Hello Beautiful!

It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

Grocery Bill!!

TzefiraTzefira Raw Newbie

My grocery bill is up to $200 a wk! i feed 4 to 5 people 100% raw. Does anyone else have this issue?? have any suggestions on how i can cut corners.

«1

Comments

  • With summer coming is there any chance of starting a small garden? I plan on stocking up this summer on all of the local, fresh, organic produce that I can freeze (tomatoes, all berries, apples, etc…..) I have 2 apple trees and plan to grow tomatoes and spinach. I process the spinach with a little bit of water and then make spinach ice cubes. Then I add them to my smoothies.

    There is so much available in the summer that is terribly expensive at this time of year. I hope that helps a little bit.

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    you feed that many on that amount?! i feed ME and it’s about 100 a week!! BUT it’s worth it to me!!!

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    Have you got a dehydrator? Raw bread and crackers are extremely cheap and filling.

    The further into raw you go the less everyone will eat…it will get cheaper. How about substituting nuts for sunflower seeds? Nuts are so expensive. What are you buying exactly, what are you all eating? Let us know so we can suggest cheaper alternatives ;)

  • I’m with you Luna Blu…I feed me for at least $100/week! And I don’t even buy all the fancy packaged superfoods or pre-made stuff! (By the way…I”m enjoying the ever-changing Iron Man avatar.)

  • southernloversouthernlover Raw Newbie

    That’s pretty good. My husband and I spend about $140/wk…and we hardly eat organic!

  • anngoingrawanngoingraw Raw Newbie

    I can’t get organic vegs and fruits, and when I find some they are really expensevie, so I eat lot of sprouts made from organic seeds!! Cheap and nutritious!

  • yea it actually sounds like you are doing awesome considering world food prices right now. But if you want to cut down might I suggest foraging. Its a great time of year to start.

  • kevin7197kevin7197 Raw Newbie

    Until recent price surges the average household spent $50-$60 per person per week. It sounds like you’re completely in line on the grocery budget and I’d love to know your secret, lol.

  • BeTheChangeBeTheChange Raw Newbie

    I often get made fun of for this, but…I don’t use a fridge. It has cut my energy bill to virtually nothing because I have an old one that came with my old-ass apartment, but it also helps me live more simply, and I love it! We put so many things in the fridge out of habit that do not even need to be in there! This makes me go to the store every couple of days rather than loading up at once, and I spend far less, because I set myself a limit for each one of those trips. This took some getting used to, but I recommend that everyone try it! Or just replace your big fridge with a little dormroom size one and see what that does?

    Organic does get pricey, but without the extra $20 a month from my fridge, I can afford it!

    Hell, I take it back. I’m not recommending you all try it, i am CHALLENGING YOU! Anyone up for it? eh? any takers? one week without a fridge??? :P

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    Audrey – glad you like. My fave is the one where he is flying with the jets in the background. That is the wallpaper on my computor. just love that pic. It’s how i feel on raw, like I can fly at supersonic speed!!!

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    how do you go about foraging? what would i be looking for in southern connecticut? anyone an expert?

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    yeah, $200 for 4 to 5 people is good! I think my bf and I spend that much a week and there are only two of us. And we normally only eat twice a day. You must live in a low cost area.

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    Do you grow sprouts? Have you gone to any farmer’s markets? Some farmers will sell their produce dirt cheap at the end of the day :)

  • TzefiraTzefira Raw Newbie

    I live in a kinda expensive area….. Sarasota Fl. i cut nuts down alot ans use mostly sunflower seeds… i do a lil foraging. I’ve thought of shopping ever couple of days to see if it’s cheeper….. yea i guess it’s not that bad when i hear from everyone else… :) i do, do sprouts and i’d like to start growing them myself and my husband is getting the ground prepared to start planting veggies this fall… what i’ve had to start doing is planning my hole 7 day week menu and writing down the ingredients i need and i try to stick to the list… it’s worked wonders… oh yea! i does help that my husband works at an organic farm and is able to take home whatever is grown there…..so as far as are greens go…all are free…so im buying lil nuts, seeds, root veggies fruits ect.

  • How much was your typical SAD food bill? My mother spends at least $160 every time she goes shopping, since she can’t walk by the meat and cereal aisles without buying anything that happens to be on sale—even if she doesn’t need it.

    I buy my own food, obviously, and it costs about $30-50 per week, depending on the food I buy. Someone said something about sunflower seeds; they’re definitely cheaper than most others. Foraging is a good idea, too. You don’t have to walk along the railroad tracks picking blueberries; just grab some weeds from your lawn (if it hasn’t been treated), because Lord knows they’re everywhere, and no one else is using them.

