Help with the food budget!!!!

[BecauseICan]

:D Hi, I'm new to raw food living and very excited, but, I have a HUGE problem. I'm Mom to 8 great kids and one great hubby. My hubby agreed to going raw (for the whole family) for one month and then they would make their decision to make this a lifestyle change. Wellllllllll.......... do you have ANY idea how much money it costs to feed a family of 10 this way!!!???!!!! My husband is 6'7" and 210# with a rabbit metabolism, I then have 4 teenagers, my 14 y.o. son is 6'4" and we have 4 more children. Their regular diet includes a lot of things with grains, beans, rice, etc. and bread. Eating this way for our family would cost us almost $1,000 a WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek: Now, if we lived in the tropics, it probably wouldn't be so much but we are way up North and well, now I'm kinda down about this cuz there is NO way we can spend $1,000 a week on food. We only bring in about $1500 a month for EVERYTHING. So, does anyone out there have experience with this? I could use all the help I can get. :D TIA

BecauseICan

[Snownoir]

I in no way have direct experience with this. However, I'm in college paying my own way. So my money is most likely as tight as yours. I was a little confused on what you were saying about how much you currently spend on food a week. You were saying $1000?

Either way, this first thing that really helped me get this all right in my money head, was write down my staple ingredients. I formed my list and wrote down their general price (I had saved reciepts from earlier in the month) from Costco, Albertsons, New Frontiers (like a whole foods), and Trader Joe's. I looked at what I could get in bulk: Oranges by the crate, apples by the dozen, HUGE carrot bags, and avocados from Costco (9 a bag), and nuts. These items last quite a while so they can be taken out of the weekly equation and will most likely be a monthly expense or biweekly. Everything else turns out to be around $60. That would be one shopping experience. And that would last me about 2 weeks. I haven't thrown anything out from spoilage. And what really helps me utilize my greens before they get icky, after I buy them, I wash them up, dry them off, and stick them in baggies (large salad amount), push all the air out, and I have a really quick salad now. Prewashed. I know this will help me save money, cause in the past, I would buy the greens and use some, but it would take me so much time because I'd have to wash before each meal. So I'd let them get icky and have to throw out. So that method has helped me a lot.

I also got a general idea of what I was going to eat during the week. Fruit for breakfast, salads, nori rolls, maybe chili or lasagna, or pasta, and then I'd buy veggies and fruits according to that. I don't do the big recipes because I'd be spending way too much money on the ingredients. I'm saving tons of money sticking to the simple things and looking at the paper for when the local stores are having sales on their produce. Mangos for $.66 each instead of the usual $1 or so. Adds up down the line.

One good suggestion that I got from Storm and Jinjee at thegardendiet.com, is to speak with your local farmes market vendors or local growers, and find out who doesn't mind you ordering from them in advance. Then you can go pick up crates of food for WAY cheap (in comparison to if you tried to buy crates from stores. Ex: They get a 40lbs of organic oragnes for $15 from a local grower. I asked a local store how much a crate of oranges would be and they said somewhere around $50 and I know it would have been less then 40 lbs). Just some food for thought on that one. :D

Here is a link where you can find all your local farmer's markets: http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm

I hope anything I've said helps. =]

~Me

[trinity082482]

A family of 10 would be expensive but maybe you can:

-Make LARGE batches at a time.
-Buy your nuts and stuff in bulk and look for sales.
-Buy enough so you won't run out quickly
-Buy fruit and veggies at farmers markets. they tend to be 1/2 the price of stores.
-When making breads or goodies... make a jar full at a time and store it so you can have it when you need it through the week.
-Plan out your meals and let everyone know this is what were having tomorrow for dinner. Make 1 meal for everyone, don't run a restaurant LOL :p
-Munch on fruits instead of raw desserts which can get expensive if you make elaborate recipes.

These tips may help while your getting started then you fill find its so easy you don't have to follow any rules.

[BecauseICan]

Hello and thank you for the suggestions. No, we don't spend $1,000 a week on groceries. No no no! :eek: When I sat down and wrote out the shopping list for everything, and then went to the store and priced everything, well, it would be almost $1,000 a week! :eek: I would never, COULD never spend that kind of money on food. We live on about $1,500 a month. That includes food, bills, everything. I hope that clears up what I was saying a little bit. :) As for the farmer's market, that sounds great, in season, but we are way up North in E. Washington (near Spokane) and there are no farmers marketing anything in 20 degrees and snow. :rolleyes: Go figure. :D As far as making things in bulk, that's always a good idea with a large family but I just don't know how this can work without buying things like bulk grains and such to be filling.[COLOR=Magenta]Maybe I should save the "trial" month for summer? We always do a big garden but I don't think there is really a way to preserve and be truly raw, is there? I mean, I know you can dehydrate ... does that remove any of the vitamins and such? Thank you again for your suggestions, I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to answer me. :)

[Firicia]

If you ever go into Spokan I'm sure, especially in the malls there will be some kind of farmers market... or at least there is here and I live a few hours north of you in Canada. Just a thought that if you guys are ever there maybe stock up, and whatever you don't think you can finnish maybe you can freeze so it's there for later? Anyways good luck, gosh I don't know how you do it with 8 kids... I'm scared to even have 1... but I'm 21 so no need to think about those things now I guess :p

[cassidy]

Hmmm.... for my staples I just joined a buyers club at my local healthfood store. I can get all of my nuts, grains, seeds, raw kombucha teas (the main reason I joined) for a fraction of the stores retail price. I can even get crates of coconuts!
Costco is great for lots of produce too.

[MaryWalker]

You do have a very large family, and I agree (especially because of where you live!) it is going to cost a bit. You must remember though, when you are eating raw food, you naturally eat less because you get full faster. As for growing teenagers, I don't think they EVER get full! :D

Another raw meal you can put into the schedule, are green smoothees for breakfast for all! They are so nutritous and very delicious. A very easy one would be 2 cups of water, 2 frozen bananas, 2 oranges, a large handfull of greens (spinach, kale, collard green, romaine, etc - whatever is cheap for you) and blend well in a vitamixer. This drink is also very filling. For 10 people, you will have to make 2-3 batches of this. But, it IS a meal! AND it is RAW!

When you consume green smoothees for about a month, you naturally begin to crave more raw foods.

How about salads for lunch, or fruit & nuts? Then dinner can be more smoothie, or perhaps collard wraps/tacos, pasta marinara, etc. There are some lower cost receipes in Alissa's Book, Living on Live Food. Do you have the book yet?

