How to Eat A Gluten-Free Diet On A Budget

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A pocket-sized calculator or the calculator function on your cell phone
An envelope or file for coupons
A pen
A small pad of paper (or an electronic gadget you can take notes on)

Step 1

Stop Throwing Your Money Away on Overpriced Gluten-Free Foods!

Stop buying prepackaged gluten-free foods. This includes anything that you buy that's specifically marketed as a gluten-free product and isn't a raw ingredient: pretzels, cereal, cookies, cake, cake mixes, pizza crusts, waffles, etc. As tempting as these foods are, and as hard as it is to believe, you DON'T NEED 'EM! They are simply adding empty calories to your diet and burning a hole through your wallet. Now go find recipes for making those products yourself, or find naturally gluten-free substitutes that are available in your supermarket. Rather than relying on specialty gluten-free foods that you can only find in the health food store, start to base your meals around foods that you can find in the regular aisles of your grocery store.
Step 2

Homemade Gluten-Free Kalamata-Rosemary Bread

Celiac disease or gluten intolerance might just be the BEST thing to ever happen to you, because it's going to force you to learn how to cook! Don't be afraid, you can do it. You'd be amazed how much better home-cooked food is, and I promise that gluten-free baking isn't as hard as you might think, if you have some good recipes. Start by checking out an easy gluten-free cookbook or two, or read gluten-free food blogs (see links below). Experiment. By cooking your own food you can become not just frugal but also creative, self-sufficient and healthy! If that's not enough motivation, how about this? Home-baked gluten-free bread is about 100 times better than that nasty styrofoam-tasting stuff you buy from the store.
Step 3

Rice Chex is a widely available gluten-free cereal.

Make a list of the staples you will need. Start with naturally gluten-free foods. For example: Rice, popping corn, dry or canned beans, fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, fish, tofu, yeast (for baking your own bread), corn tortillas. Then list the absolute bare minimum of the gluten-free specialty items that you need: Gluten-free multi-purpose flour mix from which you will make bread, pancakes, muffins, etc; rice pasta; an inexpensive breakfast cereal such as Rice Chex; GF soy sauce; canned or boxed gluten-free vegetable and/or chicken stock, etc. Keep this list on your fridge, along with a blank piece of paper for your shopping list. Any time you're out of any of these staples, write it on your shopping list.
Step 4

Budgeting works!

Set a grocery budget and stick to it by planning your meals for the week before going shopping. Base your menu around what's already in your fridge and cupboards, then supplement as needed with food you will buy on your grocery trip. Plan to cook enough to have leftovers to bring for lunch. Stick to your shopping list... or at least try your best.
Step 5

Beans are an ultra-cheap and versatile source of protein, especially when you soak and cook them yourself.

Base your meals around vegetables, whole grains, dry or canned beans, and just enough meat or fish to satisfy your family's tastes. Remember that oftentimes the closer a food is to its original form, the cheaper and more healthy the food. Buy beans dry and soak and boil them yourself for lower sodium and tastier alternative to canned. Explore new vegetables, protein sources, and exotic new gluten-free grains when they're on sale. Use Celiac Disease as an excuse to learn about new and exciting foods and recipes, and you just might find your diet has become more varied instead of more restricted!
Step 6

Coupon clipping is a major money saver when done right.

Clip coupons from the newspaper and print them out from online sites each week (links below). Keep them organized in a coupon file or envelope. Swap the ones you can't use with your friends or family or an online "coupon train." For each item you'll be buying on your grocery trip, go through your coupon file to see if you already have a coupon for it. Try to use the coupons when there's already a sale going on, as the sale plus the coupon will result in you paying rock bottom prices. Increasingly there are more and more coupons for foods that are gluten-free. Keep your coupons organized and stow them in your car or in your purse so you never forget them. Don't be afraid to stock up during sales!
Step 7

You can find deals in all kinds of unexpected places.

You don't need to go to Whole Foods in order to eat a well-rounded gluten-free diet! Try eating produce that's in season - You can find good deals at your local farmer's market. Ask about produce that might be in less than perfect condition, too. Consider learning how to can or freeze foods in order to make the most use of inexpensive seasonal produce. Then take a good look at what gluten-free foods your local warehouse store sells. I save a lot by stocking up on canned black beans, garbanzo beans, cheddar cheese, hummus, salmon filets, Lara Bars, and other GF goodies at Costco about once a month. Buying in bulk quantity is a good deal if you have space to store the food. Specialty stores can also have good deals - Trader Joe's has good prices on brown rice pasta, brown rice tortillas, nuts, dried fruit, and other staples. Health food stores sometimes have really good sales (which you can combine with the coupons you've been clipping and saving). Avoid buying food at health food stores at full price, though, and steer clear of being tempted by the overpriced gluten-free convenience foods. Mainstream grocery stores and discount grocery stores might surprise you with the GF goods you can find, too. Learn which store-brand items are gluten-free by calling the company, and stick to those items or items that are on sale. Local ethnic (especially Asian or Central American) specialty stores can have really cheap prices on herbs, spices, rice, and even some gluten-free flours.
Step 8

Amazon has a grocery section that features many bulk gluten-free products at deep discounts.

You can find awesome deals on gluten-free foods online, especially on Amazon.com if you buy in bulk. If you have a favorite cereal or you eat a lot of quinoa, you can buy boxes of 4 or 6 packages of these foods for far cheaper than you'll find in a store, and the shipping is free for orders over $25.
Step 9

Calculate the real cost of the food you're buying by dividing the price by the number of ounces and comparing with similar products.

While you shop, take notes in a notebook about the prices you are paying for things so that next time you can see if you're getting a better or worse deal. Use a calculator, or the calculator function on your cell phone, to calculate how much products cost per ounce - This is a better way to compare prices than to compare the total package cost, since two packages of the same food from two different companies may not contain the same amount of food.
Step 10

Learn to love finding new ways of using fresh fruits and vegetables.

Gluten-free eating does not have to be expensive. My own diet revolves around naturally gluten-free foods like brown rice, quinoa, beans, tofu, corn tortillas, cheese, tuna, and loads of fresh vegetables bought at the discount vegetable market. I treat meat and fish as condiments, using small quantities to add flavor and seeing them as a treat instead of the basis of every dinner. I bake my own bread and baked goods, and I bring my lunch from home. When I get cheap deals on produce I stock up and freeze or can it. I almost never buy gluten-free cookies or frozen gluten-free meals or other expensive treats, because they just can't hold a candle to what I make in my own kitchen! I have to make some time to cook during the week, but in turn I've saved many hundreds of dollars in the past year. I hope these tips help you do the same!

Comments

MaryVNYC said

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on 5/13/2009 I found your article interesting, well-written, and well-researched. I give you 5 stars for this article.

SchoolOfLife said

on 3/15/2009 I enjoyed this article. Thanks! :)

Triskit said

on 2/28/2009 great info. I make almost everything from scratch, not only does it save money, but it tastes better too :)

on 2/26/2009 Excellent information and yes you have done your research...I didn't know about the amazon gluten free bulk shopping. Good tip I'll check it out. I'll post some recepies and you can try em somtime, let me know if they turn out good. Sorry about the late response to your email...month later. :Shappy Gluten free eating! :D