10 Ways To Save Money When Shopping For Raw Food
money, raw food diet budget, raw food diet cost, raw food diet shopping
Are you on the raw food diet AND on a budget?
If so, then I’ve got some ideas to help save you money.
But first, if you haven’t already, please read Is a Healthy Raw Food Diet Lifestyle Expensive? It’s really the first half of this article, and covers what I feel are some very important considerations for your health.
First, let’s cover a few of the more obvious options. (Don’t worry, these don’t count against the 10 tips!)
- As more of your diet shifts to fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, you’ll save on unhealthy manufactured and processed foods.
- Chances are, if you’re having more raw foods at home, your eating out has decreased. Eating out is a key pocketbook drain for many people.
- Here’s one I almost hesitate to mention. Although I don’t recommend it, you could forgo organic produce. Organic produce can be quite a bit pricier than non-organic counterparts. The ONLY reason I mention this option is because I believe so strongly in the health benefits of raw foods that I’d rather you eat non-organic raw foods than none at all. But if there’s ANY way you can choose organic, I strongly urge you to do so. If choosing organic sounds costly to you, please consider reading this article again.
When you’re in the process of transitioning to raw foods, sometimes it may seem like your grocery bill is going up… but give the above points there’s a good chance you’re spending less money overall.
Now, if you want to cut back even more, here are the 10 tips:
- Keep it fresh. New prepared raw foods and raw food restaurants are springing up regularly. However, these choices often come with a premium price tag. Stick to mostly fresh, whole fruits and vegetables.
- Stay in regular grocery stores whenever possible. Specialty health food stores can be great for their wide selection or finding new items to help spice up the kitchen. But the prices are typically higher because these stores cater to a certain crowd who are often able and willing to shell out more cash. Nowadays, it’s becoming hip to be healthy, and conventional stores are catching on by “beefing up” their organic produce and health food sections. Depending on the grocery store, it can be hit or miss whether you’ll find exactly what you need. But if what you’re looking for is usually part of a “normal” diet — i.e., produce, nuts, etc. — it’s likely to be cheaper there. At the very least, shopping in order, from the standard grocery to the health food store, will help keep your grocery bill under control.
- Try the produce stand, farmers’ market, or community-supported agriculture (”CSA”). There’s not one but four great reasons to scout out the closest one. You’ll pump money into your local farms and economy, helping out your town or city. You’ll also decrease your carbon footprint by consuming food that hasn’t had to travel thousands of miles to get into your kitchen. You’ll save a bit of change on your produce because local produce is typically priced very well. If those three weren’t a good enough reason, the food you pick up will be nutritionally better for you because, again, it hasn’t traveled as far from where it was picked.
- Sacrifice convenience. Convenient food is more expensive. It may be easier to buy the pre-cut carrots, but it comes at a cost. If those pre-cut carrots are going to help you stick to the diet, though, then the cost may well be worth it. But if you’re willing to wield the knife yourself, you’ll find your grocery bill to be a little lower every week.
- Shop more often. This sounds counterintuitive — won’t shopping more lead to spending more? Not if you buy the appropriate amount of food each time. Raw food is highly perishable, so the quickest way to lose money is for it to go bad in the refrigerator. So go shopping, prepare items by washing, cutting and portioning out as soon as you get home, and make sure you actually get around to eating them. If you buy too much food at one time, it’s more likely to go to waste because it wasn’t eaten before it started to decay. You should count on shopping at least once a week.
- Save on non-food products. There are a lot of deals out there for non-food products. If you collect coupons for paper products, pet products, toiletries, and other items you often buy in conjunction with your food, you’ll save a few dollars here and there that can be used toward purchasing higher-quality ingredients to use in your every day diet.
- Check overall prices & shop in order. In my town, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are right across the street from each other. They have similar types of food, but Trader Joe’s is generally cheaper. Pick and choose where you buy certain items to save money. Begin your shopping outings with the cheaper stores first.
- Be late to the farmers market. There will be less selection, but you can bargain for deals later in the day because the sellers would rather sell the produce than lug it all home (or worse, toss it out).
- Shop in season. Snacking in the summer? Pick up fresh strawberries. Looking for a winter food? Pick out a big winter squash. Buy in season; you’ll have better-tasting foods that are easier on the wallet.
- Where’s it from? Sometimes stores will carry similar produce from different places. Check where it’s from; there may be a price difference. You might also have other personal motives for choosing based on the location of origin.
With all the money you save, please do consider reinvesting that amount back into yourself and your family — in the form of more quality fresh organic produce.
The financial industry calls this “reinvested dividends,” which has been known to compound exponentially and make people wealthy. Raw foods may not help you be wealthy, but they can help you be healthy. 
What money-saving techniques do YOU use? Leave a comment below!
Raw Food Diet | Chuck June 15, 2009
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By Marisela, September 17, 2009 @ 11:26 am
Well, one thing that helps me save money is growing as much as I can of my veggies.
I LOVE homegrown tomatoes–the taste is incomparable. I supplement what I don’t grow by exchanging with others and farmer’s markets!
You have a great blog here and just so you know I found you through the link love that Evelyn posted for you!
Here is the link: http://www.naturalrawliving.com/2009/09/thursday-link-love.html, in case you haven’t seen it!
Also, I am currently doing a 40 day fast on water and afterward will be on a raw food diet for awhile. Hope you stop by and check it out!