Please keep us posted, as I'm sure there are other families (maybe not as big!) out there wondering if they can do it. Where there is a will, there is a way!

[RowanC]

many of the items on the food list will last you for weeks or even months.
You can buy in bulk.

You buy raw honey from a beekeeper by the gallon.
You can buy vinegar and braggs by the gallon.
You can buy dates by the boxful
You can buy all produce by the case if necessary.
You can grow tomatoes on your doorstep.. the kids can help.
You can find a community garden.
You can join a food cooperative. Look online to find one in your area.
You can plan these meals carefully and get by on MUCH less than that!

Even with 10 people you can get by on much less.

Do you have a backyard you could turn into a garden? Do you have flowerbeds that could become salad beds? You can tuck lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley, cucumbers almost anywhere! You certainly don't live in an apartment with 10 people, do you?

If you live near farming country, you can almost always join a gleaning association. This is a way to get fresh food for free or very little.

I'd challenge you to go through your cupboards and take an inventory of your boxed food. Do you have things like potato chips and toaster waffles in there? How much of what your kids are eating has ingredients you cannot pronounce on the back of the box? Have you looked into what those ingredients do to a human body?

How much is junk food? You can make a gallon of cereal for the same price you spend on a BOX of junk food cereal.

With 10 children, are any of them old enough to work and help pay for some of these groceries? If they aren't old enough to get a job, could they make that garden in the backyard?

In the end, you either spend the money now on HEALTH or you spend the money on doctors and pharmaceuticals when you are sick from eating all the polluted and GMO foods. It's a choice we all have to make.

How old are your children?
Do you work outside the home?

There are a lot of factors in a lifestyle such as this... tell us more about you and your family, and maybe we can brainstorm solutions?

Here is a farm that delivers to your door: http://www.greenpeople.org/webpage.cfm?linkpage=http://www.freshabundance.com&memid=20855&pmtlevel=0

You might also try this group. If they know how large your family is, they might arrange special delivery. It never hurts to ask:
https://www.spud.com/index.cfm

Here is a link for Farmers Markets in Spokane area:
http://www.spokanefarmersmarket.org/

You might find a farmer there who will make you a good deal if you tell him how many people you are buying for. Dont' be shy! Tell them, "Look, I have 10 people to feed every day... can you make me some sort of wholesale deal?" I'll bet someone will!

Good luck!

[MaryWalker]

I'd challenge you to go through your cupboards and take an inventory of your boxed food. Do you have things like potato chips and toaster waffles in there? How much of what your kids are eating has ingredients you cannot pronounce on the back of the box? Have you looked into what those ingredients do to a human body?

How much is junk food? You can make a gallon of cereal for the same price you spend on a BOX of junk food cereal.

With 10 children, are any of them old enough to work and help pay for some of these groceries? If they aren't old enough to get a job, could they make that garden in the backyard?

In the end, you either spend the money now on HEALTH or you spend the money on doctors and pharmaceuticals when you are sick from eating all the polluted and GMO foods. It's a choice we all have to make.

WELL SAID ROWANC!!!

The cost of SAD food is a lot! As you are paying for much more (ingredients you can't even pronounce!) including the health problems associated with all of that wasted "food" that doesn't do any darn good to you! AND, there are considerable amounts of dr's bills associated with eating a SAD diet that most people starting out don't even put into the equasion! So many ways you save money when going raw, and don't even think about until much later.

[Morn]

A lot of helpful suggestions have already been made so I will not try to repeat those. I only have 2 children so I may not be the best one to give advise, however, I am a very frugal person and here are some of my suggestions:

Shop your sale ads and buy produce that is on sale.

You can buy a lot of your sprouting grains in bulk and they are filling and much cheaper than buying box stuff , i.e., oat groats, chick peas, flax seed, buckwheat, quinoa, wheatberries, barley, sunflower seeds, alfalfa seeds, etc. These things are now my staples similar in cost to you buying beans, rice, etc.

Shop at fruit and Vegtable markets. Sometimes they sell off produce that is perfectly fine but may now be ripe. I get whole boxes of produce for $2.00. I got 200 bananas for $2.00, a box of apples for $2.00 and just recently another box of tomatoes (25 large tomatoes for $2.00). Talk to the store manager and ask how you can get discounted produce and find out what they do with stuff that they want to get rid of quick. With a family as big as your's you will go threw it quick and can freeze the excess. I still have a ton of bananas in my freezer that I make icecream out of and smoothies.

Buy your nuts in bulk at Costco or Sams. It is much cheaper this way than buying them at a regular grocery store. For that matter they have huge quantities of carrots, lettuce, etc. for really reasonable prices.

I don't know if you have an Aldi but they have produce fairly cheap there as well.

Lettuce and vegtables are still not as expensive as slabs of meat. The main thing is finding new sources in your area that agree with your pocket book.

I made refried beans (that rawkinlocs posted on this site) yesterday made of sunflower seeds and spices, etc. Boy was it filling and not too expensive to make. Instead of cereal, I make raw granola with oat groats and that is hearty! I would suggest you get a raw foods cookbook and look for ideas that way that sound good to you.

Learn how to make your own nut butters, and grow some inside herbs. I have some on my window sill right now (and I live in Michigan) of parlsey, basil, cilantro, dill.

Eating this way may mean you have to get creative and will require you to get educated on pricing and where to go for different things. It may require you to visit stores you normally wouldn't go to but you will learn.

Above all, don't get discouraged. I am so happy you have your husband's buy in. I wish mine would join me!

Good luck to you and Best Raw Wishes! It can be done!

[michigan roman]

maybe slivered greens like in coleslaws , such as lettuces - spinach - kale - mustard - chard - etc , as beds for cut up vegis and dressings . in other words like salads but shredded so there dense and filling . and on these shredded salads you also sprinkle raw sun flower seeds which can be bought in bulk for less than a buck per pound for protein and fat to burn . with oil in the dressings for more cheap fat to burn . i like sesame seeds also sprinkled on , maybe could grow own sesame seeds for year round supply because they are high in protein and calcium . plus must get creative/experimentive with other type salad dressings for taste and nutrition reasons .

and another way im looking at these shredded salads is to add sprouts to hardy them up . havent got into sprouts alot yet though . but you can get certain seeds like bean , sunflower etc cheap , then you have to have an efficient sprouting way so there convenient .

and i also add alot of vegis to my salads like brocoli .

but bottom line is that these hardy salads have become my staple . its like living on heavy duty rabbit food .

then i buy what bulk nuts and fruits i can afford . for me i always buy bananas to eat with my salads or anytime . maybe you could buy a bulk order of bananas per week from a produce / grocer place . like 50 lbs or something a week . same with other produce . figure out which you like and how much you need , and when its in season and try to make giant bulk orders .
like say you want 50 lbs of tomatos per week . same with say romaine lettuce . and when it comes in go pick it up . maybe even try talking to the truck drivers or their headquarters and buy these big shippments right off the truck .

