raw & POOR. tips for eating on a budget?

[lambe]

i recently quit my job because i COULD NOT TAKE IT ANYMORE. anyone who's worked behind a counter knows what i'm talking about. in addition, it would be nearly impossible or an extreme test of willpower to be raw while working at a coffee & gelato bar.

so i've been living off the funds i've had saved for the past 4 weeks. i'm not planning on getting another job until the beginning of april when i leave to work as a nanny in ireland. i really, really need to ration my money though, as i have barely any for spending.

so mostly i've been eating a green smoothie in the morning & whole fruits & vegetables the rest of the day, as this is pretty inexpensive. this is getting boring, especially when i look at the photo-recipe thread. (my gosh :eek: )

when you find yourself low on money but pursuing raw, what do you eat? what do you go into the grocery store & get, knowing you'll be satisfied with the outcome (even if it's not a fancy raw pasta primivera)?

thanks bbs.

[subbacultcha]

Get sprouting! Insanely cheap.

[40in8]

I agree, get sprouting. Also, you can grow kale at home in pots, but I'm not experienced at that, so I couldn't offer any advice about it.

Shazzie has this video on youtube about superfoods, she goes foraging for wild greens and such. It shows clearly the greens, so you may be able to identify them later if you go foraging:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=c1wzs256OK4


Also, here is Ms. Boutenko video. She talks some about how she was able to get food cheap and sometimes free (I don't remember if it is part one or two):

Part 1
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wzQrN-P1VsY

Part 2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SYSm1lydbcQ

I will be growing kale in my yard soon, and also, will be foraging (on my property and my relatives property). Not much money here, either.

[Radiantly Raw]

Get this ebook!!!! Frugal Raw (http://frugalrawnews.blogspot.com/)

Mattye Lee has become a true expert of eating raw on a budget. I've tried some of the recipes (I was a tester) and they rawk! Cheaply!!

I've also read some of the frugal tips, and they're excellent. She really knows what she's talking about!;)

[ulimana]

garden and forage! for sure.
also
- eat when you hungry, not constantly like i sometimes do.
- make friends with your grocery produce peeps, and get some deals on older/unpresentable fruit and veg
- "anarchist" cookbooks and Steal-This-Book types have lots of info on how to get cheap and free food

[Aleesha Sattva]

go to the grocery store and say you have a bunny... ask the produce manager if they have any 'throw aways'. they'll make you up a huge bag full of 'good to eat' greens.

they do this for my bunny all the time!

but your question was... what would i buy if i have very little money.

bananas. that's what i'd live off of. they are almost a perfect food.

i'd toss in some apples if i could afford it. after all, it's only 4 weeks... not 4 months!

[ulimana]

what if you are a bunny?

[Aleesha Sattva]

then YOU get free food!!!

[RawHeaven]

The bunny holiday is approaching. You could wear your bunny suit when you talk to the produce manager. S/he will be sure to give you a good deal or free food for the laugh. Don't forget to take a raw chocolate bunny pie to seal the deal - bribing with goodies always works.

[lambe]

ahahahah. i actually do have a bunny & we often share roughage. we both like the finer stuff. but that's so funny; i never thought to ask the produce-guy for deals for my rabbit. some of them near me are so kind & would probably be delighted at such a silly request.

[maui_butterfly]

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=37375

i especially liked ciarac's post...

[rawstrength]

Soaked sunflower seeds, blended with water, salt and spices, makes a nice, cheap dip. You can buy the kind of hull-free sunflower seeds for the birds, and they will be raw and safe for people to eat, and much much cheaper. Just make sure you rinse them well. I've been pretty much living off this kind of dip lately. You can season it so many ways, and it has the texture of smooth hummus.

Raisins are also super cheap. Sun-maid brand (in the U.S.) is inexpensive, and they actually SUN DRY their raisins, so they're raw.

Sprouted lentils, food-processed with spices (lots of sea salt) and onions makes a nice veggie patty. Lentils are the cheapest source of protein EVER, and when sprouted, they expand to three times their volume (not to mention 10 times the nutrition).

Hang in there! Four weeks isn't a long time. If you're feeling up to it, you could even water fast for that long and you'll be squeaky clean for your new job/life in Ireland.

