grocery shopping frequency and bills

[barose]

Before I went raw, I would shop 1-2x a week max, now it looks like I'm going shopping (farmers markets, produce store and sometimes a health food store) at least 3x a week. Its mostly 3x a week max, but that is a lot - at least for me. I was hopping my grocery bills would be less expensive since I'm not buying organic meat and grass fed eggs, but its more now. For the two of us, we spend about $150-200/week (and I'm always hungry). Does anyone else have this issue?

[Naiad]

Maybe you're too focused on eating? Have three set meals and a cheap snack like bananas or baby carrots with plenty of water. Also, freeze greens for smoothies so they don't go bad before you can use them. If you buy bottled water, that's a huge $$$ sucker right there. Invest $100-200 at the hardware store in a filter that goes underneath your kitchen sink.

You might think you're hungrier than your body actually is. Especially if you have those three meals and snacks.

Might also want to read this forum less and do other things... always makes me hungry :p

[shooting star]

I was going to post the exact same question as I seem to need to shop loads now I am transitioning to raw. We go through fruit at a rate of knots! It doesn't help that my H is still eating SAD.

I didn't know you could freeze greens - do you need to defrost them before making a green smoothie or can you chuck them in frozen?

[Naiad]

I was going to post the exact same question as I seem to need to shop loads now I am transitioning to raw. We go through fruit at a rate of knots! It doesn't help that my H is still eating SAD.

I didn't know you could freeze greens - do you need to defrost them before making a green smoothie or can you chuck them in frozen?

Chucking them in frozen works. I like my smoothies frosty anyways.

For people who think they spend alot on raw... seriously think about when you ate SAD. All the coffee here and there, the snacks... the dinners out. Considering most raw people only eat what they get at the market, it seems it wouldn't be as dramatic a difference.

[barose]

Maybe you're too focused on eating? Have three set meals and a cheap snack like bananas or baby carrots with plenty of water. Also, freeze greens for smoothies so they don't go bad before you can use them. If you buy bottled water, that's a huge $$$ sucker right there. Invest $100-200 at the hardware store in a filter that goes underneath your kitchen sink.

You might think you're hungrier than your body actually is. Especially if you have those three meals and snacks.

Might also want to read this forum less and do other things... always makes me hungry :p


I eat small meals about 5-6 times a day. Sometimes a meal is a smoothie or apple. I cant eat much in one sitting and I get hungry pretty often; especially if I run or lift weights the day before, so 3 squares just dont cut it. I can only eat carrots if they are shredded so I use then in a salad. They really hurt my stomach otherwise; especially baby carrots so I buy regular ones and shred them. Also I don’t like bananas - at all. I think they raise my blood sugar too high. I know you were just giving me examples though. ;)

I don’t make many "meals". Most of my meals are salads which I make 1x a day. I do make guacamole, chutney, and dressings, and "nice" salads but I am super quick in the kitchen. About once or twice a week I try a new recipes.

We get distilled water delivered, but that’s in a different part of our budget - not what I included in grocery store spending.

My hunger unfortunately is real. I have hunger pangs that are not satiated by drinking more water, I feel spacey, dizzy with a headache.

[Lay-Lay]

I usually frequent the farmers market twice a week and the grocery store once a month.

[barose]

Chucking them in frozen works. I like my smoothies frosty anyways.


For people who think they spend alot on raw... seriously think about when you ate SAD. All the coffee here and there, the snacks... the dinners out. Considering most raw people only eat what they get at the market, it seems it wouldn't be as dramatic a difference.

That’s the thing, I wasn’t on a SAD before. I just ate cooked food. No coffee, gluten, soy, dairy, snacks, bread, pasta, sugar, HFCS, juice, soda, fast food, convenience food, and so on. But meat (mostly chicken and fish) and eggs had me satisfied for much longer than a green smoothie. I ate much less then.

[shooting star]

I know what you mean borose. It's not the amount of cash I'm spending. It's the amount of time spent shopping!

I used to do a big shop every couple of weeks and buy staples like rice, quinoa, lentils that lasted ages. Of course we had fresh fruit and veg, but not nearly as much as I do now as the gap was filled with grains and pulses.

But now everything I buy is fresh I need to constantly restock. I alway seem to be running out of food. Any decent shops are a long drive. The shops near our house do the odd manky apple, and the shop near where I work is not raw either. So it is a drive, through busy traffic to a supermarket each time I want fresh fruit.

I definitely feel like it takes much more planning and time just to get the food in the house!

