Help with the food budget!!!!

[BecauseICan]

Hi, I'm new to raw food living and very excited, but, I have a HUGE problem. I'm Mom to 8 great kids and one great hubby. My hubby agreed to going raw (for the whole family) for one month and then they would make their decision to make this a lifestyle change. Wellllllllll.......... do you have ANY idea how much money it costs to feed a family of 10 this way!!!???!!!! My husband is 6'7" and 210# with a rabbit metabolism, I then have 4 teenagers, my 14 y.o. son is 6'4" and we have 4 more children. Their regular diet includes a lot of things with grains, beans, rice, etc. and bread. Eating this way for our family would cost us almost $1,000 a WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, if we lived in the tropics, it probably wouldn't be so much but we are way up North and well, now I'm kinda down about this cuz there is NO way we can spend $1,000 a week on food. We only bring in about $1500 a month for EVERYTHING. So, does anyone out there have experience with this? I could use all the help I can get. TIA

BecauseICan

[Snownoir]

I in no way have direct experience with this. However, I'm in college paying my own way. So my money is most likely as tight as yours. I was a little confused on what you were saying about how much you currently spend on food a week. You were saying $1000?

Either way, this first thing that really helped me get this all right in my money head, was write down my staple ingredients. I formed my list and wrote down their general price (I had saved reciepts from earlier in the month) from Costco, Albertsons, New Frontiers (like a whole foods), and Trader Joe's. I looked at what I could get in bulk: Oranges by the crate, apples by the dozen, HUGE carrot bags, and avocados from Costco (9 a bag), and nuts. These items last quite a while so they can be taken out of the weekly equation and will most likely be a monthly expense or biweekly. Everything else turns out to be around $60. That would be one shopping experience. And that would last me about 2 weeks. I haven't thrown anything out from spoilage. And what really helps me utilize my greens before they get icky, after I buy them, I wash them up, dry them off, and stick them in baggies (large salad amount), push all the air out, and I have a really quick salad now. Prewashed. I know this will help me save money, cause in the past, I would buy the greens and use some, but it would take me so much time because I'd have to wash before each meal. So I'd let them get icky and have to throw out. So that method has helped me a lot.

I also got a general idea of what I was going to eat during the week. Fruit for breakfast, salads, nori rolls, maybe chili or lasagna, or pasta, and then I'd buy veggies and fruits according to that. I don't do the big recipes because I'd be spending way too much money on the ingredients. I'm saving tons of money sticking to the simple things and looking at the paper for when the local stores are having sales on their produce. Mangos for $.66 each instead of the usual $1 or so. Adds up down the line.

One good suggestion that I got from Storm and Jinjee at thegardendiet.com, is to speak with your local farmes market vendors or local growers, and find out who doesn't mind you ordering from them in advance. Then you can go pick up crates of food for WAY cheap (in comparison to if you tried to buy crates from stores. Ex: They get a 40lbs of organic oragnes for $15 from a local grower. I asked a local store how much a crate of oranges would be and they said somewhere around $50 and I know it would have been less then 40 lbs). Just some food for thought on that one.

Here is a link where you can find all your local farmer's markets: http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm

I hope anything I've said helps. =]

~Me

[trinity082482]

A family of 10 would be expensive but maybe you can:

-Make LARGE batches at a time.
-Buy your nuts and stuff in bulk and look for sales.
-Buy enough so you won't run out quickly
-Buy fruit and veggies at farmers markets. they tend to be 1/2 the price of stores.
-When making breads or goodies... make a jar full at a time and store it so you can have it when you need it through the week.
-Plan out your meals and let everyone know this is what were having tomorrow for dinner. Make 1 meal for everyone, don't run a restaurant LOL
-Munch on fruits instead of raw desserts which can get expensive if you make elaborate recipes.

These tips may help while your getting started then you fill find its so easy you don't have to follow any rules.

[BecauseICan]

Hello and thank you for the suggestions. No, we don't spend $1,000 a week on groceries. No no no! When I sat down and wrote out the shopping list for everything, and then went to the store and priced everything, well, it would be almost $1,000 a week! I would never, COULD never spend that kind of money on food. We live on about $1,500 a month. That includes food, bills, everything. I hope that clears up what I was saying a little bit. As for the farmer's market, that sounds great, in season, but we are way up North in E. Washington (near Spokane) and there are no farmers marketing anything in 20 degrees and snow. Go figure. As far as making things in bulk, that's always a good idea with a large family but I just don't know how this can work without buying things like bulk grains and such to be filling.[color=Magenta]Maybe I should save the "trial" month for summer? We always do a big garden but I don't think there is really a way to preserve and be truly raw, is there? I mean, I know you can dehydrate ... does that remove any of the vitamins and such? Thank you again for your suggestions, I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to answer me.

[Firicia]

If you ever go into Spokan I'm sure, especially in the malls there will be some kind of farmers market... or at least there is here and I live a few hours north of you in Canada. Just a thought that if you guys are ever there maybe stock up, and whatever you don't think you can finnish maybe you can freeze so it's there for later? Anyways good luck, gosh I don't know how you do it with 8 kids... I'm scared to even have 1... but I'm 21 so no need to think about those things now I guess

[cassidy]

Hmmm.... for my staples I just joined a buyers club at my local healthfood store. I can get all of my nuts, grains, seeds, raw kombucha teas (the main reason I joined) for a fraction of the stores retail price. I can even get crates of coconuts!
Costco is great for lots of produce too.