[RowanC]

With a family that large, I'd definitely talk to the produce manager of my local HEALTHY foodstore. They'll almost always work with you in buying bulk. You could buy cases of oranges and bananas and really save.

[Rawkinlocs]

I know some raw fooders are not for eating grains, but you CAN still buy grains for your family...there will just be a different way of preparing them now.

You can buy buckwheat (which technically isn't really a grain though it's USED as one), rye berries, spelt berries, barley, etc.

Then you'd soak and sprout them (as needed) and use to make various sprouted flat breads, cookies, crackers, the barley can be used to make Alissa's Spanish rice and in her chili - do you own a dehydrator? You don't need a fancy Excalibur, you can go to Walmart and get the American Harvest Snackmaster WITH temperature control for under $50 or check with thrift stores, Craigslist, eBay, Freecycle, etc.

You can make a large batches of raw chili, soups (served with flax crackers), marinara sauce (to go over zucchini pasta) and those items can be made up and frozen to last.

I know nuts can get costly, but seeds are often cheaper and many nut-based things can be subbed with seeds or do half and half nuts and seeds. You can also make nut pate's but use less nuts and more carrots as a filler to cut down on the cost of making those.

Bananas are filling and not too expensive...get cases of those if you can and keep stored in a cool place so they won't go bad too quickly and then when they DO begin to get overripe, freeze them for smoothies, ice cream, shakes, etc.

If you get into making nut milk, save the pulp to use in the place of nuts in recipes such as pie crusts, crackers, cookies, etc. and that way, you are getting double usage out of the nuts you buy.

Load up on greens and make green smoothies and collard wraps (collard green leaves loaded with veggies and maybe spread some nut pate on it to make it even more filling.

[juliebove]

Can you grow some of your own food? That really helps me to save money.

[michigan roman]

HERES A GREAT SITE TO LEARN ABOUT SPROUTS = www.sproutpeople.com .


when get to the page over on left hand side near top click ' sprouting seed info center ' to get to sprout info

[rawpriestess]

I have addressed this several times in other threads, here are a few links that might help you

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7287&highlight=darn

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7693&highlight=Costco

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9684&highlight=inexpensive

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13619&highlight=inexpensive

But mostly, I want to say this

it's not just the food that is saving or costing you, it is all the incidentals, like no more doctors, medicines, pain relievers, sleep aid, cough syrups, no pots and pans to buy, store, clean, scrub, no shampoos, deoderants, soaps, less covers, less heating bills, less electric bills for cooking, etc

So, please look at the big picture here about the entire cost of feeding and cooking and cleaning up after the cookign and eating of cooked food.

Now on another note, my son is 6'3" tall, he is a big big man, about 280 or so, he likes to eat and eat alot, he used to eat me out of house and home when he came to visit, but when he eats raw, it takes about 2 weeks for him to get down to a normal eating pattern of raw food, for the first two weeks, he still eats alot, then it tapers off

this is what he eats when he is raw

breakfast
16 ounce smoothie, of anything that I have
berries
water
ice
tomatoes
greens
oranges
banana
all blapped together in the Vita Mix

mid morning snack
various fresh fruits
oranges
berries
bananas
apples
pineapple

lunch
large garden salad
greens
tomato
carrot
cucumber
dressing made from
lemon juice
olive oil
herbs

mid afternoon snack
more fresh fruits

dinner
usually a gourmet meal of
Alissa's enchiladas or
Alissa's spaghetti
or Alissa's rawviolie

late night snac
banana ice cream or
my brownies

this is what he eats, and there is alot of cheap produce in there
lettuce
carrots
bananas
apples
oranges

another thing you can do is to wild forage for foods, and since you have a bunch of happy healthy kids, teach them to help you, what fun that would be

also buy in bulk, I'm sure you know this already, but most people don't really know what they can buy in bulk, when my son first bought pinenuts he bought them for $6.00 for 1 cup, I took him to Costco, where he can get 2 pounds about 4 to 5 cups for only $10. big savings.

do this with everything, it's actually much easier to feed a larger family than a small family raw, as someone somewhere is gonna' pretty much eat up all your trials and mistakes sooner or later.

and there are ways to fix mistakes or things that aren't so good.

if it is dehydrated, you can grind it up and add it to crackers, if it is a pate, and you've eaten just too much of it, either freeze it for later or dehydrate into crackers,

the biggest thing to do is to have plenty of inexpensive fresh produce on hand

oranges
apples
bananas
lettuce
carrots
etc.

and to shop the sales
shop at discount places
farmers markets

or go to the u-pick places,

wild forage
and walk your neighbor hood for people with fruit trees, most people don't want to climb their trees and pick the fruit, or they just have too many, they end up dropping on the ground and making a mess, so ask them if you can pick some, when people ask me if they can pick my trees, this is what I tell them

you get 1/2 of what you pick, and you need to bring your own containers, and you must pick the hardest to pick fruits first, so pick the top of the trees, and the inside of the berries, etc.

they are happy to do this, they get free produce, and I get mine picked for free

win/win

happy foraging, make it fun, and exciting, teach your kids how to live away from grocery stores,
plant a garden,
do wilderness walks
buy in bulk
these are my suggestions.

[rawpriestess]

PS, Victoria Boutenko talks about this in her lectures, you can feed a person on $72 of seeds to sprout for an entire year, so you may wish to do that, sprouting is very easy, and takes up hardly any room, I hang sprout bags from my kitchen cabinets, although I have a fancy shmancy sprouter, I like the bags the best.

[rawpriestess]

also, I don't know how this works, but if you only make $1500 a month, for 10 people you may be able to get food stamps. Just a thought, or help from your church, or neighborhood shelter, I know where I live, I could eat free every night of the week, if I wanted to drive to different churches in the area, although most of the food is cooked, they always have a salad, so I could eat a salad every night on their dime, that's also a though,


you may even do some volunteer work, and eat for free, at nursing homes, or shelters, etc.

[Missrawdiva]

many of the items on the food list will last you for weeks or even months.
You can buy in bulk.