[rawstrength]

Oh! And I forgot to mention rutabaga! One rutabaga is HUGE (it looks like a huge purplish turnip) and you can slice it with a veggie peeler to make pasta. Marinate the sliced rutabaga in vinegar and salt for a night, and you will have soft, delicious pasta that is so good with a nice marinara sauce or simply topped with some olive oil. Here's a link to a picture of a rutabaga, to help you find one http://www.umassvegetable.org/images/soils_crops_pest_mgt/crop/rutabaga2.jpg .

[hibisanpo]

iagree with raw strength.... i always use sunflower seeds for any recipe that calls for expensive nuts. i make alot of sunflower seeds dips and pates that are very filling and yummy. i spend about $20-30 a week on groceries for myself, which i consider pretty good and definitely better than when i was a SAD eater. my list varies depending on my needs, and what kind of pricer item i buy infrequently, but need to re stock (coconut oil, olive oil, cacao,etc.). usually i buy greens, carrots, bananas, and other random fruits and veggies. i go non-organic sometimes,too. for instance i can get a large bunch of non-organic kale for .99 vs. organic kale for 2.49.
goodluck. 4 weeks is not long!

[mel_s12]

this is in response to Shazzie's video..

I would love to do this but what if you have a dog that pees everywhere on your lawn?? :rolleyes:

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

Crystalzgoneraw: AHAHHAAHAHAHAHAH! :D

[rawstrength]

this is in response to Shazzie's video..

I would love to do this but what if you have a dog that pees everywhere on your lawn?? :rolleyes:

Manure is often used in farming, and sometimes farm workers may pee in the fields, not to mention wild animals that can walk around farms.
Just rinse your wild greens off and consider yourself lucky to know exactly what has been on them!

[Lightspirited1]

LM*O....ha ha ha... :D This thread has been so very helpful and sooo funny too! I love the combination!

I am finding raw food to be so very expensive, and like most of you...I'm also watching my pennies.

Thank you for all of your wonderful suggestions.

I've pretty much just bought what I thought I would need/want, and didn't realize how much it would add up! Whew... Since I've just started this way of life (eating) the last 2 weeks, I feel it was worth the money and experience.

I'm sure I'll do recipe treats once in a while though! Just gotta have some variety!

Now I'm reigning in purchases, and your suggestions are very helpful!

[Betsy]

What are those cheap sun seed recipies, please? They sound delicious. thanks

[faith4u]

I am using sunflower seeds more and more in recipes that call for other nuts/seeds. Especially almond based recipes. Everything I have tried has turned out great!

Alissa's pad thai sauce is incredible with the sunflower seeds. You can't notice a difference.

I also second sprouts.....super cheap.

The other thing I would do is buy only what is in season as far as produce. You can eat pretty cheaply if you do this. Try to buy produce that is less than $1/lb.

Good luck.

[pamparred]

Radiantly Raw, I got that book too. It is great. The tips for shopping frugally were alone worth the price of the book. Her simple recipes even though some are variations, really show you how to stretch you dollar and the variations show how if you don't have one thing you can substitute another. Also, she doesn't use a lot of expensive superfoods and guess what, you don't need them. I only found four ingredients that I hadn't used before and for me that was good. I am not saying the gourmet recipes out there aren't good, but having them once in a while makes a lot more sense, especially when you are trying to stretch your budget.

[Juicy Girl]

Try chia seeds. They are inexpensive and filling. You soak them overnight (5 to 1 ratio) . They end up being a tapioca pudding consistency. I bought a 1lb bag for $10. A 1/2 cup of seeds yeilds 2 and 1/4 cups of pudding. Add in your favorite flavors I like vanilla and agave. I was told they bring a lot of oxegyn into your system. They must because they always give me a ton of energy.

[tvillemom]

I heard chia seeds were supercheap, and super great for you!!! I can't wait to order some myself....where do you get them for $10 for lb?

[Juicy Girl]

I buy them from a local superfood distributer. I believe she gets them from radical health out of Austin Tx.

[mel_s12]

Manure is often used in farming, and sometimes farm workers may pee in the fields, not to mention wild animals that can walk around farms.
Just rinse your wild greens off and consider yourself lucky to know exactly what has been on them!


So true!
Thanks! :D

[Florina]

Hi,

Make a sign that says "FREE massage", grab a folding-chair and offer bypassing people a free neck/shoulder-rub on the spot!