[MaryWalker]

You do have a very large family, and I agree (especially because of where you live!) it is going to cost a bit. You must remember though, when you are eating raw food, you naturally eat less because you get full faster. As for growing teenagers, I don't think they EVER get full!

Another raw meal you can put into the schedule, are green smoothees for breakfast for all! They are so nutritous and very delicious. A very easy one would be 2 cups of water, 2 frozen bananas, 2 oranges, a large handfull of greens (spinach, kale, collard green, romaine, etc - whatever is cheap for you) and blend well in a vitamixer. This drink is also very filling. For 10 people, you will have to make 2-3 batches of this. But, it IS a meal! AND it is RAW!

When you consume green smoothees for about a month, you naturally begin to crave more raw foods.

How about salads for lunch, or fruit & nuts? Then dinner can be more smoothie, or perhaps collard wraps/tacos, pasta marinara, etc. There are some lower cost receipes in Alissa's Book, Living on Live Food. Do you have the book yet?

Please keep us posted, as I'm sure there are other families (maybe not as big!) out there wondering if they can do it. Where there is a will, there is a way!

[RowanC]

many of the items on the food list will last you for weeks or even months.
You can buy in bulk.

You buy raw honey from a beekeeper by the gallon.
You can buy vinegar and braggs by the gallon.
You can buy dates by the boxful
You can buy all produce by the case if necessary.
You can grow tomatoes on your doorstep.. the kids can help.
You can find a community garden.
You can join a food cooperative. Look online to find one in your area.
You can plan these meals carefully and get by on MUCH less than that!

Even with 10 people you can get by on much less.

Do you have a backyard you could turn into a garden? Do you have flowerbeds that could become salad beds? You can tuck lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley, cucumbers almost anywhere! You certainly don't live in an apartment with 10 people, do you?

If you live near farming country, you can almost always join a gleaning association. This is a way to get fresh food for free or very little.

I'd challenge you to go through your cupboards and take an inventory of your boxed food. Do you have things like potato chips and toaster waffles in there? How much of what your kids are eating has ingredients you cannot pronounce on the back of the box? Have you looked into what those ingredients do to a human body?

How much is junk food? You can make a gallon of cereal for the same price you spend on a BOX of junk food cereal.

With 10 children, are any of them old enough to work and help pay for some of these groceries? If they aren't old enough to get a job, could they make that garden in the backyard?

In the end, you either spend the money now on HEALTH or you spend the money on doctors and pharmaceuticals when you are sick from eating all the polluted and GMO foods. It's a choice we all have to make.

How old are your children?
Do you work outside the home?

There are a lot of factors in a lifestyle such as this... tell us more about you and your family, and maybe we can brainstorm solutions?

Here is a farm that delivers to your door: http://www.greenpeople.org/webpage.c...855&pmtlevel=0

You might also try this group. If they know how large your family is, they might arrange special delivery. It never hurts to ask:
https://www.spud.com/index.cfm

Here is a link for Farmers Markets in Spokane area:
http://www.spokanefarmersmarket.org/

You might find a farmer there who will make you a good deal if you tell him how many people you are buying for. Dont' be shy! Tell them, "Look, I have 10 people to feed every day... can you make me some sort of wholesale deal?" I'll bet someone will!

Good luck!

[MaryWalker]

Originally Posted by RowanC

I'd challenge you to go through your cupboards and take an inventory of your boxed food. Do you have things like potato chips and toaster waffles in there? How much of what your kids are eating has ingredients you cannot pronounce on the back of the box? Have you looked into what those ingredients do to a human body?

How much is junk food? You can make a gallon of cereal for the same price you spend on a BOX of junk food cereal.

With 10 children, are any of them old enough to work and help pay for some of these groceries? If they aren't old enough to get a job, could they make that garden in the backyard?

In the end, you either spend the money now on HEALTH or you spend the money on doctors and pharmaceuticals when you are sick from eating all the polluted and GMO foods. It's a choice we all have to make.

WELL SAID ROWANC!!!

The cost of SAD food is a lot! As you are paying for much more (ingredients you can't even pronounce!) including the health problems associated with all of that wasted "food" that doesn't do any darn good to you! AND, there are considerable amounts of dr's bills associated with eating a SAD diet that most people starting out don't even put into the equasion! So many ways you save money when going raw, and don't even think about until much later.

[Morn]

A lot of helpful suggestions have already been made so I will not try to repeat those. I only have 2 children so I may not be the best one to give advise, however, I am a very frugal person and here are some of my suggestions:

Shop your sale ads and buy produce that is on sale.

You can buy a lot of your sprouting grains in bulk and they are filling and much cheaper than buying box stuff , i.e., oat groats, chick peas, flax seed, buckwheat, quinoa, wheatberries, barley, sunflower seeds, alfalfa seeds, etc. These things are now my staples similar in cost to you buying beans, rice, etc.

