$$$$

[KittyMommy]

Last week I bought what I thought was a lot of supplies--and dropped a mint doing so. Yet much of it won't last until my next paycheck. Would appreciate advice on saving money while buying organic, raw chow.
Thanx!

[shine72]

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=32128&highlight=Saving+Money+on+Raw

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=27605&highlight=Saving+Money+on+Raw

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=26113&highlight=Saving+Money+on+Raw

Hopefully these threads will help to give you some ideas for raw on the cheaper side.:D

[Shell]

I don't have any tips, really, only that I noticed you just joined, and when I was new, I made A LOT of recipes, and therefore was spending a great deal of money on ingredients. I can tell you that as your body becomes more accustomed to eating raw, you'll likely not eat as much (I said likely, as some don't experience much of a change in appetite), and in turn won't be spending so much dough on raw food ingredients. There are, of coarse some staples that I still buy, such as hemp protein powder and spirulina, etc., but for the most part, I find I only spend about $60/week on groceries (which is a HUGE decrease from the $200 I WAS spending......yeah, you read that right....). I seem to remember some people suggesting getting the more expensive ingredients on-line, or buying in bulk so you get some sort of deal. As far as produce goes, you can always make a deal with your grocery store manager, where you would pay a reduced cost for the fruits and veg that they would otherwise toss at the end of the day because it may not look as "pretty" as it did in the morning......still fresh, but maybe the bananas are a bit ripe, or something like that.

[Angelina]

Oh yea, there have been times when I've spent $200 for one week too! I've gotten away from making soo many gourmet meals; around where I live - almonds/mac nuts/cashews are crazy expensive raw! But sunflower seeds are cheap! and go a long way in recipes. I can get a lb of sunflower seeds at whole foods for $1.99 and almonds are around $10.99!!! crazy...I try to buy/make things that are filling - flax seeds/whole or ground; hemp seeds/powder and then the rest I shop around for organic produce. Most of my meals are pretty blah and standard ~ salads/veggies, green juices/smooties then a 1-2x's/week I'll make something "gourmet" as for desserts - standard weeknight is banana ice cream or nuts and maybe twice a month I make somthing like a cake or brownies. Other cheap items are lentils or chick peas for sprouting - soo cheap and very filling. One more tip on saving some $$ is buying some thing not organic - its necessary for some items but others like bananas, pineapple (unless you're juicing and using the skin), mangos, avocados etc. are shown to ok if not organic - whole foods organic avocado = $2.99; food store non organic $1.99!!!

[TheAvocadess]

For me, shopping at the local Farmers Markets saves a ton. I can save $20 -$40 every trip by not shopping at the grocery store. I buy things like avos, fruits, etc... there and buy certified organic at the grocery or hfs. Things like greens, bananas, and carrots I always buy organic as I eat so much of those. I grow what I can in containers and buy from local farms and eat seasonally. We are lucky to have a few organic farms locally.

It was expensive to set up initially, but then a lot cheaper than buying a stove and all cooked people buy to set up a kitchen. I set up my entire raw kitchen for less than the cost of a stove. :D Also, cooked people spend a ton on steaks, health insurance, medication, etc... I'm actually saving a ton in the long run by being raw.

[CaliRaw]

If you can find a local organic food co-op in your area, you can save money compared to buying from the grocery/hfs.

[MysticTree]

I've always spent loads on food - non-raw is quite expensive too :o I think I spend less on raw than I did before cos I'm not buying expensive junk food.

Sprouts are cheap.
Growing your own veg is cheap if you have the space. I can save a fortune on tomatoes for example!
I buy a lot of things when they are on special deals "Buy One Get One Free" or "Half Pack Price" Avocados were on special last week so I had them. This week they are back to the normal price so I'm having other things.

Georgina

[MommyB]

These are great tips!

[Lilly the Naiad]

This has been my issue as well, but I concur that it mostly happens to people in the beginning until they begin to adapt to eating raw. Frankly the amount of food you consume is reduced over time and at least for me, I started making all sorts of very complex things and now I'm happy just putting two or three things together for a dish.

Your taste buds change and so does your food bill as a result. I'd suggest you make alot of green smoothies, they help curb cravings, you get full from them and feel very energized without mentioning the nutrition value surpasses most complicated raw food dishes.

I've also laid the nuts down. I was never much of a nut eater to begin with, or crazy about fat either except for cheese. When I eat more than a handful of nuts I end up feeling very heavy and uncomfortable. The great thing is sunflower seeds are awesome, more nutritious and cheaper. - If I'm going for a fancy dish I'll get the fancy nuts, otherwise I'm happy with walnuts and almonds for milks or 'meat', and sunflower seeds for everything else.

I'd also be clueless in the supermarket and would just buy random vegetables and fruits, many times something would lay stranded without me knowing what to do with it and it would go bad. Which is where green smoothies help because all you need is leafy greens and fruit, you can't go wrong. :)

Over time you start figuring out what things are indispensable in your kitchen and which are treats as with any cooked diet, you can't always go for the very tasty things and have to grow into the cheaper ones!

When I'm totally broke I buy a big bag of carrots which are quite cheap, some oranges and sunflower seeds and make a carrot salad. Two or three carrots grated finely with about half or a quarter of an orange chopped and sunflower seeds all mixed up. It's delish and cheap :)

[Lady Green Jeans]

Really good question as most don't have endlessly deep pockets. I save where I can and splurge where I feel I need to specifically get organic. There are days I want to expend the energy and enjoy a gourmet raw meal and others where just a plain avocado for dinner is the tastiest thing on the planet. Alissa's book has the best, down to earth, day-in-and-day-out awsome recipes. It rolled me through the first year with great enjoyment and satisfaction. Some things I thought I would adore--didn't care for at all. Some others like Indian Spinach Dip I will absolutely never tire of even on a weekly basis.

I try to follow the grocer ads to see what is on special that week. If I can incorporate these items into recipes, great. If not, the wholesale club or the farmer's market may be the next trip. Knowing what you like and prefer is a big help and gives you the edge on shopping. I adore avo's. If stuck on a desert island with an avo tree--would be nirvana for me. Maybe not so for others. I adore variety and like to shake up the menu as much as possible. Hope some of this helps.

Happy healthy eating.

[MysticTree]

I wasn't much of an alcohol drinker to begin with but I reckon that since going raw has meant I only drink water when I'm out, and that is free, I can use my drinks money on food. I find it a great help when my bf says how expensive RAW is to point out that if he has 2 pints and 10 cigarettes a day then he is already spending more than I do on food alone. It shuts him up!

So yes you may spend more in some areas but you'll almost certainly be spending less in other areas - even if it's just a saving on fuel for cooking you don't use anymore :)

Georgina

[trinity082482]

I try not too spend more than $30 at one visit when restocking some staples. Then at the end of the week I spend around 70$-$100 for the 3 of us and then through the week I have to go back and get some more items for my self because I am the only raw one.

[EZ rider]

My food budget is pretty reasonable as I don't buy a lot of ingredients. I don't try to shop very far ahead because everything I eat is perishable so I make sure that I am good to go for at least the day I am in through the next morning when the stores open. I do stock up on sale items keeping the quantities consistent with freshness. For a brief description of how I eat see this recent thread, post #6:
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=33497