A concern I'm not sure I can overcome...HELP!

[sdefee]

I have many health concerns and in fact am disabled and living (barely) on a disability income. This means, at present, my TOTAL monthly income, to cover ALL my needs, expenses, etc. is less than 600.00$. I am afraid that a raw & living diet is going to exceed my budget, by alot. Any comments, advice? Are others experiencing this problem, and if so, how are you getting around the fact that organic and/or fresh raw foods are expensive?

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi Sdefee,

I see that you are new here. It will take you a while to navigate around the board here, but you'll eventually find (using search above helps) a number of posts covering this. Here are some of the tips I recall:

Buy what is in season.

Bananas are inexpensive, you can eat a lot of these.

Grown your own. Even if you're in an apartment, you can grow some on the porch or balcony or even inside.

Find a co-op in your area.

Go in with others and buy by the case and split it up.

If organic is too expensive, then buy conventional.

It's all worth it to feel great. I don't know if you buy any prescription drugs, or over the counter drugs, but if you do, you'll eventually save money from not having to buy them.

So glad you found Alissa's board. Continue to look around, read, learn, get healthy :)

<>< Helen of Tennessee

[mellyc37]

Some suggestions:
1 - Sprouts, really inexpensive and can be sprouted on the 4 pack of bamboo plates you can get at walmart.
2- CSA, there are some farms that you can just join and for anywhere from $200-500 you can pick up food everyweek, this is supposed to be enough food from 2 to 4 people. If you are single you could maybe find someone to share it with. Not all require you to volunteer. Ask if there is anything at all you can do including office or computer work if they do require this.
3 - container gardening ( tomatoes are pretty easy).

4- Keep it simple. The majority of my food waste comes from recipes.

There is also a post from someone regarding trying to do raw food on a college student's budget.

[ArtGirlTX]

I'm not too sure if I can totally help, but I will say that I bought only raw veggies this week and everything was fresh/organic and it cost me $60.00. Are you close to a market like Whole Foods? Do you have a lot of organic produce options?

I think that will determine prices, as well. I live in downtown Dallas, so there is a lot of competition and prices seem to be pretty reasonable. When I lived in a small town in Maine, I paid a LOT more for my whole foods...almost went broke trying to buy healthy raw foods!

Think of it this way also...it might be cheaper to eat at a fast food restaurant for $2.00, but is it really worth what it does to your mind/body/spirit? I remember living off of Taco Bell and Ramen Noodles in college, but I was constantly sick and depressed...so, I guess there is a trade off...just have to find a way to purchase minimal items and incorporate them into your life so that you can live raw and feel better, but still survive on your montly income.

[Raw_Medic]

Sdefee,
I'd suggest searching this site for the subject, and look for some posts by rawpriestess. I recall a post she posted about that she only spends $100 for her family. If I recall, she grows a good deal of her own foods, and her dh forages...but her post are definitely worth looking up. Hope this helps!

Ursula

[Goddess_girl]

It is good to start out non organic if you have to; you will save loads if you buy seasonal things. I spend about 40$ a week; now I am buy some organic things and I have to just eat a little less than I normally do to keep the organics in.
Many times a year you will see organic at good prices; keep your eyes open! :D

[deb2005]

Hi sdefee,
I'm also on disability and finding this diet to be expensive. I'm learning to look at the ingredients for the recipes and limiting the ones that have ingredients like macadamia nuts and brazil nuts. Also, I'm making more things with fruits and veggies. The nuts and nut butters can get really expensive. I'm still working on ways to save money. We have to shop at Whole Foods (our other stores use "air fresheners" that leave a bad smell and taste on the food), which is not the most economical place in town to shop. I hope other people have some good suggestions.

On the good side, I saw my doctor today and he says the diet is great for me -- I've lost 5 pounds, I have more energy, and my blood pressure and heart rate are perfect.

[Sunshine9]

How much are you looking to spend on food per week? I know of raw fooders who do it very inexpensively... Inorganic is fine for now.

At most grocery stores if you buy things buy the case you will get a discount of at least 10%, maybe more. Perhaps order one or two cases of your favorite items.. say apples and romaine lettuce, and base your week around those. Even if you're not all raw, ANY raw is GREAT!!

[Goddess_girl]

It really is not a "diet"; it is a lifestyle change.
If you want to be healthy and have other benifits; you MUST make changes in the way you eat. Even if eating less to keep more expensive healthier foods in your diet.