You can buy dates by the boxful

Good luck!
PLEASE TELL ME ROWANC WHERE I CAN FIND DATES THIS TIME OF YEAR BY THE BOX FULL.. MEDJOOL DATES THAT IS??? I asked my grocery store and they said they had no clue.. so if you know where I can find medjool dates in a big quanitiy for my brownies... please let me know!

[Conscious Midwife]

PLEASE TELL ME ROWANC WHERE I CAN FIND DATES THIS TIME OF YEAR BY THE BOX FULL.. MEDJOOL DATES THAT IS??? I asked my grocery store and they said they had no clue.. so if you know where I can find medjool dates in a big quanitiy for my brownies... please let me know!


Look for a Middle Eastern Market in your area, they sell cases of them year round.

SAM's carries them in large tubs and Wild OAts sometimes has them in their bulk containers.

There is always the online option.

To the original OP

I hav a household size of 7 so I understanfd your concern for expenses. Skip the gouyrmet recipies and keep it basic. Buy fruits in bulk from SAM's or Costco. Blend up smootheis at least twice a day. They are filling. Oranges take a little time to eat and are very sustaining for the blood sugar.

:D Bulk carrots are inexpensive and perfect for your "rabbit like" hubby.

Squashed shredded as pasta, ounce per ounce is less expensive then traditional pasta and canned sauce.

BANANAS will save the day and are probably the least expensive fruit relative to their density and ability to nourish our bodies.

Double you garden this summer, deep freeze the stuff you need for green smoothies and future deserts.

Start a Coop :)

[MareeM]

I'm only get into the swing of things myself, but have found a few things that help for my family of 5 (all raw).

I order most of my dried fruits, nuts & seeds from a wholesale business over the Internet and get them delivered by mail. With postage, it still works out the same as buying it from the supermarket and the bonus is they are organic or biodynamic. They are even available in huge quantities - I imagine from what I've read on this site, that these could all be frozen.

I have also gotten into fermented vegies - started with saukraut which is really easy, really yummy, very nutritious and keeps for ages. It's a great way to use up extra/cheap vegies, while increasing their nutrient value.

I know there is mixed views about freezing foods - and ideally it would be best to eat fresh - this is easy for someone who lives by themself - but for those with young children and large families (and miles from the nearest supermarket!), I think it's almost essential. I was unsure about doing it for a while, but realize it's much more important to spend more time with my family than in the kitchen preparing! I also want no excuses from any of them to go back to eating cooked food.

I have been preparing several desserts at once and freezing, also sauces, like marinara, cream cheeses etc. If/when you have a dehydrator, you can do big batches of pizza bases and flat breads and freeze them too. I read here somewhere, one person soaked lots of almonds, then froze them, ready to make nut milk or whatever calls for soaked nuts.

I love the ideas from Snownoir on pre-preparing vegies - I have been thinking of doing this for ages, but never "got around to it" ! I will definitely give this a shot to try and make life easier. I know that limp celery comes back to life if you put it in cold water in the fridge - goes all crisp and crunchy again! Is a good idea for pre-cut carrots too, so they don't dry out.

[shine72]

MareeM - The wholesaler you order from, are they based in Australia? If they're not, where are they? Thanks!

Sunshine :D

[RowanC]

What is a sprouting bag? :confused:

[MareeM]

MareeM - The wholesaler you order from, are they based in Australia? If they're not, where are they? Thanks!

Sunshine :D

Yes Sunshine,

The warehouse is in Byron Bay. Not sure I'm allowed to post the name of the company - email me if you would like to know. One of their staff is a raw foodist, so they know where we're coming from.

Maree

[michigan roman]

i was just looking over this entire thread and boy there sure is alot of great info , for veteran or beginner alike .

[Tirza]

Lots of great ideas here.

Yes, it might be easier in the summer, but not necessarily. You will have to learn to buy raw for every season for your large crew eventually, so I would suggest that you concentrate on the cheapest things you can get:

-As wide a variety as you can of the cheapest Greens.

-Bananas and other "winter" fruits on sale-apples, citrus.... Wait for the fancy stuff (berries, more fragile fruits) when it is in season and on sale or you can grow/pick it yourself.

-Sprouted seeds or legumes like lentils to use in smoothies, sprouted grains to dehydrate and grind into "flour" for cookies etc. These will help to achieve the full feeling your big guys will be wanting to feel, especially at first until they are "committed".

-Use sunflower seeds instead of the more expensive nuts. They usually work fine as a substitute. If you sprout them first, it's even better. I've made burgers and falafels etc. that are just super. They are so filling as well as reminding you of the more familiar foods. Almonds can be not too bad for price sometimes too. I am getting my dry stuff now from a man who has a private business and supplies local bakeries, restaurants, etc. I get the whole bag and it costs way less.

-SF seeds make good milk too. I sprout them and put them in smoothies. They are really tremendously nourishing.

-Since we don't buy ANY junk foods on this diet and since we rarely if ever eat out, that is a tremendous saving.

-Consider that you are eliminating meats and dairy which are very expensive, especially for a crowd of hungry guys. Compare the price per pound of meat, with bones, skin and shrinkage when cooked. Nuts are ALL FOOD.

-Our lunches almost always consist of a blender soup. I often use cashews as a cream base, but sunflower seeds are really good for that too. They are a real all-purpose ingredient, much cheaper than nuts, maybe less fat than most and at least as much nutrition! My husband has a very physically demanding job and he just LOVES the blender soups.

-We just love the onion crackers with it. That is our "bread" now. Plain or with pate or with tomatoes or avocados. It is really filling. Not bad for cost either. If you don't have a dehydrator, consider getting a small one to start with, but you can still do quite a bit with the lowest temp on your oven and the door cracked. The crackers are done overnight. No hovering. No concern about scorching.

-There are a lot of recipes for soups, but mine is very basic. The variety is in the veggies used....For one blender-full, (5 cups + capacity - scale yours down if your blender only holds 4 cups.) I start with 3-4 cups of warm water (it's winter and we like a warm soup), a handful of sunflower seeds, a clove of garlic, a little soy sauce or whatever, a dash of cayenne pepper, usually the juice of half a lemon, then a couple of cups of whatever veggie you want that day, plus any herbs or spices. Sometimes I add nutritional yeast and it gives it a hint of a cheesy flavor. Blend. With my blender it will actually heat the soup, it runs so fast - (too much if I don't watch it). But you can start with pretty warm water otherwise, as long as you can put your finger in and it doesn't make you grab it out again quickly. This is real comfort food. (We love celery and brocolli soup either together or separately. Then there are mushrooms, tomatoes, corn, squash...) I sometimes very finely chop some veggies to put in after blending for texture so we don't get the idea we're drinking everything. FIVE MINUTES!

