Having gone through more than one stint of crying-myself-to-sleep poverty, I pride myself on being able to live simply and frugally. I've enjoyed some of the past threads here that discuss LC on a budget. The google search isn't being too helpful, but here is one relatively-recent thread: Low Carb on a budget.

I had an eye-opener earlier this year in realizing that I'm not getting nearly as much protein as I should be, unless I'm paying attention and making it a priority. My current strategy is more along the lines of Dr Ted Naiman's P:E Diet. My other priorities: staying gluten-free and avoiding seed oils... not for "they're sorta unhealthy" reasons, but more "I can't afford to be in arthritis pain or have chronic diarrhea" reasons. Kudos to those who can afford organic, non-GMO, grass-fed, pastured, dolphin-safe everything, but that would literally triple my food budget, and that can't happen.... because with covid layoffs, we're staring down the barrel of losing our house. We were already living below our means before this; there's nothing left to cut: I've had to alter how I shop if I want to make all of these puzzle pieces fit together.

So here are some thoughts and tips on how to keep protein higher without going broke.

- (ETA) I forgot one of the main points of my "essay": first, if you aren't already, save all of the natural animal fat that you can. This is the main reason I don't mind shifting my budget toward leaner protein, which is generally more expensive: I always seem to have more leftover fat from cooking than I particularly need. I was splurging on butter (upwards of $4/lb when it's not on sale) while I have other cooking fats essentially for free. Sausage grease in the frying pan, bacon grease, chicken fat/lard/tallow from making broth and other recipes... It's delicious to cook with; save it! Here's how I do it, for the most part.

- When you're comparing prices on meat, be sure to consider the cost per serving, and not necessarily the price per pound. YMMV depending on where you live, but my rule of thumb is that a good deal on a protein food is about $1.00 per serving of about 20 g of protein. Some good deals in this category:

• Eggs
• Lean meats, on sale
• Frozen chicken breasts and ground beef tubes
• Fattier meats that are usually more expensive but reduced before the expiry date. I consider the free cooking fat I'll get along with it (eg bacon grease, lard from ribs, chicken fat, etc)
• Products like pork shoulder that go on sale a few times a year. I got a huge 9-lb pork shoulder for about 3 bucks (further reduced after the sale) and got an amazing amount of food off it. It makes incredibly gelatinous broth, ample lard, and good shredded meat for pulled pork.
• 0% fat yogurt (ETA - it's Greek yogurt, thank Arielle). I was very surprised at the high protein content of my store's brand compared to my usual full-fat yogurt at the same price.
• Canned tuna
• Canned corned beef - far less expensive than fresh beef, which is upwards of $4/lb here now, even on sale.
• Deli meats, wieners, etc
• The often-maligned pork rinds
• Tofu is quite inexpensive, though I avoid soy. YMMV.

- Some that I don't consider as nutritious, but decent for boosting protein:

• Cartons of egg whites
• Protein powder

- A little higher cost, but still worth it to me:

• On-the-bone chicken, with the bones and icky bits getting turned into broth and cat food.
• Gelatin and collagen powder, purchased from Bulk Barn. Very convenient to just mix into soups, sauces, drinks, etc.
• Basa fish - I'm not a fan of much other seafood, and it's prohibitively expensive anyway. I take fish oil instead. I WISH I liked canned sardines and herring... blech. Nope.