[sdefee]

I'm so pleased and grateful that I'm already getting some help...thanks, everyone! To clarify, I live in Birmingham, Al. , and NOT to offend anyone, but this area is not known for it's enlightened attitude towards food or most any other subject, other than in small 'pocket' areas. The healthfood store prices are outrageous and the produce is usually organic but old and wrinkled, even :eek: ! The organic farms i could buy a share off run about 5-600.00$ for two people. Publix markets are begining to pop up, and they are a tad more reasonable, even re organic, but it's still pretty pricey. As before, all comments and suggestions are welcome!

[Goddess_girl]

I'm so pleased and grateful that I'm already getting some help...thanks, everyone! To clarify, I live in Birmingham, Al. , and NOT to offend anyone, but this area is not known for it's enlightened attitude towards food or most any other subject, other than in small 'pocket' areas. The healthfood store prices are outrageous and the produce is usually organic but old and wrinkled, even :eek: ! The organic farms i could buy a share off run about 5-600.00$ for two people. Publix markets are begining to pop up, and they are a tad more reasonable, even re organic, but it's still pretty pricey. As before, all comments and suggestions are welcome!

HUM?
I am from Alabama and I know of wonerful places in Houston county and near Columbus, Ga.
I think maybe you are just looking in the wrong places.

Use this post for your search..

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8717

[Goddess_girl]

P.S

Autumn is from your area I think; PM her about where she gets her produce.

In am thinking you are from Montgomery, Alabama as you said that in a post that was deleted. (of your 3)

[greywolf]

boy do I understand the budget thing! there is no way that i could do what you are doing where i am - but i sure am proud of you for making the best - and trying for better.

your profile does not list where you are. maybe someone here on RFT lives nearby... possibly someone could know your area and have shopping ideas to share. this place is really about us all supporting each other in our efforts to keep ourselves and our loved ones a lot more healthy and sane in this crazy unhealthy mostly insane world of today.

i have found that the more i keep myself open to new possiblities - the more seem to find me. i do my best to buy organic when i can, but if i am at least buying FRESH that is at least a start. small steps can still get us great distances.

[Raw_Medic]

Here's a couple threads I found on the subject:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7693

and:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7895

As Sharon said, it's always advantageous to shop for what's in season, but also I've found that shopping at produce stands is very helpful. I don't know where you life, but in Florida we have produce stands all over the place...they get a lot of their produce locally and sell it at a huge savings over the super markets. for example i buy avocado's at my produce stand for 59cents, when at the supermarket they sell for 1.29 on a good day. If I buy a case, which I do often, I pay only 48cents a piece.

I also sometimes shop at a co-op a few towns over. If you have any co-ops in your area you can get almost everything at a much lower price. co-ops, in case you aren't familiar, is basically a store that different growers get together and sell their wares, at generally a significant discount.

I hope that some of these suggestions will help, as you've figured out eating a raw and living foods diet will significantly help you with your disability...figuring out a way to afford it will be more beneficial then you could ever imagine.

Ursula

p.s. welcome to the board!

[swiddweas]

Do you get sale flyers from your stores? Maybe you will find some weekly sales on the things you want. Usually, stores rotate their sales, so, if you buy some on sale this Month, they would probably again be on sale the next month.


look for the markdown cart in your grocery stores' produce section. I have found perfectly ripe organic banannas for 10 cents a pound. Also, get to know your produce clerks and ask them if the have any markdown produce in the back. Usually they are glad to get rid of it. The key is to just ask them. Alot of times, they have drastically marked down organic produce because nobody wants to pay the high prices for them. This especially true for the banannas.

It would probabaly pay you to purcahse a food dehydrator to dry the excess produce found this way if you can't eat it all before it rots.

Purchase inexpensive produce like cabbage, onions, zuchinni, and buy in season. I cannot stress enough to look in the sale Ads for the great bargains that week.

I have found buying a 25 bag of something is cheaper because they give you a discount plus it's usually cheaper per pound this way.