Shop at fruit and Vegtable markets. Sometimes they sell off produce that is perfectly fine but may now be ripe. I get whole boxes of produce for $2.00. I got 200 bananas for $2.00, a box of apples for $2.00 and just recently another box of tomatoes (25 large tomatoes for $2.00). Talk to the store manager and ask how you can get discounted produce and find out what they do with stuff that they want to get rid of quick. With a family as big as your's you will go threw it quick and can freeze the excess. I still have a ton of bananas in my freezer that I make icecream out of and smoothies.

Buy your nuts in bulk at Costco or Sams. It is much cheaper this way than buying them at a regular grocery store. For that matter they have huge quantities of carrots, lettuce, etc. for really reasonable prices.

I don't know if you have an Aldi but they have produce fairly cheap there as well.

Lettuce and vegtables are still not as expensive as slabs of meat. The main thing is finding new sources in your area that agree with your pocket book.

I made refried beans (that rawkinlocs posted on this site) yesterday made of sunflower seeds and spices, etc. Boy was it filling and not too expensive to make. Instead of cereal, I make raw granola with oat groats and that is hearty! I would suggest you get a raw foods cookbook and look for ideas that way that sound good to you.

Learn how to make your own nut butters, and grow some inside herbs. I have some on my window sill right now (and I live in Michigan) of parlsey, basil, cilantro, dill.

Eating this way may mean you have to get creative and will require you to get educated on pricing and where to go for different things. It may require you to visit stores you normally wouldn't go to but you will learn.

Above all, don't get discouraged. I am so happy you have your husband's buy in. I wish mine would join me!

Good luck to you and Best Raw Wishes! It can be done!

[michigan roman]

maybe slivered greens like in coleslaws , such as lettuces - spinach - kale - mustard - chard - etc , as beds for cut up vegis and dressings . in other words like salads but shredded so there dense and filling . and on these shredded salads you also sprinkle raw sun flower seeds which can be bought in bulk for less than a buck per pound for protein and fat to burn . with oil in the dressings for more cheap fat to burn . i like sesame seeds also sprinkled on , maybe could grow own sesame seeds for year round supply because they are high in protein and calcium . plus must get creative/experimentive with other type salad dressings for taste and nutrition reasons .

and another way im looking at these shredded salads is to add sprouts to hardy them up . havent got into sprouts alot yet though . but you can get certain seeds like bean , sunflower etc cheap , then you have to have an efficient sprouting way so there convenient .

and i also add alot of vegis to my salads like brocoli .

but bottom line is that these hardy salads have become my staple . its like living on heavy duty rabbit food .

then i buy what bulk nuts and fruits i can afford . for me i always buy bananas to eat with my salads or anytime . maybe you could buy a bulk order of bananas per week from a produce / grocer place . like 50 lbs or something a week . same with other produce . figure out which you like and how much you need , and when its in season and try to make giant bulk orders .
like say you want 50 lbs of tomatos per week . same with say romaine lettuce . and when it comes in go pick it up . maybe even try talking to the truck drivers or their headquarters and buy these big shippments right off the truck .

[RowanC]

With a family that large, I'd definitely talk to the produce manager of my local HEALTHY foodstore. They'll almost always work with you in buying bulk. You could buy cases of oranges and bananas and really save.

[Rawkinlocs]

I know some raw fooders are not for eating grains, but you CAN still buy grains for your family...there will just be a different way of preparing them now.

You can buy buckwheat (which technically isn't really a grain though it's USED as one), rye berries, spelt berries, barley, etc.

Then you'd soak and sprout them (as needed) and use to make various sprouted flat breads, cookies, crackers, the barley can be used to make Alissa's Spanish rice and in her chili - do you own a dehydrator? You don't need a fancy Excalibur, you can go to Walmart and get the American Harvest Snackmaster WITH temperature control for under $50 or check with thrift stores, Craigslist, eBay, Freecycle, etc.

You can make a large batches of raw chili, soups (served with flax crackers), marinara sauce (to go over zucchini pasta) and those items can be made up and frozen to last.

I know nuts can get costly, but seeds are often cheaper and many nut-based things can be subbed with seeds or do half and half nuts and seeds. You can also make nut pate's but use less nuts and more carrots as a filler to cut down on the cost of making those.

Bananas are filling and not too expensive...get cases of those if you can and keep stored in a cool place so they won't go bad too quickly and then when they DO begin to get overripe, freeze them for smoothies, ice cream, shakes, etc.

If you get into making nut milk, save the pulp to use in the place of nuts in recipes such as pie crusts, crackers, cookies, etc. and that way, you are getting double usage out of the nuts you buy.

Load up on greens and make green smoothies and collard wraps (collard green leaves loaded with veggies and maybe spread some nut pate on it to make it even more filling.

[juliebove]

Can you grow some of your own food? That really helps me to save money.

[michigan roman]

HERES A GREAT SITE TO LEARN ABOUT SPROUTS = www.sproutpeople.com .


when get to the page over on left hand side near top click ' sprouting seed info center ' to get to sprout info