[barose]

Glad to know I'm not the only one.

Shootingstar, I forgot the rice and chicken was stored in the freezer. I should stop complaing though because at least I live and work near farmers markets (multiple ones) and some really good stores. :(

[shooting star]

I think it is just a question of getting used to it. When I gave up things like wheat and dairy it took ages to transition as the world seems geared up to serve cheese sandwiches. I kept running out of food then, because I wasn't used to it.

Now I've got a whole new way of eating to learn. I keep slipping up, but am determined to crack it. I've never been one to plan my meals so at the moment I'm not very good at working out that I'll need, say, olives next Wednesday to make corgetti and rawgu and that I should have bought and soaked some flax seeds two days ago and made flax crackers yesterday to dehydrate as I want flax crackers NOW!

I'm sure we will get there. I'll buy loads of greens tomorrow and freeze them so I can have more green smoothies during the week. Thanks for the tip Naiad :)

[beanmonkee]

I spent a lot more on money in February when I first tried raw. I was trying a lot more recipes, and I was eating more nuts. Now, I'm eating more simply, and I think I'm averaging around $8/day. Maybe a little more.

Before going raw, I was trying to spend at most $7/day, so it's not too much different for me.

I don't eat all organic -- just those foods that are high on the pesticide spectrum, like apples, spinach and other greens. I only buy tropical fruits when they are on sale (mangos were on sale this week for 2/$1!). I don't make a lot of raw desserts since I eat so much fruit throughout the day -- unless you count a date or two.

I work right next door to a grocery store, so if I am wanting some fruit or veggie that I didn't bring with me, I just scoot over there and pick something up. I haven't kept track of those few dollars here and there, but it's something like $2 for lunch in fresh veggies.

I try to buy things in bulk when I can. For example, I'm juicing a lot of carrots, so it's more economical to buy a 5 lb bag of carrots than a 1 lb bag. It'd be even better if I bought the 15 lb bag, but I'm not in the habit of juicing enough to make that work for me. I bought a 5 lb bag of organic grapefruit for $6.99 when the conventional grapefruit cost $1.99/lb.

Before you pick a store to go shopping, hop online and see if they have their weekly specials on their website. Go to whichever has the best deals on what you'll be buying.

I know you didn't ask for all that, sorry.

I go to the grocery store when I need to. I've only loaded up twice so far this month.

[barose]

beanmonkee - Though none of the stores I go to have sales, the farmers markets have end of days specials so I find it helpful to at least ask if I don’t see a sign. :) Thanks for the reminder.

The thing about "fancy items", if I buy a jar of raw cocoa powder or a bag of nibs, they will literally last me for probably a year. So even the occasional fancy items are not frequent purchases.

I have a hard time going 100% simple, mono meals though. I am very much a kitchen/cooking/baking person and would dearly miss being creative in the kitchen. I cook for enjoyment, not just for necessarily though not turning on a stove or oven (especially in the heat) rocks!

[Zuri]

I eat small meals about 5-6 times a day. Sometimes a meal is a smoothie or apple. I cant eat much in one sitting and I get hungry pretty often; especially if I run or lift weights the day before, so 3 squares just dont cut it. I can only eat carrots if they are shredded so I use then in a salad. They really hurt my stomach otherwise; especially baby carrots so I buy regular ones and shred them. Also I don’t like bananas - at all. I think they raise my blood sugar too high. I know you were just giving me examples though. ;)

I don’t make many "meals". Most of my meals are salads which I make 1x a day. I do make guacamole, chutney, and dressings, and "nice" salads but I am super quick in the kitchen. About once or twice a week I try a new recipes.

We get distilled water delivered, but that’s in a different part of our budget - not what I included in grocery store spending.

My hunger unfortunately is real. I have hunger pangs that are not satiated by drinking more water, I feel spacey, dizzy with a headache.

Barose have you had recent blood work done? Feeling spacey, dizzy and headachey could mean anything from anemia to low blood pressure. OR, it could mean you need more food. Considering the fact that you work out regularly, it makes sense that you'd eat a bit more than someone else that doesn't work out. I wonder how long this has been going on? I'm sure you'll work this out. :)

[Zuri]

Oh and it definitely seems like I spend more money eating raw than I did eating cooked. I haven't been keeping track though. I am def. going to the store more often just to get staple foods. What seems to be costing the most are oils (for salads), nuts (of which I buy maybe twice a month..almonds) and avos. Love organic sunflower seeds 'cause they're waaay cheap! I won't eat a salad unless it has a nice dressing to go with it, so I just continue to buy the oils as needed. I sacrifice in other areas to eat well though; like shopping and outings have decreased quite a bit (plus everybody I know eats SAD and forget that I don't).