In the long run, eating raw is the best health insurance you can buy. You are saving money two ways, with the food you buy and the health insurance that automatically comes with the raw food lifestyle. Consider it cheap health insurance.


pattye

[Sharon in Colorado]

We do most of this stuff, other stuff I've read here that others do:

Avoid purchasing costly hygiene and cleaning items (these tips alone should save you several hundred dollars):

Apple cider vinegar replaces:

Deoderant/anti-perspirant (RP uses this)
shampoo (keep away from eyes) /scalp cleanser (I don't use shampoo anymore)
many cleaning uses (laundry & dishes, dilute for window washing, floors, all purpose cleaning, etc)

Baking soda uses:

tooth brushing
laundry detergent/freshener
cleaning out drains follwed by vinegar and boiling water...watch out!
use as an abrasive cleaner
cleaning out refrigerator

Coconut or olive oil uses:

hair cream/gel/conditioner
replaces KY Jelly :o :rolleyes:
lotion/skin softener
use for your cutting boards
furniture polish
removes sticky lables or other sticky things

hydrogen peroxide uses:

dilute with water 1:1 for tooth whitener
dilute for laundry brightener
stain fighter

Only use make-up for special occasions.

Use cloth napkins (we bought a ton on e-bay, I've seen them cheap at stores like Ross - we haven't had to buy anymore of those pesky things, and we got enough so we only need to launder them once or twice a month)

Use washcloths/dishrags instead of paper towels

If you menstruate, use a reusable cup (like the diva cup) and cloth pads instead of the throwaway stuff. E-bay has all this stuff, search under "menstrual" and a whole slew of stuff will come up for you. I surely saved at least $100 by doing this.

Suggestion: don't go out and buy any of this stuff until you've actually run out of what you are using to save money.

Use bananas in your daily diet - fills you up, endless amounts of nutrients and carbs for fuel - use a least 4 in your smoothies - freeze them when they get too spotty and use for ice cream. Use in puddings with other fruits. These often get reduced when they turn yellow, as if they are no longer edible!

Apples are in high season and very reasonably priced, buy in bulk bags.

Buy basic greens (romaine and other less expensive lettuces)...avoiding the fancy baby mixed greens. Use in smoothies every day.

Talk to the produce manager about when the mark-downs are put out, or if they can be set aside for you on a certain day. Make sure you show up on those days so you'll keep getting them.

Buy potted herb plants, they are only about $2-3 and you can keep cutting them and they don't wilt on you like the bunches of herbs you buy at the store which don't last long.

Do not juice anything. It is a waste of produce, the nutritious pulp ends up in the garbage. If you do have to or need to juice, use inexpensive items like carrots and apples that are in season right now and recycle your pulp in recipes or compost.

Shop at larger bulk stores like Sam's Club and Costco for large quantities of fruits and veggies.

Buy sunflower seeds instead of cashews and other pricey nuts. Sesame seeds are also affordable and you can make sesame milk with them. Add some bananas and you have a nice thick calcium shake.

Buy sprout seeds which are very cheap to use. You only need about a teaspoon to sprout several cups. Sprout in large glass jars - no need for sprouter. Sprout seeds will last years stored in the freezer.

[Goddess_girl]

Baking soda uses:

can be used as a body powder and Deoderant/anti-perspirant.

According to my box of "pathmart" baking soda.

[RawTruth]

Everyone has posted great suggestions. I only have a few (obvious) things to add.

Eat simply. You needn't make raw gourmet recipes to succeed in being raw. If cost is the most important factor, rely on green smoothies, salads crammed with lots of filling veggies, and the cheaper seeds. Eating this way will keep you within your budget. The only thing cheaper would be if you get most of your food from a food bank. And ... that stuff will certainly not help your body heal, for sure!!

Best of luck. You've received the best advice in this thread that you can possibly get!!!

p.s. Don't worry about organic. Just eat fresh.

[chilove]

Definitely look for produce stands and produce stores in your area. I can not stress this enough. As a full time student there is no way I could afford to be 100% raw paying grocery store prices. Produce stores usually charge less than half of what grocery stores charge for the exact same produce. Once you find some produce stores and stands, get to know the managers and owners, let them know that you eat only produce (they will get a kick out of that) and that you are on a very limited budget and ask them to set aside the day old produce for you. I get my bananas at 10cents a lb this way! Yesterday the manager at my produce store gave me two perfectly good avocados just because they had a lot of them on hand.

Also check out some ethnic stores. If your city has a Asian or Latino part of town, the produce in those store will usually be a lot cheaper than regular chain grocery stores.

Build your diet around bananas and basic greens (easy to do if you are doing lots of green smoothies). For the rest of your diet, rely on fruit that is in season, it will be the cheapest.

