@collectors - If you try goolging "low carb........" (whatever), you might just be surprised what comes up. Some swaps/changes are more successful than others, but like you, like like my food to have taste, flavour and sometimes heat. I haven't lacked variety in the 4.5 years (where did the time go?), I have been largely eating this way.
For things like curries, or chilli, I just end up having more of the delicious stuff (i.e. the curry or chilli), and less of the padding/carrier (rice, beard or whatever).
Of course, it often means that when having something like curry, I'll sometimes choose to use a shallowpasta style dish, so that I'm not spending all my time chasing the sauce around the plate.
There have a been a few threads for LC on a budget, and there was one memorable thread (although I cannot for the life of me find it) where a member talked about the number of meals she managed to get out of a whole small chicken. It was staggering!
Of course, if you are very much wedded to your breads, and end up paying for the Lo-dough or the like, then it can get expensive, but a decent butcher is a great ally on the LC way of eating. My OH and I had roast beef for our main meal yesterday. He had a sarnie at lunchtime, and there is plenty left over to allow for cold cuts tomorrow night. That joint of salmon cut beef (a silverside) was £7.15, but we have at least 5 meals out of it, and we're both hearty eaters. A whole chicken from Lidl at around £3 would, even for us, yield 4 quarters, then stock from the carcass and offcuts, like wingtips etc. The stock, with a few veggies could easily yield another 4 portions (or more) of soup. So, 8 meals from £3, plus a few store cupboard items and some veg.
LC can be expensire, but it needn't necessarily be.
Oh, and don't forget eggs.
