Thinking that going raw may blow your budget? It definitely does not have to be. Check out the following budget survival tips every raw foodist must know:

1) Going Slow

The truth is - if you plan to be complete with elaborate equipment, measuring utensils and expect to prepare gourmet raw foods everyday, there will be some investment which needs to be made.

But you can always take smaller steps and go slowly. For beginners, I do not recommend getting expensive equipment right away. In fact, if you have my 3D2N Weekend Detox, you can see that a person can be raw even without a blender.

I have a student residing in Taiwan who has zero equipment, and she managed to carry on the detox using raw foods for more than 5 days!!

Before you jump into buying a dehydrator or even a high powered blender, try to see if you can make do with any household blenders you already own. Even with these common home blenders, you can prepare some decent raw dishes.

When you are more comfortable financially and ready to move on to the chef/fancy gourmet levels, you can opt to buy more equipment and source for pricier ingredients.

2) Get the best you can within your affordability

If you compare organic nuts to non-organic nuts, of course organic nuts will be much more expensive! And even more so on our little island where availability is sometimes an issue. If getting the real organic versions blow your budget, then opt for the non-organic versions instead. There is no perfect scenario for every occasion, so lets just make the best out of our individual situations.

Imagine if you are trapped in a cell with either fries, or baked potatoes (non-organic), of course it’ll make more sense to choose the latter! So, don’t worry too much, just buy within your budget and reap the maximum benefits possible.

For a list of the top-most polluted fruits/vegetables, read my article Should We Go Organic.

Remember that Nature is generous, do we really need that special fruit/vegetable to give us a certain precious nutrient? By listening to your own body and making sensible choices, worrying about malnutrition can often be unnecessary.

3) Buy from distributors/wholesalers

If you are concerned about budget, then buying from wholesalers will make more sense than buying from supermarkets. Its all about value actually; you are paying for the supermarket’s overheads, advertising and transport costs, in return for accessibility and comfortable shopping.

There are plenty of seasonal vegetables and fruits available in Asia and Singapore. Most of them are even locally grown. If you live in Singapore, a good place to shop for organic vegetables is from Zenxin Agri-Organic - which is located at Pasir Panjang. They owned a farm in Malaysia and thus is able to offer organic vegetables at reasonable prices.

In my case, I shop in both supermarkets (when I’m short on time and/or need that ingredient badly) and wholesalers/farms (when we have a family outing and its along the way).

If you buy from local organic farms and wholesalers, you save a whole chunk of the middle-man costs, which translates into higher value for your dollar.

In addition, a raw food lifestyle naturally excludes many unhealthy processed foods from your diet. You will cease to transfer value to the junk food manufacturers by choosing to spend your money on fresh, natural and health giving produces.

3) Buy in Bulk

This is probably a well-known tip. Buying a single piece of banana, a bunch of bananas, and a case of bananas will result in substantial price differences. You always get produces cheaper by buying higher quantities. The only thing to watch out for is to go through your produce carefully to make sure there are no “rotten” ones stashed away at the bottom.

If you stay near a fruit grocer or even retailer, it pays to establish some rapport with them. Usually the store owners are more than happy to give loyalty discounts and freebies to regular customers.

4) Prepare Your Own Meals

When on raw, eating out just does not make “cents” because for the same amount of money, availability is limited, and it can be difficult to be full or satisfied. You are going to get so much more value from bringing your own food.

In the morning, wake up an hour earlier to prepare your lunch/snack boxes. These can be easily achieved by packing a big bag of mixed greens, pour your own salad dressing (vary your oil/fat contents based on your lifestyles) into a bottle and blend a large tumbler full of fruit or green smoothie before you head out.

If possible, stock up your office with both fresh & dried fruits for snacking.

5) Form a Co-Op

If your neighborhood has a community of raw foodists, then good for you! Gather a group and form a Raw Produce co-op, where you consolidate every member’s orders for a week, and then order from a farm/wholesaler/distributor. You are going to save a lot more this way!

The only thing is to coordinate the logistics among yourselves, who to pick up from who etc… With a little thinking and creativity, impossible is nothing!

Well… long article ain’t it? The fact is that when there’s a will, there’s a way. In any case, have the belief that raw foods IS doable, sustainable and definitely possible, regardless of your budget.

And besides, what is the price you would pay for health?

Smile, Be Positive, and Have Fun!

(C)Copyright 2008, Linda Loo

Tags: vegan weight loss, low fat recipes, raw food diet, raw & living foods