Do take a look at the grocery store ads in the Sunday paper, sometimes you can get a really great deal on fruit that way.

Use raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds for your nuts and seeds, they are by far the cheapest.

You don't need any equipment fancier than a blender and a food processor and you can find both at thrift stores for a few dollars, even really good name brands!

Stick with whole, fresh produce. You don't need any fancy recipes.

It is totally possible to do this on a budget!

[exurb]

sdefee, good luck and best wishes to you.

A couple of points, can you look into it to see if there are any dietary financial supplements available to you under your state or whoever pays the disability. I know in some parts of Canada for people on welfare, if their doctor says they need a special diet due to medical conditions they can get about $200 more a month allowance for that diet :D . An anti-poverty group in Toronto was going out of their way to let people know and sign people up because they believe welfare rates to be too low for basic subsistence, so they tried to make that more widely known, and had big lunch clinics where doctors were to fill out forms for people to get more money for their "special diets." Are there any transportation allowances you can get added for getting back and forth to doctors... something that would put more money in your pocket for better food. Anyway, just maybe worth looking into, are there any groups or social organizations who could maybe give you some information, or maybe call whatever office dispenses the disability payments, and ask if people need a special diet for a medical condition is there a supplementary amount available for that diet. Is there a program in your area to get you a reduced phone bill? - in South Central L.A. (I don't know if the program is still there, but) there was a program called Universal Lifeline, where if you earned under a set amount, you paid only $3 for your basic monthly phone bill, then people in the wealthier areas who were earned a higher income paid a 25 cent premium on their bill to support the program.

Maybe there's some way to get a little more income into your monthly amount. Sometimes there are ways to get supplements but they are generally hidden and not well advertised, hopefully if you inquire a little you might find a supplementary amount available to you for some reason, maybe diet, maybe something else.

Also, you can focus on really cheap vegetables. grated carrot salads or grated beet salads are not expensive, if I compare a bag of carrots to a bag of chips, to me with the chips I have thrown money in the garbage and have not gotten many (/any?) nutrients for my dollar, but with the veggies I have gotten some nutrition for my dollar. Sprouting can be done with an elastic band and an old jar. Instead of buying expensive raw oils, you can get the same effect, make dressings, etc with avocados. Instead of expensive nuts, sunflower seeds are much cheaper and very useful. Reduced bananas are great for putting in the freezer for ice cream.

There are lots of ways to save money. I am all for liberating yourself of all the products corporations would like us to think we need - are you still buying household cleaning products - those can be replaced with better and cheaper pure and simple options.

What would you say your weekly food budget is? Maybe we could make suggestions and help you from there.

In Ontario anti-poverty organizations asked "civilians" to try to live for a month on the amount for food a welfare recipient gets, to learn what that is like. I would be willing to try to eat raw for a week on whatever your weekly budget is. I've been raw for quite a while, I could let you know how I made out, what I ate on that budget.

[mellyc37]

Take a look at www.globalorganics.com, they have something called buyers club. I called and asked if there was a buyers club in my area. There were so many that she said they could not start anymore. She took my email and sent out an email to the clubs in this area and I have already started looking at them. One of them sent me a price list and some items are 1/2 what I have been paying. I am hoping this will stop my impulse buying also, since you have to order in advance.

I notice they deliver to Alabama, so it would not hurt to just call and ask about existing clubs in your area. Best of luck.

[JMD]

Hi,

I agree with everything that was shared. I also know that not ALL produce needs to be organic. If you google the least and most heavily pesticided produce you may find that reassuringl. Things like mango and banana and avocado are a-okay non-organic. This was really good info for me being on a budget too.

Keep the faith. I have survived a year on food stamps when i was on disability for my Fibromyalgia in 1998-99. The Universe always and i mean always provided. Fear is focusing too much in the future. Do what you can today and TRUST wholeheartedly the rest with fall into place.

Keep positive.

:)JMD

[RawFoodieMom]

Take a look at www.globalorganics.com, they have something called buyers club. I called and asked if there was a buyers club in my area. There were so many that she said they could not start anymore. She took my email and sent out an email to the clubs in this area and I have already started looking at them. One of them sent me a price list and some items are 1/2 what I have been paying. I am hoping this will stop my impulse buying also, since you have to order in advance.

I notice they deliver to Alabama, so it would not hurt to just call and ask about existing clubs in your area. Best of luck.

