When I look around various keto forums and Facebook groups, one thing I consistently see is people looking for ways to cut their food bill when they’re doing keto. It may seem like this diet is expensive to maintain, but it doesn’t have to be.

Here are six easy tips to help you cut your keto food bill without giving in to cheap carbs.

1. Shop farmers’ markets: Meats may be high on your list of foods to eat on keto, but you can eat many low-carb vegetables as well. One place to get these vegetables, cheese, and other goodies while saving money is at farmers’ markets. You can also look for produce stands and local pick-your-own farms. In addition to saving money, you’ll also be supporting local small businesses and getting fresh, never frozen goods.

2. Avoid boneless chicken: Skinless, boneless cuts may be easier to prepare, but they’re also a lot more expensive. You can remove bones and skin from your own cuts of chicken and save money while still staying true to your diet.

3. Price each meal: The price of each meal you eat can vary wildly when doing keto, so knowing the cost breakdown of each of the meals you make is crucial to ensuring that you develop a weekly meal plan that fits your grocery budget. It allows you to limit expensive meals to once or twice a month and focus instead on affordable fare.

4. Buy on sale and freeze: Grocery stores and meat markets often have great sales on both high- and low-end cuts from time to time. Buying the on-sale meats in bulk and freezing them gives you the opportunity to cut costs on regular meals long into the future.

5. Get cooking: There are a ton of ready-made keto foods like crackers and flatbreads, but if you want to save money, you are far better off trying to make your own keto-friendly foods. Buy some almond flour and other acceptable alternatives and experiment with different keto recipes to find foods you really like, and can afford.

6. Have a supplement budget: Supplements are an important part of doing keto. The right supplements can increase your energy and fat burning while suppressing your appetite and helping fight fluid retention. But you need to avoid just heading to GNC and randomly buying supplements because that will burn a giant hole in your wallet. Instead, create an affordable supplement regimen and budget for their purchase.

What are some of your tips for staying keto on a budget?