Going Raw.. on a budget

I am in love with the idea that I am going raw. What I am not in love with is the price of going raw.

On a very basic level, going raw is not so bad. If you can nosh on a bag of spinach every day for the rest of your life then you have my complete admiration. If you are like me, and need variety, then here are some lessons that I have learned in the last few weeks:

Lesson 1: Try new things.. the RIGHT way

I went raw snack crazy a few weeks. I was at Whole Foods and I saw this whole segment of an aisle dedicated to raw. There was chocolate bars, love bites, granola's, flax crackers, cookies, brownies, etc. Seeing that there was only a segment of an aisle dedicated to raw, and feeling as if this was as good as it was going to get,  I grabbed a few things.. I got the go raw chocolate bar, some love bites, some grawnola, and a few other things. If you have been to Whole Foods and checked out the Love Bites they are $7.39 for a 4oz bag. This expensive, albeit delicious, snack was a little too high priced for my budget. A few days later I popped into Food Lion and guess what I found... PURE bars for $1 something. The crazy thing? The PURE bars are better tasting to me then about 80% of the other bars I tried! Had I done my research I could have saved  A LOT of money that I really couldn't afford to spend on groceries!

Lesson 2: Get the basics locally

I am fortunate enough to live in a city that has a year round farmer's market. That being said, I went this morning and spent $12.00. For $12.00 I got the following items: 5 large yellow squash, 4 large and firm tomatoes, 3 hot chili peppers ( no... not the band members! ), a PURPLE Pepper ( YES!! It's REALLY purple! It's sooo awesome! ), an eggplant, and a small basket of Asian Pears. Not only did I get some fabulous deals and an awesome new food find, but I helped support our local farms so that we can keep having fresh produce. I suggest a google search in your area if you aren't sure where a farmer's market is near you.

Lesson 3: Splurge a little so you don't splurge a lot

I have a Starbucks addiction. I dont know what it is about that place but I walk into one and instantly feel more calm. It smells great and I know that I am about to have a nice cup of some Starbucks deliciousness. Every time that I have denied myself Starbucks in the last 2 weeks I have ended up spending way more on something else i.e. Love Bites. I figured out the trick. I went to Starbucks yesterday. I walked in and I ordered a Venti Hot Tazo Refresh Tea with a large cup of ice on the side. I made some delicious tea and spent literally half of what I would have spent on my regular order of a grande iced non-fat caramel macchiato with extra drizzle. SCORE! I was satisfied and it prevented me from spending even more money on something that wasn't what I was really looking for.

Lesson 4: ( this is the most important ) Make due with what you have... for now!

Last night my friend talked down off of the proverbial edge when I got all worked up about Vitamix Blenders and how there is NO WAY that it's in my budget right now. I tried to justify it ( everyone says just suck it up and get one! ) I tried to think of ways to save the money fast ( I even stopped and tried to get a part time job at Barnes and Noble! ) but it was not meant to be. My friend basically told me to calm down and make due with what I have. And she's right. I bought a $40.00 dehydrator at Walmart today because, realistically, that wasn't even in my budget but i'm going to use it and i'm going to make due with it until I can save up for a really nice dehydrator.. and a vitamix... and a juicer... and... i'm accepting donations to the get Mandy's Kitchen Set Up fund.. :)

Bottom line is that if you get easily wrapped up in new things (like me) then slow down and ease into this. It will be worth it in the long run and if you focus on what you have and not what you don't have then odds are you will be more successful at transitioning and staying into a raw lifestyle.