I travelled as a no-budget backpacker through Europe for 4 months 15 years ago. All I had was an Interrail ticket (european all-access train-ticket) that was valid only for the first 40 days.
I wasn't even a trained massage therapist (then).
Apart from being the most liberating experience of my life, I learned that there litterally isn't anything people will not give you in gratitude for a neck/shoulder-rub! I got the weirdest things (one woman gave me a moped :D), I dined in the most expensive restaurants, heard the most amazing and personal stories. And keep in mind, I didn't ask for anything in return at all!
I met the most wonderful people, and a few of them are still some of my best friends to this day, even though I don't see them that often.
The best spots were outside of big corporate office buildings. Those people really need neckrubs! And they are sooo funny, cuz they have a VERY hard time believing anyone will give anything for free without any hidden agenda :D

Only rule I had was only to stay with people who had families. But since you have a place to stay at night, that will not really be an issue :)

When people ask if there is anything you'd like in return, you could just say "Something raw, organic and edible would be nice".

Writing this sooo makes me wanna go on a trip like that again!

/Florina

PS: I noticed that you live in the US... I don't know if this sort of thing is harder to do in the US than in Europe, though.
I did this (just for fun) on 42nd street outside a bank with a long ATM-queue in New York back in 2001, and I almost got arrested - lol.
The policeofficers (or securityguards?) actually ended up leaving with a smile, because people around us were REALLY giving them a hard time - heh.

[lambe]

florina:

you are amazing. do you know it?

[Conscious Midwife]

Forage at whole foods. My location can usually be caught rotating the produce around 9AM. There just trimming, rinsing and then chucking the scraps.

Hint or encourage all your friends to take you on a few goodbye brunchs/lunchs.

Olive garden has a bottemless salad bowl for under $4

In 4 weeks you can definately do some sprouting

Loade up on banana smoothies and icecream

Walnuts are a cheap nut and good for making meatless crumbles ( mix with cumin and onion) for salads and wraps.

ENJOY!!!

[cara4art]

Lots of good suggestions here!
But I'll add one of buying produce and certain things at ethnic markets if you have any in your area. Often they have great deals, and sometimes at the end of the day, they lower prices just to move the stuff. Same thing at inner-city farmer's markets too. Show up at the end, and I'll bet you can score a good bag of something for a buck that was selling earlier in the day for more $$$. Or at some discount food stores often run by Asians or Latinos, there will be a couple of reduced price boxes - sometimes very ripe bananas end up in these, or there will be a bag of some fruit or veggies for 79 or 99 cents, for example. Those dollar bags are good!
Keeping recipes fairly simple and seasonal helps too. If there are plenty of good apples around you go with those, and when spring stuff comes in, you go with that. The big thing is you want to center your eating around the fresh stuff, not the expensive goji berries and cacao(only use these as treats).
Learn some sprouting and basic dehydrating skills so you don't pick up on the expensive raw snacky stuff at Whole Foods, you know, the six bucks for a few raw "cookies" that aren't as good as what you could do yourself, or better yet, eat a banana with a tablespoon of raw nut butter on it. simple, yummy and pretty cheap.

[Florina]

florina:

you are amazing. do you know it?

*blows a hug* :)

/Florina

[Betsy]

thank you fatith for you. I am also using sun seeds for everything and they are just lovely.

[nini2033a]

Another possibility,later in the year, is to go to the local craigslist, and you often find people who have fruit trees that they don't have time to harvest. Usually they have been neglected and not sprayed or anything. They are happy to have someone pick the fruit before it rots on the ground and they need to pick up the yard.

[Boo Radley]

All I can think is what's already been said: gardening, sprouting and foraging. When foraging, it goes without saying that you should choose place that haven't been sprayed with chemicals/insecticides for a few years.

Bean sprouting can be done with your own jars and cheap bags of beans and peas from the grocer.

You can buy a 50 lbs bag of oats from a feed store. Ask the man that works there if they will sprout. He will most likely know. If he says yes, you can get them, and sprout them in shallow trays at home, indoors even. Spread like an inch of good dirt in the bottom of the tray. Soak some oat seeds 12-24 hours. Drain water and sow the seed on top of the dirt in the trays. No need to cover the seeds with dirt, they will grow without it. 2-4 weeks to harvest. I bought my bag for 12 dollars.

Foraging...dandelion greens and false dandelion greens is all I can think of there. But be assured, there are many, many different foods you can forage.

[Ucat]

Check my blog out, I am eating raw on a budget for 100 days and logging how much I spent into a daily diary...

[Aleesha Sattva]

This thread is from April... and... please don't put links to your blog in your posts. Feel free to put it in your sig line but not in posts.

Thanks,
Aleesha
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