[RawVegan4Health]

I go to buy more things about 3 to 4 times per week. I spend an average of $25 per trip. This is no more expensive than the combination of groceries and dining out that I did before. Actually, it is $40 less per week than I spent SAD. I used to track all my didning out, including coffee and all that, so I know for a fact it is cheaper for me to eat raw.

I eat pretty simply. Fresh fruit or fruit smoothie for breakfast. Nothing exotic and expensive. Green smoothies for lunch. Dinner is where I tend to spend some money, using nuts and seeds there, but for the most part these can go a long way.

[Dimond]

I actually found I was shopping less with raw-just once a week.

Now I try never to go to a grocery store anymore & have food delivered. I find it's such a waste of my time & hassle when I go to the store when there are better things to do. Not to mention the quality of produce is better delivered & often the store is out of stock on some things. Almost every U.S. area has some type of grocery delivery available if you do a search. It's usually just a small fee which if you consider the the cost of gas & your time, it's worth every penny. If there isn't one near you & you can afford it, there are several places that will ship to you.

[barose]

I thought about a delivery, but I want to be able to pick out what I want for the week (or few days) - not have it done for me.

[Dimond]

The place I order from is really great because they're choosy about the produce they buy. So you're guaranteed 99% of the time to have the freshest/best quality stuff & they're real good about crediting you if something isn't. They have a website where I order from so it's like virtual shopping. :)

[littleangelbear]

Really, I think it's about where you shop. If I shopped at Whole Foods every week (I lovingly call it "Whole Paycheck" LOL, but a great store and I fully endorse shopping there)...I'd be spending $200 per week.

We tend to spend on average $100 a week for 2 people, but we're athletes. We do about 60 percent organic too. And, my hubby is not raw, so I buy him his gluten free and dairy free foods here and there.

I also have to lovingly say and point out, eat how your body tells you. Some people eat more or less...only you can do what is right for you. There's no "right" way ;) I eat 3 small meals at meal time and little snacks 3 times per day of fruit or veggies. But, then again, I work out 1-2 hours per day :) So, that is what works for me...

You'll find what works for you, but don't let others on message boards try to tell you that you're eating too much or too focused on food :) It's better to listen to your own body's guidance :)

[barose]

Really, I think it's about where you shop. If I shopped at Whole Foods every week (I lovingly call it "Whole Paycheck" LOL, but a great store and I fully endorse shopping there)...I'd be spending $200 per week.



Or Whole Fools, Whore Foods, etc....

I rarely shop there. If I do, its because I need something and everywhere else is closed. Our WFS stays open until 10:00. I normally get some nuts, etc - they are about the same price as everywhere else. I don’t get grocery items there---if I do its pretty rare.

I guess I need more food because I work out more and more. I'm also naturally (freakishly) muscular so I probably use more energy just by doing nothing. I dont count calories, but I wonder how much I actually need in a day.

I also realized I was not eating enough protein and fat, hopefully once I resolve that, I will feel less hungry.



The place I order from is really great because they're choosy about the produce they buy. So you're guaranteed 99% of the time to have the freshest/best quality stuff & they're real good about crediting you if something isn't. They have a website where I order from so it's like virtual shopping. :)


That sounds good! If I can get some local items delivered, I can save the store trips for things like coconut and pineapple (two things I cant live w/o) :o

[Dimond]

Barose, I did a search for your area & found some delivery places you might consider.

www.planetorganics.com
www.organicexpress.com
www.westsideorganics.com
www.farmfreshtoyou.com
www.besosfoods.com
www.organickitchen.com
www.sfbaygrocerydelivery.com/OG5/index.html

Hope that helps. There more places if you search. Unfortunately here, we only have one place that I pray never closes. There is another place, but it's very limited & very expensive.

[barose]

Barose, I did a search for your area & found some delivery places you might consider.

www.planetorganics.com
www.organicexpress.com
www.westsideorganics.com
www.farmfreshtoyou.com
www.besosfoods.com
www.organickitchen.com
www.sfbaygrocerydelivery.com/OG5/index.html

Hope that helps. There more places if you search. Unfortunately here, we only have one place that I pray never closes. There is another place, but it's very limited & very expensive.

Thank you so much! Ill see what DP says...