raw on a budget in small town with 5 kids

[amytug]

I am needing tips and tricks here.

myhusband is a junk food fanatic. I don't think he'll ever be satisfied in a life without mountain dew. He drinks about 5 a day and will not discuss health with me. he brings home clearance bakery desserts, reeces, pizzas etc. he's a junk foodie all the way. I am too, honestly- but I can do healthy really well as well.

my kids lean toward being junk fooders also, thanks to me and my lack of cooking skills. and lack of time and patience as well. I'mr eally trying to move everything towards more healthy alternatives like wheat crust pizzas vs white, etc. it's a lil healthier. lots more fruits and veggies.

we only have a super walmart and a grocery store that is no better. I have tried to feed my kids entirely raw for a week and it was SO SO expensive and they just kept eating and eating. so really it's only feasible for me to be raw atm.

It's very hard to feed them junk and me raw. i feel like i'm getting so ehalthy and they are just following in my past footsteps :( and it's hard to do raw in a small town.

does anyone have tips?! Much appreciated!

[Raw Angel Mom]

Can you grow your garden, do you have space for a green house. You can sprout for pennies and eat wild eadible plant that is free.

You can request walmart to carry organic food. They cary produce in my town.

You can find people that would be willing to buy in bulk with you. I meet a friend once and her son was allergic to pesticid and she could only do organic, she managed to find other people and they would order their food together, they would save a lot of money.

You can get a buyer permit and order your food. You can start teaching about raw food in your town and you will get others to follow your food step. Victoria Butenko was the only one in her area and she managed to inspire others and look how famous she is now.

Get your children doing raw food, if they are willing to eat it, then go for it.

Sometime, there is some magic that happen when you hold the vision that you are provided and your focus on gratitude. When i committed to buy only organic food, i got a 5% raise which cover the extra cost.

If you do teaching at home, you can make extra money to pay for this food.

You will safe on medical bill by doing raw food.

Have a talk with your husband that you need to do this for you health and perhaps get a special place for him to store his junk. When he sees how younger and radiant you look, he will get inspire, until then, don't worry about his choice.

You can do this, you truly can. When there is a will, there is a way.

All the best for you

[Reesh]

I'm not sure what kind of advice I have here this time of year. If you have the space, definitely grow some of your own stuff over the summer. It will cost you in sweat but save you a bundle!

Honestly though, I think you really just have to commit to spending more on food and spending less elsewhere. I live in a pretty modest home because I need a lot of money for food every month. I also drive a scooter to save on gas from March until November. Maybe rethinking your budget would be the best way to go?

That's great that the kids were eating raw though and enjoying it! Most of the kids I teach wouldn't touch a fully raw diet with a ten foot pole. They are too accustomed to processed wheat and corn products. Most of the kids in the lunchroom get a pile of noodles for lunch when its available even though there's a great selection of fruits and vegetables every day.

[LNdolls]

I would not be trying to go all raw right away, but start with a smaller goal - adding a green smoothie and a big salad for everyone each and every day. That should be doable on most budgets - and there is no cooking. That will add so many nutrients to everyone's diet! That is where I start when I slip, slide and run out of money.

[bananaberrie]

I can sooo relate to what you are talking about. In fact I started a thread asking people how they were able to afford to be raw. So... I feel you. I also have 3 young kids, but my hubby is not a junk food junkie. If he was that would make things a whole new level of hard. I do however live in a very small rural town so I am right there with you again on the whole "no where to shop but wally world" In fact my town is so small we don't even have a Wal-Mart. I know I know, we are a 2 stop-light town. Anyway, I digress. However I have found a pocket of people that I could not manage to eat the way I do without these wonderful people. They have started a organic produce co-op and also have a grain co-op. It was not easy to find these people, but if you surround yourself with like minded people something like this might pop up that has been in your area and you never even knew about it. Ask around. Also produce stands and local farmers markets are a good alternative to wal-mart. And if you get to know the people at these places, make friends with them they will be more willing to give you a discount or break if you buy in bulk. Which with a family of 7 people I'm sure you already know about bulk buying.

I agree with another poster about maybe not going 100% raw with your kids just yet. Just slowly start eliminating some of the things that they eat that really bothers you and replacing them with healthy alternatives. My 5 yold son is my sugar and carb junkie, but he does like carrots and apples, bananas things like that. But if we have something sugary in the house he wants it and will ask for it all day long. So it is easier for me to just not have that stuff in the house then to have to continuously be asked all day long for it and then get frustrated. So like the other poster stated maybe a high up shelf could be designated for your hubbies "junk."

I have also found that it is easier to save money when you make most of what your family eats. I know you said you don't enjoy cooking, neither do I, but I do enjoy baking. I make the bread my family eats, and that saves lots of money. I make 5 loaves at a time, then freeze them and pull them out as needed. If your family is use to white you could start out with that then slowly start adding wheat and make the transition slow and painless. My hubby grew up on white bread, but now loves my freshly milled 100% whole wheat, so there is hope. I myself am still trying to find a balance in where I was, with budgeting food, and where I am now, going raw. It is hard. I finally had things down well with the family and the food budget, but now going raw has put a new kink into things. But for some people going raw has saved them money, but not for me. I know it is worth it.