-Actually, a point to consider on that.... You know how we are always told that we should chew our food until it reaches a "creamed" state in our mouth....SOOOOOOO...... what is wrong with blended soups and smoothies then? They just tell us that we should make sure to mix it well with our saliva so the digestive process that is supposed to start in the mouth gets a chance to happen. But from what I remember, the main thing that starts to happen in the mouth is the digestion of starches. Since we're not eating flour products, it is not so much of an issue. (Any grains we use are sprouted, so the starch is used up in the sprouting process) But I guess we should remember anyway...Don't just shoot it back.

-You should make up a menu sheet and fill it in with good staple, filling foods. I'd be happy to email you my rough draft of my menus. I too really try to concentrate on economy. Don't bother with too much fancy stuff yet with expensive ingredients, but do pick out a few economical treats so you don't feel too deprived. I don't know how much dessert you are used to having, but banana ice cream is good. Chocolate and walnuts in it are a great variation. RP's brownies... Chocolate Pudding/Frozen Ice Cream Pie... Apple Crisp or Pie...Carrot Cake...Cookies....

-Maybe you should count your efforts up to now as "practice", not part of your month. Get yourself together first and then start it and give it a fair chance.

All the best!

[shine72]

MareeM- I emailed you!

RP- I was looking at some of the links you put last night. I didn't have the chance to look at them all. I couldn't do the nudist part (but don't have anything against the fact that you do), but the rest was great. DH wasn't on the same page unfortunately, but we're working on that slowly, but surely. He also told me last year he'd never eat raw! So there's hope yet.
I did tell him I wish I could meet you and absorb your knowledge and wisdom however! You really do RAWK!

I've really enjoyed this thread, as it is helping me also! So keep the posts coming!

Sunshine :D

[shine72]

doubleg - Could you please email me that plan you were talking about?

sunboat69@yahoo.com

TIA!

Sunshine :D

[Wendee]

I feel for you!

Food is expensive.

But not as expensive as Health Insurance.

Consider buying food an excellent investment in you and your family's health, and really, nothing is more important then your health.

So, that being said, lets move on.

Firstly, we are a big family, too. I do all of the grocery shopping.

Let me say, banannas are our all time staple and we eat many of them daily. Our grocer knows me and when she sees me in the store, she will track me down with a couple of 40# boxes in tow and they are usually only 5.oo each! They are marked down because they are ripe, LOL!!
We eat banannas plain, dipped in honey then rolled in nuts and frozen, bananna milk shakes ( we don't use nuts for the milk, we use only banannas), bananna and almond butter sandwiches. Banannas are an excellent filler food, btw.

We buy farmers corn, This is sun dried corn. We can get 10, 5 gallon buckets full for 10.00 total. When ground into flour, the corn makes delicious food. We use our imagination here. I will take some ground corn flour and mix it with water and salt and form into little pancakes and if you don't have a dehydrator, place them in a slightly warm oven till warm. Pour agave syrup or raw honey on them or just eat them plain. They are delicious. We also mix up the corn flour again with water and salt, then let it sit for a few hours and slice it and top with sliced banannas, ect. I know it doesn't sound good, but it is!

You can also sprout the corn, which yields a different textured dish.

We also drink green tea. Alot.


wendee

[michigan roman]

this thread just keeps getting better and better .

wendees corn meal sounds good with chopped up vegis in it ,
or with a salsa on it .

[goodbeets]

Wendee, what IS farmers corn? Is it field corn? Corn seed? Do you know if it's treared or not? It sounds like a great idea.

[rawpriestess]

What is a sprouting bag? :confused:
RowanC, you can use a nut milk bag, or a jelly bag, you use it instead of a sprouting jar, or basket, just put seeds in the bag, soak, rinse, then hang on a cupboard knob, I like this the best, as each time I go into the kitchen, I give it a quick rinse, keeps it moist, I put a bowl on the counter under the bags, I can sprout tons this way, with only the bowls taking up the counter space, easy to see if they are getting tails too, I've never had them mold or slime up this way, like they have in my fancy shmancy expensive sprouter, go figure.

[rawpriestess]

right now Costco has medjook dates for $7.99 for 2 pounds, with pits, they are wonderful, and Safeway will be getting them in shortly, they cost about $4.99 to 6.99 per pound in the box, I can buy the same box at the farmer's market, at $4.99 per pound, at QFC they are $6.99 per pound, and Safeway they are $7.99 per pound, I just go to Costco.


anyway, you can get them several places right now.

[michigan roman]

RowanC, you can use a nut milk bag, or a jelly bag, you use it instead of a sprouting jar, or basket, just put seeds in the bag, soak, rinse, then hang on a cupboard knob, I like this the best, as each time I go into the kitchen, I give it a quick rinse, keeps it moist, I put a bowl on the counter under the bags, I can sprout tons this way, with only the bowls taking up the counter space, easy to see if they are getting tails too, I've never had them mold or slime up this way, like they have in my fancy shmancy expensive sprouter, go figure.


BINGO ! " NEVER HAD THEM MOLD UP OR SLIME UP THIS WAY " .

im just gonna build some type rack to hang them on over cheap plastic dish pans in the laundry room so out of the way .

thanx for the heads up RP !

this thread is gold :)

[RowanC]

Thanks! I'm going to try this! :D

[shine72]

RP - I wish you lived closer to me. You know how it used to be, where the lesser experienced women would learn at the feet of those that travelled before them? I would love to do that. You seem SO knowledgable! I am trying to absorb all I can here though!

Sunshine :D

[Wendee]

Field corn is the kind you feed to animals. Any dried corn will do .It's cheaper then potting soil! Some use it for their wood burning stoves as it's cheaper then coal.

A pickup truck full of this corn costs us only $50.00. It is easy to store, too.

