1) You don't NEED fancy nut butters, coconut products, almond milk, etc. to be paleo. Leafy greens and other vegetables, tubers, organ meats, cheaper cuts of meat, eggs, butter and so on are not expensive and should be the kinds of foods that form the backbone of your diet, not coconut and almond milk. Plus this is a great time to learn to budget for your own food and cook if you haven't already. When you move out you'll be grateful you took the time to do that now, and you'll look so much better than most of your peers who can only reheat jarred pasta sauce and don't know how to boil an egg and have to survive off of ramen :P

2) Seconding the suggestion to get a part-time job. Making your own spending money feels a lot better than just begging your parents for more allowance and it might show them that you're responsible and really serious about eating well. If your family is on a tight budget it's not really fair to expect them to just revamp their spending habits just for you. So show them that you're ready to take an active role in this.

Good luck!

Well this is what I did as a teen when I wanted more control over what I ate. I got my parents to give me a weekly budget, wrote a menu and did the shopping within that budget and cooked.

If any was left over from what was usually spent on food I got to keep it.

That was hard to maintain so it only lasted about 6months, but it changed how we ate because it only takes about two to create a habit.

If these foods are replacing junk food, that may be a good rationale! Less Little Debbies= more $ for almond butter

Could you get them interested in Paleo? If they'd try it for 30 days perhaps their own results would get them fully on board?

"Plus I'm not eating as much (mostly because there's not much to eat...) so It's kind of balanced in terms of expenses." - Don't say this. As a parent, this would make me concerned about an eating disorder - putting strict dietary rules above overall nutritional/caloric needs. It's also a little nonsensical - "This method of eating saves money because I'm not eating much because there's not much for me to eat, so buy me more food."

Do your homework. Be prepared to explain to your parents what you feel the benefits are, how you're going to meet your nutritional needs, and what exactly you need from them.

Look at your family's current buying habits. How would buying paleo change things? If you're currently buying a ton of processed/pre-prepared food, going paleo might help the budget. If the family food budget is pretty much bare-bones as it is, there may legitimately not be room for changes. Be aware that your parents may be sheltering you from financial realities to some extent (for example, if they were utilizing a food distribution program of some sort). Look at budget paleo blogs and posts on this site to determine how you can best integrate paleo foods into a limited budget, lower cost sources of ingredients, and what is most important.

They may be more receptive if you frame it in terms of you preparing meals for the whole family or otherwise reducing work for your parents (ie. packing your own lunch if you don't already), rather than special food for you. If you will be preparing food for yourself, make sure that you clean up after yourself and don't otherwise add to their housework load.

If they aren't willing/able to help, I agree with the comments about paying for and learning to cook your own food. Learning to cook real food is a valuable life skill that so many kids don't learn! Personally, I took cooking classes as a kid, prepared occasional family meals (usually something involving combining pre-prepared ingredients), and thought I could cook, but very little of what I learned was practical, everyday meal, real food type stuff. I could follow a recipe, but had no clue how to cook meat or prepare vegetables palatably until well into adulthood.

If your parents will not support you in this and you can't be in charge of your own food for whatever reason, keep in mind that this is a temporary situation. In a few years, you'll be entirely in charge of your own food. It feels like a long time now, but it isn't. Make the best nutritional choices that you can now, but try to take the long-term view of things, and know that things will change and your whole life isn't being ruined.

Tell them its cheaper in the long run to buy quality foods and spend less money on healthcare. Plus it gets them to be healthier, more energetic and around longer for Grandchildren some day ;-) hehe Also I find personally I am fuller longer on paleo diet so it evens out buying less food.

I started paleo around 15 too and my only choice was to start buying all my own food. Part-time job is a must. So I eat super paleo inexpensive (organ meats, cheat cuts)

This is a selfish answer, in my own self-interest, because I want you to learn something and then come back and teach the rest of us (especially me). So here it is:

EAT BUGS!

Have you asked them? Explain why you eat Paleo. Explain the health benefits. Explain the personal benefits you've experienced. Make a list of the foods/recipes you'd like to have on hand. Ask to go shopping with your parents to show them where the items are and for you to see what the costs are. If they see that you are putting your health first, they're likely to at least jump on board with you eating this way, even if they're uninterested in doing it themselves.

The best thing you can do is to control what you put in your mouth, especially if you can't control what's in your kitchen. Prioritize and don't become some paleo snob. Stick to unprocessed foods, minimal seed oils, and that's maybe 80% of paleo results right there. The last 20% are things like grass-fed meats, eliminating soy, etc...