cost of raw living

[alicemagooey]

Well, one of the objections i get from people around me when i tell them about the raw diet is:" isn't that costly??..especially having to buy organic foods..??"

I usually protest that i am not buying meat;not eating out much;not spending much on extravagances of the edible variety..

i finally 'bit the bullett' and made a detailed list of my shopping for one month for one person..

i do not live in California, and live in a somewhat high priced state(cost of living).
i averaged about $60.00 a week for my food and related items..
$60.00 used to be ...many years ago, one of the base measures for a single person's dietary expenses for a week..
as i remember..(without clipping coupons or the like)..and eating meat, etc.

i have so much wanted to go on this diet , and really feel it is the best, and have been helped by some friends to do so..so i am so grateful...

anyone else want to share their experiences in this.
how much do you find that you are spending in a month..??
also...
how to find little savings here and there.??

and,how.do we make it possible and feasible when we tell 'nay-sayers' that "RAW diet living" IS possible and feasible and obtainable by everyone..

alice

[Dr. White]

I do not look at prices when I shop for food. Dh may complain about what I spend, but he knows from experience that food is not something that I will EVER sacrifice on. Even when I ate SAD, it was the best of the SAD foods. Our bill for 3 people is between $800 and $1000 per month.

[Eva]

I'm finding that it's really not that expensive unless I get a lot of the "premium" sort of raw items like agave and cacao nibs. At first it was a lot more expensive, but now that we've gotten into a groove, it is getting to be less so than prior to my eating raw (and my family high raw).

The green smoothies really do fill me up, and since the base is two inexpensive items (bananas and green leaves), that really helps.

I'm also finding that I'm craving avocados a bit less these days.

I do agree with Dr. White that it's just not something that can (or should) be sacrificed. It's our health! What do we have if we are not healthy and vibrant? You can't live life that way.

[CaliRaw]

Why are they 'objecting' to anything? They're not paying for your food, are they? Let's see what they say 20 years from now when they're hobbling around on their canes and you're sprinting past them!

I have no idea how much I spend. It's been 18 days and I buy what I want. Most organic, but some not. I imagine that I will be eating less as time goes on, so whatever I'm spending now won't be what I'm spending later.

I wouldn't worry about what other people think unless they're paying for it. I wouldn't even provide them with a list of my expenses.

[alicemagooey]

totally agree with you .!!

if we are spending out more now..( and i do believe that as we go along with the raw diet, we simplify more and more, and spend less and less )

we are gaining what we would be spending on medicines and other things to try and fix our broken health..

No.. i am not asking the cost question because i do not think we should make whatever sacrifices may be necessary to obtain and maintain good health..but i want to prove that ANYONE can become raw..and can do it well, and that it is not that expensive to do so..
(even up front..not counting what we will save on medicines etc later.)(or now)

many thanks for the responses so far..
would still be interested to find if people will post some actual costs.

just academic, you know.. ( and want to prove my point that raw is not extravagent)(sp?)

alice

[CaliRaw]

Oh, YES! I forgot about the medications. I have lots of diabetic family members who are taking pills for diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. Not to mention the time spent getting checkups and everything.

You hang in there. THEY will eventually see that what you're spending, whatever the amount, is worth it. Even if they don't...you know that it is. :)

[Eva]

Ah, sorry! My mom spends about $40 per week on raw for just herself. I eat all raw; I have been since March, but I've had my slipups so it's more like a raw journey. Every time I have a slip up, I start back to "Day 1 100%" like it's new.

Anyways, I'm babbling. In the beginning, I think it was about $150 per week for a family of 4. I was the only one eating all raw, and I still am, but my dh and kids were eating more meat and milk and eggs than now. Now, we keep soy milk sometimes but no animal milk, and they eat no more than 2 servings per day of any animal protein, get sprouted bread, and they eat at least 50% raw if not more. We have gotten it down to about $110-$120 per week for all 4 of us even though we live in a place where everything is expensive. We even eat mostly organic...

You know what, though? I just realized I do also go to Trader Joe's for staples like raw nuts and spices and olive oil, and that's an average of about $80 per month or so on top of my weekly grocery bill.