    Most grocery stores will also rotate fruit on sale, so I change my diet accordingly. Right now, watermelons are pretty cheap. Next week, it’ll be grapes or strawberries. Stock up when you can, if it’s something that will last.

    Now, there’s only one of me, and you’re feeding 4 or 5 people. Have you ever considered buying in bulk? You can get entire cases of produce at a much better price than things sell for individually.

  • kevin7197kevin7197 Raw Newbie

    BeTheChange- I’m curious as to how you keep your produce fresh? Some fruits and veggies are fine at room temperature but stuff like leafy greens wouldn’t survive very well. I’ve often considered switching to the dorm type of fridge to discourage overstocking but I can’t imagine going completely without one!

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    tzefira – i spent 120 per week all organic for one person. plus 40/week on raw restaurant food for one person. so you’re eating very inexpensively!!

  • I am feeling your pain on this one. I have started cutting down on my variety of nuts, and am also doing mostly sunflower seeds and small amounts of almonds. The nuts were killing me at the checkout.

  • Jeeze…200 p/wk is fantastic for 4-5 people! My goodness!!! I spend around $20 a day on food. But I overdo it. I get too excited and make food for other people as well…but generally $100 a week for me. Crazy.!

  • BeTheChangeBeTheChange Raw Newbie

    kevin—I buy leafy greens on basically a daily basis! I learned the hard way very quickly that they just do not last long!

  • TzefiraTzefira Raw Newbie

    i use these green bags for my leafy greens. i shop every friday and they last me all week without going bad. but by the next friday its time to throw whatever wasnt used away..but thats not often. :) yea the nuts really get me….. :(

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    Bunny – I hear you about the cost of nuts! It IS nuts!! Are almonds laced with gold or what? I don’t buy raw almond butter (nor do I buy unraw almond butter!) because it is 20 bucks!!! for an 8 oz container!!!! Now that is robbery!!

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    Bunny – oh and your hair looks great to me, but your soup idea freaked me out a little!! i am sure it was good though. maybe!:) lovin your vid. blog!!! i am thinking aoubt doing that now too. much easier than typing, typing, typing.

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    Don’t throw away your greens…you can wash them, dry them, and then freeze them to use in future smoothies.

  • dandelion greens grow in most peoples backyards. As long as the grass is organic then you should be able to eat them. You can use them in salads or green smoothies. Plus they are very healthy! You can also look into buying bulk, buying from a food co-op (or starting your own if you don’t have one near you, that;s what I am doing), and buy lots when stuff goes on sale and use it as needed. I must admit I am finding eating 90% raw does cost more, but well worth it!

  • sweetpeasweetpea Raw Newbie

    Make lots of smoothies for the kids. Take them on wild food walks to collect lots of green edibles like nettles, dandelions etc. Use mainly sunflower and pumpkin seeds as they are cheaper than nuts. Eat seasonal produce. Pick cheaper fruits like apples, pear, oranges and bananas that come in the bag load as opposed to berries.

    www.rawlifestyle.co.uk

  • TzefiraTzefira Raw Newbie

    Wonderful seggestions.. Thank you Everyone! :)

  • thecavsmanthecavsman Raw Newbie

    My girlfriend and I spend about 115-140 per week for 2 people. It is closer to 140 the more that I buy from this raw place that sells premade stuff. But if I only went to whole foods and trader joes (trader joes has CHEAP organic fruit if you buy it in a bag), then I would be at about 120 every week. I also spend 15 bucks a week on dehydrated bread since I don’t have the time to run a dehydrator yet (I will work that into my life into the future) and I always try 8.00 worth of nut sauces from the raw place each week.

    Eating good quantities of food and drinking enough water, I think that I could spend 55-60 per month per person using trader joes and whole foods. That is what i’d recommend. But the less you spend, the more you have to prepare yourself.

    Oh yeah – GREEN BAGS. I waste no fruit with these things and it isn’t stressfull picking out fruit and worrying about how long they will last and how ripe they are. If you put them in green bags, they will often last 2 weeks (fruit).

    Edit: By the way, 200 per week for 4-5 people, unless they are mainly toddlers, doesn’t sound so expensive compared to what I hear on here.

  • CarmentinaCarmentina Raw Newbie

    Make sure you eat ALL of your vegetable, I mean don’t throw away your carrot tops, radish, strawberry and the list goes on. We stupidly discard broccoli leaves and all the rest, but not only is it nutritious, but often delicious! Before discarding a part, Google it to find out if it’s edible. :)

Sign In or Register to comment.