If you're used to living off of Ramen noodles, white rice and pinto beans when times are tough, take heart. You don't have to stock up on denatured grains to eat on a budget, even an extreme one.

It's definitely possible to stick to a Paleo diet with limited cash, even if your initiation into the world of cave food may have led you to believe otherwise. Follow the tips below and take another stab at it. (No pun intended.)

Tip #1: Whatever you do, don't hop straight into a 30-day meal plan from your favorite Paleo cookbook.

There are a million new Paleo cookbooks floating around these days, many of which have amazing 30-day meal plans for strict Paleo eaters. The recipes are delicious, creative and often full of tons of ingredients. (Even the ingredients in simple recipes add up.)

Following a meal plan to the tee--which I've done a handful of times--is far from inexpensive, especially if you're buying lots of oils and spices from scratch. If you must follow a meal plan but are on a budget, replace expensive cuts of meat with more affordable ones and try to sneak in leftovers and simpler meals (you know, like a simple meat and a veggie or salad on the side) whenever you can.

Tip #2: Don’t buy all of your food at the most expensive stores.

It’s true that purchasing raw ingredients is less expensive than buying prepared or packaged food. And it’s also true that you can sometimes find bargains at the most expensive stores. But unless you're regularly hunting down deals and driving to multiple locations each week, finding somewhere where you don't have to search for sales before putting an item in your cart can obviously help you save some cash.

This doesn't mean you need to buy expired food at the dollar store, though. But places like Trader Joe's are significantly less expensive than chain health food stores, specialty stores or even the local co-ops. Take a look at what's in your area, balancing price with quality until you find something you can live with.

Tip #3: If possible, avoid scrimping on protein. Meat quality (or lack thereof) is far more noticeable than vegetable quality.

On a dare to only spend as much on food for a week as a household of two would receive in food stamps (if eligible), my fiancé and I went to Cub Foods to stock up on meat and produce. We were amazed at how much we could get for how little. The vegetables we bought did not actually taste all that much different from their organic counterparts. (We've written previously about the dirty dozen and clean 15, and when buying organic produce makes the most sense.)

We were less satisfied when we attempted to eat our homemade tuna salad with the 67-cent variety rather than the canned tuna we usually get. We also noticed that the least expensive whole chicken in the grocery store did not create the delicious broth (you know, the stuff that makes your entire block smell like home) to which we had become accustomed.

Our conclusion? Getting the most high-quality meat you can afford will have far more of an impact than buying the best produce... and it's far less expensive than buying cheap meat or poultry which we will never eat.

Although organic, seasonal, fresh and local produce has a much better flavor, low-quality protein is practically inedible. Which leads us to the next tip...

Tip #4: Make friends with your freezer.

Buying a whole chicken, filling a put with water and a little vinegar, cooking for eight hours on low and adding some carrots and celery for a half hour at the end will make you enough chicken broth (or soup) to feed yourself and possibly your family for over a week. But who wants to eat chicken soup every single day for a week? Making big meals and freezing half of them will help you from throwing food out each week.

Tip #5: Buy inexpensive cuts of meat.

Specifically, look for chicken drumsticks, chicken thighs (boneless are usually lower in cost), chuck roast (which is far less expensive than chuck steak, even though the only difference is that the steak is sliced), ground pork or pork shoulder (which, while tougher, is delicious when braised or in a slow cooker). Look for sales and stock up when the price is low (see #3). Remember when buying by weight that, unless you are using the bones for stock, cuts without bones have more that you can actually eat.

If you have to buy grainfed meat, remember that the fat in it isn't as healthy as its grassfed counterpart. Getting leaner cuts isn't a bad idea if you're also trying to save money by maintaining a good omega 3:6 ratio without the aid of fish oil.

Tip #6: Plant a garden.

Planting some cherry tomatoes or kale can keep you fed for the entire growing season. If you're lucky, you'll be able to trade the massive amounts of vegetables you have for something someone else is growing. This is especially true in tighter-knit community gardens. Even if you can't find one in your area, or if you live in a city, container gardening is always a possibility.

Tip #7: Get to know a farmer.

If you're looking to buy, say, grassfed beef in bulk, make friends with other likeminded people and with a butcher or farmer. You may be able to go in on a bulk purchase together. And knowing the farmers at your local farmer's market or even at a CSA can open up opportunities. Some farmers look for volunteers who can do some work in exchange for produce, for example, if you're short on money but have extra time on your hands.

Tip #8: Buy local, seasonal produce.

Check out the Field to Plate guide to see what’s local in your region. Building your recipes around produce that’s in season in your region can help you save cash, and it’s also a good way to tune into your environment and perhaps eat food that’s more appropriate for the time of year. A hearty soup with root vegetables will taste better in the winter, and a raw salad with tomatoes may be more appropriate for a warm summer day.

Tip #9: Use all of your vegetables.

Check out Greatist.com’s article, 11 Enlightening Ways To Get More Out of Your CSA Vegetables. You can also use some of these suggestions for the produce that ends up in the back of your fridge. Consider making a stir-fry or salad with leftover veggies each week; you can throw a lot of random ingredients in the mix.

Tip #10: Learn food preservation strategies.

We talked about freezing extra food and bartering veggies with other gardeners. For extra credit, take things up a notch and learn how to can, pickle or dry foods as well. Pick Your Own has a primer with a lot of informative links (if you can overlook the Comic Sans MS font), Mother Earth News has a canning guide, and there are a wealth of other resources to be found online.

Tip #11: Pack your own.

When on a budget, it’s always tempting to eat whatever food is available…even if it’s pizza or donuts. Obviously, though, you want to go Paleo for a reason. So if you don’t want to give in to temptation or spend a ton of time and money trying to find an acceptable alternative at whatever restaurants you happen to be around, just pack a meal and bring it with you. Take the money you save each week and use it to buy some ribeye steak with garlic asparagus and sweet potatoes. You’ll thank me later.

Your turn.

What do you do to save money on a Paleo diet? Feel free to leave your best tips in the comments.