[alicemagooey]

Thanks for the great encouragement, Caliraw..!!

say, did you know that a Dr Cousins put diabetics on 30 days of raw and reversed their diabetes.??

sorry for the ignorance.. i know that there are several kinds of diabetes,
i am not sure what kind he reversed..

is it possible he even reversed the ones people are born with??

anyway, i just found the advertisement for a video called something like
30 days raw..

http://www.rawfor30days.com/about.html

even if your family members would never consider such a thing, i love learning about all the good things that going raw can do for peoples health..

cheerio
and thanks again,
alice

fascinating..
a

[CaliRaw]

I didn't know dr cousens did that. I've read that others who've eaten raw have been able to stop taking their diabetes medications. I just got alissa's book for my mother. She's going to read it and give it a try.

When I get home later tonight, I'll take a look at my receipts and post what I've spent so far on food.

Thanks for the link about the movie/documentary. That's something I'd like to purchase when it become available.

[alicemagooey]

caliraw, i posted in another recent post that i have alissas DVD ..it is the same as the book, but she demonstrates..( i believe it is much the same, perhaps the book has more...recipes..)(i have seen the size of the book..it is thick !!)

if you would like the DVD, i would be glad to pass it on to you..

the only stipulation is that you pass it on to someone else who will benefit.
when you are done with it..(no rush)

alice

[EZ rider]

I would rather spend my money on fresh foods from the garden then on doctors and medical bills. An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[barose]

We spend about $150-200 a week on raw. Both of us are raw now and that is our average cost. We do live in California and organic is the norm (and some stores ONLY have organic produce), but I don't look at price anymore. I do, but I don't obsess over it, unless its super expensive or out of season. We pick and choose where we buy our produce so that helps. For instance, I almost never buy produce at Whole Foods because its too expensive, even for conventional. Berkeley Farmers Markets is our #1 place followed by a large local produce store. We also sometimes shop at some of the smaller health food and produce stores sometimes just to hold us over until we can make it to the farmers markets.

Produce makes up the bulk of our purchases followed by nuts, seeds, spices, and superfoods. SO also has distiled water delivered, but I didn't include that in the food cost. We also go out once or twice a week to a local raw food restaurant and I didn't include that as well. I also didn't include wine which inst very expensive living near the wine country and all.

Prior to raw, I spent a lot of money on meat, eggs, fish, more wine (we buy much less now) and going out.

All in all, I think it comes out to be about the same for us.

I'm in my 4th month and I eat more food now than when I did starting out and more now than I did on a cooked diet by the way.

[mangotango]

If it helps, we are a low-income family on food stamps. I'm the only raw one - my wife and daughter are LO-vegetarians.

I don't get everything organic but as much as possible given our budget. We belong to a CSA (we barter for that) and shop sales, try to buy in-season, etc. I buy very few treats and no supplements, and rarely eat out. We grow our own herbs. (We can only do container gardening because of lead in the soil. :( ) The most expensive items in our grocery budget aren't the raw ones: they're cheese, bagels, and juice.

I'd say if we can manage, almost anyone can.

[alicemagooey]

Thank you for your comments and responses, Carla..

I think we may be about 'average' ( your costs are similar to mine)

i use distilled water, and have a countertop distiller, so did not include that.

i think, overall, once you adopt a raw lifestyle , that the costs both stabilize and reduce overtime..just a personal observation..i do think we tend to simplify..(unless we find ourselves in some kind of social situation where we are forced to be complicated for a time..i think we speedily return to where life is as simple as can be) (and raw living is really not complicated living)

many thanks
blessings to you...keep rawsome..
take care, and thanks again for the comments ,etc.
alice

[KindnessToAllCreatures]

I'm not very good at keeping track of how much I spend on things. (Trust me- I'm not financially wealthy- just not very organized!) What I do know is, I find myself not obsessing about food, I don't go out to eat anymore, I'm much more productive, etc. I've not broken it down into dollar amounts, but I'm certain this way is more frugal. It's much easier to focus on living life with a living foods lifestyle- before there was way too much thought about always wanting to purchase (things in general, including unhealthy food).

Don't worry about the people that question your dietary choices. People will justify their own unhealthy habits in a whole variety of ways, including saying that eating more fresh produce is 'too expensive'. (Any dietician would tell the American public that we as a society should be eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. They would never say not to because it's too expensive!)

As an added thought, if people had to pay what it truly costs for meat and dairy (i.e. minus subsidies), we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

May you have good health and much happiness!

