Affording the diet?

[jacy]

I'm 19 years old, live with my sister, and my parents live in Georgia. Every month they give us $100 each for food. I haven't actually tried the diet yet, but I've wanted to for a year now, and I don't know if I can afford it. I don't really like veggies other than spinach, but I always buy fruit. The problem is how much more of them you need to eat compared to SAD food. I don't think $50 twice a month can support this diet.

Thoughts/suggestions?

[Tsurugi_Oni]

$100 a month isn't even close to what you'll need to do this diet. Luckily you're in Georgia, so the land is pretty productive. I live in Ohio, and what I do from spring -> fall is forage for food. You would be surprised how much food you can find foraging. Of course, NEVER eat any wild food unless you're 1000% sure it's legit. You could also dumpster dive for produce, or go to farmer's markets and try to bargain for end day sales. But even then it would be a tight stretch.

[lovenlife]

Raw foods cost me less than the conventional plan.

Very expensive is this:
eating very poor food out in eatieries
seeing a doctor coat (yes JUST the coat)
feeling sick and bad and sad
having no energy
having mucous and a cloggged brain and body
being overweight and sluggish
poor looking skin and hair and eyes
etc etc etc

Very inexpensive
buying live and raw produce
loving life
being happy
being free
being vibrant
great skin,body, hair and nails
being a stand for my own health
my own health care provider
being thin and having movability
etc etc etc

How do I do it?
I shop at the most reasonable places
I get some nuts but not alot
I buy a bunch of fruit
Whatever is in season or very low price(all organic too)
freeze some
I have a friend who has a garden and supplies me with produce
I freeze some of that
I eat very little food as raw is so filling
I forage whenever I can

Raw is not expensive to me and I have been unemployed for over two months....still doing it. If it is a priority, it will prevail!

[ShelShel]

I think if you are frugal and experimental you can find you'll come pretty close. Apples and bananas are always the cheapest fruits. :rolleyes: I buy my bananas when they are extremely ripe and sold for a discount in a paper bag. Then I eat what I can, (peeling, slicing and freezing) the rest for smoothies and raw ice cream to be made later. ;) Kale is extremely cheap for the bulky quantity you get. I live up North and can still find a whole bunch of it for $1.28! You can make Kale chips and salad with this.

You just have to learn what you like...how long it will last and how raw you want to be. If you can't eat 100% on your budget, try your best to fit in raw foods where ever you can.

Keep trying. It will surprise you what you can accomplish. :)

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Bananas will definately be your best friend. I dont know about your location, but in peak season i can get sub-prime apples for around 38c a pound. Stock up and freeze!

I don't know if its best to try to do an 100% raw diet unless you can afford it tho. You need the flexibility ($$$) to be able to get a wide variety of foods to change ur diet in at an instant. A balance between the two would be lovely.

[michigan roman]

heres a great thread on budgeting

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

- dark greens important for calcium / vitamin a / iron

- citrus for vitamin c

- if cant afford to stay all raw a cheap / decently healthy / very filling
meal is dry beans and brown rice . or use dry beans to make bean soup .
or make vegi soup

- you might like taste of soaked wheat berries (seeds) . theyre cheap and filling . buy hard berries as opposed to soft , then soak 2 / 3 days to soften . they become like a chewy rice that you can add trail mix type stuff / fruit to . or go savory route and add vegi / herb type things to . dont buy on line as shipping cost , call around to healthy type grocers or bulk food stores and if they dont carry ask if can order . i buy mine local for about $1.15 per pound which goes a long way

- can buy raw shelled sunflower seeds cheap for a good protein and vitamin e source , mix with raisins and other things for a trail mix thats good to eat with sweet fruit like bananas

- also on the wheat its a good vitamin b source soaked like that

- transistioning is tough , ecspecially on a budget . but if cant stay raw you can do a bunch of things with beans or vegi soups to taste good to help you stick to a decent whole food diet . plus broiled vegis on brown rice is decent healthy

- i only drink water as to me all things in a can / bottle arent optimum

[Green_Woman]

I don't think $50 twice a month can support this diet.


Nonsense. I've done 80-90% RAW on as little as $60 a month. Keep it simple, and it can be done. :)

My other suggestion?

You are 19 years old - get a part time JOB and start buying your own food!

It's NOT hard to work 10 hrs a week (even with full time classes, in case you're in School) and earn $70... $70 x 4 = $280/month... MORE than enough for one person to eat FREELY on the RAW diet, even in your part of the Country!

[NicNicNicole]

I eat on about $120 a month for myself and that is with my kids tending to want a lot of my fruit. I buy at farmer's markets and eat very simply. Rather than making the big recipes I eat more natural fruits and salads. For nuts I eat sunflower seeds more than anything because they are cheaper. I treat myself to a recipe about once every two weeks. Also dont be afraid to barter with friends who have trees or gardens. I get mustard greens from my husband's boss who has a farm in exchange for making him bread pudding and my cousin lets me pick her kumquat and satsuma trees because she does not like them. We also have an elderly farmer in our church who lets my kids and I pick blueberries at his farm. He gets free labor and we leave with a couple of boxes of blueberries.

[jacy]

Thanks everyone! I feel more at ease, now. :)

Also, I live in Minnesota, it's my parents that moved down to Georgia. And I do have a part time job, but I need to use all of it for gas money to get to school, and well, work. That's about all I use it for.

[Green_Woman]

And I do have a part time job, but I need to use all of it for gas money to get to school, and well, work.

Ridiculously long commute, or a fuel-guzzling car?

Can you use the public transportation? I save oodles and goodles by riding my University's student Tran system to School. :)

[DeniseM]

Also, I live in Minnesota, it's my parents that moved down to Georgia. And I do have a part time job, but I need to use all of it for gas money to get to school, and well, work. That's about all I use it for.

Have you considered applying for food stamps? If you're really only making enough to cover transportation costs, I imagine you'd be eligible.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/applicant_recipients/apply.htm

It is possible to do raw on a tight budget (I had to make $10 stretch a week once -- I lived on bananas), but it makes life heck of a lot easier when you can afford the foods you want.

I second the recommendation for public transportation -- you can really save a lot that way.