Raw - More Expensive?

[tammay]

I'm just curious as to what the experience of others has been in terms of weekly grocery bills going raw. I'm about to start the April 30 day challenge, so I went shopping yesterday and really stocked up on a lot of fruits and veggies. I was totally expecting my grocery bill to be quite high, especially since I bought a lot more fruit than I usually do (like a big bag of oranges :D) and some of it was the more expensive tropical fruit (like a fresh pineapple and fresh mangoes). But the bill turned out ten bucks less than I usually pay for a standard whole foods vegan diet that I was doing before this!

Of course, I am single and don't have a family to buy form and I didn't buy any raw nuts or dried fruits because I didn't need any at this point (and trying to stay away from dried fruits this time around - hence the tropical fruit :)). But I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't paying more (and this was your standard supermarket - I don't have a farmer's market or a whole foods store in my area :( ).

It's still ironic and sad to me that we're constantly being told to eat more fruits and veggies for health - and then the prices are so damn high that it makes it nearly impossible to buy them!

Tam

[Firicia]

I have to say I am constantly surprised at my bill for buying fruits and veggies at the market, it's always less than I would think. I paid $29 for a ton of stuff, and could barely even carry it all to the car, lol. :)

[Irish_Vegan_Girl]

yeah, I don't know where you are based, but in Ireland, a lot of the fruits can be quite expensive, I've been lucky lately with sales etc., but sometimes it'l be like 5 euro for a small punnet of strawberries and up to 3 e for a mango, and like 3 e for a melon... etc., nuts are pretty expensive here too! But when the sales come it's great:) They're obv not selling the stuff so they have to dock the prices!:)

I don't really know about it in comparison to the cooked food bill as I am one vegan trying to be raw in a family of 3 other's who aren't even vegan and they also have food to buy so I couldn't work out the difference in the bill I don't think.

[circle]

it can be expensive. so can eating unhealthy. it's all the way how you go about it.

[spicyfull]

High Prices can happen when you purchase things that are not in Season. Most Fruit is not in Season now and has to come from Chili or some other country and that is where the expense comes from.

When Summer comes and ALL Fruit is in Season, I eat My fill as it comes. I Freeze what I can. I had Cherries last night that I froze last Summer and I can't wait for them to come back.

[mattshor]

3 euro for a mango!!!!
:eek:

[SekhemNefer]

Raw is expensive in the beginning because you go overboard in buying a whole lot of stuff, because you psychologically think that eating salads is less nutritious than eating cooked foods. Also, your body is transitioning from having a new low-fat and low-glycemic diet from a high fat and high carb diet. So you tend to eat way more raw foods in the beginning than you have ever done in your life.

This will last for a few months. The more raw I eat, the less I want to eat. Basically, for my food bill at Trader Joes goes from $30 to $50 a week, oppose to the $70 to $100 not being raw. And if I don't eat away from home and take my food with me, my total spending on food is just my Trader Joes bill.

So in the end, it is a cheaper diet.

[Veronica01]

Mine are usually the same, as im 32 days in i still have to stock up on things regularly like nuts or dates (occasionally for recipes) and some raw oils or vinegars. If i was just buying fruit and veggies, probably cheaper, but if you want to make some gourmet it costs the same or a tad more. I usually spend $90-$120 a week for just me and have only a few things left at the end of the week.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Buy as much as you can from your local farmers. I will this year start to freeze organic strawberries when they come in seasons and we can go pick them up in the farm.

Also, there are a lot of wild eatable greens which is free on summer.

I found myself eating so much less since doing 100% raw food. I suspect that my absortion is so much better and i don't need so much quantity of food. I do take my time to sip and chew, this make also a difference.

I was eating organic before i went raw so my grocery was already expensive but now, it has dropped considerably since raw food. I don't eat that much nuts etc... I buy sunflower seeds and hempseeds.

Congratulations for doing this for your health, remember that you are worthy to be healthy.

[juliew]

After reading these posts, I am wondering what I am doing wrong!! I spend so much more than that in a week for just me and I try to buy produce at the farmer's market! I find that one smoothie takes a ton of produce and one bunch of kale or spinach alone is $2. So a 40oz smoothie with lots of veggies and bananas for breakfast is like $8. Does everyone just avoid the expensive prebottled things like kombucha and nut butters and kim chi? I really need ways to cut down on the costs and there isn't a close by co-op. thanks in advance!

One big question: what kind of water??? two bottles of good water per day is already $4!

[michigan roman]

saving money thread

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=22555&highlight=budget ..

[jurence]

Raw is expensive in the beginning because you go overboard in buying a whole lot of stuff, because you psychologically think that eating salads is less nutritious than eating cooked foods. Also, your body is transitioning from having a new low-fat and low-glycemic diet from a high fat and high carb diet. So you tend to eat way more raw foods in the beginning than you have ever done in your life.

This will last for a few months. The more raw I eat, the less I want to eat. Basically, for my food bill at Trader Joes goes from $30 to $50 a week, oppose to the $70 to $100 not being raw. And if I don't eat away from home and take my food with me, my total spending on food is just my Trader Joes bill.

So in the end, it is a cheaper diet.

True story. I went overboard the first 2-3 times i went shopping. Now i would say i eat about 6$ worth of produce a day

[*RayRay*]

One big question: what kind of water??? two bottles of good water per day is already $4!

put a water filter on your tap....! I recently got one and stopped buying bottled water! (I used to spend $30/month or more on just water!!)

[Veronica01]

i have an aquasauna water filter for my tap, better than plastic bottled water. :)