[barose]

I too grow out of pots because I dont know whats in our soil (we rent). I raw flowers and other plants in the ground but grow some veggies in pots. I find pot growing to be much easier in some cases. I pretty much grow whats expensive for the area. For us its organic heirloom tomatoes. They are pretty easy to grow and so far I have a ton of baby tomatoes. They are about $4 lb on average. Lately they have been cheaper though.

[Davylp25]

I think the whole, Raw is expensive complain complain people are just trying to talk themselves into staying put and not hopping onto the evolution train of change. Anything to keep them safe and stagnant. And ya know if thats what you choose 2 do, I tell them, goodluck. But in reality, it's not that much more expensive then going to the grocery store and purchasing meats, boxed cookies, 6 packs of soda's, MEDICINES to help heal what those foods are causing, then next week, the circular dance begins again. I don't know how much I spend monthly, don't really care, Im not rich, but IM WORTH IT. People talk themselves out of changing over and over again, by their owner called FEAR. I used to be owned by HIM as well. He sucks pork chops if you ask me....:cool: Now Im owned by Mother Earth and the great Source... They are awesome.:D

[Shell]

Wow, looking at all of the monthly amounts.......am I spending too much?!! Granted, I'm only in my third week, so I'm still making a fair amount of recipes......I've not got the "simple" eating down yet! In the first week alone I think I spent close to $200!!:eek: Last week was a bit better....a little over $100.....and trust me, I am by no means financially well off. I'm hoping that as time goes on, I'll make less recipes, and I know I'm not going to buy nuts in such great quantities anymore....they just end up in my belly(and ON my belly!). When it comes down to it though, I don't care about the financial cost all that much. My health is way more important!

[alicemagooey]

Thank you for your comments..!!
Once again, i am not trying to justify anything..not myself, nor the diet, nor anything.. This is a purely academic excercise..
And information which is nice to know..

yes, the whole lifestyle can be expanded to emcompass more savings.
i am a member, Carla, of a cool group for container gardens..
They are now researching the benefits ( there are many) of what is called
"self watering containers"..
They are not self watering , exactly, but they are made with a 3 or 4 gallon reservoir for water and nutrients..which the soil absorbs through capillary action..makes for larger, healthier plants.

YUMMMM..heirloom tomatoes are my favorites..so tender, so tasty..!!

thanks for the additional tips and information
alice


Ediblecontainergardens@yahoo.com

[alicemagooey]

SHELLEY !. don't worry.. i am SURE i spent more when i first started.. there are so many initial things a person does..

heck, i went and purchased a new blender !!!

a friend of mine told me dehydrated crackers were so good..
i would have made them part of my diet and all the ingredients which went into them in a 'snap' had i found that they agreed with my digestion.
just so happens that they did not.

DO NOT WORRY...( i am sure you are not)..KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK..!!!


this is not a thread to justify or to condemn ANYTHING OR ANYONE..!!.. it is purely an academic 'brainstorming' thing...
we have already come up with some ways to save, but have all agreed with one voice that GOOD HEALTH, PEACE AND INCREASING WELL-BEING are worth any price that we can find to pay for it..

TAKE CARE.. KEEP UP THE PROGRESS..
we all need to..
THIS FORUM IS AWESOME as far as encouragement goes..
so much courage and determination and grit, humor and enthusiasm.
gosh, how can we fail?

alice

[CaliRaw]

My total is $308 (since 7/17/07).

[the_lab_rat]

I think raw can be as cheap or expensive as you let it. We shop mainly at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's because they're right down the street. Other places and farmer's markets are cheaper, but also farther away. The most expensive things we buy are not the raw things (not everyone in the family is raw/vegan, and we have non-raw pets). Personally, my most expensive item is supplements; as I learn more about raw, I'll be needing fewer of those. Raw nuts were also pricey, but I no longer eat those so that's a big expense gone! Also, I tend to wait for the sales on organic stuff. We buy 100% (well, realistically probably like 99%) organic, and it's just as cheap as when we used to buy conventional like 10 years ago. It's funny, people think of California as being expensive, but I spend WAY less on produce here than when I lived in other places! Hmm, I dunno what my grocery bill is... maybe $75/week for me..?

[Shell]

Thanks Alice! I admit, when the total rang up on the cash register the first time (and this was only at the health food store....stop #1), I almost had a heart attack! But I'm glad you started this thread.....I was a bit concerned about the financials!! And this IS a great forum....so much support, and there's always an answer to any question!!