The website you've quoted doesn't appear to have anything to do with organic produce, did you happen to type it wrong?

Debra

[Mystical]

My CSA has a work option - you work at the farm and get your produce free. Also, I get apples during the fall at orchards for $10/bushel. I get a few bushels and keep them in my garage as I use them.

[Doe]

Possibly it is this: http://www.globalorganics.ws/

Teri S

[Doe]

sdefee, our income is also very low and not on a regular basis. When averaged out it may be comparable to yours. Right now it is nothing.

Look for farmers who for whatever reason don't sell their crops. If you ask they will usually let you have all you want. We got 40 free watermelons last summer. You don't have to waste gas riding around looking personally. Just ask around. We found those through a relative. It was someone he went to school with 40 years ago. We used to live further south and many of the orange groves were not picked. They just fell on the ground and rotted. Needless to say we ate all the oranges we wanted free.

We live not too far from commercial potato growers and they harvest with machinery that leaves some potatoes on the ground. When we were younger we would go out to the area just harvested that day with buckets and pick up all we wanted, they didn't mind at all. We always asked first. What someone didn't pick up would have been wasted. Quite a few people do this. If you drive and have children or grandchildren they love to do this. At least we did and so did our kids. It's very dirty, so be forewarned.

Also when you are out and around notice who has gardens. Stop and talk with these people. Get to know them. Ask for tips on getting your own garden started. They may give you saved seed from their last garden or even plants. Home gardeners are very proud of what they grow and don't want anything wasted. They love to give away whatever went hog wild producing in the garden. A man down the road supplied us with his extra greens all last winter. Local grown and just picked is better than organic old and wrinkled IMO.

www.squarefootgardening.com (http://www.squarefootgardening.com/) has a design for raised garden beds especially for those who are handicapped. It's up in the air like a table so even those in wheelchairs can garden. Maybe you personally cannot build it. If you can get a friend or family member to do that you might be able to grow things that way.

We like green onions and bought some bunches from the grocery store and planted them. When we want some I cut usually 2 of them about a half inch above the ground leaving the roots alone. They grow back so we will never have to buy any again. We just cut the oldest ones and leave the others to grow. This can be done even in an apartment in pots.

If you have a blender, a dehydrator really isn't necessary until you can find one second hand. Whatever is about to go can be blended as the base for tonight's raw soup. We do this a lot.

www.freecycle.org (http://www.freecycle.org/) is a good thing to join. It is a place where people can list whatever they no longer want. Someone who wants it can have it free. It helps keep usable items out of the landfills. They do ask that a new person post something to give away before posting a request for something. Most of us have all kinds of things we no longer use. Cook books for one. Electric wok? Toaster?

Hope this helps,
Teri S

Here is the specific link: http://www.squarefootgardening.com/WheelchairGardening.htm (http://www.squarefootgardening.com/WheelchairGardening.htm)

Also this one http://www.squarefootgardening.com/Guest_Column_Plowshares.htm - scroll down to see the pictures - Hmm ... maybe a second hand bookcase? ... redwood, cedar, or cypress would last longer

And another: http://www.squarefootgardening.com/html/body_Fred.htm ... OK I'm done

[Autumn]

Hi and welcome. :D

I live in Alabama as well (Montgomery). We grow almost all our veggies and we also have fruit trees and berry bushes and grape vines. So, I may not be the best person to ask where to shop economically. HOWEVER, the things we do buy that we can't grow, or are not in our growing season, we tend to find at local farmers, curbside vendors and the Farmer's Market at the Coliseum, as well as Sams and Walmart. Sorry if the last two offend anyone, but the health food stores here are a misnomer-unless your idea of "health food" means pills, potions and junk food.

Before we grew our own, we followed many of the tips already in this thread, as well as in many other threads on the same topic on this board (and I know I contributed considerably to those threads as well.) But, like I said, most of them have been repeated here, but you still might want to look them up just in case.

Just keep it simple, watch the sales and deals, make friends with all the health food store employees, locals farmers/farmer's market employees, etc. Keep your eyes and ears open. Shop the farmer's market at the end of the day and the end of the weekend. They'd rather cut their price a little than bring the stuff back to the farm unsold. Stock up when you find a great price. Freeze some stuff. Use the whole food. It is absolutely true that the longer you eat this way the less food you'll need to eat. Fill up with water-the very best thing in the world for you.

Best of luck to you!