Here's hoping this helps! :cool:

Wendee

[BecauseICan]

Hi Everyone! Wow! What a lot of terrific ideas!!!! Woo hoo!!! Looks like I have lots of studying to do. :) Some of the stuff suggested WILL work for us, absolutely! Some of it will work seasonally and some of it just will not work but boy oh boy am I appreciative of all of the wisdom here!!! A little about our family.... our kids are 18, 16, 14, 13, 11, 10, 8, and 4. We live on 10 acres in the country in N.E. Washington at an elevation of 3,600 feet. We home school and do all things as a family and are striving to find even more things to do as a family. :) Yes, we DEFINITELY DO have a garden every year and we do eat very well through the summer time, on raw foods ~ mainly veggies as fruit takes too long to grow here cuz of the extremely short growing season. As for what is in my cupboards, NO we do not have a bunch of chemical crap in there. We haven't eaten the 100% SAD diet for about 10+ years... we buy from the bulk section of the nutrition center at our local Fred Meyer and for the meat eaters in the family we buy a half cow ~ grain and grass fed from a friend of ours that lives up the road. We raise our own meat birds and slaughter yearly, that includes turkey and chickens. I'm the only vegan so far. This year we plan to do container/tire gardening to try and give the plants a longer season to grow ~ hopefully we will build a greenhouse someday in the future. We are getting food benefits from the state at this point in time because my husband just had major back surgery in December and he is the bread winner in the family. I am a stay at home Mom that home educates her kids and we also have a home business with Life Force. As for Dr.'s and medications and stuff like that, well, we don't spend our money on those kinds of things.... maybe it's just that Godde has been good to us ;) but most of our children have NEVER been to a Dr. ~ we do grow our own herbs and use them for medicinal purposes. As for saving on the electric and that kind of stuff ~ yes, we'll have some savings from not using the stove so much but doesn't that equal out with the use of the dehydrater and the blender and food processor.... ???? As far as being frugal and "natural" ~ we are a LOT more than your average. Question, someone mentioned that switching to raw will help us save on items like shampoo and stuff? Huh? Don't get that one. Hey, wouldn't it be great if eating this way made our hair, bods, and clothes stay clean?!!! :) As for the farmers market stuff, that is great for the in season months but trust me, there are NO farmers growing ANYTHING right now in N.E. Washington. :) It is a seasonal thing. We have TRUE winters here and this year has been exceptionally harsh just as it has been all across the U.S. As for the sprouted grains ~~~ I am new to all of this raw food stuff and I have been reading up on everything I can get my hands on. There does seem to be two different schools of thought on the grains issue ~~~ one that says they are great sprouted and one that says they are very bad for our bodies. I've been reading Frederic Patenaude's writings and he is very against the grains. He shares his experiences of eating "that way" vs. eating almost 100% raw fruit and veggies with the emphasis put on eating more fruit. So much to learn and from so many sources, I'm sure we'll have trial and error!! LOTS of them and we'll learn learn learn! :) Oh, and as far as sprouting, that too is seasonal for us right now because it gets too cold in our house at night for the sprouts to survive and germinate. (Our house isn't finished yet and has lots of leakies ~ we heat with a wood stove and cook on wood cook stove) BUT, this is NOT a woe is me tale....NO WAY!!! This is gonna be the epic novel of how this family continues to bind together and learns more and exciting things about our back to nature, back to wild lives!! Woo hoo!! I (and they) are SURELY looking forward to more adventures and I thank you all for being guides along the way!!! Isn't life a wonderful exciting journey!?!

[BecauseICan]

I would LOVE it doubleg if you would send me some of your menus!!! with recipes!
You can send it to me at Barbarann64@aol.com Oooh I'm excited!

[Wendee]

Forgive me, please if I am being too nosey... but getting a tetnus shot for everyone in the family has been a MUST for us country folk out in the sticks.... Don't know how many times during our home building years have we been punctured by nails, ect.

I know your children have never been to Dr. but this shot could protect their lives.

:D

[BecauseICan]

Forgive me, please if I am being too nosey... but getting a tetnus shot for everyone in the family has been a MUST for us country folk out in the sticks.... Don't know how many times during our home building years have we been punctured by nails, ect.

I know your children have never been to Dr. but this shot could protect their lives.

:D
It's okay Wendee, I don't think you are being nosey. But, vaccines and that kind of stuff just aren't our thing, for many different reasons. When someone gets punctured or cut I clean away the dead tissue and any foreign material with cool water and mild soap. I then dry it with a clean cloth and then apply tea tree oil. I then apply a clean dressing and we keep it clean and dry and watch it closely. If redness occurs I do a mustard poultice to draw out the infection and continue to monitor it while continuing with the tea tree oil or honey application. My oldest is 18 and through everything we have been through, this has always worked. About 4 years ago my husband cut into his leg with the chainsaw. We did not seek outside medical attention as that is just not our way ~ I attended to him in the ways written here and he was perfectly fine in a few days. I have learned that taking 200 mg. of Vitamin E daily helps to boost tetanus immunity and that is part of our daily "ritual". Thank you for your concern. :p

[Tirza]

Hey, BecauseICan:
Wow, you told my story! This sure takes me down memory lane!

We had 55 acres of mostly gorgeous mountain-side (which we turned into cross-country ski and horse riding/hiking trails) in the North Okanagan area north of Armstrong BC. We were vegan for many years and grew a big garden, also couldn't grow fruit except raspberries and strawberries and rhubarb. The neighbor had plum trees too. We would go out and pick Saskatoons and Choke Cherries on the sides of the road, and other fruit from orchards a little further south. We canned and froze like crazy, bought in bulk, ground our own wheat for bread, noodles, gluten and whatever else, made our own tofu, etc. I think our food budget for the month then was $30.

Then we decided to use some animal products years later, but only if it was organic, so we raised our own chickens, turkeys, sheep, 2 goats, a milk cow (we made our own cheese) and the kids had a couple of horses, plus dogs, cats, rabbits etc. Funny how you form habits-none of us is fussy about animal products even now. By default, we still just tend to eat vegan. We're used to the tastes and the process.

I also had a challenging time trying to sprout but I found that many sprouts like it cool anyway. We found out about "cool" when we started living in our 6,000 sq. ft. (total on 2 floors-basement extra) house before we put in insulation or windows or electricity or plumbing. I helped with all the building, mixed all the cement, hammered on shingles as it snowed - with a rope tied around my ankle so I wouldn't fall off. Don't ask. For the first 3 years when we didn't have glass windows, we had only 1 layer of builder’s plastic over the MANY LARGE window holes. The kids didn't DARE touch that plastic! We had a wood furnace which scorched us on one side when we stood 2 feet from it, while the icicles still clung to our clothes on the opposite side away from the heat. I melted snow in the winter for water and hauled it in 5 gallon buckets from the neighbor’s well the rest of the time. I used a big square washtub on the top of the woodstove in which to melt the snow. At night when it was full to the top with water, it would reach a simmering, just barely rolling state by the time we retired. In the morning it would be frozen solid. When we wanted cold water, we would dip the hot water out of the tub and add snow to cool it down, just like ice cubes. If I put the kids to bed with a bottle, it would also be frozen. The outside was our fridge and freezer. We didn't dare buy produce as it was sure to freeze...if the bears didn't get it first, that is.... I had my "fun" with them too. In the summer it was better as we just went to the garden and picked produce when we needed it.