[barose]

We were in Whole Foods today (salad bar for lunch) and a lady in front of me had like 3 bags of items: processed/premade food and supplements. Her bill was about $340! I almost had a heart attack for her. She didn't blink and paid it like it wasn't nothing. There was not one veggie or fruit on the belt either. Yikes, thats like 2-3 weeks worth of food for us.

[the_lab_rat]

We were in Whole Foods today (salad bar for lunch) and a lady in front of me had like 3 bags of items: processed/premade food and supplements. Her bill was about $340! I almost had a heart attack for her. She didn't blink and paid it like it wasn't nothing. There was not one veggie or fruit on the belt either. Yikes, thats like 2-3 weeks worth of food for us.

I see that all the time in WF too! A couple weeks ago I was behind a guy buying wine, meat, and fancy cheeses that came to $300-something. Nothing green or living in his cart. Then a while back was behind a woman who bought $500 in beauty products, vitamins, and pre-packaged foods. Eek!

[Turbolift]

I haven't been eating raw for very long. I am fortunate in that during this time of year there are a lot of road side vegetable and fruit stands where I'll buy my stuff. I doubt I'll buy organic in the stores unless it is on sale.

Not sure what I'm going to do when winter comes and the selection gets more expensive and narrow. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!

I have to say shopping is much easier. Not so many aisles to traverse!

[RAWk Angel]

I am not finding that much of a price dif. My family has always been big on friuts and veggies anyway. And I stick to mostly the stuff I used to cook but now have it raw. The biggest dif is now I try to add 2-3 new produce items to my cart every week. I am more open to trying new things and this will help me figure out what I like and don't like. I like keeping my diet simple and do not make a lot of the recipes.

[Indie]

Yeah, my fiancé complains a bit about the cost (it's quite expensive here in the UK, and like many of you, I'm still sorting out my staples), but he agrees it's an investment in our health (although he isn't raw, he eats loads of raw fruit and veg, plus smoothies). We also don't go out to eat anywhere near as much as we used too. It's just when it hits you, at the cash register, that you get taken aback a bit. But then you realise that you're not on any medication, you don't go out to eat anymore, and it's going to last you the whole week and then it's not so bad!

I think last week was £65 for the two of us (but like I said, he's not raw). I am going to try out some local farmer's markets, but have heard that they're more expensive than the supermarkets. Worth checking out, though!

Good thread!

[Nurse in the Raw]

Just for my self and 50% raw daughter I spend approx $50.00 a week in produce. I normally get organic foods from the co-op I am with but when they go on vacation like they have been for July & August, I shop at the little vege stand down the street. The owners know me by now and they put stuff aside that they intended to throw away, but now they keep it for me and I get it for free. For example; today I was given 5 cucumbers and 4 peaches because they had a few soft spots. I just cut them out and now they are marinating in a vinaigrette dressing. I also take just about everything off of the $1.00 table, whether I need it or not and then I clean it and freeze it. I got half a case of bananas 2 weeks ago for $1.00 because they were a little brown on the outside but nice and firm on the inside. Today I bought about $60.00 worth of produce for $32.00.

[april092776]

Wow, Stacie! You are an inspiration to this coupon-clipping, bargain-hunting, RAW-journeying lady. I love the farmer's market, but I guess I need to hang out there more often and introduce myself around!

[EZ rider]

As I go through my day I save any OK bits and pieces of produce that I cut off in food preparation and save them in a bowl I leave in the refer for that purpose and then juice them when my juicers are set up. For example I just made romaine lettuce juice in my green power juicer and the ends don't go thru that juicer well, so I cut off the bottom end piece from the romaine head and put it aside for juicing in my champion juicer later. If your attentive to saving what you can of the scraps of produce you cut in your food preparation up you can use them in your juicer.

[Indie]

Wow, that's a really good idea! I chuck loads of broccoli and cauliflower stalks as I don't really like eating them, but from now on I'll juice them! Thanks!

[alicemagooey]

i just went to the Internet and found what the average cost for food for the average person in the USA..

it is interesting..
as i said, i am doing this as an excercise.

we rawies are spending more than the average ( our costs are considered liberal per our weekly costs.)

but once again, we are making an investment in health and wellness.

here is the web site
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2007/CostofFoodJun07.pdf

i found it interesting.

alice