[fractal]

Sad but true - high-protein, low-carb diets are expensive, just as any good quality food is; and the realisation looms on even more painfully after your shopping bill rockets up after you have cut out your fave junk food! To be honest, not all my failures can be attributed to budget considerations, but a great part of them are the result of simply being unable to afford it at times. Yeah, maybe with good planning (tips appreciated), no force-majeur financial holes (can't help those) and proper research (fave site mysupermarket.co.uk for comparing prices when shopping online; getting reduced stuff when shopping live) we can make it. So that is the purpose of starting the thread, here (UK subforum).
So how do you manage your budget, ladies, without compromising the quality and staying within the plan?

[Rosinante]

I'm on calorie counting - but excluding junk food; non-freerange meat, fish and eggs; processed carbs and general cheap crp; so have the potential for big bills too.

I try to buy the best quality I can.
I try to buy in small amounts - fruit and veg etc - so it doesn't go off and get wasted.
I head for the 'reduced for quick sale' shelves, and see what I can invent on the spot for what's in there.

I try to make up stews and casseroles that I can portion, bag and freeze, which makes things go farther.

I guess I combine planning - look at what's on offer and plan meals round it on the spot - with flexibility - if I find a stunning offer on something unexpected, I buy it and recalibrate my planning.

[fractal]

Thanks for joining, Rosinante!
Great tip - cook, portion, bag and freeze; saves time as well!