dinner and whole family eats together (wife can cook the roast in a crock pot and save time for her)

snack .. 3 oz of cheese while doing homework / watching a movie

save money on chips, sugar laden cereal, milk, bread (oopsie rolls are good for saturdays french toast)

it can be a whole family WOL

[lason]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

the whole family doesn't want to give up foods like bread and cereal, nor would i force them to. so it can't be a whole family WOL.

[not2late]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

the whole family doesn't want to give up foods like bread and cereal, nor would i force them to. so it can't be a whole family WOL.

Then buy the cereal and bread for them, but find common foods that you all can eat. Sugarsack gave you an idea of what a "whole family" menu looks like. If your family eats chicken, then buy a family pack of chicken legs or chicken leg quarters---bake them in the oven for supper, you can bring the leftover for your lunch the next day. SAme goes for vegetables.

Also, Atkins is eating more whole, minimally processed foods---that's far healthier for your children than alot of processed stuff. I work in a doctor's office and just yesterday there was a mother at her wits end because her child will only eat 4 things: cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza (no tomato sauce), pasta with butter and cheese. The child refused to even try a fresh strawberry from Doc's own lunch because it was "yucky" (though the child admitted she never eaten strawberries before!) It was sad really....

[lason]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

i'm not going to deny my kids the foods they want to eat even though i know whole foods are better. they're gonna eat what they want, and not what i tell them to. no kid likes being told what to eat, let alone being made to eat things they don't like.

[boonie stomper]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

Freezer - certainly is a magic word when it comes to saving!!! Just like say you could buy a $3.99 marble composition book at one store just before school starts (and say you need 4 every fall for each kid you have in school) - Someones gonna get rich. Chicken breast at $3.99 per pound is the same way. But you may want to eat it once or more every month!
The books will at some point be 4/$1 at the drug store, and I'll buy a dozen for the price of one technically, saving a bundle on future potential expenses. You may have to do a little homework to find & target the bargains you want, but they are well worth it.

The chicken breasts I got last week at $ .99/lb now fill 2 deep-freezer shelves. (necks are normally this price at the same store!! ).

My co-workers spend $5-$6 each for a skimpy low-nutrient by comparison take-out lunch every day while I savor home cooked whole chicken breast with home-grown stewed tomato & squash & herbs for under $1..

Get the picture? (No gas wasted getting lunch, either!) BWAHAHA!

[not2late]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

i'm not going to deny my kids the foods they want to eat even though i know whole foods are better. they're gonna eat what they want, and not what i tell them to. no kid likes being told what to eat, let alone being made to eat things they don't like.

All I will say is for you to re-read what you have written, especially the first sentence and the beginning of second sentence, then look at your own weight issues. That's all I will say on that issue.

But as I and others have advised you, look for foods compatible for you and for your family so that your grocery bill will be more manageable and look for deals at the market too. Otherwise, Atkins will be expensive if you have to buy two different meals because there is nothing Atkins has in common with the foods your family typically eats.

[Luvmybabies]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

Atkins can definitely be affordable and it can be expensive too... its all about how you shop. I watch for sales and deals and stock up... I buy chicken/ground beef/other meats when they go on sale and freeze them. Veggies, we buy some frozen, mainly fresh though and again, I look for the best deals.

I can also have more expensive weeks, where I head to the local butcher and splurge on a really nice steak. Thats a once in a while thing though.

Overall we spend less - we don't eat out much (if at all) and there is minimal processed food in our house anyhow (kids have food allergies/issues).

[Aussie_babygurl]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

i have been able to do atkins on 20 dollars a week, many times. The Menu hasnt been as good as everyone elses.. But im getting the same results. Its really a matter of what u would like to eat, if u can handle a basic menu, same meals daily. Etc.

But i think alot of people might fail, if they were eating same stuff daily..

Really though, you should listen to everyone else. You asked for advice? Well they are giving you advice, U dont need to shoot down all there ideas.

[choeve]

Re: Can Atkins be affordable?

I know my daughter is probably younger than your kids (she is 4) but since I have started eating this way her way of eating has changed also. She loves hard boiled eggs. She only eats the whites though. We quit buying potato chips all together. My husband still eats tortilla chips so that is what we have. I can tell also that since mommy stopped buying as many snacks and got out the workout stuff she has slimmed down quite a bit. She is also starting to try meats from my plate and likes them rather than having chicken nuggets all the time. LOL the point is I don't deprive her of anything either but me changing has changed her eating and her activity level. You never know your kids might learn to make better choices from you making better choices. But I know how you feel my husband insists me eating this way is costing us more money even though I have told him it isn't. I am spending less in snacks, bread, milk etc... because I am not eating them. And I admit I was the biggest eater of those things not them. Per pound meat and veggies are cheaper than all the chips, cookies, milk, and bread I was eating.