Good luck to you. I hope for you the all the best in your raw journey. I hope something I said can help you. By the way, love the veggie tales on your pic. very appropriate :)

[modernmonkey]

I think that's good advice BananaBerrie. Making the transition long term and gradual. Success will be more likely and easier to attain and maintain.

[Bananna]

I have 5 kids in the house as well, and the junk food thing happens here too.

These are my tips.

Do focus on yourself, the most powerful thing you can do is model behaviour and be a 'glow'ing example.

Feed them a lot of bananas, I have three hooks but often they are too full and I have more on the counter. I have cultivated a love of fruit in my kids by insisting they eat a serving of it before they have any treat stuff...after awhile they just started realizing how yummy it is and how just one piece of fruit can make you feel so much better.

Bananas are also a great smoothie base. I buy extra to freeze as well. I also buy bags of prechopped frozen fruit, especially if they are on sale...it may seem more expensive, but consider that they never go bad.

Invest in high quality thermos brand storage for smoothies. Get fat colourful straws for them to start...later you can get glass straws, we have both. My kids have a smoothie in their lunch most days and I might add a squirt of honey, vanilla extract or cinnamon to make it extra yummy (you are competing with junk food remember). ...my kids went through a phase where they didn't want smoothies anymore and then after a long break they seem to want them everyday now without me even pushing, just asking if they want one for their lunch.

I don't force my kids into it, but I do try and get them to taste my concoctions, which they think is an interesting fun game we play and they sometimes are so excited for the ones they love because it's 'healthy' and they love it and then they learn that they can Love healthy food just as much or more as junk foods.

These are slow lessons, so just have fun with it and don't push them...atleast that's my philosophy. 3 years in I now have 4 veggies and 3 meat eaters in the house. For a long time it was just me and my one daughter though, lol...in fact, they are talking about it right now...they are talking about the supply and demand/buying meat...lol. Much to the irritation of my dh, haha...I just made a rule to not talk about it while we are eating so we can all just enjoy our meal ;)

ANYWAYS...sorry about that tangent.

Sprouts, I agree are cheap...sunflower seeds are cheap and make good pates. And don't forget to consider how expensive meat is, that you are not buying. Don't buy things like agave, buy honey instead.

Realize that junk food is not/should not be a proper diet, it's the bottom choice of all diets, your dh can't argue with that, that you need to atleast try and eat Somewhat better...but if he wants to argue it, then just leave it and go back to being and example :P

Lastly, try and come up with a long term plan, I started taking distance ed courses toward a degree for example, and in a couple more years I will have decent paychecks. ...it may not seem worth it, but 5 year plans are worth it in 5 years ;)

[Shels]

I agree, gradual changes are the best, and longest-lasting. ;)

Also, try to buy things in-season (this will get easier as we finally come out of winter), and find local farmers' markets and fruit stands. This (http://rawon10.blogspot.com/)has been a helpful place for me when budgeting too.

I've also heard a lot lately about walmart getting a wider selection of better quality fruits and veggies for less, so hopefully that will happen soon! If you can grow some of your own things I'm sure it would help as well. =] Maybe delegate some gardening tasks among your kids?
You could make a few rules for shopping to start out with - like, as a gymnast my coach had one rule about snacks (aside from no desserts, lol) and it was that if there was any kind of sugar in the first three ingredients, it was out! It was a long time ago, but it stuck with me, and things like that are easy ways to start changing.

Good luck!

[Eva]

I wrote 3 separate pages about this a ways back. I've gotta tell you -- after more than 4 years raw -- my lifestyle could not be cheaper. It's kind of crazy how little I spend on food and how simply I (LOVE TO) eat sometimes.

Anyways, >>here is the info (http://uncooking101.com/site/hot-topics/raw-food-on-a-budget/)<<. Hope it's a help to you! You are one fabulous momma for thinking of your family even though you are on a budget, and even if it will just be you to start. You all deserve the best life has to offer, and this will help you enjoy that!

Don't forget how much you save from never needing anything regarding medical expenses, rarely paying for restaurants, enjoying the small things in life more (because you WILL!).

:heart

[sprouts2go]

Romaine is great for smoothies and salads as well as juicing. Wal Mart usually carries Bananas, as mentioned are great for smoothies,desserts/ice cream or just a banana!.

Carrots tend to be low priced. Eat in season and remember that SPROUTING is easy and very cheap to do. Just soak over night and toss them in a wire mess strainer and toss them in the electric oven and water 3 times a day until they are ready to eat. DO NOT use a gas stove. The stove just helps hold the moisture in.

Wheat grass is easy and cheap too. You don't need a juicer just blend with a tiny bit of water and strain.

The more gourmet you get the higher the cost.

[proteus]

well i know what i would do. i would feed husband and kids junk and eat raw myself. convince them that it is "cool" or "manly" or "american" to eat garbage, and that you're ashamed of yourself for being so "weak" as to eat "cancer patient food".

you should be happy that your husband likes to eat cheap garbage. in fact if you just avoid talking with your kids about food he will probably do the job of "properly educating" them for you.

there isn't enough food to feed everybody anyway. the only reason we can afford to eat what we do is because everybody else willingly eats stuff that dogs won't eat.

[michigan roman]

good thread on budgeting



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