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Part of the beauty of the Paleo lifestyle is that you don't need new-fangled gizmos to get through the day. But...

There are definitely items that can help us save money, right?

My top money-savers are:

  • chest freezer for buying and storing meat that's on sale
  • a Soda Stream for making carbonated water at just 20 cent per liter
  • kettle bells and home gym equipment vs. Gym fees
  • dehydrator for making beef jerkey

Not buying neolithic foods anymore, like French Fries or whatever, doesn't count. I'm looking for things you can make yourself or buy that will help us all save hard cash in the long run of our Paleo lifestyles.

Got anything?

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1 
 Meat freezer and Crock pot. – Ebice Mar 28 2011 at 22:07

14 Answers

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Definitely my food processor.

I use it to make flours, nut butters, chop veggies, make mayo, or sometimes to mix chicken/tuna salads. It saves me a lot of $$; I can buy nuts in bulk and make my own products, I don't have to shop around for good mayo, it was a good buy! I don't know how I lived without it.

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We get a ton of use out of our food processor, too...good call. Do you have a favorite mayo recipe? Every time I've tried it in the food processor, it's been an epic fail. – Angelo - Latest in Paleo Oct 29 2010 at 16:41
you need air for mayonnaise, and food processors are just marginal for adding air. Use your blender, and it should take you at least 2 minutes to add the oil in a slow, steady stream. – Cheryl - Diabetes Bootcamp Oct 29 2010 at 17:05
@Angele - TWiP: I use this recipe: thelabelsayspaleo.com/2010/02/14/… except I don't use EVOO or walnut oil, I just use plain olive oil, or a combo of canola/olive. It works well for me in my food processor! – Ben Oct 29 2010 at 17:38
Cheryl - the closest I've come to making a decent mayo was with a blender...but I think I got impatient and started adding the oil too quickly. Will give it another shot. – Angelo - Latest in Paleo Oct 29 2010 at 17:39
Thanks @Ben! -- I'll try it this weekend. I guess I was always expecting it to thicken right away...didn't realize that happened during refrigeration. – Angelo - Latest in Paleo Oct 29 2010 at 19:53
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I don't know if this is what you want, but buying cheap (or cheaper) parts of grass fed meat or game. I don't care if it is not lean (on the contrary), and you can make delicious meals with them. If you want a product, I would say a slow-cooker or crock-pot.

Getting our mineral water at a local source instead of buying it in the shop. And I get an incredible farmers walk exercise from the forest source to the car.

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I also have discovered I can buy (and cook) cheap (or cheaper) parts of grass fed meat or game. – Cacktus Wayfinder Oct 29 2010 at 16:27
Great tip. Do you have a favorite online source for cheaper cuts of grassfed? – Angelo - Latest in Paleo Oct 29 2010 at 16:40
Sorry Angelo, I live in Belgium and only buy in the shops... – Pieter D Oct 29 2010 at 17:21
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My home gym is just thick rope and sand bags. In addition to body weight stuff, this has tremendous range and saves me tons of cash. Plus, I get Vitamin D since it's all outside.

Regarding food, I have canned wild fish (sardines/salmon from Costco) almost daily. At about $2 a pound, ends up being way cheap compared to fresh meat, and the nutrient loss is marginal. Also, the pasteurization process is basically just cooking, so no preservatives or other nasty stuff.

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canned wild fish! – Pieter D Oct 29 2010 at 16:18
Here's a vote for Vitamin D. I take supplements in the winter but summer sun was awesome. Can't wait until it comes back. Maybe I should move to the southern states.... – JJ Oct 29 2010 at 16:52
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The only gear I've bought so far are my Vibrams. I can't say what the ROI in dollars is, but I'm hoping for less foot and back problems.

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2 
 even more ROI: hardcore barefooting. – Pieter D Oct 29 2010 at 16:19
even less appealing for me: cut up feet I love my vibrams, and wouldn't mind going barefoot if I lived in a more rural area, but in the city it's not a very good idea. – Bruno Jan 7 2011 at 15:40
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Exaclibur dehydrator -- turning the pulp of green leafy vegetables and some flax meal in crackers, it's a beautiful thing.