Things certainly did improve throughout our "20-year building plan", but I KNOW what you are talking about. Boy, you'd think that was "Little House on the Prairie" in the 17 or 1800's from the way it sounds, but no, we started in the mid 1970's. Then that house burned down and we built another one. That one went up a lot faster.

Yes, our children survived. They thrived! They never got sick either. We also home schooled our 3, plus a couple of friends' children (the extras came after the windows, insulation and plumbing). Did my kids look like unkempt gypsy children? Not at all. That was my one claim to fame - their hair was always perfect and their clothes were beautiful. Are our kids warped? Honestly? (...Sure...I would say so...) :D (tongue in cheek). Well, at least they have very different characters, values and personalities from their contemporaries. I like it. Were they socially and emotionally crippled? Not at all! They think for themselves, they can do almost anything, and they have always gotten along perfectly with people of any age or social class. They are very aware of the world. They seem to draw friends like magnets and are always the centre of their social or professional groups. I humbly attribute that to the fact that they were kept out of the "sausage (or spagetti) factory" style of education and social upbringing.

Our oldest taught piano and theory for several years and is now teaching English in South Korea, traveling ALL over the world (3X over) in between. The next is (widowed) living, working and raising her son in Alberta, and hoping to travel soon, and our youngest is living, working, and producing a large family in the middle of Jerusalem. They are all very interesting people.

But this isn't about our family experiences I know. Just couldn't resist a little "relating" here.

So yes, I know about economizing on food and lots of other things. I just don't choose to, now that I don't "have to". :D But then again, old habits die hard, and I find myself reverting to type. It's not so bad.

[Tirza]

I would LOVE it doubleg if you would send me some of your menus!!! with recipes!
You can send it to me at Barbarann64@aol.com Oooh I'm excited!
Yes, of course I will, with pleasure.

My menu is very specific to our lifestyle of course, so you'll take that into account. It is also still "in the rough". I am constantly "tweaking" it.

The recipes for pretty much all of them are from this site or books mentioned here. If you do wonder about any of them, just ask and I will send you what I have.

I also want to commend you on all that you are doing. (An accomplished woman...Aishet Chayil!) This is the way our countries were built and thrived!

Our current consumer-oriented lifestyle with all its implications is already turning our nations onto a very dangerous path. The wholesome value system that so many worked so hard to establish here is surely being swept away. So many people know NOTHING about how to take care of themselves in even the simplest ways. They will not sacrifice their luxuries in order to have larger families to keep our populations on even a "replacement" basis, let alone growth for stability. More and more people would rather have no children, or just 1 or 2 "because the country is too overpopulated already (?!) and it costs so much to raise and educate them". For what? So they can have careers that will enable them to earn enough money to amass more luxuries and increase in self-indulgence and indolence? They will sacrifice everything though for luxury, for privacy, for every selfish way. (Coming off my soapbox now...)

Anyway, "way to go, girl!" I wish the VERY best for you and the self-reliant, conscientious citizens that you are raising!

emailing now....

[MareeM]

Wow, BecauseICan and Doubleleg I can really relate to you both. I have been doing the self sufficient thing for a few years now. Although we are now selling our farm and moving on, we will still have a few acres for our children. We've had the organic meat birds & laying hens, the milking cow - I made butter, kefir, cheeses, yoghurt, the grass fed organic beef - although we are now wiser in our food choices !! I have also grown my own organic vegies and fruits, made fermented vegies (still do), kombucha and used to make sourdough breads and muffins.

We also don't vaccinate, don't go to Dr's - we use homeopathics, essential oils, vinegar etc (would love your mustard poultice recipe BecauseICan), had our last baby at home unassisted, use cloth nappies and intend on home schooling. Also don't use any chemicals at all in or around the home and eat as much organic food as possible.

Yes, there is so much to learn, learn, learn.

Doubleleg, I would love your menus and recipes too! My email address is glenowen7@bigpond.com. Thankyou!!

[BecauseICan]

I will email you personally about the poultice. :)

[Lunar*Fey]

Wendee,
How can you initiate purchasing bulk from a grocery store like that? That is WONDERFUL and I would like to know how you did it because it would help me tremendously.

BecauseIcan,
A lot of helpful hints have been supplied and I haven't read all of them. I also live in the North and yes fruits and vegetables are expensive!! I am only 15 with an extremely SAD family, which in turn makes me really sad. But any way I go to stores such as BJ's (similar to Costco, but closer to me) and Aldi's for bulk and then stop at the local stop and shop (mucho expensive) to look on the shelf that holds the less than perfect, and therefore marked down, produce. You can find wonderful things on sale sometimes. I don't really make recipes, except green smoothies. At BJ's or Aldi type stores you can get bananas for .33 cents a pound! None of this is organic but still. You can find bags of nuts/dried fruit in bulk for much cheaper. I tend to buy about 6+ bunches of bananas, 3 4 pound bags of oranges (currently $2.59 for four pounds), a few avocados (.69 cents each), and apples (price changes depending). I buy greens from stop and shop or in bulk from the other stores depending on price to nutrient/need ratio at the time. I somtimes buy other things too (like grapes!), it just depends on what they have. Whenever my mom allows, I stop into other grocery stores to raid the marked down produce. I have sometimes found organic bananas on such shelves for .29 cents a pound! I hope this has helped somehow. Bananas are inexpensive and loved by most people. Dr. Doug Graham, I believe, generally consumes about 20 bananas per day! plus tons of greens and other fruits and such. Bananas and greens can sustain you. Also sprout bulk legumes and grains.
Again, I hope I have been helpful in some way!

keep me updated, sounds like you have a lovely family.

[shine72]

Tirza,

Not that I romanticize the situation to where I think it wouldn't be excrutiatingly hard, but I wish dh and I could get on the same page about stuff like that. You just described my version of "heaven" and I can't get that man on the same page with me! Oh well, whatcha gonna do? I hopelessly love the man, so I just have to keep hoping and dreaming and showing him the visions that I see and hope that he'll see it one day too!

Sunshine :D

[shine72]

Wendee - I would also LOVE to know how you initiate that with your local stores. I would LOVE to purchase banana's in bulk like that. I use them in SO much! Plus to eat them plain just feels......good! LOL!

You all are such a wealth of information! I love this board!

Sunshine :D

[coco]

thought i'd resurrect this thread as it seems to be a hot topic lately.

