Carbs are cheap. You can get a loaf of bread for $1.00. Meat is much more than that per pound and prices seem to just go up. Here are some great ways to save money and stay on your south beach diet phases. Don’t eat out. This is an important thing to think about when considering how to save money. Restaurant food is mark-up so much that you can easily spend the entire grocery budget for a week for a family of four during a night out for those same four people. Home cooked food is more nutritious, better tasting and creates great family memories. Let’s talk about how you can save money when purchasing that food that you are going to make at home. The best way to save money on meat is to buy in bulk and buy a lot during really good sales. Since I always seem to miss the really good sales, so I usually stick to buying the bulk packages. I am talking about the bulk packaging that is available at your local grocery store not the Club stores. They always have portions that are way to big for what I can store. If you have memberships in these stores and can store the food, by all means, get your meats from there. For the rest of us, buy the bulk chicken, beef and pork at your grocery store. To make sure that you don’t waste any of it separate the meat when you get home. I usually cook most of the meat in different ways and put a smaller portion in the freezer.
For example, if I buy bulk chicken I cook some in the oven for a oven fried or bar-b-que chicken. At the same time I will also boil some of the chicken to use as a chicken salad or similar recipe. I will also throw a third of the raw chicken in the freezer to use when I need to make a chicken recipe. I will also freeze some of the cooked chicken if I don’t think I will use it in a day or two. This way I have prepared food in the refrigerator, prepared food in the freezer and raw food in the freezer in case company comes over. Use coupons. It is possible to get your entire grocery cart for free if you use double, triple and manufacturers coupons. I have seen others do it and I have come close myself. It might not be possible to get the entire bill down to zero when you are on the south beach diet because many times you have to buy some packaged food. Usually packaged food falls into the category of carbs. You can save a lot of money if you clip coupons. It doesn’t take any time if you do it while you are sitting in front of the TV. Buy your produce seasonally and locally. Vegetables are also expensive these days but you can save by purchasing the produce that is in season. You can usually get some great skills. South beach diet phase two & three dieters can practice on their baking skills by making fruit dishes with sugar substitutes that are ok for the south beach diet. Local produce also will cost less especially if you go to the local farmers markets. I find gorgeous produce at my local flea market and the prices are unbeatable. This is a www.weightshapes.com diet guide.