Spirooli spiralizer -- making raw zucchini into noodles

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Got a recipe for those crackers? :D – Marisa Oct 29 2010 at 17:46
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 Take bunch of leafy greens, and maybe an onion, zucchini, or celery, and pulse it in a food processor until it's blended up and a little liquidy, but before it gets to be a pure liquid. Pour into a bowl. Add salt, pepper, and cumin and other spice to taste. Then add flax meal or almond meal in whatever proportion if necessary to make the mixture a little more "doughy" and controllable, but not with the goal of making actual dough. Probably like a 1/2 cup of meal to every 1 1/2 or 2 cups of green mixture. – Olga Oct 29 2010 at 18:18
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 Spread on a dehydrator tray and the score it in squares using and icing knife or a regular knife. Fire up the dehydrator to the max, dehydrate for at least 8 hours, then flip the crackers to the other side, and dehydrate for another 8 hours on a lower temp. If you want more of that's oily taste, you could add olive oil to the original mixture. – Olga Oct 29 2010 at 18:28
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 I love my spirooli too! It's the gadgety-est kitchen item I have, but, zucchini noodles! – Stacey Mar 28 2011 at 20:31
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door pull-up bar. ordered one on amazon for 25 bucs, I do sets throughout the day. chicken livers.

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  1. Slow cooker
  2. Sharp knives
  3. Paleonu.com
  4. Michael Jackson: The Experience for Wii

The last two aren't strictly paleo, but they are good for information and fun movement, respectively. (I suspect, for the latter)

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1 
 Hmmm...Michael Jackson may find his way under the Christmas Tree this year. Sounds great! – Angelo - Latest in Paleo Oct 29 2010 at 20:00
+1 I didn't even know about Michael Jackson: The Experience for Wii. – Wcc Kamal Stabby fan Mar 20 2012 at 2:59
It's really hard, watch out. – Kamal♦ Mar 20 2012 at 3:23
Thanks Kamal. I just ordered it. I have no rhythm or dance skills so this should be comical, but if it gets me away from the keyboard so that I can be up and moving around it will be a good thing. – Wcc Kamal Stabby fan Mar 20 2012 at 12:36
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1) Marla, my Remington 870 Express Super Magnum 12-gauge shotgun. Mine came with a vent rib barrel for birds and bunnies that swaps out in under a minute for a rifle sighted slug barrel for Bambi. Game meat is delicious, and you get more exercise.

2) Vibram Fivefinger KSO Treks.

3) My little Paleo library: Cordain, Sisson, Wolf, Gegaudas, Shepard.

4) A second-hand dehydrator for making jerky.

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Never heard of Shepard? – henrydrn Feb 25 2011 at 4:53
@hendryn: Paul Shepard: Coming Home To The Pleistocene in particular. – Fearsclave Feb 25 2011 at 20:25
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My VFF Treksports! Not having shinsplints any more is priceless!

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Cast Iron Wok. I use it 6 days a week.

Iphone. I use it daily to read Paleohacks.com, other Paleo Blogs and tons of Fitness Health and Nutrition sites.

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Cast Iron skillet for teflon free steaks and meats. Slow cooker, the absolute best tool for stews. Good knives. Five Fingers. I like the shotgun idea!

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mini meat freezer - don't have one yet but if I did, I would list it here for sure.

dehydrator - also don't have one of these yet, but same as above.

powertec machine - i actually do have one of these... straight up awesome.

if you count food in the fridge as gear, then I would list all that, because the ROI has been huge.

glass jar collection has exploded since going Paleo. we used glass jars for everything now.

my sports car - i figure it this way... i am far better looking now that i am Paleo. this is probably why i got a huge raise this year. this has allowed me to buy a sports car, which is totally paleo btw, and when people ask me how i did it, i tell them i went Paleo and it changed my life. then BAM! i got em.

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I'm with Olga on this.

Excalibur dehydrator - Life changing. Had a little Nesco for a few years then decided to go top shelf and it was a great decision. Weekly I make my own jerky. Kale and zucchini chips are made weekly as well. Great for dehydrating berries and other fruits. Makes perfect yogurt too. Well worth the money.

Spirooli spiralizer - Spent years using a peeler to make my noodles. The spiralizer makes them so much better. I was shocked at how much nicer and pasta-like my results were with this baby. Just a much better eating experience with this toy.

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slow cooker dehydrator for jerky and fruit Gary Taubes

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