[Frugal Raw]

Good thread:D.

[sunnysprout]

This is a great thread.

How about building a simple greenhouse?

Start a small one, and/or add some cold frames and you'll have veggies all winter (and early spring and autumn too!).
There are lots of good books and websites on building and growing in greenhouses. I'm thinking of one book in particular called "Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book" - this passive solar heating design using the earth as heat storage would work well in cold climates.

We have a greenhouse here in Arizona - not exactly cold in winter here, although we can grow tomatoes and peppers and other cold sensitive plants all year around in the greenhouse.

Good luck!

[Bananna]

Does anyone know anything about greenhouses or sites, particularily for colder climates?

[mama29]

Hi,
WELCOME... I am in the Same boat almost -- 8dc __5boys that like there Daddy are BOYS, but hate to same we girls EAT TOO ;). Been on and off for 2 years - experienced amazingly great things!!! Well the budget: It costs alot in the beginning about a month or two - for us $800/wk. But soon - very soon the regular way of eating STOPS. So does the huge amount for food. I am pregnant now with #9 and days I look back and I had a Bannana and a spinach salad(small one). That's it!!! And as you know HUNGER with baby. On SAD I would wake up in the morning hungry -- but it is not hunger, it is a starvation because on SAD our bodies don't get any nutrients. But Raw a little goes a long way. You can't pig out on Raw the body justs shuts off and you can't fit another bite. (UNTRUE with SAD a whole bag of chips, and ofcourse there is room for some brownies. We shopped at Sam's club and it was great for cheap produce to feed many. However we just moved and no Sam's, so it is going ot be alot more to eat Raw but worth it! Also we live in PA- border NY on a 2400ft mountain top with steep hills that seem to be ice all the time. So much easier to stock up on canned goods, dry beans, etc -- but we don't want to do theat. No sure how we are going to make it happen but we all (incl. children) want Raw. We have God and He gave us the house and lead us to Raw so as we turn to Him in trust - only a matter of waiting....
You'll find your nitch - with what to eat. Watch for sales, Sam's Costco, older produce at the market. It can be done and a wonderful Blessing it is
With love,
Krist

[mama29]

is a year old. Sorry..:confused:

[lovinlocks]

Hi, I too am glad this thread is here. Funny the relevancy of life. I am in the same boat as the original poster and it's just me. I've been working part-time since I returned to complete university degree. So loving the freedom, I kept working p/t after graduating. Well, found out about Ms. Cohen's concept here, purchased the book, purchased the DVD, been amassing the hardware for a successful transition and ahhhhh, the food prices have been nagging at me too. I live very near a Food Co-op. You know owned by the people, for the people. And ay yi yi, I went there the other day to get started and spent $95 and didn't buy a lick of food. Meaning there was no "meal". I had things like Bragg Amino something or other, almond butter . . . well a buncha stuff I've been reading about, but none of it added up to a meal.

I've decided to begin looking for a full-time job in earnest. I really feel Live and Raw is the way to go so I've got to do what I've got to do. :confused: :eek:

[beckx]

you might want to look into coldframes for next year; also growing pots of greens inside (aside from sprouting... which is also a great idea).

bananas, oranges and carrots are generally super cheap in bulk.... i skipped some comments so maybe this has been said, but maybe you could join/start a co-op buying group. the co-op i belong to started out as a buying group but now actually has a storefront.

[katacykls]

This thread has been so wonderfully loaded with great ideas, tips, advice and inspiration. To the lady with the 10 people household, you are amazing and just your desire to go RAW will feed the need to learn everything needed to make it possible.

[qnjnean]

going 100 percent for 10 people on a budget sounds overwhelming, as much as doing a 30 day raw challenge is a wonderful way to dive in (that's what I did.) That's fantastic to have that kind of support, too.

I heard there's a guy on youtube living raw organic on a dollar a day. He does forage, though.

Since this was first posted awhile back, I would love to hear about the journey!

[lovinlocks]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post, Ma'am. A wealth of information and more importantly . . . DOABLE!!!!


Old 01-28-2007, 12:49 PM
Snownoir's Avatar
Snownoir Snownoir is offline
Seed

[sprouts2go]

I was reading this thread and I didn't know you could buy bulk organic food at BJ's or Costco. Is the food organic or just bulk? Is non organic but raw still the better choice?

[juliew]

Sorry I haven't figured out how to post a reply to just one message and not everyone, but to the person that gets kombuch in bulk --- tell me more!!! I absolutely love Synergy raw kombuch and would love to get kombucha in bulk. What store does this? Thank you!!!
Peace and joy,
julie

[laura-jane]

This is an old thread but lots of interesting tips and life stories here!

[Tsurugi_Oni]

I'm sure someone with ur family size is already a master budgeteer. There's really no way to preserve and stay "raw" in *MY* philosophy, but you got to compromise somewhere. Also from *MY* experience you may get full faster on raw, but you need to eat a TON more to get the required nutrition (I've done weight lifting, gymnastics, martial arts).

Do you have any ethnic markets around you? Most likely you'll be able to bargain arrangements with them to get SWEET deals on bulk foods. I know the ones around me will let u order bulk fruit at price if you time it with their schedule. A big part of my summer regime is foraging for fruit. When I forage I can actually be more $$$ efficient than working a minimum wage job and buying the fruit, so it's a great activity for the kids. If you have any golf courses around you they are TEEMING with berries on the outer edges of forests (just ask if they spray pesticides first).

From my experience, places such as Costco are still way too expensive to shop at for bulk foods. Ethnic (if you have any) is the way to go for sure, especially Chinese markets. Oh, and bananas will be ur best friend.

[Mnbordergirl]

Farmers markets, coops and the Korean grocers.

I also shop at Aldi.

[mama29]

Ooooh, I can fully relate, we have 9 children and I am pregnant. Make about the same income -- We shopped at Sam's and THAT WAS GREAT!!! Because EVERYONE in the beginning especially the first month ATE ALOT. I would say about a $1000/1500 a month. After time it went WAYYY down because our bodies were healing and an apple or2,3 would suffice for lunch. I made Pies for breakfast and salad for dinner and the rest of the day we would graze.
However we are not eating Raw now(except me on/off) because we moved 1 year ago and no Sam's. the food budget doubled, can't afford that. We are SERIOUSLY considering driving 3 hours round trip to Elmira NY 1-2 times a month in much snow to get back RAW. It is SOOOO worth it. Everyone in our family is so beautiful on RAW. Attitudes, energy, dispositions -- wonderful and THAT is A GREAT THING with 9 children under 13 years old:D